Hey guys,
I have the brilliant idea of getting my son a pi 4 for Christmas, have him build it and use it as his first "computer". I know it's not a beast but think there is something in him learning to diy.
Is this a useless idea in terms of learning and being able to use it as a web browser?
Have any of you done the same?
Thanks
The Pi4 is pretty close to a usable desktop computer, but don't expect to run anything demanding on it. You can install mincraft for free on it, and i use mine for developing python apps that use the GPIOs for running different machines that i make. If he is into electronics/programming it would be a solid choice.
My kids are already learning python on ours, its an easy programming language and there are heaps of guides out there. How old is your son?
Make sure you get a recommended power supply, as a knock off one may not make it work properly as the Pi4 uses a fair bit more power compared to the earlier versions and needs a good solid power supply.
You could try a much cheaper Pi Zero first to see if there is any interest.
I'd say the price factor is negligible. He should just get the RPi 4 with 4GB RAM and good power supply/kit.
Some parents build a little GameBoy with their units, bit having seen the quality/polish in-hand, I'd say the experience is lacking and kids are likely to drop it. It's probably smarter to use the board like a "TV Box" and have the kids treat it like a Desktop PC and play/learn on it.
If there's no interest, he could just put it on Gumtree and get most of his money back.
PS: If you want AndroidOS, you're better off with it's competitor the Odroid N2. If you want x86 support (Mac, Windows, Linux) then there's the LattePanda Alpha but it's a good deal more expensive than the ARM-SBC's. If you want the best-of-the-best then there's the Udoo Bolt V8.
Your choice, but for what you are suggesting, the power supply alone costs more than a zero. You are suggesting spending more than $100, I am suggesting $15. You suggest hardkernel hardware when shipping alone costs twice the price of a zero.
For my amusement, can you list the prices of the options you just recommended, shipping included. Thanks in advance. You seem to be upselling $400+ systems. The Pi Zero is perfectly capable for a tiny fraction of your suggestions.
You would still get a kit or accessories for the RPi Zero, so the eventual cost would be ~$50. Whereas the RPi 4 will come out to $100-$150. That's a small premium to pay, and makes it the more value choice.
Remember, we're not setting up a cluster for the whole office, it's just one unit for kids. Besides, even if he spent $150 and doesn't want it, it's a hot commodity and will sell fast at decent price. So his loss/risk is actually rather small.
Here's one kit that looks good
Using pi4 to play retro games is something 40yo kids do lol
Real intention of Pi is to create projects using python etc for kids.
So pi zero is sufficient for start up.
If your kid is into geeky stuff or else it be a landfills. You should know about your kid more than us 😉
It’s a great idea if they like to tinker and help them build it up too. What’s even better is join in and make a lego case to go with it !
Is this a useless idea in terms of learning and being able to use it as a web browser?
The Rpi is what we call an 'embedded system', which already contains all the hardware necessary on a single board… if what you want is your kid to learn about general computer hardware, a better place to start is actually a normal desktop computer as each PC part is individual rather than combined.
There's not that many steps involved in getting a Raspberry Pi running — you put it into the case, power it up and boot Raspbian from the SD card, not really much to learn from that.
But if programming is what you want your kid to learn, as well as some linux experience, after setting up the RPi you should grab the Raspberry Beginners Guide which will guide newbies to making their first program.
It's a free eBook from their website and it covers coding with Python and Scratch
To learn about electronics, you may need to also buy the electronics components kit (which includes things like wires, LED's, resistors, buzzers, sensors, breadboards etc).
It would be great idea and a fun project. There is heaps of stuff you can do with a Pi. It would be good enough to use as a simple computer for simple tasks like basic web browser or for word processor. There are heaps of easy projects to even help kids learn to program.
If all else fails, you can install something like Retro Pi and play old video games on it.