Raspberry Pi: the best accessory
The Raspberry Pi is a single board computer without any accessories. To operate the computer safely and comfortably, some accessories are necessary or recommended. We have put together the best accessories here.
Power supply for Raspberry Pi - Not much is going on without electricity
A stable and sufficient power supply is necessary so that you can operate your Raspberry Pi without any problems. The power supply for your Raspberry must meet the following points:
- You need a micro USB power supply with a voltage of 5 volts.
- The power supply should deliver a current of 2000 mA.
- Such a power supply is currently available from 6.15 euros.
Housing - Protection for your Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is just a board without any protection. In order to protect the Pi from contact, a housing is recommended. To do this, you need to know the following:
- The Raspberry Pi B + and the Raspberry Pi B 2 are identical in design. This means that the same housings can be used.
- Housing in white is available from 6.90 euros.
- Housing in black is also available from 6.90 euros.
WLAN stick - network connection also without cable
To connect your Raspberry Pi to your home network or the Internet without a network cable, you need a WLAN stick. Here you have to consider the following:
- The WLAN stick must be compatible with the Raspberry Pi. Here you will find a list of all compatible WLAN sticks.
- For example, EDIMAX EW-7811UN is recommended as a simple WLAN stick. The Raspberry installs the required drivers automatically and no additional power supply is necessary. You can get the stick from 6.95 euros.
Heatsink - Stable operation even under high loads
The Raspberry Pi heats up at high temperatures or heavy loads. Passive heat sinks are a good choice to cool it and thus enable stable operation and a longer service life.
- The heat sinks are simply glued to the appropriate places on the Raspberry board.
- Matching heat sinks are available from 1.99 euros.
Active USB hub - More connection options for your Raspberry
Accessories connected via USB - such as external hard drives without their own power supply - require more power than the USB connection of the Raspberry Pi can deliver. In order to still be able to use such accessories, you should use an active USB hub.
- Here is a list of tested and working USB hubs.
- The LOGILINK UA0085 is a functioning and inexpensive active 4-port USB hub. This is available here from 8.35 euros.
Even more accessories & tips for the Raspberry Pi
- In our picture gallery we have put together some other cool accessories for the Raspberry Pi. There are about a camera module and a cordless keyboard.
- We also introduce you to the most creative Raspberry Pi projects. Here you will find a housing made of Lego, the Raspberry Pi as a camera and a Minecraft version for the Pi.