Last updated on March 26th, 2024 at 11:28 am
Raspberry Pi 400 is like a dream come true for keyboard and compact PC lovers. It looks like a simple keyboard from the outside but has a powerful Raspberry Pi 4 hidden inside. Yes, R-PI 400 is actually a compact PC in the shape of a keyboard!
This board is ideal for surfing the web, creating and editing documents, watching videos, and learning to program using the Raspberry Pi OS desktop environment.
Table of Contents
What is Raspberry Pi 400? Introduction
Raspberry Pi 400 is a compact Raspberry Pi 4 based affordable PC in the shape of a keyboard. Whereas Raspberry PI 4 is a single-board computer developed by the raspberry pi foundation. A Raspberry pi 400 is the combination of the official Raspberry pi keyboard with a Rpi 4, Gpio, HDMI and USB ports, etc.
Rpi 400 is power-packed with 4 GIGS of RAM, Quad-core 64 bit 1.8GHZ CPU, 2 display output, and much more.
You can create any type of IoT and Embedded projects using RPI 400 without buying a separate single board computer.
Note A: It is available in 6 different regional variants(UK, US, DE, FR, IT, ES) and as either a computer kit, containing everything you need to get started (except for a TV or monitor), or a computer unit only.
Note B: Monitor is not included in the kit. So you need a monitor for this to work like a TV/PC.
Raspberry Pi 400 Specs
Rpi 400 has 4 GIGS OF RAM (RPI 4 WITH 4GB RAM), Quad-core 64 bit 1.8GHZ CPU(RPI 4), Gigabit ethernet board, 2 HDMI, one USB type C, two USB 3.0, and one USB 2.0 ports.
Support wireless networking and 4k video playback.
Note A: The board has a Broadcom BCM2711 SoC processor with 4 Arm CORTEX A73 cores clocked and upgraded at 1.8GHZ.
Note B: The PI 4 is clocked at 1.5 GHz.
| Processor | Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.8GHz |
| RAM | 4GB LPDDR4-3200 |
| Connectivity | Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac wireless LAN, Bluetooth 5.0, BLE Gigabit Ethernet 2 × USB 3.0 and 1 × USB 2.0 ports |
| GPIO | Horizontal 40-pin GPIO header |
| Video & Sound | 2 × micro HDMI ports (supports up to 4Kp60) |
| Multimedia | H.265 (4Kp60 decode); H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode); OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics |
| SD card support | MicroSD card slot for operating system and data storage |
| Keyboard | 78- or 79-key compact keyboard (depending on regional variant) |
| Power | 5V DC via USB connector |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +50°C |
| Dimensions | 286 mm × 122 mm × 23 mm (maximum) |
What can Pi 400 be used for?
You can do the following activities on a Raspberry pi 400:
- Make simple Embedded projects
- Learn programming
- Make a small desktop PC by connecting a mouse and Display
- Surf the internet, play games etc.
Does Pi 400 comes with an OS?
Yes, the RPI 400 comes with the Raspbian operating system preinstalled on its SD card. But it is also possible to run a different operating system on Pi 400 such as Ubuntu and even Windows 10.
Is PI 64-bit OS compatible with Pi 400?
Since the Pi 400 has a Pi 4 board with 64-bit architecture inside, it is compatible with the Pi 64-bit OS.
What is inside Raspberry pi 400? Layout
Here are the parts that are inside the Pi 400:
- First is RPI 4 GPIO pins port
- Micro sd card slot with a 16 GB micro sd card preloaded with an RPI operating system
- 2 HDMI ports (micro HDMI). The primary HDMI port is on the left.
- 1 USB TYPE C port. 5V DC at 3A is applied at this port to power the RPI 400
- 2 USB 3.0 PORT
- 1 USB 2.0 PORT
- Ethernet port
RPI 400 comes in a very small form factor of 286 mm × 122 mm × 23 mm. It looks like an ordinary Raspberry pi 4 keyboard from the top. And all the ports of RPI 4 are at the back of the keyboard.
Raspberry Pi 400 desktop kit
The official Raspberry Pi 400 kit is also available in the market if you don’t want to buy the standalone RPI 400. RPI 400 Kit has all the accessories you need in order to get started with the board and create your first project.
What comes in a PI 400 Kit?
Raspberry Kit comes with the following accessories:
- 1 x Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Keyboard Computer
- 1 x USB TYPE C power supply
- 1 x official RPI mouse
- 1x A RPI book on RPI beginners guide
- 1 x Micro sd card reader for the PCs
- 1x Micro HDMI to HDMI cable
NOTE: Monitor/Display is not included in the kit. So you need to buy a monitor for this to work as a personal computer or TV.
The cost of the official Raspberry Pi 400 desktop kit is $100. It is only $30 more than the standalone RPI 400 which cost around $70.
How to Setup the Raspberry Pi 400:
The Raspberry Pi 400 setup is quite easy and is similar to all the raspberry pi single board computers.
Step 1: Plugin a micro HDMI cable to the mini HDMI port
Step 2: Plugin the Raspberry Pi mouse
Step 3: plugin the USB type C power supply. A Green Led(power indicator) is turned ON instantly as there is no power switch.
Step 4: A pop-up displaying “welcome to the Raspberry Pi desktop” comes up.
Step 5: Next is the Startup wizard. Fill in the details about your location, language preference, etc.
Step 6: Now set up a new password by changing the default system password.
Step 7: If you look at the edges of the monitor, you will see a black box around the display area. Check the box to enable or disable the black box around the screen. But rebooting is needed for the change to effect
Step 8: In order to update the Raspbian, connect to the Ethernet or a wireless network.
Step 9: Now restart the board
Step 10: You have successfully finished the RPI400 setup. The board will no longer display the black bars around the edges if you disabled them in the above step.
Dimensions/Form factor:
The physical dimensions of the Raspberry Pi 400 Keyboard are 285 mm in length, 122 mm in width, and 21 mm in height.
Price of Raspberry Pi 400:
Raspberry Pi 400 kit is priced at $100.
The RPI 4 costs around $55.
Where to buy Raspberry Pi 400?
You can get the original Raspberry Pi 400 board from different stores. But if you want to get it from Amazon, we recommend you the following sellers:
Where to buy Raspberry Pi 400 Kit?
You can get the original Raspberry Pi 400 Kit board from different stores. But if you want to get it from Amazon, we recommend you the following sellers:
Raspberry Pi 400 Reviews(summarized):
Crosstalk solutions[…]
RPI 400 is a perfect gift to someone that might want to just keep it in their bag for when they need a computer on the go. I can think of a thousand different uses for this thing. I think this is a really good idea plus it’s much friendlier for a beginner than the actual raspberry pi which is basically just a bare circuit board that you’re connecting everything to. And then you’ve got to find a case for it. So the fact that this comes all in one as a keyboard is awesome.
Explaining Computers[…]
The reasons I really like RPI 400 are basically twofold: firstly this is a very nice clutter-free raspberry pi. We know since the launch of the raspberry pi 4 that the raspberry pi foundation had been putting forward the raspberry pi as a low-cost desktop pc and for many people that was possible but they probably didn’t want to have a small ball putting into a case and a keyboard or a mouse and all the wires. But they don’t have to anymore. You’ve got a low cost pc in one place that you can just plug it into a television, into a monitor and get on with a bit of computing the monitor and you’re done. And the broader reason that i really like the raspberry pi 400 is because we’ve now got a raspberry pi in the same form factor which launched the early home computing micro computing as we used to call it.
