Raspberry Pi is a miniature computer that can pack a serious punch. This single-board computer has no less power than a mid-range desktop. Pi is one of the most widely used boards for IoT projects due to its small size, general purpose input/output pins, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth:

Let's list the technical specifications of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B; refer to Figure 2.1:

• Broadcom BCM2837 chipset
• 1.2 GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53
• 802.11 bgn wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) and Bluetooth 4.1 (Bluetooth classic and low energy)
• 1 GB RAM
• 64-bit CPU
• 4 x USB ports
• 40-pin GPIO
• 3.5 mm 4-pole composite video and audio output
• Full size HDMI
• 10/100 BaseT Ethernet

• CSI camera port for connecting the Raspberry Pi camera
• DSI display port for connecting the Raspberry Pi touchscreen display
• MicroSD card slot for loading your operating system and storing data
• Micro USB...

The following are the important features:

• Power:
  • Raspberry Pi is powered by a +5.0V micro USB supply
  • A 2.5 ampere power supply works well to power Pi and it uses a maximum of 1 amp
  • GPIO pins can draw 50 mA of current in total, distributed across all pins where each pin can draw 16 mA
  • The HDMI port uses a 50 mA current, whereas the camera module draws a 250 mA current
  • A USB-based mouse and keyboard can use 100 mA to 1000 mA current

• USB:
  • Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is equipped with four USB 2.0 ports. These...

We will use the following items to complete the setup:

• A Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.
• A monitor for display, preferably with HDMI connectivity. If your monitor supports only VGA, you can use a VGA to HDMI converter.
• A keyboard and mouse that can be connected to Pi through USB.
• A MicroSD card and card reader. Since Pi doesn't have onboard storage, we will install the OS on the SD card itself, so at least 8 GB is preferable.
• A power supply: Raspberry Pi is powered by micro USB. Use a good adapter with a 2.5 A rating.

If you do not have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, you can still set up using a headless approach and move to the next topic directly. For now, let's start by setting up Pi using a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

Install the OS on your SD card. We will install the Raspbian version of the OS here:

1. The best way to install an OS is through...

Refer to the following steps:

1. Download the Raspbian Lite OS from Raspberry Pi's website at https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/.
2. Once we have the OS image downloaded, we write it to the SD card using a laptop/desktop. Follow the instructions given at: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md for the OS of your laptop/desktop.
3. To enable SSH on Raspberry Pi, create an empty file with the name ssh without any extension. Place this file in the root partition of the SD card.

4. Take out the SD card and insert it into Raspberry Pi. Connect your Ethernet cable from the router to Pi to provide an internet connection and power it up.
5. To connect to Pi using SSH, we need tools such as PuTTY and Advanced IP Scanner. Download and install both the tools from the following links:

• • PuTTY: http://www...

In this chapter, we learned about the all-important hardware components of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B in detail. Also, we went through the different functionalities and capabilities of this pocket-sized personal computer.

We walked through the setup of Pi by installing the OS and connecting it to the network, and got familiar with the GUI as well.

In Chapter 3, Let's Communicate, we will learn about various communication protocols, which is one of the most important parts of an IoT ecosystem.