I have used Raspberry Pi for most of my IoT projects. Both arduino and raspberry pi is used for Home automations and IoT projects, I got of lot of queries on why not using Arduino boards. In this post I would like to cover difference between Arduino and Raspberry Pi, what differentiate between Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
Arduino and Raspberry Pi are the most popular IoT devices among the students, professionals and IoT project DIY peoples.Are you confused between them, like which board is easy to learn or which board to use for what projects or why should they use Arduino over Raspberry Pi? when to use Arduino vs Raspberry Pi?.In this article we will discusses all the features that can make you easy to choose the decision over Arduino and Raspberry Pi, Arduino vs Raspberry Pi which is better for your projects.
What is Arduino?
An Arduino is a simple micro-controller board which is capable of running a simple program to accomplish a desired function. Arduino runs on "bare metal". That it runs its software without an operating system.The Arduino boards are micro-controllers, not a full-fledged computer. simply write the code and execute as their firmware interprets it.
Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board.
Arduino Uno
Arduino was born at the Ivrea Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping, aimed at students without a background in electronics and programming. As soon as it reached a wider community, the Arduino board started changing to adapt to new needs and challenges, differentiating its offer from simple 8-bit boards to products for IoT applications, wearable, 3D printing, and embedded environments. All Arduino boards are completely open-source, empowering users to build them independently and eventually adapt them to their particular needs. The software, too, is open-source, and it is growing through the contributions of users worldwide.The Arduino Software (IDE) allows you to write programs and upload them to your board.
Find the step-by-step instructions to Install the Arduino Desktop IDE select one of the following link accordingly to your operating system.
What is a Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a small computer that can do lots of things. You plug it into a monitor and attach a keyboard and mouse. Raspberry Pi is the third best-selling computer brand in the world. The Raspberry Pi is a credit card–sized computer that plugs into your TV or display, and a keyboard and mouse. You can use it to learn coding and to build electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word processing, browsing the internet, and playing games. It also plays high-definition video. The Raspberry Pi is being used by adults and children all over the world to learn programming and digital making. You can learn how to set up and use your Raspberry Pi here.
Pi 3
Where can I buy a Raspberry Pi, and how much does it cost?
The following are the prices list.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Model A+ | $20 |
| Raspberry Pi Model B+ | $25 |
| Raspberry Pi 2 Model B | $35 |
| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B | $35 |
| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ | $35 |
| Raspberry Pi Zero | $5 |
| Raspberry Pi Zero W | $10 |
| Raspberry Pi Zero WH | $15 |
You get the Raspberry Pi board itself. The official power supply and an SD card are not included, but they can be purchased at the same time from most places that sell the Raspberry Pi. You can also purchase pre-loaded SD cards.
Why Arduino and key features of Arduino ?
There are many other microcontrollers and microcontroller platforms available for physical computing. Arduino also simplifies the process of working with microcontrollers, it also offers some advantage for teachers, students, and interested amateurs over other systems. Below are advantages of Arduino.
- Cheap and less cost - Arduino boards are relatively inexpensive compared to other microcontroller platforms
- Cross-platform - The Arduino Software (IDE) runs on Windows, Macintosh OSX, and Linux operating systems.
- Simple, clear programming environment - The Arduino Software (IDE) is easy-to-use for beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users to take advantage of as well.
- Open source and extensible software - The Arduino software is published as open source tools, available for extension by experienced programmers.
- Open source and extensible hardware - The plans of the Arduino boards are published under a Creative Commons license, so experienced circuit designers can make their own version of the module, extending it and improving it.
Why Raspberry Pi and Advantages of Raspberry Pi:
- Easy to connect to the internet - Comes with inbuilt WiFi adapter.
- Runs on Linux operating system - Fully installed operating system in Pi.
- Can be programmed using a variety of programming languages - Can create own program to run on Python and other languages.
When to Use & Not Use Arduino and Raspberry Pi:
Choosing which IoT board completely depends on the type of project you want to make, and your experience in programming. If you have no experience in programming or electronics, you will find the Arduino easier to learn than the Raspberry Pi.
If you want to make a hardware project, then the Arduino is the best choice,If the project requires you to interact with a lot of external hardware, sensors, analog devices, then you should consider using Arduino.
If the project requires a lot to write a complex software code and complex requirements, then Arduino may not be the best options.
I hope you got a good understanding on arduino vs raspberry pi for IoT and you can also refer some of the discussion in raspberry pi vs arduino quora for more details.