Arduino Mega or Raspberry Pi?

[1EAS1]

Hi, I'm new to adafruit so excusse my "noobieness";) I'm thinking about getting a raspberry pi or arduino mega for my 14th b-day. However I'm not sure which one will be right for me, I already have an Arduino Uno however the Mega would help alot in future projects with arduino. The raspberry pi on the other hand can program (python, java etc.) and use sensors, lcd displays etc. I'm not the best in C/C+ coding however I know the basics. My projects always include sensors or motors and I'm fimilar with the arduino platform. I would like to become an electrical or mechanical engineer, if it helps?

Thanks for all the help,

Cheers, Ethan

[adafruit_support_bill]

Hi Ethan,

These two processors are very different. Since you already have an UNO, upgrading to a Mega would be fairly straightforward. For the most part, it is just like an UNO, but with roughly twice the memory and 4 times the I/O pins.

The Pi is a completely different platform. It is a much more powerful processor and has video, USB and ethernet capabilities on board as well as the capability to run higher level languages like Python. The number of I/O pins is limited, but there are lots of I2C-based breakout boards and Pi-Plates in the store that can give you the I/O capabilities you need.

The Pi would have a steeper learning curve. But may offer more for the money in the long run.

[1EAS1]

Ok thanks for the help!

[rossp]

Why not do both? Shouldn't take but a weekend of mowing to get enough for the Pi (better bring a Lot of water though), and even your local rat shack has low enough prices to undercut the commercial version of the arduino.

I got the Pi for Xmas, and bought an UNO with birthday money. Now I'm building a couple arduinos from the instructables camp.

I think the biggest cost will be the addiction that gets fed.

Comb eBay for some parts like wholesale LEDs (I'm doing lighting projects).