Getting Started with Raspberry Pi

The Why and What to Buy

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gormanhttp://dbakevlar.com

Raspberry Pi History• Raspberry Pi, (aka Raspi or RPI) is a single board

computer developed in the UK. • It’s around the size of a credit card, is very low cost

and requires little power. • The compute power is relative to a Pentium II pc and

the graphics are similar to a 2002 era game console. • Over 10 million sold at this time.

Other Single Board Computers

Beagle Bone

Banana Pi

Orange Pi

PCDruino4

NanoPC, ($65)

CubieBoards, ($144!)

MinnowBoard, ($145)

Odroid, (varying models)

How is a MicroController Different? Yes.

• Arduino ›  Arduino “boards” are micro-controllers. ›  Excellent for open source projects and at collecting data. ›  They shouldn’t be confused with a single board computer. › You can purchase a card, (i.e. hat) that attaches to the RPI to simulate an arduino.

Why Do I Use RPIs?•  Leader of the single board computer industry. •  Tons of online and printed resources. •  Parts are easily attainable, both name brand and

off market. •  Products are available online and in many stores. •  Open architecture leads to myriad of creative

and functional projects.

Raspberry Pi Models

http://raspi.tv/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Pi-Family-Photo-29Feb2016_1500.jpg

How Can I Tell What I Have?

Model Info

Choosing a RPI• Version 3 B or Pi Zero are the current

models out.

RPI 3 Specs• SoC: Broadcom BCM2837 (roughly 50% faster than the Pi 2)• CPU: 1.2 GHZ quad-core ARM Cortex A53 (ARMv8

Instruction Set)• GPU: Broadcom VideoCore IV @ 400 MHz.• Memory: 1 GB LPDDR2-900 SDRAM.• USB ports: 4.• Network: 10/100 MBPS Ethernet, 802.11n Wireless LAN,

Bluetooth 4.0.

Pi Zero Specs

Accessories Required•  Good Quality Micro SD Card, 32G for Pi 3 recommended.•  Power Adapter, (Smart Phone charger works.) •  HDMI Cable •  USB Mouse and Keyboard •  WiFi USB •  USB to Micro SD Card adapter

Handy Software• SD Formatter › Used to format Micro SD Cards on your computer via the USB port and USB to Micro SD Card Adapter. • Win32 Disk Imager › Create backup images of your RPI from the Micro SD Card to your computer and use to load new OS images on Micro SD Cards after downloading.

Secondary Investments

• MagPi Magazine• Pibrella, ($20) great for physical projects for

kids and adults alike.• RPI’s 7 inch touchscreen monitor, ($60 with

frame) • Or a Small, (7-10 inch) HDMI monitor

Why an Adruino?•  You want to just do experiments vs. have

a computer to program on and build out other projects.

•  The project at hand would be better suited to a controller.

Now, Without Breaking the Bank…

• The RPI is meant for physical and logical computing projects.

• This doesn’t mean you have to invest in expensive projects and yes, it can get expensive…

Built In..• Scratch, an interactive, graphical interface

coding program for kids.• Minecraft- Build modules, (design

“kingdoms”)• Other games and Idle to learn Python.• Now that we mention Python….

Why Python• Simple, little syntax• Taught similar to other object oriented

languages, but programming with an:• Introduction• Body• Conclusion

Introduction, (Setup, import)

Body, (function code)

Conclusion, (Execution)

Hackathon!• Breadboard and hats simplify physical computing• 4M projects offer science kits that use LEDs, DC

and servo motors that can be controlled by code via the Raspberry Pi.

• 4M kits and others, such as Snap Circuits are inexpensive ways to broaden use of the Raspberry Pi.

Cheap Hacks

References• Raspberry Pi Education Page• AdaFruit’s DIY Page • Hackaday Magazine• My RPI page on DBAKevlar • MagPi Online