5 issues a Raspberry Pi can do {that a} mini PC cannot
A Raspberry Pi and a mini PC have rather a lot in widespread, however most mini PCs can outperform Raspberry Pis for conventional computing duties. They’re meant for various functions, nonetheless, and there are many issues {that a} Raspberry Pi can do {that a} mini PC cannot match.
Controlling digital elements straight
GPIO pins open up infinite potentialities
This is among the most evident variations between a Raspberry Pi and a mini PC. Most mini PCs are only a cuboid with a couple of ports, with all the {hardware} hidden away inside. By comparability, a Raspberry Pi is a naked single-board laptop. Most Raspberry Pi fashions have clearly seen general-purpose enter/output (GPIO) pins.
These GPIO pins will let you join bodily elements to the Raspberry Pi, which the pc can then management. You can hook up all method of issues, from easy buttons and LEDs to sophisticated sensors or relay modules.
A mini PC would not provide the identical degree of direct connectivity. You can add units by plugging them into USB ports or utilizing a separate microcontroller, however it’s not so simple as simply connecting units to pins like with a Raspberry Pi.
Acting as a USB system
Your Pi can fake to be a keyboard
The USB ports on a typical mini PC function as hosts for connecting peripherals similar to keyboards or USB storage units. However, some Raspberry Pi fashions, together with the Raspberry Pi Zero, additionally help USB gadget mode. Instead of connecting peripherals to the ports, the Raspberry Pi can act like a peripheral itself.
This opens up some shocking makes use of. For instance, a Raspberry Pi can act as a USB keyboard, in order that while you join it to a different laptop, the Pi can ship key inputs identical to a bodily keyboard would. You may make the Pi seem as a USB keyboard for a pc that does not have Bluetooth after which ship keyboard instructions wirelessly to the Pi over Wi-Fi, which the linked laptop would see as coming from an abnormal USB keyboard.
You may additionally make your Pi seem as a USB storage system. You may then remotely replace the recordsdata that the Pi is making seen to a linked laptop, with out having to take out an actual USB stick and exchange it with one other.
Hiding away inside builds
A Raspberry Pi Zero can match the place a mini PC cannot
Raspberry Pis are available numerous fashions, a few of that are very small. A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is simply 65 mm lengthy and 30 mm large, which is much smaller than a typical mini PC.
It means you could construct a Raspberry Pi Zero right into a challenge, becoming it contained in the enclosure alongside every other vital elements. For instance, you may construct a handheld retro gaming console or an web radio, with the Raspberry Pi hidden away contained in the system itself.
For smaller builds, this simply is not attainable with a mini PC. If you are making a full-size arcade cupboard, then hiding a mini PC is straightforward, however attempting to construct a handheld that is received a mini PC inside it is not going to work.
Running from a battery
A mini PC is often tied all the way down to an influence outlet
One of the advantages of Raspberry Pis is that they devour comparatively little energy. A Pi Zero 2 W, for instance, can draw round 2 or 3 W. In comparability, a typical mini PC would possibly draw as much as 10 W at idle, and as a lot as 25 W beneath load.
This makes a Raspberry Pi properly suited to operating from a battery moderately than needing to be linked to energy. You may doubtlessly run a Pi Zero 2 W for a number of hours from a USB power bank, for instance.
While it is attainable to run a mini PC with out connecting it to an influence outlet, it’s miles from splendid and would require a a lot bigger battery to realize the same runtime to a small Raspberry Pi. If you wish to construct battery-powered units, a small Raspberry Pi is a much better match.
Adding specialised {hardware} through HATs
Make a Pi do extra utilizing growth boards
The GPIO pins on a Raspberry Pi have already been talked about, however in addition to permitting you to attach sensors or management different digital units, they can be used to provide your Raspberry Pi further capabilities. You can get a variety of Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) units that may join on to the Raspberry Pi’s pins to broaden what it’s able to.
For instance, the Raspberry Pi Build HAT helps you to management suitable LEGO Technic motors utilizing Python code operating on the Pi. You may use the Pi to regulate a LEGO robotic or construct a remote-controlled LEGO automotive. Other fashionable HATs embody a DAC HAT for high-quality analog audio output, a PoE HAT to make use of a single Ethernet cable for each energy and networking, a LoRa HAT for long-range off-the-grid communication, and an AI HAT+ that provides AI {hardware} acceleration so you may run object-detection fashions with out melting the CPU.
While a mini PC could be upgraded, these HATs allow you to add {hardware} on to a Raspberry Pi with out the necessity for USB connections or particular adapters. You can use them to show your Raspberry Pi right into a extra specialised system.
Sometimes a Raspberry Pi beats a mini PC
I used to run Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi, and transferring to a mini PC has been a major improve. While a mini PC can usually beat a Raspberry Pi for typical functions, the small single-board computer systems can nonetheless be the higher alternative in some circumstances.
