** Dr A. J. Trickett <adam.trickett@???> [2013-02-04 20:22]:
> Having actually seen and photographed a Raspberry Pi I think I'm sold on the
> idea of them. I currently have an Ethernet switch under the TV, spare power
> and a CRT (composite TV input) though I do plan to replace it with a flat TV
> of some sorts eventually (HDMI input).
>
> It seems to make sense that a RPi Model B makes sense, it would be small,
> silent and fun - it appeals to my inner geek. I've a few questions:
>
> 1) Where is the best place to get one? Maplin or Farnell or RS?
>
> 2) What else does it need?
> An SD card for the OS and local storage
> A case
> A USB power supply
> A USB keyboard and mouse if you want to drive it directly
** end quote [Dr A. J. Trickett]
I got my two early one, one from Farnell and one from RS. Of the two Farnel was much better in terms of speed of delivery, but I suspect this has all changed now. Maplin have the advantage of being able to collect if you have one close (although iirc there is an RS trade counter in Hedge End). It probably comes down to price and package now. I'm thinking of geting another one with the larger memory at some point, but I'm not in a rush.
There have been issues with some SD cards, the one I've been using may have a minor issue, but it is an old 2G Kingston one I had kicking around. I do have a newer larger one but I've not tried it yet. You can check for other peoples recommendations online [1].
Case wise I couldn't resist the PiBow in the end [2], it is more expensive that some of the ones around, but has a fun factor, and you can see the circuit board inside which I like. It also allows the GPOI cable an easy route out if you are going to use one. I got mine from Maplin in the end as I was buying a few other bits and had a discount voucher from their mailing list - I don't often use them because of price, but they had an interesting film scanner for a very cheap price so I bought two (one for my Dad) and the case took me into the next discount price up :) [3].
Power supply wise, I use the one that came with my Samsung phone, I also have a USB power adapter that I haven't tested yet, but should do the trick (odd, Maplin again! [4]).
Keyboard and mouse, as you say, only if you want to drive it directly. Don't forget an HDMI cable to connect to the TV (or the other sort!).
[1]
http://elinux.org/RPi_SD_cards
[2]
http://pibow.com/
[3]
http://www.maplin.co.uk/pibow-colour-case-for-raspberry-pi-652812
[4]
http://www.maplin.co.uk/compact-twin-usb-2.1a-power-supply-562310
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