Installing an Operating System

The first step is to install an operating system on your RPi so that it can be programmed and function. If you have installed a system in your RPi, you can start from Chapter 0 Preparation.

Component List

Required Components

Any Raspberry Pi with 40 GPIO

5V/3A Power Adapter. Note: Different versions

of Raspberry Pi have different power requirements

(please check the power requirements for yours on

the chart in the following page.)

raspberrypi5-real

5v3a-power-adapter

Micro or Type-C USB Cable x1

Micro SD Card (TF Card) x1, Card Reader x1

usb-cable

tf-card-reader

Power requirements of various versions of Raspberry Pi are shown in following table:

Product

Recommended PSU current capacity

Maximum total USB peripheral current draw

Typical bare-board active current consumption

Raspberry Pi 1 Model A

700mA

500mA

200mA

Raspberry Pi 1 Model B

1.2A

500mA

500mA

Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+

700mA

500mA

180mA

Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+

1.8A

1.2A

330mA

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

1.8A

1.2A

350mA

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

2.5A

1.2A

400mA

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+

2.5A

Limited by PSU, board, and connector ratings only.

350mA

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+

2.5A

1.2A

500mA

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

3.0A

1.2A

600mA

Raspberry Pi 5

5.0A

1.6A (600mA if using a 3A power supply)

800mA

Raspberry Pi 400

3.0A

1.2A

800mA

Raspberry Pi Zero

1.2A

Limited by PSU, board, and connector ratings only

100mA

See also

For more details, please refer to https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/faqs/#powerReqs

In addition, RPi also needs an Ethernet network cable used to connect it to a WAN (Wide Area Network).

The Raspberry Pi 5 provides 1.6A of power to downstream USB peripherals when connected to a power supply capable of 5A at +5V (25W). When connected to any other compatible power supply, the Raspberry Pi 5 restricts downstream USB devices to 600mA of power.

Optional Components

Under normal circumstances, there are two ways to login to Raspberry Pi:

  1. Using a stand-alone monitor.

  2. Using a remote desktop or laptop computer monitor “sharing” the PC monitor with your RPi.

Required Accessories for Monitor

If you choose to use an independent monitor, mouse and keyboard, you also need the following accessories:

  1. A display with a HDMI interface

  2. A Mouse and a Keyboard with an USB interface

As to Pi Zero and Pi Zero W, you also need the following accessories:

  1. A Mini-HDMI to HDMI Adapter and Cable.

  2. A Micro-USB to USB-A Adapter and Cable (Micro USB OTG Cable).

  3. A USB HUB.

  4. USB to Ethernet Interface or USB Wi-Fi receiver.

For different Raspberry Pi Modules, the optional items may vary slightly but they all aim to convert the interfaces to Raspberry Pi standards.

Pi Zero

Pi A+

Pi Zero W

Pi 3A+

Pi B+/2B

Pi 3B/3B+

Pi 4B

Pi 5

Monitor

Yes (All)

Mouse

Yes (All)

Keyboard

Yes (All)

Micro-HDMI to HDMI Adapter & Cable

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Micro-HDMI to HDMI Adapter & Cable

No

Yes

Micro-USB to USB-A Adapter & Cable (Micro USB OTG Cable)

Yes

No

Yes

No

USB HUB

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

USB to Ethernet Interface

select one from two or

select two from two

optional

Internal Integration

Internal Integration

USB Wi-Fi Receiver

Internal Integration

optional

Required Accessories for Remote Desktop

If you do not have an independent monitor, or if you want to use a remote desktop, you first need to login to Raspberry Pi through SSH, and then open the VNC or RDP service.

This requires the following accessories.

Pi Zero

Pi Zero W

Pi A+

Pi 3A+

Pi B+/2B

Pi 3B/3B+/4B/5

Micro-USB to USB-A Adapter & Cable (Micro USB OTG Cable)

Yes

Yes

No

NO

USB to Ethernet interface

Yes

Yes

Yes

Raspberry Pi OS

Without Screen - Use Raspberry Pi - under Windows PC

With Screen - Use Raspberry Pi - under Windows PC

Automatically Method

You can follow the official method to install the system for raspberry pi via visiting link below:

https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/raspberry-pi-setting-up/2

In this way, the system will be downloaded automatically via the application.

Manually Method

After installing the Imager Tool in the link above. You can also download the system manually first.

Visit https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/

../../../_images/install-system-01.png ../../../_images/install-system-02.png

And then the zip file is downloaded.

Write System to Micro SD Card

First, put your Micro SD card into card reader and connect it to USB port of PC.

../../../_images/install00.png

Then open imager toll. Clicked Choose Device.

../../../_images/install01.png

Select a Raspberry PI Device based on your Raspberry PI version. It will help us filter out the right version of the system for the Raspberry PI.

../../../_images/install02.png

Clicked Operating System.

../../../_images/install03.png

Choose system that you just downloaded in Use custom.

../../../_images/install04.png

Choose the SD card. Then click “Next”.

../../../_images/install05.png

You can configure the Raspberry PI according to your needs.

../../../_images/install06.png

Enable ssh and configure WiFi

On the GENERAL screen, configure your information based on your actual situation.

Enable SSH on the SERVICES page.

../../../_images/install-system-10.png ../../../_images/install-system-11.png

Click Save, in the new screen, click Yes, wait for SD to brush into the Raspberry system.

../../../_images/install-system-12.png

Insert SD card

Then remove SD card from card reader and insert it into Raspberry Pi.

../../../_images/install-system-13.png

Connect to the power supply and wait for the Raspberry PI to turn on.

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi

Monitor desktop

If you do not have a spare monitor, please skip to next section Remote desktop & VNC. If you have a spare monitor, please follow the steps in this section.

After the system is written successfully, take out Micro SD Card and put it into the SD card slot of RPi. Then connect your RPi to the monitor through the HDMI port, attach your mouse and keyboard through the USB ports, attach a network cable to the network port and finally, connect your power supply (making sure that it meets the specifications required by your RPi Module Version. Your RPi should start (power up). Later, after setup, you will need to enter your user name and password to login. The default user name: pi; password: raspberry. After login, you should see the following screen.

../../../_images/install-system-14.png

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the RASPBERRY PI OS operating system on your RPi.

Raspberry Pi 5, 4B, 3B+/3B integrates a Wi-Fi adaptor. You can use it to connect to your Wi-Fi. Then you can use the wireless remote desktop to control your RPi. This will be helpful for the following work. Raspberry Pi of other models can use wireless remote desktop through accessing an external USB wireless card.

../../../_images/install-system-15.png

Remote desktop & VNC

If you have logged in Raspberry Pi via display, you can skip to VNC Viewer & VNC.

If you don’t have a spare display, mouse and keyboard for your RPi, you can use a remote desktop to share a display, keyboard, and mouse with your PC. Below is how to use: MAC OS remote desktop and Windows OS remote desktop.

MAC OS Remote Desktop

Open the terminal and type following command. If this command doesn’t work, please move to next page.

$ ssh pi@raspberrypi.local

The password is raspberry by default, case sensitive. You may need to type yes during the process.

../../../_images/install-system-16.png ../../../_images/install-system-17.png

You can also use the IP address to log in Pi.

Enter router client to inquiry IP address named “raspberry pi”. For example, I have inquired to my RPi IP address, and it is “192.168.1.95”.

Open the terminal and type following command.

$ ssh pi@192.168.1.95

When you see pi@raspberrypi:~ $, you have logged in Pi successfully. Then you can skip to next section.

../../../_images/install-system-18.png

Then you can skip to VNC Viewer & VNC.

Windows OS Remote Desktop

If you are using win10, you can use follow way to login Raspberry Pi without desktop. Press Win+R. Enter cmd. Then use this command to check IP:

$ ping -4 raspberrypi.local
../../../_images/install-system-19.png
Then 192.168.1.147 is my Raspberry Pi IP.
Or enter router client to inquiry IP address named “raspberrypi”. For example, I have inquired to my RPi IP address, and it is “192.168.1.95”.
$ ssh pi@xxxxxxxxxxx(IP address)

Enter the following command:

$ ssh pi@192.168.1.95
../../../_images/install-system-20.png

VNC Viewer & VNC

Enable VNC

Type the following command. And select Interface Options -> P5 VNC -> Enter -> Yes -> OK. Here Raspberry Pi may need be restarted, and choose ok. Then open VNC interface.

$ sudo raspi-config
../../../_images/install-system-21.png

../../../_images/install-system-22.png

../../../_images/install-system-23.png

../../../_images/install-system-24.png

Then download and install VNC Viewer according to your computer system by click following link:
https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/
After installation is completed, open VNC Viewer. And click File -> New Connection. Then the interface is shown below.
../../../_images/install-system-25.png
Enter ip address of your Raspberry Pi and fill in a name. Then click OK.
Then on the VNC Viewer panel, double-click new connection you just created,
../../../_images/install-system-26.png

and the following dialog box pops up.

../../../_images/install-system-27.png

Enter username: pi and Password: raspberry. And click OK.

../../../_images/install-system-28.png

Here, you have logged in to Raspberry Pi successfully by using VNC Viewer

../../../_images/install-system-29.png

If there is black window, please set resolution.

set resolution

You can also set other resolutions.

../../../_images/install07.png

If you don’t know what resolution to set properly, you can try 1920x1080.

../../../_images/install-system-31.png

In addition, your VNC Viewer window may zoom your Raspberry Pi desktop. You can change it. On your VNC View control panel, click right key. And select Properties->Options label->Scaling. Then set proper scaling.

../../../_images/install-system-32.png ../../../_images/install-system-33.png

Here, you have logged in to Raspberry Pi successfully by using VNC Viewer and operated proper setting.

Raspberry Pi 5/4B/3B+/3B integrates a Wi-Fi adaptor.If you did not connect Pi to WiFi. You can connect it to wirelessly control the robot.

../../../_images/install08.png