Raspberry Pi 4 Kit Hookup Guide

Contributors: bboyho, MTaylor

Hardware Assembly

The Pi is straight-forward and easy to put together, but in the event that something doesn't seem right, this section will give you an idea of what it is supposed to look like to get the Pi up and running.

Basic Kit	Desktop Kit	Hardware Starter Kit

Attaching a Heat Sink Enclosure Optional

Note: Under normal conditions, the Pi 4 can be run without the need for a heat sink enclosure. However, adding a heat sink will help prevent the Raspberry Pi 4 from throttling when you are pushing the Pi to its limits, such as running multiple displays at once. The following instructions are for those that are using the Raspberry Pi 4 with a heat sink enclosure. The basic kit does not include the heat sink enclosure. Make sure to add it to your cart with your favorite color!

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Obsidian Black

In stock PRT-15773

This black, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

$19.50

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Heliodor Gold

Retired PRT-15774

This gold, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Magnetite Grey

Retired PRT-15775

This gunmetal, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load…

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Rhodolite Red

Retired PRT-15893

This red, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

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Click to See More Enclosures!

Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Tanzanite Purple

Retired PRT-15894

This purple, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Emerald Green

Retired PRT-15895

This green, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

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Aluminum Heatsink Case for Raspberry Pi 4 - Zircon Blue

Retired PRT-15896

This blue, anodised aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 4 will give you 10-15°C of passive cooling under a full CPU load.

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If you are using the heat sink enclosure, grab the thermal pad that matches the size of the Pi's CPU. Remove the thin, clear plastic film and paper from both sides of the thermal pad. Attach the side that had the paper to the Pi's CPU. There are thermal pads shaped for other IC and can be added on those chips as well. However, those do not get hot.

Grab the top of the heat sink case with the cutout for the GPIO pins and place it on the Pi. If you are using the DSI port or Raspberry Pi camera, now would be good time to insert the ribbon cable between the Pi and the top of the heat sink.

Align the mounting holes of the bottom of the heat sink case.

Screw and tighten the hex bolts using the allen key.

Rotate the Pi. Your heat sink enclosure should look like the image below!

Insert the microSD Card

With the image flashed on the microSD Card, insert it into the microSD socket.

Attaching Peripherals

Attach desired consumer computer equipment. At a minimum to get up and running or navigate through the Pi, we recommend using a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The following images will use a Pi without an enclosure to show where to connect the peripherals.

Monitor

Using a monitor with a HDMI port ^[3], insert the HDMI end of the cable to the connector. Then connect the mini-HDMI end of the cable to the connector. Note that the Pi 4 has two mini-HDMI outputs. You will need to connect to the HDMI0 port. closest to the USB-C connector.

[3] Note: Depending on how old your monitor is, you may need an additional adapter to convert the HDMI to the input port. Some of these may be a VGA or DVI connector.

VGA adapter	DVI adapter

Alternatively, you can attach a compatible LCD display via the DSI port or take advantage of the headless setups. Keep in mind that you may need to configure additional settings in order to get the Pi to output to the display.

Raspberry Pi LCD - 7" Touchscreen

Out of stock LCD-13733

This 7" Raspberry Pi Touchscreen LCD provides you with the ability to create a standalone device that can be utilized as a cu…

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Keyboard and Mouse

Connect a keyboard and mouse to the USB ports. In this case, we were using a wireless keyboard and mouse that had a USB dongle. While you can insert the HID device into any USB port, we recommend connecting it to the USB 2.0 port so that you have the faster USB 3.0 ports (with blue) are available for certain devices (i.e. flash drives).

If you are using a wireless keyboard/mouse combo, the wireless USB dongle that is included maybe hidden in the battery compartment. If you are using the Logitech K400 Plus, flip it over and slide the compartment for the battery holder off.

Flipping over the cover, you'll notice that the dongle is attached inconspicuously on the back. Grab the wireless dongle from the back to insert into the Pi's USB port and slide the cover back on the Logitech K400 Plus.

To power the keyboard, make sure to flip the power switch to the green position on the side of the Logitech K400 Plus. Feel free to flip the power switch back to the red position to remove power.

Power Supply

If you have not already, make sure that you inserted the microSD card into the microSD socket. Once everything is connected, insert the power supply ^[4]!

[4] ⚡ Note: The minimum power requirements to power the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is 5VDC, 3A. Not all power supplies are made the same so there may be voltage drops depending on specifications and cable. Make sure that your wall adapter or battery is stable and able to meet the minimum requirements. Depending on your country region, you may need a converter to connect to a wall outlet. The following products are compatible. If you decide to get the wall adapter, make sure to get the appropriate cable as well.

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Raspberry Pi Wall Adapter Power Supply - 5.1VDC, 3.0A, 15.3W (USB-C)

In stock TOL-15448

The is the official USB Type-C Power Supply for the Raspberry Pi Model 4 B.

$8.00

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USB-C Wall Adapter - 5.1V, 3A (Black)

In stock TOL-16272

This is a USB Type-C Power Supply that is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4.

$5.50

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USB 2.0 C to C Cable - 1m

Retired CAB-16395

This is a 1m long USB 2.0 Type C to Type C cable with a 100W current rating.

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Completed Setup

At this point, your setup should look similar to the images below to get the Pi up and running. You could add ethernet, a second monitor, headphones, speakers, or a camera depending on your setup as well!

Connecting Hardware

Need easy access to the GPIO pins on the board? If you ordered a Qwiic cable, Qwiic enabled device, and any of the kits, take a look at the Qwiic SHIM ^[5] to quickly access the I²C pins. If you are looking to use certain I²C devices with Python, we recommend taking a look at the Qwiic SHIM Kit or Qwiic Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi to get started.

If you included the Pi Wedge with prototyping parts in your order or the Hardware Starter Kit, check out the associated tutorial for the Pi Wedge^[5] to easily access the GPIO pins on a breadboard. We recommend taking a look at the Raspberry gPIo tutorial to get started with LEDs and buttons. If you decide to go headless, you can use the 3.3V FTDI to configure or control your Pi via serial.

[5] Note: When using an enclosure with a Raspberry Pi, you may need an extension header to access the GPIO pins.

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Extended GPIO Female Header - 2x20 Pin (13.5mm/9.80mm)

In stock PRT-16764

This 2x20 pin female header is meant to allow you to extend the reach of any board with the standard 2x20 GPIO pin footprint.

$2.25

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Extended GPIO Female Header - 2x20 Pin (16mm/7.30mm)

In stock PRT-16763

This 2x20 pin female header is meant to allow you to extend the reach of any board with the standard 2x20 GPIO pin footprint.

$2.25

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The Qwiic SHIM is not intended to be used with the heatsink case, as it prevents the case from properly connecting with the single board computer. The top of the case needs to be off should you use the SHIM or decide to use an extension header [ PRT-16764 ] in conjunction with a Pi HAT. You can also use an extension header [ PRT-16763 ] with the Pi Wedge's IDC cable. Note the differences in the pin length. The header with 7.30mm pin length uses three plastic spacers, which cover the pins more when using a HAT or the Pi Wedge's IDC cable.

Extension Header with 9.80mm Pin Length is Used to Help Stack the Qwiic SHIM and Pi Servo HAT on a Pi 4 with Heat Sink	Extension Header with 7.30mm Pin Length is Used to Help Connect the Pi Wedge's IDC Cable to the Pi 4 with Heat Sink

The height of the enclosure and PCB varies depending on the design. The image below shows a Pi 3 in the enclosure. The overall height of the enclosure is lower than the Pi 4's heat sink enclosure so one 2x20 extension header was needed when stacking the Qwiic pHAT v2.0 on the Pi. You may need to stack additional extension headers so that the boards have enough clearance when using other enclosures and HATs.