We have some good and some bad news for fans of the Raspberry Pi micro-computer. As this isn’t a poll, we’re deciding to give you the good news first.
The first ever batch of Raspberry Pi Linux micro-computers has arrived in the UK – all 2000 of them. Previous issues with the Ethernet ports have been overcome, and the wallet and space-friendly computers are just about ready to be shipped to the first 2000 customers that pre-ordered at the end of February.
Now for the bad news we’re afraid: Another minor setback has been caused by the necessity of CE testing. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was unaware that its products would need to go through this test, and it seems that it’s come as a bit of a surprise to them. The two UK retailers who are stocking the Raspberry Pi (RS Components and Farnell) have both insisted that the product is CE compliant, otherwise they won’t sell it.
In true Raspberry Pi fashion, the Foundation has instantly taken to their blog to let everyone know what’s going on:
“The good news is that our first 2,000 boards arrived in the UK on Monday and that we are working to get them CE marked as soon as is humanly possible, in parallel with bringing the remainder of our initial batch into the country.”
While it’s a setback, thankfully it only seems to be a very minor one, with the Foundation confident that the products will pass CE testing with ease and be on their way to consumers very soon. Liz from the Raspberry Pi Foundation continued in her recent blog:
“…on the basis of preliminary measurements, we expect emissions from the uncased product to meet category A requirements comfortably without modification, and possibly to meet the more stringent category B requirements which we had originally expected would require a metalised case.”
We were initially informed that stock should reach the first pre-order customers near to the end of March, although now shipping times look to have slipped to the first week of April at the latest. We’re certain the product will be worth the wait, and can’t wait to get our hands on one.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
Via: Raspberry Pi Foundation