staff@slashgear.com (Marinel Sigue)
2024-06-19 09:15:28
www.slashgear.com
The Raspberry Pi comes with its own set of input and output pins for interfacing with electronic components. However, the Arduino remains the recommended platform when it comes to hardware-focused projects, and for good reasons. First off, projects centered on electronic components need sufficient input/output pins. Not every project you make can fit into the Raspberry Pi’s 26 GPIO pins, especially the more advanced applications like multi-sensor weather monitors or home automation systems. That said, the Arduino is clearly the better option, as it offers boards capable of accommodating Arduino projects with multiple sensors and modules. There’s the Arduino Giga R1 Wi-Fi featuring an impressive set of 76 pins and the Arduino Mega 2560 with a total of 70 pins.
Arduino boards are also ideal for hardware-centric projects as they’re typically set up in places where wall outlets are inaccessible — think mobile robots, smart wearables, and bird feeders. Aside from the USB port, you can power your Arduino boards with any regular battery connected to its VIN pin. The supply voltage depends on the board, but the more popular ones use 9V. In contrast, you can’t connect most batteries to a Raspberry Pi, as it needs 2.5 to 3A to power up (regular 9V batteries can only provide about 600mA).
On the software end, Arduinos make programming your electronic components a lot easier, too. All you generally need is the Arduino IDE, which already includes most of the popular libraries for interfacing with frequently used components like ultrasonic sensors and LCD modules. The libraries even come with example codes for your convenience. On the other hand, to program hardware with the Pi, you usually have to hunt down their libraries first, install them, and then consult their documentation for example codes.