pi top is more than a project, it is a whole group of developers willing to provide a series of solutions based on Raspberry Pi board. The objective is that you can take advantage of the famous SBC in a very simple and different way from how you have seen it so far. Also, they have a strong penchant for education, which is also wonderful ...
In this new article I will show you everything you need to know about Pi-Top. Both on the origin, and on their products, your operating system, etc.
About Pi-Top
pi-top is the name given to this company oriented to creative learning. To do this, they have developed a series of projects for beginners of all ages, and also for more advanced users and passionate DIY makers. All of them allowing to create very interesting things with which to learn in the real world.
The company has established its headquarters in three main headquarters. One of them is located in london, in the United Kingdom. Close to the flagship product that has allowed them to create their projects, the Raspberry Pi. But it also has another headquarters in Austin, Texas (USA), and Shenzhen, China, from where some components are created.
More information - Pi-Top.com
Pi-Top Products and Software
Between the products created around pi-top some very interesting can be highlighted. As I mentioned at the beginning, all of them will allow you to use and learn about the Raspberry Pi in a quite simple and different way, providing many amenities.
pi-top CEED
pi-top CEED It is basically a plastic case with a screen and other elements where you can house a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or 3 Model B + to give life to a kind of cheap AIO (All-in-One).
It's that simple you can build your own cheap desktop computer with a fairly slim form factor. Ideal for educational environments such as classes or for the little ones to start learning STEAM education, especially computing.
The price of this computer is 114,99$, but the Raspberry Pi is not included, you would have to buy separately.
pi top 3
The other great product that pi-top has is called pi top 3. And it is very similar to the previous one, but in this case it is a laptop. A case that can also be given life with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or B + board, and that includes the 14 ″ FullHD (1920x1080px) screen, a lithium battery that can last between 6 and 8 hours of use, and also the keyboard and trackpad.
Of course, as with laptops, it has a hinge for the screen, being able to put it at the angle you want or close it when you are not using it to transport it more easily. In this case it is only available in one color
That is, it is an alternative in case you do not like the previous AIO and want a team with increased mobility that you can take from one place to another and with good autonomy. Otherwise, follow the same principle. The idea is that you can assemble your modular components and learn ...
Buy Pi-Top 3pi top 4
This other product called pi top 4 it is available in two different versions. One is the complete one, priced at $ 199,95 and another DIY Edition for $ 99,95. The former already has a pre-installed Raspberry Pi board, while the latter lacks one and allows you to assemble it yourself.
With this miniPC, you can connect a screen, keyboard and mouse, and start enjoying more than 100 hours of projects to explore and learn with. It has a large library with activities to program and create a multitude of things. From simple musical instruments to alarm systems. All with step-by-step tutorials.
Of course, one of the great improvements is that it is based on the Raspberry Pi 4 4GB, which gives it greater performance and capabilities compared to previous versions that use the Pi 3.
Another interesting thing is that it is compatible with components of the famous brand of creative construction toys LEGO. Therefore, LEGO connectors can be seamlessly integrated electronically, being able to write source code to control them. And of course, it can also be combined with Arduino, so its capabilities are multiple.
Of course, you can simply use it as any computer, for tasks other than programming and learning ...
It will also include a 30 min training session with iD Tech Online to be able to learn programming if you have no previous knowledge, only that the lesson is in English.
Buy pi-top 4pi-topOS
This company has also created an operating system for its products. Is named pi-topOS and it's based on Linux, of course. But it has a simple and lightweight interface to adapt well to these computers and educational environments. In addition, it has several interesting tools pre-installed with which to start programming, creating and learning.
For example it comes with Scratch, for block programming ... But also with Minecraft, LibreOffice, Sonic Pi, Codelite, GIMP, VLC, Chromium, etc.
More
In addition to all the above, you will also find other extras by pi-top. For example:
- Foundation kit, a "bento box" with various components such as LEDs, sensors, and buttons.
- Pi-TopSpeaker, a loudspeaker to integrate with your modular products.
- Pi-TopProto, a breadboard to add to your products and start creating electronic projects.
- Future for Education, a pi-top software for STEM learning management with more than 100 hours of learning.
- Sensors, etc.
Education
Although it is in English, as I have commented previously, the pi-top project is very oriented to education. For this reason, they have a very interesting section on their website where you can find information and material for educational environments. They even allow distance learning with their platform, something interesting in these times of pandemic.