Welcome!
Welcome to compelecboxuk, a place to learn about microcomputers, micro-controllers and electronic projects of which some will work with them.
MicroComputer
So what is a Microcomputer? There are many examples that you can buy, Latte Panda, Orange Pi, Raspberry Pi and many others. We will focus on the Raspberry PI 3B and 3B+ because it is by far the most supported and is used in many UK schools. Generally a microcomputer is designed as a learning tool and can be used in am embedded system where it can be left to do a task without intervention from a user. An example would be running a vending machine where there would be no keyboard, mouse or monitor connected in normal usage.
The Raspberry Pi 3B and 3B+
The Raspberry PI 3B is based on the Broadcom BCM2837B0, Cortex-A53 (ARMv8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.4GHz, this is a Quad core processor similar to what you will find in many Smart Phones. You can find the full specification here
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b-plus/
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| Raspberry PI 3B with an added heatsink |
It is worth pointing out that there are also Raspberry Pi 3A, Pi 2 , Pi 1 and Pi Zero versions, each of which use less power and the 2 and Zero versions are much smaller and less expensive find out more here
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/. Many can be found in Kodi boxes and some specialist HiFi media players such as Brennan
https://www.brennan.co.uk/
The Raspberry Pi family can run a variety of operating systems such as Raspbian (based on Debian Linux, the most popular version), Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Windows 10 IOT (Not the full Windows 10), RISCO OS, Android (experimentally, not officially) and a few others like Kodi, LibreElec, RetroPi. The OS must be ported to use the ARM processor, not Intel x86/x64 compatible ones.
It has the ability to produce sound and graphics, use a webcam and most importantly has a 40 pin IO (Input/Output) connector that can allow it to switch pins on and off when programmed correctly. It can also user a variety of programming languages like Python Scratch and Scratch2 and Java.
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| Scratch2 on a Raspberry Pi 3B |
The above features make it a perfect learning tool for any age or ability. Those who are new to programming may prefer to use the Drag and Drop Scratch interface, but you will soon want to do more powerful things and that is where the power or Python or Java will come in.
Micro-Controllers - The Arduino family
Micro-Controllers are a less powerful chip than the Raspberry PI, but do not let that put you off. They consume less power, produce less heat and are much easier to set up and use. They are amazing value for money costing as little as £10 which means that you can afford to make many projects without re-using the circuit boards. Technically the micro-controller is the chip, the Arduino Uno uses a ATmega328P, runs at 16 Mhz (a lot faster than the first PCs!) has 6 IO (input/output) pins and its uses are pretty much only limited by your imagination.
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| The Arduino UNO R3, The ATmega328P is the square chip almost in the centre. |
Once you get more used to programming it you may wish to buy additional boards with WiFi, more IO boards. There are many to choose from, even a £65 ARDUINO MKR GSM 1400 with built in GSM (Mobile data) connectivity and lots more IO.
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| Arduino MKR GSM 100 on Arduino.cc |
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