Raspberry Pi

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Weremuthe

Weremuthe

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Anyone on here any experience of the Raspberry Pi kits - it's for a 21st Birthday prezzie for someone who is computer literate but not so much on the coding/hardware side?
 


Weremuthe said:
Anyone on here any experience of the Raspberry Pi kits - it's for a 21st Birthday prezzie for someone who is computer literate but not so much on the coding/hardware side?
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yeah, great bits of kit. easy to download software to run them, and can take it anywhere. make sure you get a case.
 
Use mine as for more practical usage. (I use it to share my external hard-drive across my home network and for a while was using it as my Kodi box)

Pretty easy to set up, had to google a couple of bits and pieces but if you are familiar with Linux then you probably wouldn't need to. For people not-so-familiar with Linux, tutorials on doing anything on them were pretty easy to find.
 
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If they have no coding experience at all I'd start with programming in Python on a laptop, using a simple IDE. There are some good Python tutorials around (eg "Dive Into Python" that comes with it). I wouldn't complicate things at the start by having to run and debug code on a separate hardware device. That can come later.

In parallel with that it could be useful to set up a Rasp Pi media box to start getting familiar with hardware - flashing SD cards, network setup, boot process, etc.
 
I've used mine as more of a lightweight server in the house: FTP Server, Web Server, SAMBA Server (file share).

If you want to control stuff then an Arduino is a lot more fun, a lot easier to program and costs next to nothing: you can get an Arduino Nano for a couple of quid from China. Loads of projects online to try.
 
If they are likely to do coding, consider getting a kit with lots of input and output devices on it. Billy is right that you don't need one for basic python programming, but the Pi is brilliant for linking up to real world hardware. One example is a automated watering thing I have been working on. The kids thought it was brilliant to have 3 sprinklers set out then being able to control which one turned on via an interface I stuck on my ipad. Graphing temperature sensors, trigger a camera on PIR motion etc, are all things that make the Pi fun.
 
Mine is used to share an external hard drive, as a CUPS server to share a wireless printer. I use it to run kodi too.
 
Weremuthe said:
I was thinking of the NetBeans IDE
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For Java? If you're going to do Java, then why not write a simple smartphone app? I showed my nephew how to do that,and created a programming monster in the process.

AndrewP said:
Mine is used to share an external hard drive, as a CUPS server to share a wireless printer. I use it to run kodi too.
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I have a problem with barking dogs next door. Solution - battery powered Pi in the shed, with a USB mic recording each day to an MP3 file on a USB stick, which then gets gobbled up to my server via rsync/WiFi overnight. Evidence being gathered as I type.

Next step is to filter out the non barking periods from being recorded, and having the (smaller) MP3s emailed to them every day.

It's amazing what you can do with these little things.

How does your CUPS server work? Does it have to receive print jobs as PS then render them to (say) GDI for the inkjet?
 
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I bought a pi3 and a pi zero w last week. Using the 3 as for retro gaming using retropie (this is fantastic). Don't know what I am going to do with the zero yet, but would like to start learning coding.
Any advice on best way to start, any websites/step by step vid's/YouTube channels/etc would be greatly appreciated, thanks
 
Billy Rocket said:
How does your CUPS server work? Does it have to receive print jobs as PS then render them to (say) GDI for the inkjet?
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The printer itself is not attached to the RPi. I just use it for an existing wireless laser printer so I can print from a chromebook. Printing from androdi (via app) and windows was already possible, but not from a chromebook so this sorted that.
 
gods_homeboy said:
I bought a pi3 and a pi zero w last week. Using the 3 as for retro gaming using retropie (this is fantastic). Don't know what I am going to do with the zero yet, but would like to start learning coding.
Any advice on best way to start, any websites/step by step vid's/YouTube channels/etc would be greatly appreciated, thanks
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Python. That's the "Pi" in "Raspberry Pi".

Install the ActiveState Python distribution on your PC/laptop and start reading through the "Dive Into Python" ebook that comes with it. Do the examples.

When you feel like you've got the hang of it, you can start programming the Pi Zero in Python. There are lots of ways to do that. If you've never done any programming it's much easier to learn in an IDE in a familiar environment, before you start adding hardware into the mix.

Also have a read of this and do what it suggests if you don't think it's too simple. That's a good site btw.
 
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