Innholdsfortegnelse for Raspberry Pi Coding & Projects The Complete Manual i Raspberry Pi Coding & Projects The Complete Manual

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Up Close with the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Released at the end of June 2019, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is a significant improvement in terms of hardware. Labelled the ‘Ultimate’ Raspberry Pi, this new generation offers true desktop computing power. FASTER AND CONNECTED There’s a lot to like about the Raspberry Pi 4: Up to 8GB of on-board memory, a faster quad-core CPU, support for dual 4K displays via a pair of micro-HDMI ports, and more. Let’s take a look at the Pi 4, and see what it’s got under-the-hood. Improved GPU With a VideoCore 6 GPU, the Pi 4 is capable of 4K resolutions at 60FPS (Frames per Second), and thanks to some tweaks to the video codes in both…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Ten Pi 400 Projects and Ideas You may think that a Raspberry Pi 4 inside a keyboard would create some limitations, however that’s not the case. Indeed, you won’t be able to utilise the Pi 400 in quite the same way as a standard Pi 4, but there’s a lot you can get to grips with. EVERYONE LOVES PI We’ve put together ten possible projects that you could use your Pi 400 with; that will entertain and keep you busy while helping you learn more about coding, the Pi and computing. RETRO COMPUTING With the Pi 400 being very similar to that of the great home computers of the 80s, we thought we’d start these ideas with a simple retro-themed project. Fuse is a…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! The Pico and MicroPython The beauty of the Pico is that it’s a blank microcontroller, meaning that it’s free from any preinstalled code or routines. This allows you to program the Pico to whatever tasks or projects you have planned for it. But first, you’ll need to set it up and get it ready to use MicroPython. The Pico uses MicroPython or C/C++ code in order to communicate with the devices it will be attached to. The code will, when uploaded to the Pico, run a specific set of instructions depending on the electronics that are soldered to the Pico. For example, in MicroPython, with an LED attached to the Pico, you would initialise and import the Pin and Timer modules, tell the Pico…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Raspberry Pi in Numbers The Raspberry Pi was one of the most successful launches of a computer in decades. With the perfect mix of hardware, cost, connectivity, and development, plus a good, stable Linux OS to back it up, the Pi has proved itself to be a near-perfect educational platform. Here’s some facts and figures for our favourite flavour of Pi. 3.14159265358979… Sources: The Raspberry Pi Foundation, The Guardian, readwrite.com, Popular Mechanics, CNN, BBC.…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Set Up Raspberry Pi Using a Windows PC It’s easy to set up your Raspberry Pi with a Windows PC by downloading and copying NOOBS. This installs a selection of OS’s onto the Raspberry Pi. So let’s format your SD Card and install NOOBS using a Windows PC. SETTING UP WITH NOOBS NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software) is a program used to make setting up a Raspberry Pi simple. You can buy SD Cards with NOOBS preinstalled, but here we’ll look at how to format your SD Card and install NOOBS using a Windows computer. STEP 1 We’re going to use a utility called SD Card Formatter to erase the SD Card with correct formatting. You can download this app from https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/eula_windows/index.html. Click…

Explore Raspbian Get More from the Terminal App Terminal is an app in Raspbian that enables you to access the command line and issue text commands to your Pi. You’ll spend a lot of time in Terminal, so it’s a great idea to get to know the app and set it up to work your way. CUSTOM TERMINAL The Terminal gives you access to the command line, where the real power of the Linux OS lies. Getting used to the Terminal is key to mastering the Pi and your projects. STEP 1 Start Terminal by clicking the Terminal icon in the Application Launch Bar. You can also start Terminal by pressing Control-Alt-T or choosing Menu > Accessories > Terminal. Terminal emulates the old style video terminals from before desktop interfaces;…

Python on the Pi Saving and Executing Your Code While working in the IDLE Shell is perfectly fine for small code snippets, it’s not designed for entering longer program listings. In this section you’re going to be introduced to the IDLE Editor, where you will be working from now on. EDITING CODE You will eventually reach a point where you have to move on from inputting single lines of code into the Shell. Instead, the IDLE Editor will allow you to save and execute your Python code. STEP 1 First, open the Python IDLE Shell and when it’s up, click on File > New File. This will open a new window with Untitled as its name. This is the Python IDLE Editor and within it you can enter the code…

Python on the Pi Creating Functions Now that you’ve mastered the use of variables and user input, the next step is to tackle functions. You’ve already used a few functions, such as the print command but Python enables you to define your own functions. FUNKY FUNCTIONS A function is a command that you enter into Python to do something. It’s a little piece of self-contained code that takes data, works on it and then returns the result. STEP 1 It’s not just data that a function works on. They can do all manner of useful things in Python, such as sort data, change items from one format to another and check the length or type of items. Basically, a function is a short word that’s followed by brackets. For example,…

Python on the Pi Python Errors It goes without saying that you’ll eventually come across an error in your code, where Python declares it’s not able to continue due to something being missed out, wrong or simply unknown. Being able to identify these errors makes for a good programmer. DEBUGGING Errors in code are called bugs and are perfectly normal. They can often be easily rectified with a little patience. The important thing is to keep looking, experimenting and testing. Eventually your code will be bug free. STEP 1 Code isn’t as fluid as the written word, no matter how good the programming language is. Python is certainly easier than most languages but even it is prone to some annoying bugs. The most common are typos by the user and…

Python Code and Ideas Text Adventure Script Text adventures are an excellent way to build your Python coding skills and have some fun at the same time. This example that we created will start you on the path to making a classic text adventure; where it will end is up to you. ADVENTURE.PY The Adventure game uses just the Time module to begin with, creating pauses between print functions. There’s a help system in place to expand upon, as well as the story itself. Adventure Time This, as you can see, is just the beginning of the adventure and takes up a fair few lines of code. When you expand it, and weave the story along, you’ll find that you can repeat certain instances such as a chance meeting with…

Mastering Linux Creating and Deleting Files Being able to create and delete a file is an everyday computing skill. However, when using the Linux Terminal, there’s an element of care required, chiefly because any deleted files aren’t placed in the system recycle bin. CREATING FILES Once you learn to recognise the files and directories that make up Raspbian OS, it’s time to discover how to make your own. Knowing how to make, edit and delete files and directories is essential if you want to make your own projects. STEP 1 We’re going to create a file using a command called Touch. Touch is an interesting command that reaches out to a file, or directory, and updates it (this changes the system time as if you’d just opened the file). You…

Mastering Linux Using the Man Pages Linux comes with man (manual) pages that explain each command and show you all the options you can use. Once you get the hang of reading the man pages, you’ll be able to find and do just about anything in Linux. HEY, MAN! The man pages are one of the best features of Linux, and as a built-in tool it’s invaluable for both beginner and senior level Linux administrators. Let’s see how it works STEP 1 Linux has a built-in manual, known as man for short. Using the man command you can obtain information on all the Linux commands we’ve talked about. Simply enter: man and the name of the command you want to learn more about. Start by entering: man ls in the…

Mastering Linux Ownership and Permissions Once you’ve got the hang of users, you need to learn about ownership and permissions. Different users have different areas of ownership and can do different things with each file. Permissions in Linux can be quite complex but with careful thought it’s not too difficult. OWNER AND PRIVILEGE Each user account in Linux is an owner of a section of the filesystem: their Home area. Within this area, they do what they like (within reason), as they have owner privileges. Elsewhere though, they usually just have read-only privileges. STEP 1 If you followed the previous tutorial you should now have two accounts on your Raspberry Pi. One called “pi” and the other with a name (Lucy in our case). An essential aspect of Linux is…

Mastering Linux Input, Output and Pipes Most operating systems allow you to direct the output of something on the screen to, for example, a file. Linux, with its ancestral history of Unix-like command-based arguments, goes a step further and offers much more control. IN, OUT, LINUX ALL ABOUT Everything on a computer is about input and output. You input things into the computer (press keys, move the mouse) and it makes calculations and outputs content (changes the display, makes a noise, for example). STEP 1 When you enter commands into Linux (in the command line), you are using standard input and output. This is so obvious that most people don’t even think about it. You enter commands using the keyboard (that’s input) and it responds to the screen (output). This…

Pi Projects Stream Digital TV with a HAT - Part 1 A HAT, in case you’re wondering, is a Hardware Attached on Top add-on board that connects to a Raspberry Pi’s 40-pin GPIO. They can extend the capabilities of a Pi by adding motors, LCDs, sensors, controllers and more. In addition, they can be programmed via the Pi and Python. TV HAT In this tutorial, we’re using the Raspberry Pi TV HAT as sold by The Pi Hut (https://thepihut.com/products/raspberry-pi-tv-hat?variant=13539182673982). It’s a Sony CXD2880 TV Tuner supporting DVB-T and 2nd-gen DVB-T2 standards. STEP 1 The Raspberry Pi TV HAT is compatible with the Pi Zero, Pi 3 A+ and B+ models. The kit comes with everything you need to connect the HAT to your RPi, including spacers, screws and the 40-pin…

Pi Projects Pi Projects: Retro Gaming Those of you old enough to recall the golden era of the home computer, the 80s, will have fond memories of playing on a Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST, and the countless wonderful arcade machines that consumed more than their fair share of our pocket money. Hold on, because you’re in luck. GOING RETRO The Raspberry Pi makes for an amazing retro gaming computer. With it you’re able to emulate and play the classic home computers, consoles and arcade machines that brought us so much joy back in the day. Thankfully, the processing power of most of the systems of the past is well within the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi’s processor. There are a few examples that don’t run too well,…

Pi Projects Pi Projects: Weather Station The Raspberry Pi has offered its userbase a superb platform to science. There are Raspberry Pi projects that involve the International Space Station, alongside NASA and ESA-led applications. However, it’s an Earth-based project that’s taken the community by storm. IT’S RAINING PI, HALLELUJAH! Weather stations have been available to the project-minded public since long before the Raspberry Pi entered the scene, but thanks to the Pi’s unique specifications, a new generation of weather station has emerged; and they’re really quite remarkable. As with a lot of Raspberry Pi projects, the market has become flooded with various hardware, kits, and HATs that will enable you to set up a simple, or complex, weather station. The more experienced weather station and Raspberry Pi user will probably…

Pi Projects Common Raspberry Pi Problems The Raspberry Pi hardware and software is pretty reliable and problems are more often due to set up errors rather than anything to do with the hardware. However, there are times when hardware can seem to be at fault, so here are a few of the more common issues you might encounter when using your Raspberry Pi. TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR RPI The Raspberry Pi is a surprisingly stable bit of kit, but there is always the chance of encountering problems. If you’re really stuck there are apps available which can help diagnose problems on the RPi. RED POWER LED IS BLINKING A blinking red power LED indicates problems with the power supply. On model A and B, it is hard-wired to the 3.3V power supply…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Say Hello to Raspberry Pi Let’s take a look at the best-selling British computer ever: the Raspberry Pi! This bare-bones machine just looks like any other piece of circuitry, until you realise it’s a full-blown credit-card sized computer, ideal for learning programming and home hacking. The Raspberry Pi is a British built low cost computer that enables everybody to learn computing, start programming and explore basic electronics. It’s the size of a credit card but capable of running a full operating system and doing everything a desktop does. More importantly, with the Raspberry Pi you install your own operating system, connect all your devices and create your own programs using languages like Scratch and Python. There’s no case so you can hook up electronic…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! The Pi 400 – Up Close The Raspberry Pi 400 is an all-in-one keyboard Pi that was released in November 2020, offering the user a different approach to their Pi lifestyle. This compact and powerful Pi is the flagship of a new kind of Pi, and one we’ll hope to see more of in the future. Inside the Pi 400 is a modified Raspberry Pi 4. It’s longer, spanning the width of the keyboard, with a large heatsink to dissipate enough heat for the overclocked processor. The Pi 4’s communication ports are spaced along the back of the Pi 400 keyboard, minus a second USB 2.0 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. 40-Pin GPIO The slightly recessed GPIO port is directly connected to the…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! The Pi Pico – Up Close The Pi Pico isn’t your normal Raspberry Pi. Instead, this is a tiny microcontroller, designed to help enthusiasts control and utilise connected appliances and electronics projects. From displaying an LCD to controlling LEDs, using MicroPython and C++. The Pi Pico may be small, but it packs a decent punch. With it you can expand your electronics projects, and incorporate a whole new level of functionality that you weren’t able to before with the traditional Raspberry Pi units. micro-USB Port The Pi Pico’s micro-USB provides both power, as well as communications between the Pico and a Raspberry Pi or other computer. Here you’ll be able to upload programs and projects on to your Pico. Boot Selection Switch The small…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Kit You’ll Need and How to Set it Up The Raspberry Pi is as bare bones as a computer can get. You get a motherboard, but not much else. So you’ll need a few extras to get it up and running but they’re things you’re likely to have or at least find it easy to get your hands on. ASK AROUND The kit list required to set up a Raspberry Pi is pretty basic: keyboard, mouse, HDMI monitor, SD Card and an optional case. Many of these items you’ll already have, but don’t rush out and buy those you don’t. Ask around to see if anybody you know has spares. STEP 1 The most important thing you need is an SD Card. These are…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! The Raspberry Pi Desktop: What You Will Need Did you know that there is a way in which you can run the full Raspbian OS desktop without even needing a Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi Desktop edition is a fully working, Debian-based installation of Raspbian that can run on a standard PC. In 2016, the Raspberry Pi Foundation started work on an x86 version of its popular Raspbian operating system. By the end of the following year, there was a link on the Downloads page and non-Pi owners could now install and use Raspbian in almost the exact same way as if they were in front of a Raspberry Pi. Since then, the Raspberry Pi Desktop, or as it’s correctly called: Debian Stretch with…

Explore Raspbian Take a Tour of PIXEL PIXEL is the desktop environment for your Raspberry Pi. It’s built on top of Raspbian, the core OS, which is itself designed around the Linux distribution - Debian, specifically, Debian Buster. PIXEL is fine-tuned to run on the Raspberry Pi, taking advantage of its unique hardware. PIXEL PIXEL stands for “Pi Improved Xwindow Environment, Lightweight”. It’s a lightning fast and energy saving desktop that looks good too. It contains almost everything you’ll ever need to work with the Pi 4. THE DESKTOP The PIXEL interface is a module that’s installed on top of the core OS. It has seen some improvements over the years, and with the release of the Pi 4 and Raspbian Buster, it now looks like this. THE PROGRAMS The…

Explore Raspbian Connecting to the Pi Remotely A ‘Headless’ Pi – a Raspberry Pi that doesn’t have a keyboard, mouse, or monitor connected – can easily be controlled remotely using VNC (Virtual Network Computing). Everything is built-in to the Pi, so it’s an easy process to set up and use. REMOTE CONTROL The Raspberry Pi is easy to set up and use in projects around the home and, surprisingly, many of these projects don’t need a keyboard, mouse or a monitor; these are known as Headless devices. VNC lets you control a Headless Pi from another computer. STEP 1 You will first need to ensure that your Pi is connected to a keyboard, mouse and monitor, and is connected to your Wi-Fi router, before you attempt to connect to it…

Explore Raspbian Using the File Manager Because you’ll be creating programs on your Raspberry Pi, you’ll need to know more about the file system than you would on other computers. One vital tool to become familiar with is the File Manager. This is used to find, move and remove files from your Raspberry Pi. VIEWING AND MOVING FILES You can move, manage and delete files using the Command Line but like all modern operating systems Raspbian has a program to help you manage your files. Discover how to use the File Manager app. STEP 1 Raspbian includes a great file management program called “File Manager PCManFM” or just “File Manager” for short. Click on the FileManager PCManFM icon in the Launch Bar or choose Menu > Accessories > File Manager.…

Python on the Pi Starting Python for the First Time If you’re using the new Raspberry Pi, together with its latest release of Raspbian, then you will need to manually install the Python IDLE. This is due to the Pi team removing the core Python IDLE in favour of replacing it with their own coding text editor. STARTING PYTHON For those using the Pi 4 and new Raspbian, drop into a Terminal and enter: sudo apt-get install idle3. Older versions of Raspbian already have the official Python IDLE pre-installed. STEP 1 With the Raspbian desktop loaded, click on the Menu button followed by Programming > Python 3 (IDLE). This will open the Python 3 Shell. Windows and Mac users can find the Python 3 IDLE Shell from within the Windows…

Python on the Pi Executing Code from the Command Line Although we’re working from the GUI IDLE throughout this book, it’s worth taking a look at Python’s command line handling. We already know there’s a command line version of Python but it’s also used to execute code. COMMAND THE CODE Using the code we created in the previous tutorial, the one we named hello.py, let’s see how you can run code that was made in the GUI at the command line level. STEP 1 Python, in Linux, comes with two possible ways of executing code via the command line. One of the ways is with Python 2, whilst the other uses the Python 3 libraries and so on. First though, drop into the command line or Terminal on your operating…

Python on the Pi Working with Variables Variables are where all the action takes place in your code. A Variable can be anything, from the number of lives in a game, that changes as you progress through the game, to a person’s name, age and address. Variables can be static or alter depending on what you want the code to do. VARIOUS VARIABLES You’ll be working with the Python 3 IDLE Shell in this tutorial. If you haven’t already, open Python 3 or close down the previous IDLE Shell to clear up any old code. STEP 1 In some programming languages you’re required to use a dollar sign to denote a string, which is a variable made up of multiple characters, such as a name of a person. In Python…

Python on the Pi Python Graphics While dealing with text on the screen, either as a game or in a program, is great, there will come a time when a bit of graphical representation wouldn’t go amiss. Python 3 has numerous ways in which to include graphics and they’re surprisingly powerful too. GOING GRAPHICAL You can draw simple graphics, lines, squares and so on, or you can use one of the many Python modules available, to bring out some spectacular effects. STEP 1 One of the best graphical modules to begin learning Python graphics is Turtle. The Turtle module is, as the name suggests, based on the turtle robots used in many schools, that can be programmed to draw something on a large piece of paper on the floor. The…

Python Code and Ideas Python File Manager This file manager program displays a list of options that allow you to read a file, write to a file, append to a file, delete a file, list the contents of a directory and much more. It’s remarkably easy to edit and insert into your own code, or add to. 1 This part of the code imports the necessary modules. The OS and Subprocess modules deal with the operating system elements of the program. 2 Each def XXX() functions store the code for each of the menu’s options. Once the code within the function is complete, the code returns to the main menu for another option. 3 This is part of the code that checks to see what OS the user is running.…

Python Code and Ideas Python Digital Clock There is already a clock displayed on the desktop of most operating systems but it’s always handy to have one on top of the currently open window. To that end, why not create a Python digital clock that can be a companion desktop widget for you. DIGCLOCK.PY This is a surprisingly handy little script and one that we’ve used in the past instead of relying on a watch or even the clock in the system tray of the operating system. Tick Tock This is a piece of code we’ve used many times in the past to keep track of time while working on multiple monitors and with just a quick glance to where we’ve placed it on the screen. The Tkinter box can…

Python Code and Ideas Hangman Game Script Hangman is a great game to program into Python. It can be extremely complex, displaying graphics, the number of guesses left in the secret word, a huge bank of available words picked at random and countless other elements. It can also be quite simple. Here we have a mix between the two. HANGMAN.PY We’ve made a Hangman game board (the gallows) out of characters that can be displayed in the IDLE Shell, along with a huge bank of words to randomly choose from. QUIT() Since this is the last example in our Python code repository, we thought we’d go out with a bang and feature the hangman gallows being drawn with each incorrect guess of the word. Don’t worry if it looks misaligned…

Mastering Linux Using the Filesystem To master Linux, it’s important to understand how the filesystem works. What’s more, it’s also important to become familiar with the Terminal, or shell. This command line environment may appear daunting at first, but with practise, it soon becomes easy to use. GETTING AROUND To drop into the Terminal, click on the fourth icon from the left along the top of the Raspberry Pi desktop, the one with a right-facing arrow and an underscore. This is the shell, or Terminal. STEP 1 First, you’re going to look at directories and the directory path. A directory is the same thing as a folder, however in Linux it’s always called a directory. These are placed inside each other using a “/” character. So when you see /…

Mastering Linux Create and Remove Directories Creating, moving and deleting directories isn’t as easy in the Terminal as it is within a desktop interface. You need to tell Linux to move the directories inside other directories, a process known as recursion. Sounds complex but you should quickly get the hang of it. MANAGING FILES AND DIRECTORIES Now that you know how to create files, you’ll want to learn how to make directories, which are the same thing as folders, as well as move items around. If you are more used to working with a desktop interface, this can take a bit of getting used to. STEP 1 Enter: ls to quickly view all the directories currently in in the home location. Directories are created using the “mkdir” command (make directory).…

Mastering Linux Editing Text Files A text file in Linux can be anything from a simple set of instructions on how to use an app, to some complex Python, C++ or other programming language code. Text files can be used for scripting, automated executable files, as well as configuration files too. THE JOY OF TEXT You will come across a lot of text files in Linux and to be able to edit or create a text file, you need a good text editor. Linux has many but here are some in action on the Raspberry Pi. STEP 1 The first text editor for the Raspberry Pi is the default desktop environment app: Leafpad. To use, you can either double-click an existing text file or click the Raspberry Pi menu icon…

Mastering Linux Useful System and Disk Commands Understanding these core Linux commands will enable you to not only master the inner workings of your Raspberry Pi but also to transfer those skills to other Linux distros, such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint. LOTS OF LINUX Linux is a huge and versatile command line language and there are hundreds of commands you can learn and use. Here are a few that can help you get more from your Raspberry Pi. STEP 1 The Raspberry Pi is a great little computer, so let’s start by getting some information. Enter: cat / proc/cpuinfo to view some details on your Raspberry Pi processors. If you have a Raspberry Pi 3 you will see four processors, along with the model name and other info. STEP…

Mastering Linux Fun Things to Do in the Terminal Despite the seriousness of an operating system, the Linux community are certainly no strangers to a bit of fun. Over the years, the developers have created and inserted all manner of quirky and entertaining elements into the Terminal. TERMINAL FUN All these commands are Linux-based, so not only can you use them on the Raspberry Pi but also on any of the Debian-based Linux distributions. STEP 1 The first command we’re going to use is sl, it’s not installed by default so enter: sudo apt-get install sl. The command can be run with sl and when executed displays a Steam Locomotive travelling across the screen (hence ‘sl’). Entering: LS (note the upper case) also works. STEP 2 Fans of Star Wars…

Mastering Linux Command Line Quick Reference When you start using Linux full time, you will quickly realise that the graphical interfaces of Ubuntu, Mint, etc. are great for many tasks but not great for all tasks. Understanding how to use the command line not only builds your understanding of Linux but also improves your knowledge of coding and programming in general. Our command line quick reference guide is designed to help you master Linux quicker. TOP 10 COMMANDS These may not be the most common commands used by everyone but they will certainly feature frequently for many users of Linux and the command line. cd The ‘cd’ command is one of the commands you will use the most at the command line in Linux. It allows you to change your…

Pi Projects Retro Coding There’s a school of thought, that to master the foundations of good coding skills you need to have some experience of how code was written in the past. In the past is a bit of a loose term, but mostly, it means coding from the 80s. THE GOLDEN ERA OF CODE While it may seem a little counterproductive to learn how to code in a language that’s virtually obsolete, there are some surprising benefits to getting your hands dirty with a bit of retro coding. Firstly, learning old code will help you build the structure of code as, regardless of whether it is a language that was developed yesterday, or forty years ago, code still demands strict discipline to work correctly. Secondly, everyday coding elements, such…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Get to Know the Raspberry Pi While the Raspberry Pi 4 is the newest model, the Pi 3 models are the most popular among the community. They’re cheaper, more compatible with current hardware and software, and still pack a significant performance punch. Here’s what powers the fantastic Pi 3. 40 GPIO Pins The GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) pins can be accessed directly on the Raspberry Pi. These are used in projects to connect the Raspberry Pi to electronic circuits and control electric devices. Some can be turned on and off while the Raspberry Pi is running. ARM-Powered At the heart of the Raspberry Pi 3 is a Broadcom BCM2837 System on Chip (SoC). It contains a powerful 1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU.…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Pi 400: Return of the 80s Home Computer The 80s is considered the golden era of the home computer, a time when computing components were small enough to fit inside the living room of a house, and versatile enough to work on as well as play games. It was a wonderful time to experience, and the Pi Foundation has kept that feeling alive with the Pi 400. Released in November 2020, and while the UK and most of the world was still in lockdown, the Raspberry Pi 400 came at a time when we were beginning to feel like there was no end to the pandemic and the restrictions it brought. Initial thoughts were that the Pi 400 was a new small-board computer, in…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Pico Power: The Tiny Microcontroller When is a computer not a computer: when it’s a microcontroller. To be fair, a computer, by its true definition, is an electronic device for storing and processing data, which is what the Pico does. But for most users, a computer is defined as a device that sits on a desk, something you can work and play on. This is where the Pico differs. The Pico is something entirely different from the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s usual releases. Whereas the Raspberry Pi, now on version 4, is a small computer, and even the Compute Module and the Pi 400 are still just computers, the Pico is actually a microcontroller. A microcontroller is a processing unit that’s designed to work with…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Pico Projects & Ideas There are some interesting projects you can apply your Pico to. Thanks to its combination of processing power, GPIO pins, and MicroPython language, the only real barrier is your own imagination. PICO POWER! Here are ten ideas and projects that you could look into achieving with your Raspberry Pi Pico. You may need to enhance your electronics skills, but there’s plenty of help online if you hunt around for it. ROBOTICS Can you create a Pico-powered microcontroller to work different aspects of a robot? You could use the Pico to drive the robot, or control an element on it depending on where it is in your home. TEMPERATURE GAUGE The Pico’s RP2040 processor has a built-in ADC to convert analogue…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Which Pi is Right for Me? With several models of Raspberry Pi available to purchase, you can be forgiven for any confusion over which model you should buy. So, to help save you time and money, let’s see which Pi is best for your needs. THE POWER OF PI With many different versions across four generations of models, the Raspberry Pi is certainly a busy little board. But while each Pi offers something slightly different, for the newcomer it’s a confusing medley of hardware specifications and model numbers. Which, Pi, then is best for you? Naturally, that questions depends greatly on what it is you want to do with your Raspberry Pi. If you have a particular project in mind, such as a home…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Set Up Raspberry Pi Using a Mac You should install NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software) on your SD Card before you go any further. This feature looks at how to format an SD Card and copy the software using an Apple Mac computer. GETTING TO KNOW NOOBS The easiest way to get up and running is to use NOOBS, a software program created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. You can buy a NOOBS SD Card from Raspberry Pi but it’s easy to make your own with an old unused SD Card (8GB recommended). STEP 1 We’re going to use a utility called SD Card Formatter 5 to erase the SD Card with correct formatting. You can download this app from https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/. Click Download…

Raspberry Pi is Good For You! Debian Buster with Raspberry Pi Desktop You can be forgiven for thinking that a version of the Pi OS that isn’t on a Raspberry Pi is somehow lacking, and therefore a bit pointless in its use. However, there’s a lot that you can do with the Debian Buster with Raspberry Pi Desktop version. 10 THINGS TO DO WITH X86 RASPBERRY PI OS There’s just as much you can do with this version of Raspberry Pi OS as with the dedicated Pi version. Here’s ten great projects, and things to do with Debian Buster with Raspberry Pi Desktop. CODING This version of Raspbian apes the Full Desktop version for the Raspberry Pi, so that means it comes with all the necessary programming languages out of…

Explore Raspbian Exploring the Command Line If you’ve grown up with Windows or the Mac OS then you might never have encountered the command line. This part of the operating system sits beneath the desktop and is used to control a computer using text commands. You’ll need to get familiar with it to use your Raspberry Pi. USING TERMINAL Despite its graphical PIXEL interface, Raspbian is a Linux operating system and this means you’ll spend a lot of time working with text commands. Using the command line is an important part of learning to use a Raspberry Pi computer. STEP 1 By default the Raspberry Pi boots directly into the PIXEL interface. Here you use a visual metaphor, files, buttons and so on, to make changes to your computer. The…

Explore Raspbian Using APT to Install and Remove Programs When you start to get serious with your Raspberry Pi, you’ll need to install software that is available for Linux, but not part of the Pi Store. These programs are installed from the command line using a service called APT. Learning how to use APT is a vital part of using your Pi. ADVANCED PACKAGING TOOL Add / Remove Software is great for finding and installing software but most of the time you manage apps on a Raspberry Pi using a program called APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) using the apt command. STEP 1 To manage the apps on your Raspberry Pi you’ll need to use a tool included with Raspbian called APT (Advanced Packaging Tool). APT is a command line tool…

Explore Raspbian Edit Images with GIMP The name may be funny, but this image editing app is incredibly serious. The Raspberry Pi is perfectly adept at photo editing, and you can use GIMP to create icons, images and works of art for your programs. GET TO KNOW GIMP Your Raspberry Pi can display images with its built-in Image View app but for any image editing you’ll need GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). GIMP is a powerful software package for photo editing and is a great tool to install on your Raspberry Pi. STEP 1 Open terminal and enter: sudo apt install gimp to download and install the GIMP package. An alert will appear saying: “after this operation, 117 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to…

Python on the Pi Numbers and Expressions We’ve seen some basic mathematical expressions with Python, simple addition and the like. Let’s expand on that now and see just how powerful Python is as a calculator. You can work within the IDLE Shell or in the Editor, whichever you like. IT’S ALL MATHS, MAN You can get some really impressive results with the mathematical powers of Python; as with most, if not all, programming languages, maths is the driving force behind the code. STEP 1 Open up the GUI version of Python 3, as mentioned you can use either the Shell or the Editor. For the time being, you’re going to use the Shell just to warm our maths muscle, which we believe is a small gland located at the back…

Python on the Pi Python Modules We’ve mentioned modules previously, (the Math module) but as modules are such a large part of getting the most from Python, it’s worth dedicating a little more time to them. In this instance we’re using the Windows version of Python 3. MASTERING MODULES Think of modules as an extension that’s imported into your Python code to enhance and extend its capabilities. There are countless modules available and as we’ve seen, you can even make your own. STEP 1 Although good, the built-in functions within Python are limited. The use of modules, however, allows us to make more sophisticated programs. As you are aware, modules are Python scripts that are imported, such as import math. STEP 2 Some modules, especially on the Raspberry Pi, are…

Python Code and Ideas Number Guessing Game This is a simple little piece of code but it makes good use of the Random module, print and input, and a while loop. The number of guesses can be increased from 5 and the random number range can easily be altered too. NUMBERGUESS.PY Copy the code and see if you can beat the computer within five guesses. It’s an interesting bit of code that can be quite handy when your implementing a combination of the Random module alongside a while loop. 1 Although this is a reasonably easy to follow program, there are some elements to the code that are worth pointing out. To begin with, you need to import the Random module, as you’re using random numbers within the code. 2…

Python Code and Ideas Vertically Scrolling Text What’s not to like about vertically scrolling text? Its uses are many: the beginning of a game or introduction to something epic, like the beginning of every Star Wars movie; a list of credits at the end of something, such as a Python presentation. The list goes on. EPICSCROLL.PY We’ve used the poem Cimmeria by Robert E. Howard for the code’s scrolling text, along with a dramatic black background and red text. We think you’ll agree, it’s quite epic. A Long Time Ago… The obvious main point of enhancement is the actual text itself. Replace it with a list of credits, or an equally epic opening storyline to your Python game, and it will certainly hit the mark with whoever plays it. Don’t…

Mastering Linux Listing and Moving Files Admittedly, using the desktop GUI to list and move files is much easier than using the Terminal and keyboard. However, it’s an important skill that you will appreciate as you advance with the Raspberry Pi and Linux. LOOKING AT FILES Operating systems are built on files and folders, or directories if you prefer. While you’re used to viewing your own files, most operating systems keep other files out of sight. In Raspbian, you have access to every file in the system. STEP 1 We’ve already looked at “ls”, which lists the files in the working directory, but you are more likely to use a command like “ls –l”. The bit after the command (the ‘-lah’) is known as the argument. This is an option…

Mastering Linux Copying, Moving and Renaming Files Taking command of the Terminal is essential when learning how your Raspberry Pi’s operating system works. The copying, moving and renaming of files is equally important, as you’ll be doing a lot of this throughout your Pi projects. USING THE MOVE COMMAND In Linux, renaming a file is simply moving it from one name to another and copying a file is moving it without deleting the original. Don’t panic, it’s quite easy to master. STEP 1 Before we can move anything around, we need to have a few test items in our home directory. Enter: touch testfile and mkdir testdir to create a test file and test directory in your home directory. Enter: ls to check that they are both present. STEP 2…

Mastering Linux Getting to Know Users You might think you’re the only person using your Raspberry Pi but there are several different users and even groups of users. Your main account is normally called Pi and there is an account above it called root, which is more powerful. You can also create users and groups. WHAT IS A USER? An important part of using Linux is the concept of users and understanding which user you are and which group you belong to. Like all modern computers, you can have multiple user accounts with each having different levels of access. STEP 1 The first thing you need to do is get a concept of which user you are. Enter: whoami into the command line and press return. It should say “pi”…

Mastering Linux More Fun Things to Do in the Terminal If the previous list of bizarre, and fun things to do in the Terminal has you wanting more, you’re in luck. We’ve put together another batch of both useful, and not so useful, commands for you to try out. MORE FUN, YAY Since the Terminal session is already open, and your keyboard digits are nicely warmed up, here are another two pages of Terminal nonsense. STEP 1 Remember the old ZX Spectrum days of computing, when you could type in 10 print “Hello”, 20 goto 10 and Hello would list down the screen? Well, in Raspbian you can do the same. Simply enter: yes followed by some text, i.e. yes Raspberry Pi is ace. It keeps going until you press…

Pi Projects Tracking the ISS with Python Of the many, amazing human achievements over the past decade or so, the International Space Station tops the bill. This incredible collaboration between nations sees vital experiments carried out in space, as well as observations of our own planet. TO BOLDLY GO… Indeed, the ISS is something most of us consider as a worthy example of what can happen when we work together. NASA, among other agencies, uses a wealth of Python code onboard the ISS to help automate routines, alongside its function as an in-between link to translate code from one language to another, and then into a human-readable format. If you’re considering a career in space, then learning Python is a must-have skill. While we’re not able to fill you in…

Pi Projects Using Text Files for Animation Animation in Python can be handled with the likes of the Tkinter and Pygame modules, however, there’s more than one way to achieve a decent end result. Using some clever, text file reading code, we can create command-line animations. ASCII ANIMATION Let’s assume you wanted to create an animated ASCII Happy Birthday Python script, with the words Happy and Birthday alternating in appearance. Here’s how it’s done. STEP 1 First we need to create some ASCII-like text, head over to http://patorjk.com/software/taag. This is an online Text to ASCII generator, created by Patrick Gillespie. Start by entering Happy into the text box, the result will be displayed in the main window. You can change the font with the drop-down menu to the side of…

Pi Projects Pi Projects: Media Centre Of all the Raspberry Pi projects out there, turning the tiny computer into a powerful media centre is probably top of the list. And thanks to the Pi’s diminutive dimensions, and reasonable processing performance, it is wholly achievable. FILM NIGHT First off, what is a media centre? Basically, a media centre, with regards to what we’re talking about here, is a computer that’s capable of playing, possibly recording, and even sorting a media collection made up of videos, music and images. It’s a home cinema system, connected to a TV that will stream media from online, or from a network attached storage device, or storage connected directly to the computer itself. A media centre is often capable of sorting your collection of videos, music,…