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As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi but everywhere I look seems to be back ordered.  Are these actually available or are they just trickling out?

I'm in Canada by the way.

[Reply #1 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi but everywhere I look seems to be back ordered.  Are these actually available or are they just trickling out?

I'm in Canada by the way.

I suspect they are just very popular.  If the intention is to get an embedded arm processor to your relative, you might consider the Teensy 3.0, which just exited the kickstarter stage, and is now available for purchase directly.  Teensy 3.0 uses a modified Arduino IDE that is available from the site.  I have the Teensy 3.0, and for the simple things I've tried it works once I got past the quirks*. Some links include:

• Board itself: http://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy3.html
• Board with pins soldered on it: http://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy3_pins.html
• Teensy forum: http://forum.pjrc.com/forum.php
• Original kickstarter campaign for Teensy 3.0: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulstoffregen/teensy-30-32-bit-arm-cortex-m4-usable-in-arduino-a?ref=category

* The quirks I have are based on my using Linux as a development platform.  I can't have certain USB devices plugged into the machine when I want to download the image.  On my laptop, I have to unplug the UPS connection.  On my desktop, my PS/2 -> USB converter for the keyboard/mouse are problematical, and eventually I need to replace the keyboard/mouse with USB versions.

Mbed is another embedded arm board that you can buy at various distributors (so, it would be similar to the Teensy 3.0 or Due).  It has its own development IDE.  http://mbed.org/

Beaglebone is more of a full linux board, and so would be similar to the Rasberry pi: http://beagleboard.org/

[Reply #2 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi but everywhere I look seems to be back ordered.  Are these actually available or are they just trickling out?

I'm in Canada by the way.

 I ordered my Due from Mouser on the same day as the release and I received it last week on Friday I think.

[Reply #3 on:]

Unless there's a special reason that it HAS to be a  Due, or (shudder), Pi....

Why not give relative a "mature", stable, does-most-things-Due-does Mega? (Others may know better, but, from Canada, I would go first to Sparkfun.com (Colorado) for any of this sort of stuff. Not always the VERY cheapest... but big enough to be reliable, to have a reputation to care for, good stock levels, etc. Prices usually good, too.

(I'd be VERY happy with a Mega, if you can't get one of the others in time! <>)

Seriously....

For the Very Keen, the "latest and greatest" is, of course, "necessary"... but if you just want to support (or maybe inspire) someone's interest in this line of "play", what is wrong with Mega? It was the "must have latest-and-greatest" not so long ago. (I am still on PRE-Mega Arduinos, and have LOTS of fun! And I'm no newbie... see http://sheepdogguides.com/arduino/artut.htm)

I admire the Pi team for "having a go"... and a part of me wishes them some luck. But why dump your relative in the land of the "getting started" when the Arduino is so well advanced? The Pi is NOT "this generation's BBC Micro". It is NOT "very simple". Dig around the net for "getting started with your Pi" articles, and for the "these are the things you need to get right" and the "this is how you can fry it" articles....

[Reply #4 on:]

Unless there's a special reason that it HAS to be a  Due, or (shudder), Pi....

I dunno, I was assuming the relative had asked for a Due or Pi.

[Reply #5 on:]

Unless there's a special reason that it HAS to be a  Due, or (shudder), Pi....

I dunno, I was assuming the relative had asked for a Due or Pi.

The relative in question is an experienced arduino user and a gadget freak.  He doesn't need another processor, this is a "for fun" thing - the Pi and the Due are the "ooh shiny" of the moment. 

[Reply #6 on:]

I successfully ordered another Raspberry Pi from Newark (USA) yesterday. I have a tracking number so it's on its way.

[Reply #7 on:]

I successfully ordered another Raspberry Pi from Newark (USA) yesterday. I have a tracking number so it's on its way.

Thanks a bunch - ordered one from newark canada.

[Reply #8 on:]

I successfully ordered another Raspberry Pi from Newark (USA) yesterday. I have a tracking number so it's on its way.

Thanks a bunch - ordered one from newark canada.

You're welcome. I hope the recipient enjoys it. Mine is for my grandson who has a nice Arduino-based sensor network in his room and is looking to put it on the web so I decided for about the price of an ethernet shield, he could expand his knowledge into Linux and Python.

[Reply #9 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi

You can get a Ruku 2: practically the same thing, but you can get at a retail store like WalMart.

[Reply #10 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi

You can get a Ruku 2: practically the same thing, but you can get at a retail store like WalMart.

Do you mean Roku 2? I believe the RPi is a tad cheaper and besides it's already on the way.

[Reply #11 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi

You can get a Ruku 2: practically the same thing, but you can get at a retail store like WalMart.

Purpose of raspberry pi: to help people learn and play around with linux and programming cheaply. Can be used as a small and cheap PC that can be mounted on robots and has GPIO. Can do anything a PC can, although slower.

Purpose of roku: to watch movies.

Failing to see any similarities

[Reply #12 on:]

As a christmas gift I'd like to get a relative either a due or a raspberry pi

You can get a Ruku 2: practically the same thing, but you can get at a retail store like WalMart.

Purpose of raspberry pi: to help people learn and play around with linux and programming cheaply. Can be used as a small and cheap PC that can be mounted on robots and has GPIO. Can do anything a PC can, although slower.

Purpose of roku: to watch movies.

Failing to see any similarities

I knew someone would take the bait. 

[Reply #13 on:]

I believe the RPi is a tad cheaper

It is.

and besides it's already on the way.

Roku is available right now, no waiting required.

Failing to see any similarities

Look a little bit deeper under the skin.

[Reply #14 on:]

Just for fun, I just installed and ran Arduino 1.0.1 on one of my 512MB Raspberry Pi's. Aside from being noticeably slower compiling than on a MacBook Pro, it was quite usable. I've about finished an Arduino "shield" and I had planned to program the chip on an old Arduino with socket but it looks like that won't be necessary. The pertinent files are in /usr/share/arduino.

My grandson won't have to share the family PC any more!