Australia’s first taste of Raspberry Pi

Element14 has delivered Australia’s first Raspberry Pi to its first customer, Jonathan Hirsch, an electronics engineer with the Interactives Department at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.

Peter Davis, regional director of element14, and Mark Sarkis, the company’s business development manager, delivered the device, along with some accessories for the computer.

Hirsch was the first caller to place an order for the credit card-sized computer when the lines opened, Davis said. The Raspberry Pi is being delivered on a first-come-first-served basis, so Hirsch was the first to receive the computer.

Hirsch said he hopes the device will replace other computers that have been installed at the Powerhouse. He anticipates it will be used for playing back video and audio, connecting touch screens and controlling hardware such as motors and lights on the museum’s interactive displays.

“There are a few displays I’d like to use it with,” he said.

Over 100,000 orders have been placed for the device worldwide and element14 says that people who placed an order before 18 April will receive their computer before the end of June.