There are lots of techniques for running a script when the Pi boots and which one you choose will depend on exactly what the script does and what you expect. In this post I’ll explain a technique where the Pi automatically logins as the Pi user and immediately executes a Python script.
Author: Matt
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Today saw the release of a new faster Raspberry Pi. This time it’s the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. It now replaces the Model B+ that was released in February 2014 as the front-line model for the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
One of the questions asked since the beginning of time is ‘why didn’t the Raspberry Pi have a VGA output?’. There were various reasons a few being board space and cost. The Broadcom chip at the heart of the Pi does have the ability to generate a VGA output but it wasn’t possible to implement on a Model A or Model B due to the GPIO header configuration. With the release of the Model B+ and A+ it is now possible to take advantage of this feature.
Now that the Christmas decorations are back in the attic, and I’m looking at what Pi projects to tackle in 2015, I thought I’d take a look at my web stats.
Andrew Gale from PocketMoneyTronics.co.uk kindly sent me a GPIO Xmas Tree kit. Today I soldered it up with my son so we could get it set up for Christmas. The plan was to attach it to a Model A+ and power it with a USB battery pack.
Saturday 6th December 2014 saw the first “Pi Wars” hosted as part of the Cambridge Jam. This is a hugely popular event held at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.
I recently got sent one of Lumsing’s latest USB power banks. As it coincided with the release of the Model A+ I thought it would be a good opportunity to see just how long the battery could run the latest Pi hardware. With the reduced power consumption of the A+ I was potentially looking at a long wait to find out …
In my previous “My Portable Raspberry Pi HDMIPi Build – Part 1” article I presented my portable Pi system based around an HDMIPi screen. It had various features and I wanted to create a record of everything I configured and installed on it in case I needed to re-create the SD card at some point in the future. As this information may be useful to others I present it here for reference.
The HDMIPi is a 9 inch screen and enclosure specifically designed for the Raspberry Pi. It was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The screen has a native resolution of 1280×800 and the driver board provides two HDMI inputs.
The new RAVPower RP-PB13 is the second RAVPower battery in my collection and at 14000mAh it is also the largest. It packs in a massive 14000mAh of battery capacity which should be enough for even the most ambitious of Raspberry Pi projects!
It’s early days at the moment but within the first week of the Model A+ release the community has been busy creating custom cases. Pimoroni were quick off the blocks with a variation of their popular PiBow case. Not to be out done some members of the community have been busy creating custom cases, in some instances before they had even received their Model A+. The popularity of 3D printers has made this sort of activity possible in a way it wasn’t at the time of the original Model B.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this set of articles I explained how I made a simple video recording device with the Raspberry Pi, a camera module and a plastic case. It’s simple enough to be mounted wherever you need a video camera.
Following on from Part 1 I’ll explain how you can install the Python software and get your own Video Capture Unit up and running.
One hundred and fifty posts later I decided I should really complete a project I’ve been thinking about ever since I got my first Pi. That is a simple video capture unit that would be able to record video, in a loop, with the minimum amount of hardware and setting up.
Looks like the new Raspberry Pi Model A+ is ready to be released by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. As expected it is very similar to the Model B+ with the network socket removed. In this regard it follows the same design principle as the Model A/B boards. The most noticeable difference is the board size has been reduced making this the smallest Pi yet.
I2C is a multi-device bus used to connect low-speed peripherals to computers and embedded systems. The Raspberry Pi supports this interface on its GPIO header and it is a great way to connect sensors and devices. Once configured you can connect more than one device without using up additional pins on the header.
If you need to connect your Raspberry Pi to a network you’ve usually got two options. A wired connection to the Ethernet port or WiFi via a USB dongle. In this post I’ll show you how to configure a USB WiFi dongle and get your Pi connected in minutes.
If you are running Raspbian on your Raspberry Pi you should update it regularly to ensure all the software packages are up-to-date. It may take ten minutes but it’s generally quicker if you do it regularly as there will be fewer updates to install each time.
Have you ever wondered how to monitor your WiFi connection from the command line? While experimenting with an Edimax WiFi dongle on my Raspberry Pi I wanted an easy method to monitor the wireless signal strength as I moved around the house. The Pi was running from a USB power bank and sometimes this can result in the WiFi dongle dropping the signal. It’s hard to trouble-shoot WiFi issues so I went looking for a simple utility that would constantly report the status of the connection.
On Saturday I went to the Digimakers event hosted at At-Bristol which is the city’s interactive science centre. I’ve been to a number of these events before and they are always worth a visit. I had my son in tow and I had signed him up for a couple of the free workshops.
Richard from AveragemanVsRaspberryPi has kindly sent me a preview version of his new camera module prototyping board. This board aims to make it even easier to create camera based projects on the Pi. The camera is attached to the board using nylon bolts and the prototyping area allows you to add whatever LEDs, sensors, screens and components your project requires.
Whether you are using your Raspberry Pi to play media or create it you may have a need to examine the properties of various bits of media. This might include MP3, MP4 or JPG files. There is an easy way to examine the properties using a utility called “MediaInfo”. MediaInfo is available for a wide range of operating systems and languages and I use it on my Windows 7 PC.