A hiccup in the production of the Raspberry Pi computer means eager punters may have to wait to get their hands on the eagerly awaited £22 micro PC.
The wrong type of networking jack was soldered onto some of the circuit boards, stopping the credit card-sized computer from connecting to a network. Community manager Liz Upton wrote on the company's blog: "Where we'd specified jacks with integrated magnetics in the BOM and schematics, the factory soldered in non-magnetic jacks.
"No magnetics means no network connection. We've known about this for four days now, but we haven't been able to tell you about it because it meant we had to do some further tests to make sure that nothing else was affected." Blast.
It's only a minor problem, but does mean batches may be delayed. So if you want to buy the micro PC, you may be in for a bit of a wait. If you go to the Shop section of the site now, you'll be met with a note saying it's down for maintenance.
The Raspberry Pi PC sold out the morning it went on sale. The model B comes with two USB 2.0 ports, 256MB RAM, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI socket -- all for just £21.60. The processor is 700MHz, so don't expect it to run the latest games, but it'll handle word processing with no problem, and even output Full HD video to your TV. And all for the price of a new Blu-ray.
The computer runs Linux, and is aimed at educating kids in computer science. You can find out more in our video below.
Hopefully this is just a hiccup and it shouldn't be too long before things are back on track. Have you bought one? Or will you be joining the queue? Let me know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 16
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Rich Orange Whitehead 10 March, 2012 14:15
i hope it wasn't a cost cutting / money saving angle on the part of the manufacturers..
this is possibly going to revolutionise home and mobile computing possibilities.
i wonder if there will be one with windows on eventually ..as microsoft should offer a run in ram o.s. cheap to further itself and technology.
anonymous 10 March, 2012 16:12
That's what happens when you have it built in the far east instead of using the opportunity to support business in the UK.
anonymous 10 March, 2012 16:51
The poster who made the comment regarding supporting UK business should perhaps read the detailed explanation at www.raspberrypi.org explaining why this approach is infeasible given current UK import duty levels on electronic components. Quite aside from this, I see little or no evidence of electronics manufacturing quality per-se being any better in the UK than elsewhere.
anonymous 10 March, 2012 18:07
There will be no real competitive UK manufacturing until the Unions are removed. We can then make our own components!
What are the delays likely to be, kids can't wait to get hold of one, or two!
anonymous 10 March, 2012 18:51
Why does everyone assume that Windows should be installed on things.
Linux is great for devices with low specifications and can breathe new life into pc's that have been consigned to the attic. Whats more you don't have to pay an exorbitant licence fee as its free.
People should get their heads out of the sand and realise there's more than just Windows
anonymous 10 March, 2012 20:40
There is more than WIndows. People just need to use the OS to suit their needs. FOr web browsing, chat and word processing you don't need to use Windows and many Linux distros wil do what is needed on less hardware and for free.
anonymous 10 March, 2012 21:54
will it come with an operating system immune to viruses ? my old bbc micro model b was immune to viruses, and that was in 1987. yet now in 2012 it seems impossible to get an operating system thats immune to viruses.
anonymous 11 March, 2012 07:09
Linux is as "immune to viruses" as a BBC micro. No system is going to be 100% immune to exploits. If anything the Raspberry Pi is designed to teach people this by encouraging them to exploit it. The problem with Windows is its "user friendly" nature that assumes the user knows nothing is also what leads to it being easily undermined.
The best way to combat viruses and security intrusions is to educate the users.
anonymous 11 March, 2012 07:29
Patience is a virgin. It could be said.
anonymous 11 March, 2012 07:57
@anonymous 10 March, 2012 16:12
Yep, but if it was built in the UK the cost would probably been £122 instead of £22
anonymous 11 March, 2012 08:34
I have one on order and my delivery date has just been put back to the first week in May.
The comment about the BBC micro is interesting. The operating system was in EPROM and thus protected from change by a virus. But there were virii about if you used a disc or floppy, as they resided inside modified programs.
anonymous 11 March, 2012 10:00
For me its very interesting who is the Chinese company that are manufacturing the Pi.
anonymous 11 March, 2012 11:21
A computer to increase interest in science tarter than a computer to generate profits.
Nice
anonymous 12 March, 2012 08:41
I'm sure model B has 512mb of ram?????
anonymous 5 April, 2012 21:59
the bbc model b had 32Kb of RAM. it was NOT immune to virii .. there were a number that could replicate via floppy disc
anonymous 7 April, 2012 20:20
Doesn't say much about your quality control guys, or in truth it says much about your quality control!