This post shows how I added an OLED status screen to my Raspberry Pi based Pi-Hole system. Pi-Hole is a network wide advert blocker that you can run on a Raspberry Pi. It runs well on all Pi models and is an ideal project for older hardware. You can read more about it on the official Pi-Hole site. Having setup Pi-Hole on a Raspberry Pi B+ I wanted a way to add a display so I could quickly check it was working. So I added a cheap 0.96″ OLED display and a momentary switch. The switch allows the display to…
Author: Matt
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Back in 2017 I reviewed a steel case from KKSB for the Pi 2 & 3. Two years later they have created a revised design for the Raspberry Pi 4. They sent me one to take a look at. The Case The kit of parts includes : Outer shell (steel)Base plate (aluminium)4 screws4 adhesive rubber feet This revised case is a perfect fit for the Pi 4 with its rearranged Ethernet/USB sockets and twin HDMI socket arrangement. The outer shell is made of powder-coated steel with the base plate being made of anodised aluminium. As with most metal cases they…
Today saw the launch of the Raspberry Pi 4. Changes over the previous model include more memory options, a faster quad-core CPU, support for dual displays at up to 4K resolution, Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.0, wireless LAN, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB-C power. Specifications 1.5GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 CPU ( ARM v8, BCM2837)1GB, 2GB or 4GB RAM (LPDDR4)On-board wireless LAN – dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/acOn-board Bluetooth 5.0, low-energy (BLE)2x USB 3.0 ports, 2x USB 2.0 portsGigabit ethernetPower-over-Ethernet (requires additional HAT)40-pin GPIO header2 micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)H.265 (4Kp60 decode)H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphicsDSI display port, CSI camera portCombined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video…
AliExpress sell a 6 button board PCB for the Raspberry Pi that fits the classic DMG-01 Nintendo Gameboy case. It can form the basis of a DIY Gameboy project using a Raspberry Pi Zero. It’s cheap but is sold with no technical support, information or assembly instructions. Here is some information which you might find useful before deciding to buy one or if you have purchased one already.
Additional sound capabilities can be added to a Raspberry Pi using a USB audio device. This can improve the sound quality as well as adding a microphone input. These devices can also be used to add audio capabilities to the Pi Zero which doesn’t include an audio jack as found on the larger Pi models. The post will explain how to configure a USB sound device on the Raspberry Pi.
Setting up SSH keys on a Raspberry Pi is relatively easy and can make connecting to one over a network more convenient. In this tutorial we’ll explain how to create and configure SSH keys so you can connect to a Pi remotely without needing to enter a password. To help make the process clearer I’ll assume you’ve got two machines. One is the remote machine you want to access. This is the Raspberry Pi and we’ll call this [A]. The other machine is the computer you will use in the future to access the Pi. We’ll call this [B]. Each…
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has just announced the release of a new Compute Module. The new device is called the CM3+ and follows the CM3 released in January 2017. The Compute Module is a compact and cost-effective way to produce Pi hardware based products.
This tutorial explains how to run Flask applications using the NGINX webserver. Flask is a microframework for Python which allows you to create a web based applications on your Raspberry Pi. It includes its own webserver but it recommended by the developers that you should run under a more established web server such as NGINX or Apache. This makes the Flask app more robust as it can deal with more incoming traffic.
MobaXterm is an application for Windows with an X11 server, a tabbed SSH client and several network tools for remote access. I use it to access my Raspberry Pi projects over my local network. I particularly like it because I can run multiple terminal sessions on my PC while also being able to drag-n-drop files from my Pi.
Power consumption on the Raspberry Pi is something we have to consider when building Pi projects. This is especially true when those projects are powered from batteries. Knowing how much current your Pi is going to draw allows you to determine what batteries to use and how long it is likely to run. In this post we’ll present the results of our Pi power measurements. The models tested were : Pi A+ Pi B+ Pi 2 B Pi 3 B Pi 3 B+ Pi 3 A+ Pi Zero W Hardware Setup In order to measure the current draw by the…
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ has been launched today by the Raspberry Pi foundation. This new Pi model is a smaller variant of the Pi 3 Model B+.
Seven segment LED displays have been a popular component in electronics projects for decades. Although you can wire them up directly, using an on-board controller chip makes it much easier. 4 digit modules with a built-in controller chip are cheap and easy to buy. For this guide I used a module with an I2C interface which only requires four wires to be connected to the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO header. A popular chip is the HT16K33. This tutorial will explain how to connect up the module, setup up the software and get some example Python scripts running. 0.56″ 4-Digit 7-segment LED Display…
The Raspberry Pi GPIO pins work with 3.3V logic levels and are not 5V tolerant. If you apply 5V to a GPIO pin you risk permanently damaging it. However, you can easily use 5V sensors or modules if you convert their 5V outputs to 3.3V using a level shifter. This ensures the GPIO pins on the Pi only see a maximum of 3.3V. The shifters are usually bi-directional so they can also be used to allow the Pi to trigger a 5V input with it’s 3.3V outputs.
Once I got my miniature OLED display working on the Raspberry Pi I decided to create a Python script to generate an image slideshow. The script I came up with reads images from a directory which it then resizes and converts before displaying on the screen.
Here is an Infographic from RS Components highlighting the most unusual uses for the Raspberry Pi computer. There are so many great projects out there I’m not sure if everyone will agree with this list!
The CrowPi is a portable Raspberry Pi project kit that launched on Kickstarter in May 2018. It consists of a small hinged case, a 7-inch touch screen and an extensive set of buttons, displays and sensors. Connectors are provided to allow servos and stepper motors to be attached. The product has been designed to allow you to experiment with software and hardware without the associated mess of wires.
Although FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is an old technology it is still used by lots of systems and hardware devices. Some IP cameras allow you to save photos to an FTP server and you can create one using a Raspberry Pi. If you’ve got the choice you would be better using SFTP but if your device only supports FTP then this guide will help you create an FTP server. We will use vsftpd as it is a popular Linux appication that is secure, stable and extremely fast. Initial Setup You will need : A Raspberry Pi SD card with latest…
In February SunFounder launched a KickStarter campaign for “RasPad”, a Raspberry Pi tablet. They originally aimed for $10,000 but finished the campaign having raised over $610,000. Over 3,390 backers seemed to suggest that there were plenty of people who wanted a Pi based tablet.
I add YouTube Subtitles to all my new Raspberry Pi videos. This is a collection of thoughts on why I started creating closed captions. I hope it will inspire other YouTube creators to do the same and provide a valuable service to the deaf community.
This is the sad story of a fake SD card from eBay. I’ve used eBay since 2001 and used it to buy and sell thousands of items. As a Raspberry Pi fan I’ve bought cases, electronic components, sensors, tools, screens and fixings. The one item I’ve always avoided like the plague are SD cards or any form of flash media.
Miniature OLED display modules are a great way to add a small screen to your Raspberry Pi projects. They are available in various sizes but common sizes include 128×32 and 128×64 pixels. The cheaper ones have single colour pixels that are either white, yellow or blue. My device has white pixels and uses an I2C interface which only requires four wires to be connected to the Pi. In this tutorial I’ll explain how I setup my 0.96″ OLED display module using the Pi’s I2C interface. Once setup it is easy to use Python to place text, draw shapes or even display…
Shutting down RetroPie usually requires the use of a menu in the Emulation Station interface. This tutorial explains how you can do this via a shutdown button connected to the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO header. All you need is a basic momentary action switch, some wiring and a simple Python script. It’s probably the most useful upgrade you can make to a Pi gaming system.