Raspberry Pi Foundation releases more powerful 3B+ model with 5GHz WiFi
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has presented the successor to the existing 3B board in the form of the Raspberry Pi Model 3B+. This includes a 1.4GHz Broadcom soc and can connect to 5GHz WiFi.
The new version is equipped with the same 2837 chip from Broadcom as the predecessor, based on an ARM Cortex A53 processor, although there is a modified package. The chip, more precisely the BCM2837B0, is a copy with heat spreader and optimized power integrity, so that a 200MHz higher clock frequency can be achieved or a lower voltage with less load. The foundation warns that the new model ‘uses significantly more energy than the 3B’ and that a high-quality power supply is therefore important.
In addition, the new model uses a similar antenna to the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which came out just over a year ago. Dualband WiFi ac, bluetooth 4.2 and ble are provided by a Cypress CYW43455 chip, while the now two-year-old predecessor had to make do with a BCM43438 from Broadcom. According to the foundation, the performance on 2.4GHz is slightly better compared to the 3B and the performance on 5GHz is a lot higher. That’s not surprising, because the Model 3B had no support for it.
The wireless connectivity components are housed in a corner of the board under a metal cover with the famous Raspberry Pi logo. This means that the device can be seen as a radio module under the rules of the American watchdog FCC, which, according to the foundation, entails lower test costs.
Improvements have also been made in the field of wired connectivity. Support for Gigabit Ethernet is now available thanks to Microchip’s LAN7512 USB 2.0 hub and Ethernet controller. Despite the USB 2.0 limitation, the new model should deliver about three times the bandwidth of its predecessor. There is support for PoE and a HAT should be released soon that will provide the 5V needed to run the Raspberry Pi.
Finally, 1GB lpddr2 memory is present, just like an HDMI connection, four USB 2.0 ports and space for a micro-SD card. The foundation says it will not stop with older models. The sign has a price of 35 dollars, which comes down to 40 euros. Several online stores now offer the sign.