# Beginner's Guide: Buying Your First SBC A complete guide for beginners who want to buy a Single Board Computer (SBC) and start automating their home or workplace with General Bots. ## What is an SBC? A Single Board Computer (SBC) is a complete computer on a single circuit board. Unlike a desktop PC, it's: - **Small** - Credit card to smartphone size - **Low power** - 2-15 watts (vs 200W+ for a PC) - **Affordable** - $15-150 depending on power - **Quiet** - No fans on most models - **GPIO equipped** - Can connect to sensors and actuators ## Which SBC Should I Buy? ### Decision Flowchart ``` ┌─────────────────────────┐ │ What's your budget? │ └───────────┬─────────────┘ │ ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ▼ Under $30 $30-80 $80-150 │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ │ Orange Pi │ │ Raspberry Pi │ │ Orange Pi 5 │ │ Zero 3 │ │ 4 / 5 │ │ (with NPU) │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Basic display │ │ Full desktop │ │ Local AI/LLM │ │ Simple tasks │ │ Most projects │ │ Edge AI │ └───────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └───────────────┘ ``` ### Recommended Starter Kits #### 🌟 Best for Beginners: Raspberry Pi 4 Kit (~$80) **What to buy:** - Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB RAM) - $55 - Official power supply (USB-C 5V 3A) - $8 - 32GB microSD card (Class 10) - $8 - Case with heatsink - $10 **Where to buy:** - [The Pi Hut](https://thepihut.com) (UK) - [Adafruit](https://adafruit.com) (US) - [Amazon](https://amazon.com) (Worldwide) - AliExpress (Budget option, slower shipping) #### 💰 Budget Option: Orange Pi Zero 3 Kit (~$35) **What to buy:** - Orange Pi Zero 3 (1GB RAM) - $20 - 5V 2A power supply - $5 - 16GB microSD card - $5 - Acrylic case - $5 #### 🧠 Best for AI: Orange Pi 5 Kit (~$120) **What to buy:** - Orange Pi 5 (8GB RAM) - $89 - 12V 2A power supply - $10 - 64GB microSD or NVMe SSD - $15 - Cooling fan case - $10 This board has a 6 TOPS NPU for accelerated AI inference! ## What Else Do I Need? ### Essential Accessories | Item | Purpose | Price Range | |------|---------|-------------| | microSD Card | Operating system storage | $8-15 | | Power Supply | Power the board | $8-15 | | Ethernet Cable | Wired network (faster) | $5 | | HDMI Cable | Connect to monitor/TV | $5-10 | | USB Keyboard | Initial setup | $10-20 | ### For Display Projects | Item | Purpose | Price Range | |------|---------|-------------| | **3.5" TFT LCD** | Small color touchscreen | $15-25 | | **7" HDMI LCD** | Larger display | $40-60 | | **16x2 LCD** | Simple text display | $5-10 | | **0.96" OLED** | Tiny status display | $5-8 | ### For Home Automation | Item | Purpose | Price Range | |------|---------|-------------| | **Relay Module (4ch)** | Control lights, appliances | $5-10 | | **DHT22 Sensor** | Temperature & humidity | $5-8 | | **PIR Sensor** | Motion detection | $3-5 | | **Buzzer** | Alerts and notifications | $2-3 | | **Jumper Wires** | Connect components | $3-5 | | **Breadboard** | Prototyping | $3-5 | ## Sample Shopping Lists ### Home Temperature Monitor ($45) Perfect first project - monitor and log temperature! ``` □ Orange Pi Zero 3 (1GB) $20 □ 16GB microSD card $5 □ 5V 2A power supply $5 □ DHT22 temperature sensor $6 □ 0.96" OLED display (I2C) $6 □ Jumper wires (female-female) $3 ───────────── Total: $45 ``` ### Smart Doorbell ($70) AI-powered doorbell with notifications! ``` □ Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W $15 □ Pi Camera Module $25 □ Push button $1 □ Piezo buzzer $2 □ LED (with resistor) $1 □ 16GB microSD card $5 □ 5V 2.5A power supply $8 □ Case $5 □ Jumper wires $3 ───────────── Total: $70 ``` ### Offline AI Assistant ($150) Run AI completely offline - no internet needed! ``` □ Orange Pi 5 (8GB RAM) $89 □ 128GB NVMe SSD $20 □ 12V 3A power supply $12 □ 7" HDMI touchscreen $45 □ USB microphone $10 □ Case with fan $15 □ Jumper wires $3 ───────────── Total: ~$195 ``` ### Voice-Controlled Lights ($55) Control your lights by talking! ``` □ Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB) $35 □ 4-channel relay module $6 □ USB microphone $8 □ 16GB microSD card $5 □ 5V 3A power supply $8 □ Jumper wires $3 ───────────── Total: ~$65 ``` ## Where to Buy (By Region) ### United States - **Amazon** - Fast shipping, good returns - **Adafruit** - Quality accessories, great tutorials - **SparkFun** - Sensors and components - **Micro Center** - If you have one nearby! ### Europe - **The Pi Hut** (UK) - Official Pi reseller - **Pimoroni** (UK) - Creative accessories - **Amazon.de/.fr/.es** - Local shipping - **Conrad** (Germany) - Electronics store ### Asia - **AliExpress** - Cheapest, 2-4 week shipping - **Taobao** (China) - Even cheaper if you read Chinese - **Amazon.co.jp** (Japan) ### South America - **MercadoLivre** (Brazil) - Local marketplace - **FilipeFlop** (Brazil) - Arduino/Pi specialist - **Amazon.com.br** - Limited selection ### Tips for AliExpress - Check seller ratings (97%+ is good) - Read reviews with photos - Expect 2-4 weeks shipping - Buy from China Direct for best prices - Consider "Choice" items for faster shipping ## First-Time Setup Guide ### Step 1: Flash the OS 1. Download [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/) 2. Insert your microSD card 3. Select: - **Device**: Your board - **OS**: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) - **Storage**: Your microSD 4. Click **EDIT SETTINGS**: - Set hostname: `mybot` - Enable SSH - Set username/password - Configure WiFi 5. Click **WRITE** ### Step 2: First Boot 1. Insert microSD into your SBC 2. Connect power 3. Wait 2 minutes for first boot 4. Find your device: ```bash # On your computer ping mybot.local # or check your router's device list ``` ### Step 3: Connect via SSH ```bash ssh pi@mybot.local # Enter your password ``` ### Step 4: Install General Bots ```bash # Quick install curl -fsSL https://get.generalbots.com | bash # Or use the deploy script git clone https://github.com/GeneralBots/botserver.git cd botserver ./scripts/deploy-embedded.sh --local --with-ui ``` ### Step 5: Access the Interface Open in your browser: ``` http://mybot.local:8088 ``` ## Common Beginner Mistakes ### ❌ Wrong Power Supply **Problem**: Board keeps rebooting or won't start **Solution**: - Raspberry Pi 4/5: Use **official** 5V 3A USB-C PSU - Orange Pi 5: Use **12V** 2A, not 5V! - Don't use phone chargers - they can't supply enough current ### ❌ Cheap/Slow microSD Card **Problem**: Slow boot, random crashes, data corruption **Solution**: - Buy **Class 10** or **A1/A2** rated cards - Good brands: SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston - Avoid no-name cards from AliExpress ### ❌ No Heatsink/Cooling **Problem**: Board throttles or overheats **Solution**: - Always use heatsinks on the CPU - Consider a fan for Pi 4/5 or Orange Pi 5 - Use a case with ventilation ### ❌ Connecting to Wrong Voltage **Problem**: Fried components, magic smoke **Solution**: - Raspberry Pi GPIO is **3.3V** only! - Never connect 5V to GPIO pins - Use level shifters for 5V sensors ## Getting Help ### Community Resources - [Raspberry Pi Forums](https://forums.raspberrypi.com) - [Orange Pi Forums](http://www.orangepi.org/orangepibbsen/) - [General Bots Discord](https://discord.gg/generalbots) - [r/raspberry_pi](https://reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi) ### Recommended YouTube Channels - **ExplainingComputers** - Great SBC reviews - **Jeff Geerling** - Deep Pi tutorials - **Andreas Spiess** - IoT and sensors - **DroneBot Workshop** - Beginner friendly ### Books - "Getting Started with Raspberry Pi" - Matt Richardson - "Make: Electronics" - Charles Platt ## Next Steps Once you have your SBC: 1. **[Quick Start Guide](./quick-start.md)** - Get GB running in 5 minutes 2. **[GPIO Keywords](../06-gbdialog/keywords-gpio.md)** - Control hardware with BASIC 3. **[Templates](../02-templates/template-embedded.md)** - Ready-made automation projects 4. **[Local LLM](./local-llm.md)** - Add offline AI capabilities Happy building! 🤖