Pros and cons of raspberry pi vs arduino for johnny five project

When I first started learning Johnny Five, I found some of the pros/cons of using an arduino vs pi were not clear. It wasn't clear to me for example that raspberry pis do not have analog inputs and therefore you need to solder on an analog-digital converter (ADC) in order to use any analog sensors. Also I was also unaware that only certain ADCs are compatible with johnny-five. Arduinos on the other hand have both digital and analog inputs which I think makes life a lot easier for a beginner (especially because if you mess up soldering your ADC then your breadboard is a write off :cry:).

Also Johnny five uses firmata to run node js scripts on the arduino via the serial port. Sadly this means that unless you hook up the arduino to run via wifi, it has to be connected to a computer. Also as far as I'm aware, you can't actually run node scripts on the arduino directly (hence why it has to be connected to a computer). With raspberry pis on the other hand, you can run the node js script on raspbian (lite or full) and therefore there is no need for a separate machine.

When using raspberry pis and johnny five, you need to use https://github.com/nebrius/raspi-io as well as johnny five (although I found it much harder to configure and get started quickly than by using an arduino).

Another (cheat) option to get up and running quickly is to run the node script on the pi and connect via usb to the serial port of the Arduino. That way you get access to all of the analog pins on the arduino without needing to solder and you don't need to keep your arduino connected to your computer 😄

I've also found more helpful tutorials generally for arduinos than raspberry pis but it's possibly because I'm not looking in the right place.

The pins are also clearly labelled on an arduino but not at all on a pi. However arduinos can only run one thing at a time whereas raspberry pis can handle doing lots of things at once

Start by reviewing the existing Johnny Five learning materials and the setup paths mentioned for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Firmata, and raspi-io. Document the practical differences in analog inputs, ADC compatibility, connectivity, setup, pin labeling, tutorials, and multitasking, with a clear comparison that helps beginners choose a platform.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.