By If you’re a nerd, chances are you know what a Raspberry Pi is. For those who don’t, it is a series of small single-board computers developed by the UK-based Raspberry Pi Foundation.
The tech company recently announced a new, more powerful model of its range of computers on June 24th. The new model which sells for a cost-effective $35 reportedly has enough capacity to run a full node on the Bitcoin blockchain.
Notably, previous versions of the Raspberry Pi have been popular among enthusiasts in the bitcoin community. This is due to the fact that the devices are low-cost and therefore provide a low-barrier entry to those who are interested in running their own full nodes on the blockchain.
This allows for users to verify their own transactions on the network independently without putting their trust in third-party wallet companies.
As opposed to miners, who receive rewards in BTC for the validation of transactions, full nodes receive no compensation. Miners receive rewards for their contribution to the network by hosting and transmitting updated copies of the blockchain.
The new Pi model, therefore, is reportedly set to make the process and costs of running a full node more efficient for all participants on the network be they miners, companies or individuals who opt for privacy.
At the time of writing, as many as 23% of bitcoin nodes in the world are based in the USA with Germany following in second with 19%.
The Casa Node is another industry standard for pre-synced node products and is built with a Raspberry Pi, however, earlier versions of the model have received negative sentiment due being frustratingly slow.
The new model, which is the 4th iteration, reportedly features significant upgrades as opposed to earlier versions. The most expensive model, which has 4GB RAM, only costs $55, excluding tax.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation states that its latest model boasts support for an additional 500mA of current. This is made possible by the upgrade from USB micro-B to USB-C which ensures that the computer has a full 1.2A for downstream USB devices.
Furthermore, it also features a new OS, which the Foundation states comes along with several back-end technical improvements. This includes Gigabit Ethernet speed, an improved interface as well as support for updated applications such as the Chromium 74 browser.
Interestingly enough, in the past years since the first Pi was launched back in 2012, several other options of low-barrier entry hardware have been revealed. This includes the HTC Exodus 1S smartphone, which, as reported by Coinbeat, also features full bitcoin node capability.
Comments