The Raspberry Pi 2 is the second generation of Raspberry Pi and
brought with it the first major hardware upgrade
of the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi 2 was the successor to the original Raspberry Pi B and B+. There were two releases of
the Raspberry Pi 2
Model B boards. The newer version contains a slightly more modern processor than the first version of the Pi 2.
The second revision of the Pi 2 is marked (v1.2), and the designation can be found printed on the Raspberry Pi’s circuit board.
The Raspberry Pi
2 is similar to the Raspberry Pi B+ in that it has the same base functionality and hardware design. However, it provided a huge step forward in the processing power of the Raspberry Pi.
The
Raspberry Pi team achieved the performance boost by swapping the weak single-core ARMv6 processor with a much more powerful quad-core ARMv7 processor that has a clock speed of 900
MHz.
The CPU upgrade represented a four-fold increase in the number of cores and a 200 MHz increase in core speed. Overall, this created a nearly six-fold increase in performance compared to the original Raspberry Pi.
As the Pi 2 contains an ARMv7 processor, it was capable of running many more operating system distributions out of the box compared to the first generation Raspberry Pis.
This selection of operating systems includes Snappy Ubuntu core, Microsoft Windows 10 and the full range of ARM GNU/Linux distributions.
The
Pi 2 also boasts twice as much RAM as its
predecessor, bringing its total amount of RAM to 1GB.
Ultimately, this allows the Pi to handle much more resource-intensive tasks that the original Pi would struggle with
.
However, all of these performance improvements came at the cost of increased energy use. This power usage made the Raspberry Pi a little less useful for portable embedded projects.
The problem of portability was finally solved by creating the more energy-efficient, but weaker Raspberry Pi Zero.
The Pi 2 has now been replaced by the more powerful Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 4.
Be sure to check out our information on Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 4 if you want to learn more about these newer devices.
Raspberry Pi 2 Specifications
CPU: 1.0 – 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7
CPU1.2 – 900MHz quad core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU GPU: 250MHz Broadcom VideoCore IV RAM: 1GB (shared withGPU) Storage: Micro SD USB 2.0Ports: 4 USB 3.0:0 ports Networking: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet video input: 15-pin MIPI camera interface (CSI) connectorVideo outputs: HDMI 1.3, MIPI display interface, DSI Audioinputs: Audio over I2S Audio outputs: 3.5mm phone jack, digital audio viaHDMI Low-level peripherals 17 x GPIO, +3.3v, +5v, ground, In addition to the following that can be used as GPIO: UART, I2C Bus, SPI bus with two-chip selection, audio I2SPower: average 220 mA (1.1 W) when idle, 820 mA (4.1 W) under voltage. Power supply: 5v via MicroUSB or GPIO headerSize: 85.60mm x 56.5mm x 17mmWeight: 45g (1.6oz)
Pi
2 hardware diagram
Below we have included a general outline of the Raspberry Pi 2 hardware
.
This diagram shows the overall position of all major integrated circuits in the Pi 2 hardware. Directly below this diagram we show the design of the GPIO pins.
Raspberry Pi 2
GPIO Pinout Within this section, you can see a diagram of the Raspberry Pi 2 GPIO pins
. The GPIO
pinout
displays each available pin in the GPIO interface. This includes their physical numbering, GPIO numbering, and any unique functionality tied to those pins like UART.
For more information on GPIO pins
, be sure to check out the guide on using Raspberry Pi GPIO pins.
Buy a Raspberry
Pi 2
You can still pick up the Pi 2 at various retailers. You’re more likely to find it on marketplaces like eBay or Amazon, as it’s been replaced by newer versions of the Pi.
If you are interested in buying the Pi 2, you can find this latest model simply by clicking on the button below.
Buy a Raspberry
Pi
The Pi 2 is now a bit dated, but it’s still the perfect board for most projects you can do on the Pi. If you can get one cheap or have one lying around, then you should definitely use it.
That’s all we have regarding the Raspberry Pi 2 and its features. If you have any comments on this article or have anything to add, feel free to leave a comment below.
