Green Building Forum - RaspberryPi

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:55:14 +0100

Well it has eventually turned up with one UK power supply, and an EU one but no memory card.
Now I knew there was a reason that I stopped buying from RS several years ago.

Shall go looking for a card tomorrow and a lead for the graphics card.

RaspberryPi

Seret — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:12:56 +0100

It's just an SD card innit? Nick one from a camera or an MP3 player?

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:15:11 +0100

Yes, I am sure I have one kicking about, not so sure about the lead for the monitor though.

RaspberryPi

rhamdu — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:36:40 +0100

I guess we can wait to hear how you propose to use the thing. But you still haven't told us the one thing that everyone in this forum wants to know.

How many watts does it use on standby ?

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:45:27 +0100

At the moment, none

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fostertom — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:24:03 +0100

Posted By: rhamduou still haven't told us the one thing that everyone in this forum wants to know

What is it?

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SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:31:18 +0100

Tom
Where have you been the last few months.
It is a tiny, cheap computer.

RaspberryPi

Chris P Bacon — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:39:58 +0100

I got one of the new Android Mini PC on a stick thingy's this week, don't know why or what I am going to use it for but I got it!

Have to wait for some decent custom roms to be available for it as app support is poor due to failing the compatibility check for almost every app I want to use on it.

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:43:37 +0100

I intend to make mine into an energy datalogger that can be accessed remotely, but I struggle with Linux something terrible still.

RaspberryPi

Mike (Up North) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:55:30 +0100

HI,

Most importantly do you apply the custard hot or cold

Cheers

Large slice please

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:10:32 +0100

Got some apple pi in the fridge with some cold custard, may just deal with that tonight.

RaspberryPi

borpin — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:02:26 +0100

Still waiting for mine....

This may be of interest http://openenergymonitor.blogspot.com/2012/05/installing-emoncms-on-raspberry-pi.html

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:34:03 +0100

Right
Apart from the UK power supply (good job RS sent a continental one instead of the memory card) not seeming to work, the Pi is up and running

Put the power meter on it and it is flicking between 1 and 2 W.
Connected to the interweb with no problems, need to find something to allow it to play the iPlayer now.

Couple of pictures for you all.

RaspberryPi

Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:43:37 +0100

Posted By: SteamyTea
Connected to the interweb with no problems, need to find something to allow it to play the iPlayer now.

What distro are you running on it? To stream off the site you'll need Flash, or if you want to download and play locally you should find get_iplayer available to you in your repos.

RaspberryPi

SteamyTea — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:08:28 +0100

They recommend Debian6 'Squeeze'. So shall stick with that for time being.

Need to get a USB hub that works with it so that I can connect more than the keyboard and mouse.
Think I may go down the Bluetooth route with it to same all the spaghetti.
But time to play outside now as it has stopped raining.

RaspberryPi

Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:32:38 +0100

Actually now that I think of it I don't think you can get proper Flash for ARMv6 so get_iplayer is probably the best bet. It's command line only and a bit clunky, but it works. You could try one of the "free" Flash alternatives like Gnash but last time I tried that it sucked badly. YMMV.

RaspberryPi

Ed Davies — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:24:15 +0100

get-iplayer works fine on my Debian ARM Pogoplug. I generally leave it to download programs overnight then rsync them to my Ubuntu laptop to watch later with vlc. â€œapt-cache search vlcâ€ finds the program on the Pogoplug so I assume it'd work fine on the Pi but installation on the Pogoplug would be a bit pointless as it's headless (i.e., doesn't have a monitor or keyboard).

(Hyphen rather underscore in the Debian repo version of get_iplayer's name, by the way. I know the original was underscore.)

RaspberryPi

bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:34:06 +0100

I dont really get the point of this RP thing. By the time you have bought all the bits needed to make it run and connect to other things as you want, you may as well have just bought a cheap computer.

Or even a smart phone

My smart phone runs on Linux/Android. can be programmed in Java to create apps. comes with built in GPS (running on US and Russian satellite systems), Wifi, Blue tooth, USB, head phone jack, large Hi-def colour screen, phone, 3G/ internet connection, 16gb storage, upgradable to 50gb with a sd card, metal detector/magnetic field sensor, 10 megpix camera with flash and auto focus. temp sensor, highly sensitive electronic barometer, etc etc all for 100 euros.... I just dont see the point of RP

I dont want to come down on RP but I just dont see what the big deal is for something so basic that it needs addons to make it do anything interesting, negating the low cost angle.

RaspberryPi

Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:58:34 +0100

Posted By: bot de pailleI just dont see the point of RP

Short version: it's cheaper than some of it's competitors, and better than the ones that are around the same price.

It's an open hardware board that's cheaper than an Arduino with the same ports but is immensely more powerful and can run a desktop OS. That means there's already a vast library of software available for it, unlike the Arduino where you have generally have to write your own.

Connecting a keyboard, monitor, etc to it are just one of the possible ways to use it. Even if you do want to use it as a mini-desktop, how many other ultra low powered ARM boards are there? And why are they all four times the price of a Raspberry Pi?

Smart phone based systems are an interesting development though. Surrey Satellites are actually about to put some phone-powered cubesats into orbit to see what they can do.

RaspberryPi

bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:04:18 +0100

"Connecting a keyboard, monitor, etc to it are just one of the possible ways to use it"

How would you use it without either keyboard, monitor etc?? it needs to be programmed first to use it no?

RaspberryPi

Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:19:34 +0100

Nope. You can do everything through a network connection. You can get the SD cards ready-to-go or you could just do the setup on another machine then bung the card into the Pi.

Lots of machines are run "headless" like this and administered remotely. Servers, for example.

RaspberryPi

DamonHD — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:24:05 +0100

Like the fanless SheevaPlug that is now my primary Internet server for mail, Web sites, etc, and that sits quietly on a corner of my desk and runs completely off-grid. But uses a whole 4W.

Rgds

Damon

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bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:28:09 +0100

Ok, so you need a PC up and running somewhere, plus a network, that you then connect the device too.

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borpin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:34:44 +0100

Posted By: bot de pailleOk, so you need a PC up and running somewhere, plus a network, that you then connect the device too.

Or your smart phone.....

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Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:47:29 +0100

Posted By: bot de pailleOk, so you need a PC up and running somewhere, plus a network, that you then connect the device too.

Yes, but that describes over 75% of the population. I can't imagine anybody would buy a Raspberry Pi as a first computer.

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bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:50:58 +0100

so, what is the point of RP??

you need a PC, running with a monitor and keyboard, network setup, network cable.

why do you need the RP?

just trying to work out what the fuss is about

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bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:02:48 +0100

Posted By: borpin
Posted By: bot de pailleOk, so you need a PC up and running somewhere, plus a network, that you then connect the device too.
Or your smart phone.....

Or just programme/use your smart phone, why do you need RP? Smart phone comes witha battery and a protective case so it can be taken out anywhere in the field and used.
I can be out in the back of beyond and still functioning,connected to GPS and internet

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Seret — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:06:45 +0100

You don't need it. It's a tech toy, you can do what you like with it. People will likely build some cool stuff with them, just like they don with Arduinos now. Others will use them as tiny, low-powered servers running all sorts of stuff.

The people who designed them would like to see them picked up by education and given out in large numbers to kids (sort of like OLPC). I'm not sure that'll really work myself, but they'll be popular enough with grown ups to be a success.

RaspberryPi

DamonHD — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:32:48 +0100

Bot: if you want to leave something running all the time, such as the monitoring that ST wants to do, and don't want to suck the constant 10W--100W that an always-on laptop or desktop implies, but want to do reasonably clever data manipulation and comms, these devices hit the spot.

Once the RP or SheevaPlug is running no other PC need be, nor indeed network if you don't want it for the application in hand.

For me this flavour of device has allowed me to enormously cut power consumption while running an office and Internet services from home. All of that and still under half the typical for a UK house now as opposed to 2x to 3x higher before.

Rgds

Damon

RaspberryPi

bot de paille — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:34:33 +0100

Yeah, I can see the low power consumption side of it. Also looked at a few vids of people building robots with thses kinds of boards, looks like fun.