8 x 8 LED array driven by max7219 on the Raspberry Pi via python

 Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi, Raspberry Pi Hardware  124 Responses »
Aug 202013
 
8 x 8 LED array driven by max7219 on the Raspberry Pi via python

For a long time I’ve wanted to have a go with one of these 8×8 led arrays. I always thought they look like lots of fun. Searching around, I happened across Richard Hull’s Github repo, which provides a set of Python drivers and installation instructions for this 8×8 led array… …which can be had, if you’re willing to wait a week or two, for a little over £2 ($3) delivered from Banggood Assembly It comes in kit form and takes about 10 minutes to solder up, if you’re not new to soldering. There are no […more…]

RasPiCamcorder software released on Github

 Electronics, Input and Output, python programming, raspberry pi, Raspberry Pi Camera, Raspberry Pi Hardware  24 Responses »
Aug 092013
 
RasPiCamcorder software released on Github

A few people have been asking me about the RasPiCamcorder software. My original plan was to partner with a well known supplier and offer a “build your own RasPiCamcorder” kit, along with software and instructions, as a product. The software was always going to be open sourced though. But the market said NO! Many people have argued with the market and lost. I don’t intend to. There simply weren’t many takers for it. Cool though it is to be able to Dropbox your photos and videos, having neither sound nor screen seems to be enough […more…]

How to stream vlc from a Raspberry Pi with GPIO control but without being root

 Electronics, Input and Output, interfacing, Linux usage, python programming, raspberry pi, Raspberry Pi Camera  19 Responses »
Aug 072013
 
How to stream vlc from a Raspberry Pi with GPIO control but without being root

Having managed to get VLC streaming from Pi Camera to Nexus 7 Android tablet working, it was only a matter of time before I wanted to stream from the RasPiCamcorder. But when I tried it, I came across an annoying problem. RPi.GPIO needs to run as root (that’s why we always use sudo for our GPIO stuff) But VLC refuses to run as root. This means you can’t run them both from the same program. There’s all sorts of clever solutions people proposed (and I wasted a lot of time unsuccessfully trying them all out) […more…]

Using the MCP23017 port expander with WiringPi2 to give you 16 new GPIO ports – part 3

 Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  80 Responses »
Aug 012013
 
Using the MCP23017 port expander with WiringPi2 to give you 16 new GPIO ports - part 3

In this article, I’ll show you how to hook up and control a port expander chip with wiringpi2 for python. It’s really easy, and once set up (with about 3 lines of code) you can control your new ports just the same way as if they were on the Pi itself. This is, so far, my favourite new feature of WiringPi2 for Python – although there are some I have yet to play with. This is part 3 of my wiringpi2 for python series. If you haven’t read parts 1 & 2 yet, I recommend […more…]

New Raspberry Pi graphics and models for Fritzing

 Electronics, Input and Output, interfacing, raspberry pi  18 Responses »
Jul 292013
 
New Raspberry Pi graphics and models for Fritzing

Over the last few days, the guys at Fritzing have been busy – they’ve released three new versions in three days. What’s Fritzing? I hear you ask. It’s an excellent Free Open Source program for doing circuit diagrams, board design etc. I use it a lot for my circuit diagrams on RasPi.TV. New Raspberry Pi models and graphics But what is of particular interest to me and possibly to you also, is that there are now new models for Raspberry Pi model B (rev 1 and rev 2). The graphics are beautifully done and all […more…]

How to use WiringPi2 for Python with pull-ups or pull-downs and PWM – pt 2

 Electronics, Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  14 Responses »
Jul 262013
 
How to use WiringPi2 for Python with pull-ups or pull-downs and PWM - pt 2

This is part 2 in a series on WiringPi 2 for Python. The basics are covered in part 1 (click here). You should read that first if you haven’t already, as we build on it here in part 2. Today we’ll cover three things… 1. Raspberry Pi board revision checking with WiringPi2 for Python 2. Using the Raspberry Pi’s internal pull-ups and pull-downs with WiringPi2 for Python 3. Using hardware PWM with WiringPi2 for Python 1. Checking your Raspberry Pi board revision number in WiringPi2 It’s quite useful to be able to check what version […more…]

How to use WiringPi2 for Python on the Raspberry Pi in Raspbian part 1

 Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  23 Responses »
Jul 232013
 
How to use WiringPi2 for Python on the Raspberry Pi in Raspbian part 1

Basic Input/Output with WiringPi 2 What is WiringPi2 and why do I need it? WiringPi2 for Python is an excellent GPIO handling system written by Gordon ‘Drogon’ Henderson and packaged for Python by Phil ‘Gadgetoid’ Howard. It uses Arduino-like scripting language. For simple GPIO work, I still tend to use RPi.GPIO because that’s what I first got started with, but WiringPi is a very good alternative. It currently has more features. One of the reasons (I think) the take-up for WiringPi-Python has been a bit slow, despite its richer feature set, is the lack of […more…]

RPi.GPIO basics 7 – RPi.GPIO cheat sheet and pointers to RPi GPIO advanced tutorials

 Electronics, Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  14 Responses »
Jul 192013
 
RPi.GPIO basics 7 – RPi.GPIO cheat sheet and pointers to RPi GPIO advanced tutorials

In the previous six articles, we’ve covered the basics of RPi.GPIO. I hope the series has been useful. While I was doing the “recap” for part 6, I decided to make myself a quick reference “cheat sheet” with all the common RPi.GPIO stuff in it. I figured this would be useful and save me having to look things up on the web and in previous Python scripts I’ve written. I made it as a text file that I can just copy and paste snippets of code from to make RPi.GPIO Python coding easier. Then I […more…]

RPi.GPIO basics 6 – Using inputs and outputs together with RPi.GPIO – pull-ups and pull-downs

 Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  34 Responses »
Jul 172013
 
RPi.GPIO basics 6 – Using inputs and outputs together with RPi.GPIO - pull-ups and pull-downs

Today, it’s time for us to combine inputs and outputs into the same script. It’s nothing scary and it’s not new either. It’s simply a case of doing what we’ve already done in the last two days’ of GPIO basics, but combining them. To make it super-easy, we’ll even stick to the same port numbers we used for the last two days. We’re going to make a new program which takes parts from both the “read a button press” and the “flash an led every half second” programs. We’re going to make a simple new […more…]

RPi.GPIO basics 5 – Setting up and using outputs with RPi.GPIO

 Input and Output, interfacing, python programming, raspberry pi  13 Responses »
Jul 152013
 
RPi.GPIO basics 5 – Setting up and using outputs with RPi.GPIO

Today is output day. I’m going to show you how to switch things on and off using RPi.GPIO to control the output ports of the Raspberry Pi. Once you can control outputs, you can, with a few additional electronic components, switch virtually anything on and off. Given the Raspberry Pi’s excellent connectivity, this means you can switch things on and off through the internet, using any computer, smartphone or tablet from anywhere in the world. You can also use a local network, Bluetooth etc. for short-range control. Setting up is very similar to the way […more…]

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