Aug 122015
 
RPi. GPIO GPIO.getmode() function

Another new RPi.GPIO feature that I discovered last week is GPIO.getmode(). This appeared in RPi.GPIO 0.5.11 and allows you to query RPi.GPIO to see whether GPIO.setmode() has been set up as BCM, BOARD, or UNSET mode. This could be useful if you are running a suite of scripts or modules which work together. GPIO.getmode() returns… -1 if GPIO.setmode() is not set 11 if GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) is active 10 if GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD) is active Below you can see a live python session showing what you get when you use GPIO.getmode() with different modes set… Why Did You Bother […more…]

Aug 102015
 
RPI.GPIO New Feature GPIO.RPI_INFO replaces GPIO.RPI_REVISION

In RPi.GPIO 0.5.10 (we’re now on 0.5.11) Ben Croston ‘deprecated’ GPIO.RPI_REVISION, which used to be the preferred way to find out what kind of Raspberry Pi board a program was running on. This was a useful feature to make it possible to write software that will work on any Pi, regardless of how its GPIO pins are arranged. To date, we’ve had three different GPIO pin header layouts for the standard Raspberry Pis (four if you count the compute module). But GPIO.RPI_REVISION has been deprecated (fallen out of favour) because there is now something better. […more…]

Jul 142015
 
RasPiO GPIO Ruler

For some time now I’ve been using the wonderful RPi.GPIO Python library by Ben Croston. It’s great for using the General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) ports on the Raspberry Pi to control things and read inputs. I’ve written at least 14 tutorials on it (listed here) over the last couple of years. But I still find myself needing to look up the exact commands to use. I’ve made a crib-sheet which is really useful, but pieces of paper get lost. What I really want is the most used commands in a portable, accessible form that […more…]

Jul 062015
 
RasPi.TV Mailbag - July 2015

Today we’re getting a bit interactive. I decided to do a mailbag video, showcasing six of the things people have given me or sent in over the last few months. The items in question are… PiUPS Traffic Hat Official Raspberry Pi wifi dongle Shortcrust Plus Pi 2 (& B+) case Unicorn Hat Witty Pi You Tell Me Which One You Want Reviewed In More Depth I’m off abroad soon. I haven’t got room in the case to take all of these items. Let me know which is the most interesting to you and I’ll take […more…]

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Jun 152015
 
Flappy Brain EEG controlled game by Albert Hickey @winkleink

At Last week-end’s Cambridge Jam I met Albert Hickey @winkleink, who showed me this extremely cool brain-wave controlled version of Flappy Bird. This is a video post, so I’ll let the video do the talking… Albert runs the Egham Raspberry Jam and his blog can be found here. He’s written the project up and shared the code there. @RasPiTV Thank you for doing this. Will have all set up to play at @EghamJam on the 12th of July. http://t.co/t99JvPNT8d — Winkleink (@winkleink) June 15, 2015

Jun 102015
 
CamJam June 2015

There’s something special about the Cambridge Raspberry Jam. Firstly it’s in Cambridge, the birthplace of Raspberry Pi. Secondly it’s run by two of my good friends Mike @recantha and Tim @Geeky_Tim. Thirdly it’s held at the Institute of Astronomy, which is a brilliant venue for such an event. Fourthly, there’s always a lot of prominent Pi people there. It’s great to meet people from the community and find out what they’re up to. The June 6th Jam was a “normal” jam. There was no specific theme, but there was a full programme of talks in […more…]

Apr 212015
 
RasPi.TV, RasPiO Duino and HDMIPi on the Gadget Show

A few weeks ago I was approached by the production company that makes the Gadget Show. They wanted some shots of things people have done with their Raspberry Pi. So I invited them to browse the RasPi.TV YouTube channel and see if there was anything suitable. In the end they selected clips from four of my videos, I gave them permission to use them, and last night the show was aired. The videos used were part of a ‘Raspberry Pi hack’ slot involving making an internet radio. You can find the whole show here Here […more…]

Apr 022015
 
Followup on Raspberry Pi Model C - I'd like to thank my agent - Easter Eggs

As many of you gathered, yesterday’s post was an April fools joke. I’ve decided to leave it exactly as it is so anyone who missed out can still see it. There are a lot of ‘Easter Eggs’ in the photo of the Pi model C. You can get a high resolution view if you click the photo… I’d Like To Thank My Agent A few weeks ago Jamie, Tim and Mike came up with the idea of a spoof ‘Pi model C’ and Mike asked me for a high resolution photo of the Pi 2 […more…]

Apr 012015
 
Raspberry Pi Model C

They’ve done it again. This time with almost no leaks. Today marks the launch of the next model Raspberry Pi, the model C. It’s an upgraded version of the Pi2 model B with some exciting new features. “People have been whinging since day one about 100 Mbit ethernet. Frankly we’re sick of it.” Says Eben Upton, “But while we were in the Far East recently, we found a new supplier who had some really good value Gigabit chips, with matching ports. We negotiated a deal. As you know, price is a key factor in Pi […more…]