November 26, 2019 • 0 • 4.5

Just got your Raspberry Pi 4 and wondering what accessories you need? You're in the right place! In this article, we cover the essentials to keep it running smoothly, plus what you need to use the Raspberry Pi GPIOs and get started with electronics and programming.

The essentials (regardless of use)

Let's start with accessories required for your Raspberry Pi to operate, whatever your use case.

MicroSD card

To work properly, the Raspberry Pi needs storage, like any computer. You'll have the Raspberry Pi OS on it plus any files you save: programs, text, audio, video… Choose a MicroSD card capacity depending on your usage. 16 GB is the "standard" and covers a lot. If you plan to store images/videos, build a NAS, etc., go for 32 GB or even 64 GB. For read/write speed, pick a Class 10 card to avoid lag. Below are cards we recommend for the Raspberry Pi.

Power supply

To power the Raspberry Pi, the best specs are 5V and 2.5A. You can use a PC USB port, but a wall adapter is preferable.

HDMI cable

An HDMI cable is required for first-time setup and remains useful later on.

Wireless keyboard and mouse kit

Now that the Raspberry has storage and power, you need a keyboard to interact with it. You can find wired keyboards under €10 like this one. However, we recommend a wireless keyboard & mouse kit instead.

You're all set to start using your Raspberry Pi!

Essentials for using the GPIOs

If you plan to use the Raspberry Pi GPIOs, you will need the following accessories:

Jumper wires and BreadBoard

There are three types of jumper wires: Female/Female; Male/Female; Male/Male. They make it easy to connect components to the Raspberry Pi, especially with a BreadBoard. We highly recommend this kit that includes each type.

LEDs

Traditionally, the first GPIO project is to admire a blinking LED! Inexpensive and useful in many projects to communicate with users, LEDs are essential.

Resistors

Resistors are essential to operate most components you'll connect to the Raspberry Pi.

You're all set to start using the Raspberry Pi GPIOs!