The Raspberry Pi Model A+ is the perfect board for the minimalist Pi fan. This low-cost Pi uses the same processor as the model B+, but does away with the Ethernet jack and three of the USB Ports. This makes it lower power, less expensive and much lighter & smaller! It’s still compatible with all Pi operating systems and software, and has the exact same 40 pin GPIO connector and camera/display sockets, so any HATs or Pi Plates or other things that plug into the model B+ will work just the same.
It also has the same HDMI, sound/composite connector and microUSB connector for power.
Unlike the Raspberry Model B+, there’s only one USB port and no ethernet jack but it’s also significantly smaller at 65mm x 56mm if you don’t include overhang from the connectors. Also, there is only 256 MB of RAM onboard instead of 512, so if you have a RAM-intensive application you may need to stick with the B+
Don’t forget, you’ll need a USB power supply with microUSB cable, and a microSD card with a Raspberry Pi OS on it (we suggest a Raspbian 4G card or NooBS 8G card)
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I fired up a Raspberry Pi A+ using a Pidora SD card from a B+. It came right up with no problems. I was quite impressed by the lower power. Almost Half the power of the B+ under the same conditions! Almost 1/3 the power of the B! My unofficial measurements are 350mA for Rev B. 240mA for B+ and 120mA for A+. For the remote application I am using this for it will be such a battery saver! The A+ Rocks!!!
I fired up a Raspberry Pi A+ using a Pidora SD card from a B+. It came right up with no problems. I was quite impressed by the lower power. Almost Half the power of the B+ under the same conditions! Almost 1/3 the power of the B! My unofficial measurements are 350mA for Rev B. 240mA for B+ and 120mA for A+. For the remote application I am using this for it will be such a battery saver! The A+ Rocks!!!