ARM Overview
ARM is a UK-based company known for designing ARM processors. These are 32-bit chips—more than just software—and are highly popular in the industry. Companies like Samsung and Apple license ARM’s technology to create their own chips. ARM provides the core technology, while semiconductor companies develop and produce the actual chips. Any chip using ARM’s licensed technology is referred to as an ARM chip.
Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a compact circuit board that utilizes ARM processors and runs on Linux or Windows operating systems. Developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, led by Eben Upton, the Raspberry Pi was launched in March 2012 as the world’s smallest desktop computer. It aims to make computer science education engaging and accessible, fostering innovative applications worldwide. The initial concept in 2006 was based on Atmel’s ATmega644 microcontroller, and the first 10,000 units were manufactured in mainland China.
The Raspberry Pi integrates most components of a typical desktop computer onto a single board, requiring only a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to function. While it operates on a different OS, it serves as a microcomputer.
Differences Between ARM Development Boards and Raspberry Pi
- Processor Core: Raspberry Pi uses an ARM Cortex-M9 processor, classifying it as an ARM development board. However, ARM development boards encompass various MCU cores, such as STM32F0 (ARM Cortex-M0) and STM32F1/F2 (ARM Cortex-M3).
- Platform Flexibility: ARM development boards are more fixed in nature, designed primarily as hardware platforms with limited interfaces and fewer GPIO pins. In contrast, Raspberry Pi offers greater flexibility for development.
- Complexity: ARM boards operate at a lower level, requiring more technical expertise, while Raspberry Pi simplifies many lower-level tasks, making it more beginner-friendly.
Fundamental Differences Between Raspberry Pi and Other ARM Development Boards
Raspberry Pi is not primarily intended for embedded development but serves as a cost-effective, versatile platform that can replace a PC to some extent, offering rich hardware interfaces. While it has GPIO pins for hardware connections, similar to a PC’s USB ports, its primary focus is on software development.
On the other hand, ARM development boards target hardware and software developers. They are tailored for those designing and improving hardware and creating drivers, with limited appeal to general users due to the complexity of use without prior experience. Raspberry Pi, meanwhile, caters to software developers and general users, offering an excellent user experience, though it lacks the extensive hardware documentation necessary for DIY projects.
In summary, the core distinction lies in the target audience: Raspberry Pi appeals mainly to software developers and general users, while ARM development boards focus on hardware and software developers. This difference in audience explains why many embedded developers may not favor Raspberry Pi, even as it attracts users with limited embedded knowledge.