What is Raspberry Pi for?

[Kaido]

brb off to Shapeways to 3D print a custom Gameboy case :awe:

Ah dangit, Ben Heck already (literally) beat me to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKYT6dCrBGc#t=1048

 

[Kaido]

The new one has enough muscle to make a MAME gamer with zero footprint. (Heck, duct-tape it to the back of the TV!)

So many cool options for it too. I have an X-arcade Tankstick, which it amazing for an OOTB MAME joystick solution. Tthey have one with a roller ball now too! Plus it interfaces with computers (USB) & a variety of consoles (via adapters):

http://shop.xgaming.com/

I also have a KADE USB interface for making custom joysticks, it's amazing:

http://kadevice.com/kade-miniarcade/

With stuff like mail-order 3D printing (Shapeways) & online CNC houses (or just DIY with a jigsaw & some other tools), you can make all kinds of neat vintage gaming stuff these days! I see tube TV's for free on Craigslist all the time too.

 

[ultimatebob]

I think a lot of people have forgotten what the Raspberry Pi was originally meant to be. It's an affordable device to help teach coding and computer science to kids and adults. Especially those who may not be able to afford a full powered desktop or laptop.

From their website.

Yeah, their mission statement doesn't make sense once you add on all of the stuff needed to make a Raspberry Pi work. Once you add the HDMI cable, an cheap HDTV/Monitor that supports HDMI, a USB power adapter, and MicroSD card you're up to $200 in parts. For that price, you can get a Chromebook or a cheap/used laptop.

 

[ultimatebob]

It has a GPIO port and handy dandy Python libraries. Laptop doesn't.

If you put Linux on a used two year old laptop, it would probably make a much better development Platform for Python or most other languages for that matter.

Besides, a USB to GPIO adapter is what... $20?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Related:

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/intel-roll-pocket-sized-pc-171641133.html

 

[Red Squirrel]

Related:

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/intel-roll-pocket-sized-pc-171641133.html

Wow that's pretty awesome. I hope it's possible to put your own OS on it though. Not sure how that would work.

 

[GoodEnough]

Here's an example. Tell me why I would spend $100 for a used, power-hungry computer, when I have a print server, and music streamer running off a $35 device that consumes 5 watts or less? Since all the evidence of the internet can't apparently convince you, why don't you try to convince us why we should spend $65 more on something that uses more power, is larger, and louder than a little puck that we can put anywhere?

Uhh, b/c you're saving 45 cents in electricity and you don't need to spend 3 years coding up a home computer. It's called opportunity cost. In the time spend learning to code up and config that $35 box, you could have gotten a medical degree. LOL.

 

[GoodEnough]

For home automation you could have input pins to read certain conditions of binary devices such as if a door is open or not (contact switch) or if the power is on or not (a relay hooked up to a wall wart plugged into a non battery backup outlet). I'm not sure if the Pi has analog inputs but if it does, you can also read voltage or other conditions from any devices that produce a variable voltage. Need a voltage divider to ensure it's within range. I use this with my arduino to monitor my backup battery bank for example.

Digital pins is really all you need though as you can use external components such as ADC (analog to digital converter). There are various standards for digital semi conductor/sensors such as i2c and Maxim "1 wire". You can hook up digital temp sensors and so on. The list goes on. When it comes to micro controllers you can get right down to the simplest communication language: binary.

You can also control stuff by using a pin as an output. On = 5volts off = 0 volts (actually with the Pi it might be 3.3. I'm honestly not that familiar with it myself but want to play with it more). So say you have a relay you can make it turn on or off. The nice thing with the Pi also being a computer is that you can basically code a web page front end to a program that controls the pins. The possibilities are endless because it's all open source. I could not care less about some of the pre made home automation stuff that comes out, it's all proprietary and some is even cloud based, eww. With the Pi, anything is possible.

You could also use it to run an automated meth lab or pot grow op. :sneaky: Make sure you use a Nema enclosure meant for such environments. :awe:

I've been reading up a lot on electronics myself as I want to build a better home automation device that is easier to expand and manage, and I did discover a very cool electronic item, which is called a bit shift register. You can practically control unlimited items with them. They essentially give you additional output pins by using some bit shifting techniques. Elaborate christmas lights displays where it seems practically every bulb is on it's own "channel" more than likely use something like a RPI and bit shift registers.

Of course the PI can do a lot of things not even having to do with the IO pins such as a HTPC, mini print server, etc... One thing I'd love to see on it though is a sata controller with like 4 ports or something but guess that would be hard to fit on and would chew into the cost of making it.

Ok, THIS makes sense. Now, you are doing something that could not be done before (by bolting a laptop to the wall). So, what is this called? Using Pi as a device controller? Like it can detect if your door is open by hooking it up to some sort of switch/sensor. Then if the door is open, you can have code running on the Pi email you or something, since the Pi is on your home Wifi. So, this is the idea behind home automation? Pi is an interface to various switches and sensors, not unlike what is in a modern car. (DME is hooked to a temp. sensor, and code on the Pi works as a thermostat and controls the heater) Is that the basic idea of having a device controller?

Yeah, their mission statement doesn't make sense once you add on all of the stuff needed to make a Raspberry Pi work. Once you add the HDMI cable, an cheap HDTV/Monitor that supports HDMI, a USB power adapter, and MicroSD card you're up to $200 in parts. For that price, you can get a Chromebook or a cheap/used laptop.

EXACTLY. Anyone who thinks Pi is for cost SAVINGS, LOL, is totally missing the forest for the trees.
The entire point is mobile portable computing.

I want to know what things you can do with a tiny ass computer that you can now do that were impossible before. That is the essence of new tech. Not "Hey, I can build a cardboard bicycle for $10, and it's cheaper than a $50 used garage sale bike." THAT is not what cardboard was invented for.

 

[Carson Dyle]

You have zero imagination. Understood. Just move on.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Uhh, b/c you're saving 45 cents in electricity and you don't need to spend 3 years coding up a home computer. It's called opportunity cost. In the time spend learning to code up and config that $35 box, you could have gotten a medical degree. LOL.

What? The Pi can be set up as a media center in 10 minutes.

Now again, tell me why its a better idea to buy an old $100 computer over a $35 computer for the same purpose.

You failed the first time, so I'm still waiting. This and your other thread are not making you appear too bright. You don't seem capable of thinking of this logically.

 

[ultimatebob]

You have zero imagination. Understood. Just move on.

If you had real imagination, you would pick up a used Android phone on eBay for $50 instead and use that for your project. It would have similar hardware specs, except that the Android phone would likely have dual cameras, a touch screen, a GPS, WiFi, and a built-in battery backup.

 

[Carson Dyle]

If you had real imagination, you would pick up a used Android phone on eBay for $50 instead and use that for your project. It would have similar hardware specs, except that the Android phone would likely have dual cameras, a touch screen, a GPS, WiFi, and a built-in battery backup.

And no peripheral connectivity.

Just give up.

 

[ElFenix]

Jaqie did this cool project: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=35260137

KT

there's a name i haven't seen in a long time. been gone almost a year and a half it looks like.

 

[ultimatebob]

And no peripheral connectivity.

Just give up.

Really? I'd imagine that an old Android phone could be made to connect to basically anything with a USB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connection. The drivers might be a hassle, but you're going to run into similar issues with the Rasp Pi.

But, hey, I could see this being useful as an IoT project. If someone wants to develop an Internet connected dishwasher that e-mails you when it's done and gives you on screen warnings when the Jet Dry needs to be replaced, this makes a lot more sense.

I'm just not seeing it being a replacement for even a cheap desktop or laptop PC anytime soon.

 

[Red Squirrel]

If you had real imagination, you would pick up a used Android phone on eBay for $50 instead and use that for your project. It would have similar hardware specs, except that the Android phone would likely have dual cameras, a touch screen, a GPS, WiFi, and a built-in battery backup.

And a completely proprietary environment, while the PI is fully open to do anything you want.

You can add all the sensors a phone has to a PI. In fact you could take an old phone apart and take the sensors out if you really wanted to. But on the PI you're on a fully open environment. You can either use premade stuff that people already made, or make your own. The sky is the limit.

 

[Fritzo]

Cool story (to me at least):

One of our clients acquired one of those big LCD billboards at an auction. It was missing the controller module, and asked our firm if we could help. We set up a R-Pi board as a controller, and had our software dept write an app to run on it to have it feed the controller images. This made the billboard fully functional and our client was eternally grateful. He had it installed and is now making awesome money off of advertising.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I was thinking about using this as an htpc, perhaps even set it up to stream blu ray from 5he laptop as well. Custom build a clear polycorbonate chassis and use either some blue leds, or see if I can get some rgb leds in there.

I could either have the box set aside, or I could have it behind the tv with the lighting reflecting off the wall.

 

[luv2liv]

kaido, to stream music i set 1 pi as a server n player in the living room using this http://www.squeezeplug.eu/
it has a 64gb usb stick filled with stuff.
the other rpis use this: https://sites.google.com/site/picoreplayer/home
to control them, i use OrangeSqueeze. it's $5 on Play. pretty good n worth it.

the home theater runs on another pi with raspbmc from here http://www.raspbmc.com/
im sure it can play music but im using only for movies

 

[Red Squirrel]

Cool story (to me at least):

One of our clients acquired one of those big LCD billboards at an auction. It was missing the controller module, and asked our firm if we could help. We set up a R-Pi board as a controller, and had our software dept write an app to run on it to have it feed the controller images. This made the billboard fully functional and our client was eternally grateful. He had it installed and is now making awesome money off of advertising.

Yep this is awesome. A proprietary controller would probably have cost thousands. :awe:

 

[gorcorps]

It's a hobby, it doesn't have to be practical... it's just fun

 

[GoodEnough]

Any other examples of how having a small wifi enabled computer is useful?

 

[Fritzo]

Yep this is awesome. A proprietary controller would probably have cost thousands. :awe:

The billboard is one of those $150000 huge screens too...it's as big as a house and being controlled by a box the size of a paperback book

 

[Kaido]

kaido, to stream music i set 1 pi as a server n player in the living room using this http://www.squeezeplug.eu/
it has a 64gb usb stick filled with stuff.
the other rpis use this: https://sites.google.com/site/picoreplayer/home
to control them, i use OrangeSqueeze. it's $5 on Play. pretty good n worth it.

the home theater runs on another pi with raspbmc from here http://www.raspbmc.com/
im sure it can play music but im using only for movies

Cool to see it still around. I was big into Squeezeboxes about 7 years ago:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=210916

It's just incredible to see the progression of technology over time. Excuse the potato video quality, but I was all excited back in 2008 about Net-UDAP being able to bypass the $400 Duet kit to be able to control & stream to the Logitech via my iPhone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEs4GFqdBx4

Now you can do the same with - better - with a $35 micro-computer. Awesomesauce :thumbsup:

 

[Pheran]

The Raspberry Pi 2 is powerful enough to make a very nice and dirt cheap HTPC. You can easily load OpenELEC and have a functioning Kodi box in just a few minutes (Kodi is the new version of XBMC). I'm planning to order one for this purpose as soon as the supply becomes less constrained.

 

[ultimatebob]

The Raspberry Pi 2 is powerful enough to make a very nice and dirt cheap HTPC. You can easily load OpenELEC and have a functioning Kodi box in just a few minutes (Kodi is the new version of XBMC). I'm planning to order one for this purpose as soon as the supply becomes less constrained.

I ordered one now just so I'm closer to the front of the waiting list. Allied said that the wait is 6-8 weeks right now.