The purpose of this chapter is to eliminate the frustration of getting all prepared to start working with the RP3, only to discover that you don’t have all the items you need.  We are going to look at the basic required components, then at various accessories that you will probably want to invest in (with a short explanation of why).

Bare Essentials

To get started, you will first need a Raspberry Pi 3, a 2.5A microUSB power supply, a USB keyboard and mouse or a USB keyboard with a touch surface, a monitor with HDMI input, and an HDMI cable to connect the monitor to the RP2. 

You will also need a microSD card with Noobs installed.  If you do have this, you will need to download NOOBs onto a minimum 8 GB microSD card using an internet-accessible computer with a SD card reader.

Here’s your checklist:

• Raspberry Pi 3
• Power Supply (2.5 A)
• USB Keyboard and Mouse
• Monitor or television with an HDMI input
• HDMI cable
• Minimum 8 GB class 4 microSD Card, 32 GB recommended, with NOOBs installed

There are some other recommended accessories that we are going to discuss next.

USB Hub

If you plan to connect more than just one or two devices to your RP3 via the USB ports, you definitely want to purchase a powered USB hub.  This not only expands the number of available USB ports, but prevents your USB devices from draining the power needed by the RP3.  When it doesn’t have enough power, the R3 can behave in an unpredictable manner.

Protective Case

If you want to protect your RP3, you can make your own protective case for it or order a pre-built one.  Whether you go with a simple cardboard case or a more expensive, attractive case, you will be able to protect your RP3 if it falls off a surface or encounters a curious pet.

Heat Sink

Most groups will tell you that you don’t need a heat sink for the RP3’s CPU, but it will heat up.  If you want to protect the investment you made in the RP3, look into one of the custom RP3 heat sinks that are available.  The heat sinks are typically made of Aluminum, and have an adhesive thermal layer that keeps the heat sink in place while allow the heat to flow to the heat sink.

Electronic Components

If you are going for the absolute bare minimum of what additional parts you need to start using the RP3, then invest in a few LEDs and some 1 kΩ resistors.  If you want to explore and experiment more, then you would be best served by purchasing one of the many RP3 accessory kits that are available.

Solderless Breadboard and Jumper Wires

We highly recommend that you purchase simple solderless breadboard.  This will make it easy for you to layout, test, and modify circuits.  The breadboard can be used over and over, and requires no soldering to achieve good connections.  A link is provided at the end of the chapter to help people new to breadboards figure out how to use them.

You can use jumper wires to connect to the GPIO pins on the RP3 (if you don’t have a T-cobbler and ribbon cable, discussed in the next section), instead of trying to use using plain wire.  Male to male wires are good for making connections on the breadboard, and male to female wires let you connect from your breadboard to the GPIO pins as needed.  

T-Cobbler and Ribbon Cable

If you are going to be testing or experimenting with circuits, you will really want to invest in a T-cobbler.  A T-cobbler is a GPIO 40-pin extension board with a 40-pin color ribbon cable.  You connect the T-cobbler to your breadboard and the cable to the pins in the RP3, thus eliminating the need to connect anything to the GPIO pins.  This saves your RP3 from potential damage and basic wear.

Monitors

You have a wide range of choices when it comes to monitors for the RP3.  You can start with just a standard computer monitor or TV which can be hooked up to the RP3 via an HDMI cable.

For special projects, there are small LCD monitors, usually between 7 and 10 inches in size, that are compatible with the RP3 and have good resolution.   This are not what you want if you are just starting to explore the RP3, however.  You can also find LCD resistive touch screens that vary in size from 3.5 to 5 inches.  As with the LCD monitors, these also seem better adapted to a finished project rather than exploring the RP3.

Sensor Kits

Sensor kits are an awesome addition to the RP3, and if you want to do any type of project that interacts with something outside the RP3, you will need some sensors.  Sensor kits are recommended because you can be sure the parts you get are compatible with each other.  The only thing you need to verify is that the kit you are purchasing is compatible with the RP3, and not just the RP2, RP, RP A+ or RP B.

Online Resources:

Autodesk 123 Circuits:

How to Use a Breadboard:

NOOBs download: