Model A and current lead times

[RaTTuS]

My guess is that the production lines have been producing a vast quantity of Model A's [for the Christmas market] which is one of the reasons why we are experiencing the current back order situation....
can I make a request that you put them on sale on a Monday morning GMT time - so I can get at least 1 ;-p

thank you for your patience and understanding.

[Lob0426]

You might want to be careful about any speculation concerning the Model A release.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 06#p208606

[jamesh]

Yay - what he said! Although I'm in a better mood today.

[pluggy]

Mods should be totally impartial at all times.

Alhough I've been known to wave the banning stick when I'm grumpy on another of my haunts.
.
Some days.......

[SN]

I never understood the rationale for the Model A anyway

The model B has already been superceded by the ... Rev 2 Model B+ (my terminology)

The Model A, if it comes it comes, but its no great shakes if it doesn't - the Foundation has done a superb job with the Model B! And I salute all that have been involved in its inception to production!

[jamesh]

Mods should be totally impartial at all times.

Why? Humans are not impartial at all times, well, except maybe Nelson Mandela, or Aung San Suu Kyi, and I bet they had their off days.

[tufty]

How the model As are going to be produced is easy.

Loads of model Bs are being sent back because USB doesn't work, these will have their ethernet connectors and 9512s removed, and their PoP ram reduced in capacity using a hand drill. This will be done by James, hence his grumpy mood when the subject comes up.

[jamesh]

How the model As are going to be produced is easy.

Loads of model Bs are being sent back because USB doesn't work, these will have their ethernet connectors and 9512s removed, and their PoP ram reduced in capacity using a hand drill. This will be done by James, hence his grumpy mood when the subject comes up.

Have you been bugging RPHQ?

[Lob0426]

I never understood the rationale for the Model A anyway

The model B has already been superceded by the ... Rev 2 Model B+ (my terminology)

The Model A, if it comes it comes, but its no great shakes if it doesn't - the Foundation has done a superb job with the Model B! And I salute all that have been involved in its inception to production!

The A Model is what the foundation targeted for education. It was designed to be inexpensive, yet have the functions necessary to be a programming tool. The 40% price difference can be really substantial when you are buying in large quantity.

I believe that the B model will be a hands down winner in everywhere but possibly the third world. All modern schools have networks in place and will want to use them. Buying an Ethernet dongle or a hub with Ethernet will increase the price of ownership.

The A model does have advantages, but that is a future discussion, when A models become available.

[plugwash]

I could be wrong here but I suspect some schools with more draconian IT departments will want to keep Pis off the network and so may preffer model A's for that reason.

On the other hand though modern linux distros are really built on the assumption of an internet connection, installing stuff without one can be a massive PITA.

[SN]

I could be wrong here but I suspect some schools with more draconian IT departments will want to keep Pis off the network and so may preffer model A's for that reason.

On the other hand though modern linux distros are really built on the assumption of an internet connection, installing stuff without one can be a massive PITA.

But all you'd ever be doing is installing onto an SD card - that can all be done on a Model B and 'replicated' out onto SD cards for use on the flock (what is the collection noun for a Raspberry Pi anyway?) of Model A's for the 'endusers'

[caderoux]

I could be wrong here but I suspect some schools with more draconian IT departments will want to keep Pis off the network and so may preffer model A's for that reason.

On the other hand though modern linux distros are really built on the assumption of an internet connection, installing stuff without one can be a massive PITA.

But all you'd ever be doing is installing onto an SD card - that can all be done on a Model B and 'replicated' out onto SD cards for use on the flock (what is the collection noun for a Raspberry Pi anyway?) of Model A's for the 'endusers'

Speaking of which, what is the best way to copy to a whole bunch of SD cards?

With USB thumb drives, there are hubs which can handle a large number of drives. Because the RPi has to boot from SD it is always occupied. I use a Pogoplug (which boots from USB or SATA) to manage my images, this offers an easy way to always have an SD recorder always on and always on the network on the bench without a particular laptop or desktop.

[W. H. Heydt]

If someone could figure out a way to make a cheap USB-to-USB network (I wouldn't be surprised it said already exists), or use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter...the Model A would be pretty good for building bramples for experimenting with or teaching about parallel systems. If you're making a large enough bramble, the price difference is going to add up.

[itimpi]

If someone could figure out a way to make a cheap USB-to-USB network (I wouldn't be surprised it said already exists), or use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter...the Model A would be pretty good for building bramples for experimenting with or teaching about parallel systems. If you're making a large enough bramble, the price difference is going to add up.

I would expect that something based on using the GPIO might be more efficient. As you say there may also be a USB based possibility. I think there are already Ethernet based solutions for use with the model B.

[RaTTuS]

the Model A has a much better power load , and are cheaper ,
I have a use for Model A's 256MB RAM is enough [128 would of been fine], the price difference will make it even better if you need to connect to a network then a USB -> Ethernet adapter will be fine...

[michele.x]

If someone could figure out a way to make a cheap USB-to-USB network (I wouldn't be surprised it said already exists), or use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter...the Model A would be pretty good for building bramples for experimenting with or teaching about parallel systems. If you're making a large enough bramble, the price difference is going to add up.

I2C Multimaster + 74hc245 + software?

[williamhbell]

the Model A has a much better power load

For this reason, the Model A would be even better for Robotics applications (i.e. battery lifetime).

Regards, Will

[PerSt]

The main advantage for Norwegians is that Model A will be about 1/3 of the price of Model B. If the price is above NOK 200 (Currently $34.60) 25% tax will be added to the total cost including shipping, and the shipping company will charge an extra $25 - $40 for filling out the forms.