Esp32 vs raspberry pi

Thread Starter

k1ng 1337

Joined Sep 11, 2020
940
I picked up a few at a local micro center when they first came out. Hey had a intro price of $2.99. They wouldn’t let me buy their entire store out… lol

just Google “Raspberry Pi Pico“
Lol I've been trolling prices on Google for the past week. I'm in Canada, the lowest prices I'm seeing are $10 and they look like knockoffs..
 

Wolframore

Joined Jan 21, 2019
2,609
Digikey has them for $4. the original ones are green. its open sourced so anyone can make them. Even at $10 it’s quite the deal.
 

RayB

Joined Apr 3, 2011
31
You need both; the Arduino/ESP32 is great for interfacing sensors, parsing, WiFi, and so forth.
The rPi is Linux with serious capabilities: one being NodeRED.

Serial from Arduino to Raspberry running NodeRED

You need to be Linux knowledgeable, IMO. You can run the Raspberry Pi PC OS on an old notebook and avoid the expense of the keyboard, monitor, mouse, AC brick, etc.
 

Thread Starter

k1ng 1337

Joined Sep 11, 2020
940
Digikey has them for $4. the original ones are green. its open sourced so anyone can make them. Even at $10 it’s quite the deal.
Wow didn't even think to look at digikey for a Pi, did not think they sell them for some reason and $8 shipping is decent. Thanks, I'm going to buy a few of them. Was hoping for more IO but can't beat that price from a known dealer.
 

Thread Starter

k1ng 1337

Joined Sep 11, 2020
940
You need both; the Arduino/ESP32 is great for interfacing sensors, parsing, WiFi, and so forth.
The rPi is Linux with serious capabilities: one being NodeRED.

Serial from Arduino to Raspberry running NodeRED

You need to be Linux knowledgeable, IMO. You can run the Raspberry Pi PC OS on an old notebook and avoid the expense of the keyboard, monitor, mouse, AC brick, etc.
I've played with almost every Linux desktop OS. It would be neat to install a desktop os on the Pi and then dual boot to program it. Frankly I'm seeing immense benefits to Arduino, Esp32 and Pi in their own rights and how one system can augment another.

Very cool stuff. I love science.
 

RayB

Joined Apr 3, 2011
31
Wow didn't even think to look at digikey for a Pi, did not think they sell them for some reason and $8 shipping is decent. Thanks, I'm going to buy a few of them. Was hoping for more IO but can't beat that price from a known dealer.
Just my 2-cents, but unless you intend on running micro/Circuit Python, I have found then rather useless as Arduino replacements. But, your mileage may vary. It is an interesting microcontroller but fussy; I find the Esp32 better documented - which is scary.
 

MrSalts

Joined Apr 2, 2020
2,767
I've played with almost every Linux desktop OS. It would be neat to install a desktop os on the Pi and then dual boot to program it. Frankly I'm seeing immense benefits to Arduino, Esp32 and Pi in their own rights and how one system can augment another.

Very cool stuff. I love science.
You're in for a surprise when the Pi arrives. The Raspberry Pi OS is a desktop OS. Plug in your HDMI cable (DVI cable if you bought a 4B"), keyboard and mouse and you're off and running.
 

Thread Starter

k1ng 1337

Joined Sep 11, 2020
940
You're in for a surprise when the Pi arrives. The Raspberry Pi OS is a desktop OS. Plug in your HDMI cable (DVI cable if you bought a 4B"), keyboard and mouse and you're off and running.
I think your right. I discarded the idea of a web server at first and now I think it would be an excellent way to display data instead of programming some kind of IO. I have built a few LAMP servers in my day and being able to use something as powerful as python from within a self made GUI where the networking protocol is already established is awesome. On the other hand, Arduino and esp are still quite fitting for other projects in mind.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
Wow didn't even think to look at digikey for a Pi, did not think they sell them for some reason and $8 shipping is decent. Thanks, I'm going to buy a few of them. Was hoping for more IO but can't beat that price from a known dealer.
Adafruit has Pico for $4 and shipping is around $5 for USPS. Limit 3 on Pico.

They're out of stock for Pi Zero/Zero W/Zero W 2. When they had W 2's, I ordered one with 3 Picos because the Picos didn't increase shipping cost.
 

MrSalts

Joined Apr 2, 2020
2,767
I think your right. I discarded the idea of a web server at first and now I think it would be an excellent way to display data instead of programming some kind of IO. I have built a few LAMP servers in my day and being able to use something as powerful as python from within a self made GUI where the networking protocol is already established is awesome. On the other hand, Arduino and esp are still quite fitting for other projects in mind.
You don't even need a whole lamp install. Just a quick Node.JS and a brew http-server. Takes about 3-minutes to set up to see files on the Pi.
 

MrSalts

Joined Apr 2, 2020
2,767
I think your right. I discarded the idea of a web server at first and now I think it would be an excellent way to display data instead of programming some kind of IO. I have built a few LAMP servers in my day and being able to use something as powerful as python from within a self made GUI where the networking protocol is already established is awesome. On the other hand, Arduino and esp are still quite fitting for other projects in mind.
You can set up a web interface for an EsP32 just as easily
 

pleriche

Joined Oct 29, 2017
84
From a quick scan of this thread, an inportant difference seems to have been overlooked (which may or may not be relevant): multithreading comes as part of the deal with Pi since it's baked into the kernel, but with any Arduino-based system you basically have to do it yourself. But the downside is that a linux-based solution is less suitable for time-critical real time applications.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,712
From a quick scan of this thread, an inportant difference seems to have been overlooked (which may or may not be relevant): multithreading comes as part of the deal with Pi since it's baked into the kernel, but with any Arduino-based system you basically have to do it yourself. But the downside is that a linux-based solution is less suitable for time-critical real time applications.
So what you are saying, if you want time-critical real-time response, don’t use a multi-threading RTOS. Makes sense.
 

ischonfeld

Joined Jun 22, 2019
27
I've covered the same ground that you are now traveling, starting with the Uno, then ESP8266, ESP32 and eventually on to the Rpi ecosystem. As mentioned above, Arduino (ecosystem) vs. Rpi is definitely apples and oranges.

But as far as your original question, I'm going to muddy the waters. Consider some of the newer Arduino boards, such as the MKR1000 (on up). One advantage of these, vs ESP8266/ESP32 is that the GPIO setup is much closer to what you're used to, and there are more of them. They are also a little easier to transition to vs ESP8266/ESP32 since they are somewhat more "native" to the Arduino IDE.

As you progress down this path, eventually you'll probably need the Rpi ecosystem for some project or another. But be warned that it's a big jump. Both software and hardware-wise.
 

Thread Starter

k1ng 1337

Joined Sep 11, 2020
940
Thanks everyone for the replies. Ironically many of you have made good comparisons where others have said they cannot be compared! I knew my original question was obscure however I have gathered some real people's opinions as opposed to the farce that is is advertising and "reviews".

I'm considering buying two pico and a Pi 4. Since I've yet to exhaust the Arduinos I have, I think the raspberries will keep me busy for some time. I do fear the vastness of Linux software primarily because when I learnt it, it was highly decentralized but that was several years ago now.
 
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