If you want to prototype some things with the most advanced Pi model, you have to pay $35 for the Raspberry Pi B+. But what if you need additional USB ports, WiFi connection, a VGA port, and a few other features to improve all the B+ attributes? In this case, you have to choose between dongles and extension boards that fit like a glove over the Pi.
Dongles are small pieces of hardware that help you reach extra features, but each dongle deliver one function at a time. So, the second option is probably the best if you need more features for less money.
The Piland can now be improved with a little board called Suptronics X200. The X200 is an expansion board designed to fit over the Raspberry Pi Model B+.
The combination between B+ and X200 result a prototyping system with B+ attributes and with extra USB ports, VGA port, 3.5 mm mic and audio jack, optical S/PDIF output, servo support (ULN2803), a real-time clock + battery, and Wi-Fi.
Most probably, when the X200 was designed, the engineers thought that adding some additional ports is not enough. The board should not alter the Pi performances; instead, it should help and transform the Pi into a flexible development platform with a variety of inputs and outputs. And they have right! The expansion board can convert 6V to 21Vdc to provide 5V to the Pi, or increase the VGA output with support for UXGA (1600×1200) and 1080p with 10-bit DAC. More than that, the Pi B+ has WiFi connectivity and three more USB ports.
The servo feature allows you to control electronic circuits that require more current. While the X200 has the same dimensions as Raspberry Pi (85 x 56 mm), the expansion board increases the price of Pi with $55 more.
If you have a Raspberry Pi Model A+, you can use it also with the X200 by using a short USB cable.
The Suptronics X200 is good as long as your project requires combinations between ports and attributes that can be offered by the expansion board; otherwise, the dongles are still the simplest version to add extra features to Pi.
