OS for Pi V3+ via Pi V3?

[RDK]

I have a remote Pi 3 B (Pi 3 Model B Rev 1.2, Buster) monitoring some equipment at a remote location which is not accessible to me right now. There was a lightning strike in that area which caused the Pi to need to be restarted (which it did ok) but the interface to the equipment did not return to normal. Disconnecting the Pi completely from the equipment has allowed the equipment to now report normal readings locally.

I suspect that either the USB serial adapter between the Pi and the equipment has been damaged or that the Pi itself has been damaged, although diagnostics on the Pi (I have SSH access) do not indicate any issues.

The technician that does have occasional access to the Pi and equipment is not familiar with Pi's and related issues. I have ordered a new serial adapter and he will install it the next time he is at the remote location.

However, I'm concerned that he may also have to replace the Pi itself if that does not return the system to normal monitoring operation. Assuming I can not get an exact Pi 3 B replacement and have to use a Pi 3 B+ (NOT V4!!), will the current Pi 3B OS SD card (Buster) load, startup and run correctly on a 3B+ unit?

Thanks...RDK

[W. H. Heydt]

Actually... The Pi3B and Pi3B+ use the exact same SoC. The original difference was that the B0 processor stepping used on the Pi3B+ was flipped over and mirrored (so all the contacts were in the same places) and with a metal heat spreader instead of plastic encapsulation. Since then, Pi3B (and, if I'm not mistaken, the Pi2Bv1.2) are using the B0 stepping as well.

The physical difference is that the Pi3B+ SoC sticks up a bit farther than the one originally used on the Pi3B. Unless you are using a case with very limited vertical clearance (such as a case that acts as a heat sink), there is no practical difference.

Since Raspbian is built to run on all extant Pis, there is no need to be concerned about that.

[RDK]

Thanks. If I have to resort to changing Pi's, I'll return and give an update....RDK

[procount]

Since Raspbian is built to run on all extant Pis, there is no need to be concerned about that.

Just to add a bit more preciseness...

Although Raspbian is built to run on all existing model Pis, this is only guaranteed for PIs that existed at the time of its release. i.e. each version is backwards compatible, but not necessarily forwards compatible with future versions since Raspbian also requires firmware to help it interact with the hardware. If the hardware changes, newer firmware may be required. I think this was the case with the 3B+.

However, in this case, Raspbian Buster is being used on the 3B, which was first released on 20-06-2019. This is after the first release of the 3B+ on 14-3-2018. Therefore any version of Buster would be ok. (If you were running Raspbian Stretch, for example, then you would have had to upgrade your Raspbian first).

[fruitoftheloom]

I have a remote Pi 3 B (Pi 3 Model B Rev 1.2, Buster) monitoring some equipment at a remote location which is not accessible to me right now. There was a lightning strike in that area which caused the Pi to need to be restarted (which it did ok) but the interface to the equipment did not return to normal. Disconnecting the Pi completely from the equipment has allowed the equipment to now report normal readings locally.

I suspect that either the USB serial adapter between the Pi and the equipment has been damaged or that the Pi itself has been damaged, although diagnostics on the Pi (I have SSH access) do not indicate any issues.

The technician that does have occasional access to the Pi and equipment is not familiar with Pi's and related issues. I have ordered a new serial adapter and he will install it the next time he is at the remote location.

However, I'm concerned that he may also have to replace the Pi itself if that does not return the system to normal monitoring operation. Assuming I can not get an exact Pi 3 B replacement and have to use a Pi 3 B+ (NOT V4!!), will the current Pi 3B OS SD card (Buster) load, startup and run correctly on a 3B+ unit?

Thanks...RDK

Providing Raspbian Buster has been fully updated there will be no issues due to any minor component changes between the revisions:

https://cpc.farnell.com/raspberry-pi/ra ... dp/SC14013

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... /README.md

[RDK]

That Pi was just updated and upgraded, just in case. Thanks....RDK

[W. H. Heydt]

That Pi was just updated and upgraded, just in case. Thanks....RDK

Always a good plan.