The Raspberry Pi, the credit card-sized computer which has made a lot of changes in the world of electronics, has received a major update. The Raspberry Pi B+ has been launched on July 14, 2014, roughly 2 years after the launch of the original Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi B+ runs on Linux and uses the same BCM2835 application processor as the Model B. It will also run on several Linux distributions including Raspbian OS, Fedora and Arch Linux ARM.

However, the Raspberry Pi B+ offers the following improvements:

  • More GPIO. The GPIO header now has 40 pins, but retains the same pinout for the first 26 pins as the Model B;
  • More USB. Whereas Model B only has 2 USB 2.0 ports, the Raspberry Pi Model B+ now has 4. It also has better hotplug and overcurrent behaviour;
  • Micro SD. A "much nicer" push-push microSD replaces the old friction-fit SD card socket;
  • Lower power consumption. Power consumption is now only between 0.5 and 1 W. This reduction was made possible by replacing switching regulators for linear ones.
  • Better audio. The audio circuit incorporates a dedicated low-noise power supply; and
  • Neater form factor. The USB connectors have been aligned with the board edge. The composite video has been moved onto the 3.5-mm jack. And four squarely-placed mounting holes have been added..

The Raspberry Pi foundation has also announced that Model B+ will be available in a large quantity for suppliers. However, the company will still be "keeping Model B in production for as long as there's demand for it."

Details on how the Compute Module breaks out to the PCB can be found on the Raspberry Pi Web site. For more information on the Compute Module Development Kit, head over to Element14's Community page dedicated to the Compute.