Raspberry Pi Model B+

There is now a Raspberry Pi Model B+

More GPIO. The GPIO header has grown to 40 pins, while retaining the same pinout for the first 26 pins as the Model B.
More USB. We now have 4 USB 2.0 ports, compared to 2 on the Model B, and better hotplug and overcurrent behaviour.
Micro SD. The old friction-fit SD card socket has been replaced with a much nicer push-push micro SD version.
Lower power consumption. By replacing linear regulators with switching ones we’ve reduced power consumption by between 0.5W and 1W.
Better audio. The audio circuit incorporates a dedicated low-noise power supply.
Neater form factor. We’ve aligned the USB connectors with the board edge, moved composite video onto the 3.5mm jack, and added four squarely-placed mounting holes.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/introducing-raspberry-pi-model-b-plus/

It looks good. I have just ordered two.

Can anyone confirm that RISCOS will run using the SD12 image?

Can anyone confirm that RISCOS will run using the SD12 image?

Yes and no would be my answer.
RISC OS should boot and start up – the core processor and such is the same. However it may start up without USB or networking. My (vague) understanding is that the networking was handled by a chip that offers 2+1 USB ports. Two external, and the Ethernet on the +1. If the new device has four ports, this is perhaps the part that has changed. How it works will depend upon how tied the driver is to the old hardware. If it “looks and feels” the same but offers extra ports, that’ll be good. If it is a different chip with different setup, we will need a tweaked USB driver. So…. Plug in an RC12 and see how it goes. Then let us know! ;-)

Supported as of 12a, source tomorrow-ish. A well kept secret.
(see below…)

At least now it uses µSD, they have an excuse for not having the write protect wired up.

Judging by some CVS commits from earlier today, it looks like RC12a (which has been available from the Pi site for a while now) will work on the B+, but regular RC12 (as available from here) won’t. And I guess people will have to wait until tomorrow for the latest development ROM to gain B+ support (I’m assuming press embargoes, NDAs, etc. kept the changes from appearing in our public CVS until now)

It’s also possible that the B+ changes will also allow SDFS to work properly on the Compute module (no more card detect pin, different GPIO arrangements, etc.)

However it may start up without USB or networking.

I suspect the B+ has simply upgraded to the same 4-port hub+NIC chip that’s used on the BB-xM & Pandaboard.

Yes, you will need RC12a (or a nightly build starting from tomorrow) to have a working SD card on the B+.

It’s also possible that the B+ changes will also allow SDFS to work properly on the Compute module

No, sorry. If it was just a matter of the card detect line, I could have committed the SD stack changes earlier without giving the game away about the fact that the B+ was just around the corner :)

It’s a more subtle problem with the Compute module. I didn’t have long to fiddle with one, but the basic issue was that the eMMC chip just wasn’t responding to any commands on the bus. It’s probably something to do with clocking or pull-ups – nothing a session with a scope attached won’t be able to diagnose. Beyond that I expect it will mostly “just work” since eMMC is backward compatible with MMC, and SDFS already works with MMC cards.

At least now it uses µSD, they have an excuse for not having the write protect wired up.

Also, since it now transpires that the Linux drivers never used the card detect pin in the first place, you have to wonder why, given the choice of whether to disconnect the write protect or the card detect, they chose to lose the write protect (for which there is absolutely no way to gauge its setting in software)…

And I guess people will have to wait until tomorrow for the latest development ROM to gain B+ support

I’ve updated RC12 to RC12a (added B+ support) on our downloads page now.

Note: that’s the SD card image only – as Jeffrey correctly states, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow if you just want the ROM image.

ID_SD and ID_SC PINS:
These pins are reserved for ID EEPROM.
At boot time this I2C interface will be interrogated to look for an EEPROM that identifes the attached board and allows automagic setup of the GPIOs (and optionally, Linux drivers).

Will these pins be supported? CMOS Widgets for Raspberry Pi Model B+?

I can confirm that the SDFS changes still show “The disk drive is empty” errors on the Compute when the Icon is clicked..
Ben, If you need someone to test anything just email me webmaster@tankstage.co.uk.

Yes, you will need RC12a

Is there some reason why this is not RC13?

Anyway, excellent news that we are ‘up to speed’ on the model B+.

Is there some reason why this is not RC13?

Part superstition, part trying to hide the fact that there was anything significantly different. Looks like it worked!

I can now say that the main reason for RC12a was to ensure that B+-compatible versions of the OS had made it through the NOOBS card mass production pipeline in time for launch. We’ve been sitting on this secret for quite a while now…

We’ve been sitting on this secret for quite a while now…

Well, that answers that question! Great stuff!

My Model B+ arrived from Farnell Element 14 this morning (one day after the release announcement).

This post is being created using the Model B+ with RiscOS from the Noobs micro-SD Card. (also purchased at the same time from Farnell Element 14).

I always have to edit fixed IP addresses on my network; but other than that, it all worked out-of-the-box (with 1.6 GByte of free space on Drive 0.

The bundled Netsurf is version 3.0 (20th April 2013)

Is there any known problems with a B+ that would make the USB and Ethernet not power up when using RISC OS ?
I have booted Raspbian and all works fine. RISC OS just sits waiting for network with no keyboard or mouse working.
With a clean !Boot and either downloaded ROM or built ROM, nothing…

My model B+, with RC12a SD card image, boots up fine, internet works, Keyboard OK. I suspect model B+ might demand a little more power than model B?

One thing I have noticed is that the first time it starts up, it complains that no domain server is found (and so cannot access the internet). If I enter the gateway address and restart, it complains that ‘file already exists’. If I then remove the gateway address again and restart, it is then happy it knows the gateway address despite it no longer being told what the gateway address is, and all is well afterwards.

What a pity that RISC OS does not say which Obey file(s) was(were) being run (with its(their) full path name(s)) when an error message is generated.

I suspect model B+ might demand a little more power than model B?

By using switching regulators rather than linear it uses less power, like the Compute Module, so I don’t think that can be the cause.

Unless you populate all four USB sockets from the board, rather than from a powered hub. Its maximum current drain is specified as 1800mA.

You will certainly need more power capacity if you are going to plug in USB devices that draw more power.

From the Pi Forums:
“The default current limit setting for the USB ports is 600mA (aggregate across the 4 ports). This can be increased to 1.2A via software config if you have a sufficiently powerful PSU.”

How you configure it I do not know! I’ve asked on the Pi Forum.

Tank: Are you using RC12a, or RC12?

Because RC12 doesn’t support the B+’s USB/ethernet chip.

Eric, I used the nightly build ROM and tried a home brewed one as well. Unless RC12a contains something not in the repo……

OK, so it must be something I’m doing…
Using the RC12a Image works fine.

The RC12a SD card image has updated firmware as well as an updated ROM.

Same, no USB or Network for me with my homebrew ROM after copying the firmware over from the RC12a image.

Same, no USB or Network for me with my homebrew ROM after copying the firmware over from the RC12a image.

I think it’s the ROM features you need, and you obviously haven’t put into your homebrew.