OpenTube

What's inside the Raspberry Pi 500?

Level 2 Jeff

140,911 views

I tear down Raspberry Pi's new Pi 500, a single board computer tucked inside a keyboard.

How easy is it to repair? What's inside? And can we fix the missing M.2 connector?

See my main channel video on the Pi 500 and Monitor: The Keyboard IS the Computer! (Pi 500)

And my teardown of the new Raspberry Pi Monitor: What's inside the Raspberry Pi Monitor?

Also, check out the Pi 500 on Raspberry Pi's website: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/...

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Contents:

00:00 - Pi 500 Overview
02:08 - Compared to Pi 400
04:32 - Let's crack this case!
05:58 - A new keyboard
06:44 - Passive heatsink
08:46 - The SBC hiding inside
12:46 - Grade-school level M.2 soldering
14:33 - Does an NVMe SSD work?
16:08 - Fresh eyes and solder that's unwise
17:36 - Pi 500 PCB vs Pi 400

20 Comments

@geographicaloddity2 1 year ago

That takes courage: finding out your idea didn't work and yet still sharing the process. Thanks.

@outside_the_venn 1 year ago

"i'm really good at bridging these solder joints" - Jeff

Me too Jeff, me Too.

@alap1983 1 year ago

The absence of an NVMe SSD slot kills the appeal of the Pi 500 significantly. With the slot, the Pi could easily be one of the best entry-level "My First Computer" for students.

@vileerdeng 1 year ago

Comparing it to the official NVMe hat or the CM5 IO board may reveal what components are missing under the bottom. Electronic companies usually use the same design for different products to reduce costs.

@AsahelFrost 1 year ago

The POE circuitry is why there are separate magnetics for the Ethernet.

@mausball 1 year ago

Check the NVME hat, the POE hat, and the CM5 IOB. I'd bet a fancy pizza that they reused the same schematics, and thus the parts will be the same.

@snooks5607 1 year ago

I think they messed up the m.2 placement anyway, it should be on the bottom side so there could be a door to install it through

@rklauco 1 year ago

I seriously wonder how long will it take for someone to:
- take existing NVMe hat and find out the parts missing on the board
- take existing PoE hat and find out the parts missing on this board
- solder it all together
- make RPi 500 pro plus :)

@jpino528 1 year ago

Well, if you add your Raspberry Pi 400 to your Pi 500, you could get a Pi 900.

* drooling because I am so smart *

@YouNoStepOnSnek 1 year ago (edited)

3AM (east coast USA) video drop? Shout out to the rest of those with insomnia!

@kneekoo 1 year ago

The lack of M.2 means I'll just wait for the 600. Maybe that will bring both colors back on the keyboard. No idea why they went full white on this one.

3:53 That's a programmable LED. It's a nice thingy to let people start programming. :) It's also useful if you use it as a notification LED for background tasks.

@1nico517 1 year ago

Seems a shame that these aren't designed with disassembly in mind.

@StevenQiang 1 year ago

if the Pi foundation really cares about the space, swap the Mini HDMI ports to Type C ports, or even just one full size HDMI

@LisSolitudinous 1 year ago

When it'll get a proper M.2, it'll be SO worth it for me
Looking forward to it

@Hardware-Hoarder 1 year ago

THREE Jeff videos? What a treat!

@lideruploader6577 1 year ago

Watching Jeff soldering is like watching Bob Ross painting, its relaxing and there are some happy accidents but its always a joyful learning experience.

@BadHorsie2 1 year ago (edited)

A good method for soldering sockets like this is to use a smaller tip on your soldering iron and drag solder it. Makes for a cleaner and tidier solder joints.