Raspberry Pi ... for £25

[Abarbarian]

http://neil-black.co.uk/raspberry-pi-beginners-guide

Raspberry Pi Beginners Guide

This guide is aimed at helping newcomers to the the Raspberry Pi (or Linux in general) get up and running with their fantastic new toy and move on to the fun stuff.
I'm going to assume you have the Model B (although most of this will work for Model A too - with the exception of the VNC setup) and some form of Windows.
We'll be installing the Raspbian "wheezy" Debian Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi. If your using the old "squeeze" distro then upgrade now! The Raspbian "wheezy" distrobution is much faster.

 

[Abarbarian]

http://forums.debian...hp?f=16&t=83235

I just set up me Pi with a 1TB external hd and a old style tv to run vids. Got it to play the vids with OMXplayer with just one click by following the guide above.

The only player that will utilize the GPU acceleration is the omxplayer. It should be installed by default, but it is also so basic that it is CLI only.

Still, you don't have to open the CLI every time you want to watch a movie. You can easily add a menu shortcut and execute the player every time you click a media file:

First

			# nano /usr/share/applications/omxplayer.desktop

Add these values:

[Desktop Entry]
		Type=Application
		Name=OMXPlayer
		Categories=AudioVideo;Player;
		Exec=lxterminal --command "omxplayer -o hdmi %f"
		Terminal=false
		Icon=/usr/share/icons/nuoveXT2/96x96/categories/applications-multimedia.png

Save and exit.

A menu icon should now be in place, and you can right click on media files and click Open with Omxplayer! Even full HD movies play just fine!

Works just fine. Though some vids will not play so I guess I will have to buy the codecs. All the You Tube clips I have play just fine. Also audio files, thats .mp3 files play through the player aswell.

Whoope now I can pack me Pi and the drive and have entertainment at me mums over xmas.

 

[Abarbarian]

http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/news/raspberry-pi-foundation-receives-google-grant-for-schools

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced that they are being given a grant from Google Giving for 15,000 Raspberry Pi Model Bs. The RPi’s will be sent out to a number of UK schools, with the Foundation and Google working with six educational authorities to achieve this. Speaking on the Raspberry Pi blog, Liz Upton said:
“We’re absolutely made up over the news; this is a brilliant way for us to find kids all over the country whose aptitude for computing can now be explored properly. We believe that access to tools is a fundamental necessity in finding out who you are and what you’re good at. We want those tools to be within everybody’s grasp, right from the start.”

 

[floppybootstomp]

Sorry to say I've given up on the Pi thing now, truth was I really wasn't very impressed at all.

And I did try, I had 2 of the things, now sold, each with 256Mb RAM. And soon after I received them, they upped the RAM to 512Mb on current models which didn't exactly cheer me up.

A long time ago I messed about with a BBC Micro 'B' computer, the Pi's reminded me of using that machine

The Pi Linux distros I found hard to use, ok if you were au fait with distros such as Slackware or are a wiz at console commands but for your average GUI user like myself it was hard going.

There are no more waiting lists, they are even in stock at Maplins stores now, and they don't appear to be selling that fast.

Maybe if and when they come of age (and don't cost more as a result) I may revisit but sad to say my overall experience with the Pi was one of disappointment

 

[Abarbarian]

Looks like you had a bad do with the PI Flops.

The last few Raspbian offerings install and run as smooth as silk.The user experience is not that much different from the one you get with Mint. Less installed programs but heck what do you want for a free os and a pc for £30. The newer Pi's not only have the extra memory but have had speed boosts incorporated in the firmware and the board design has been tweaked.

I used the Pi on two tvs over xmas, it was pretty much plug and play, had to adjust overscan as one was a 32" and one was a 28". These were tv's at family members houses.Played movies viewed pics listened to sounds, no problems an I was not using XBMC just the stuff from the Pi.
Would have tried wireless but my dongle was not instantly recognised so gave up.If I had had a Pi approved dongle I have no doubt that it would have worked well.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Must admit, paying up front for two, waiting three months for them and then seeing that no sooner had mine arrived than a new improved version was released for the same price didn't exactly endear me to the Pi. Plus, as mentioned, all distros I tried weren't that clever.

Maybe again, maybe

 

[Abarbarian]

Must admit, paying up front for two, waiting three months for them and then seeing that no sooner had mine arrived than a new improved version was released for the same price didn't exactly endear me to the Pi. Plus, as mentioned, all distros I tried weren't that clever.

Maybe again, maybe

I was still waiting for my second Pi when they anounced the upgrade. Was well hacked of when I got one of the old ones.

 

[Abarbarian]

http://www.paritynews.com/software/item/582-openarena-now-playable-on-raspberry-pi

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the release of OpenArena – a multiplayer first person shooter (FPS) game based on Quake III, for Raspberry Pi.


Available as a free download the game has been rated ‘Adults Only’ because of the blood and violence. The open-source game is free to download and is powered by the ‘ioquake3’ fork of the engine that Quake III runs on – id tech 3 engine. Modifications have been made to the gameplay by removing the copyrighted material and adding new free content.

Well done them chaps.

 

[Abarbarian]

Mojang has released a free version of its Minecraft game for the tiny, low-cost Raspberry Pi, letting players build virtual worlds on the cheap.

http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-en...-minecraft-released-for-raspberry-pi-for-free

The aim of the free edition is to support the Raspberry Pi Foundation's efforts to boost the learning of programming skills.

Goody I can try out Minecraft for free.

 

[Abarbarian]

Raspbmc turns the Raspberry Pi into a media centre

http://www.h-online.com/open/news/i...Raspberry-Pi-into-a-media-centre-1802678.html

[How-to] GPIO IR receiver with RASBMC by cforehead and relyt

http://forum.stmlabs.com/showthread.php?tid=5549


The IR receivers an be had for a couple of quid and fitted with no soldering. That is neat.

 

[Abarbarian]

Instead I stumbled upon a more awesome solution: the kindleberry, a combination of the Raspberry Pi and the Amazon Kindle.
The advantages of the kindleberry are pretty desirable for me:

• Week-long battery life: the pi and the kindle both have low power ARM processors so you can use any USB charger to power them
• The kindle screen is designed for use in direct sunlight
• The whole setup is small enough to carry around in a pouch inside my normal backpack along with my normal laptop. I work from coffee shops in Oakland and often move around by bicycle during the day -- now I can work from almost anywhere and still be at least a little productive.

http://maxogden.com/kindleberry-wireless.html

Yet another amazing use for the Pi.

 

[Abarbarian]

Ha ha we got plenty over here.

http://linuxgizmos.com/raspberry-pi-model-a-arrives/

The Raspberry Pi’s $25 “Model A” made a brief appearance this week on the website of Allied Electronics, its U.S. distributor. Compared to its $35 sibling, the lower end Linux-fired SBC (single board computer) sports half the RAM, one USB port instead of two, and lacks an Ethernet spigot.

It’s unclear when (or whether) additional low-end models will become available, based on a statement on Allied’s website, saying: “Due to limited supply of the Raspberry Pi Model A, we are not offering preorders or backorders on the product at this time. The Raspberry Pi Model A will only be available for purchase when we have inventory on hand to fill the order.” Although Allied also shows the $35 Model B as being out of stock, the distributor is currently accepting preorders for that model, with the caveat that “delivery times will vary and may exceed 6 weeks.”

 

[Abarbarian]

8 awesome things created with Raspberry Pi

1 - Make beer

BrewPi, created by a German guy who loves drinking beer, is an open source fermentation controller that runs on an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi. The Arduino board gathers data from sensors, adjusts temperature controls on the refrigerator, and runs an OLED display. There?s also a web-based interface for viewing and controlling temperatures. This runs on a web server loaded onto the RaspberryPi, which also runs Python scripts for communicating with the Arduino.


2 - A bartending robot

Bartendro is a precision cocktail dispensing robot! It makes tasty drinks quickly and repeatably without the mess. The combination of BrewPi and Bartendro will create an everlasting party for everybody.


3 - A beer keyboard

Seems Raspberry Pi goes so well with alcohol and parties, thats why the third project in this list relates to beer as well. This is a keyboard made of beer cans instead of keys. It is controlled by a Raspberry Pi connecting to large plasma TV.

You see every home should have a PI.

 

[Abarbarian]

For all you photographers, an flops if he gets bored with customising turntables




Gigapi: a Raspberry Pi rig for gigapixel photography



Quote
But if you’re not in charge of a defence silo, you can still take your own gigapixel images by stitching together many megapixel-sized images from an SLR camera on a motorised mount into a giant, seamless mosaic with very fine detail. You’ll need something approaching a defence budget if you’re going to do this yourself without building your own hardware, though; I spent a few seconds googling and found that off-the-shelf motorised rigs for your camera can cost nearly $1000.
Tim and Jack Stocker thought this was daft, so they built their own out of MDF, some Lego turntables, and a Pi with a cheap stepper motor attached.


Here is the site if you want to make your own

http://gigapi.blogspot.co.uk/

Some fine examples of Gigapixel pictures

http://gigapan.com/g...ry=sophiewilson

 

[Abarbarian]

http://www.techradar.com/news/softw...perating-systems-5-reviewed-and-rated-1147941

What many RPi users don't realise, though, is that there's a wealth of other operating systems available for their beloved Pi. We thought, therefore, that those users who aren't aware of these other sweet toppings for the Raspberry Pi need to be informed, and what's more, they need to have a chocolate box selection presented to them.

Our selection

Raspbian
Risc OS
Plan 9
Android
Arch

I got to try out Plan9 someday

 

[Abarbarian]

I got me an empty large plastic water cooler bottle about fifteen years ago with the intention of filling it with loose change an then buying meself a huge treat. I never got more than an inch or two of the bottom covered as I kept on dipping into it. So today I emptied it and took the swag to the local store which has a change converter machine. Shocked I was when I looked at the total, £42.57. Recovering quickly I dashed home and ordered one of the Pi cameras that will be on sale tomorrow. I'd had a early interested party e-mail from Farnell earlier in the day hence the hunt for loot.Whilst I was in town I took the opportunity to bank a cheque I received yesterday from the local scrap yard where I had taken a trailer load of scrap to weigh in. £15 I got for a load of old tat that folk have over the last few years have paid me small amounts of loot to dispose of. I was shocked to discover that Farnell's were wanting to charging £4 more than RS for my order. What order you say,thought you were only getting a camera ? Did I not mention a camera ? How remiss of me.I just did a quick proof read and I did mention a camera, I thought I had.Anyways, adding up £15+£42.57=£57.57 which was less than Farnell wanted but more than RS wanted I spent the difference on a chicken wellington which was reduced to half price and a glorious fresh cream horn.So here I sit well fed and watered, I found a half bottle of mulled wine at the back of a cupboard this evening, feet up and waiting. Me version B latest model Pi with translucent case and camera module should arrive in a few days time. I should have recovered from todays exertions by then.
I'll post pics.
Just been reading through the RaspiCamDocs. This looks like some piece of kit.

http://www.raspberry...ag/camera-board

http://www.raspberry...g/archives/3890

 

[Abarbarian]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh goody me Pi cmaera kit is on its way.

Mind you I think I am talking to meself in this thread

 

[floppybootstomp]

Mind you I think I am talking to meself in this thread

No you're not

One word though Squire: Paragraphs

I was looking at the panoramic pic taker device thingie. CCTV pan & tilt units don't actually cost very much, those fellas might have saved a few bob buying one instead of all the parts they used to make their own. But if it is cheaper I will concede it would be a close run thing.

Lot less bother though.

 

[Abarbarian]

Ain't got a clue as to pan and tilt prices. They were building a portable totally self contained unit which once programmed would run automatically. I thought it was a barnstorming effort.
Paragraphs what they be. I failed me GCE O level in English over 40 years ago and me grammar has been getting worse ever since.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Ain't got a clue as to pan and tilt prices. They were building a portable totally self contained unit which once programmed would run automatically. I thought it was a barnstorming effort.

And so did I. My comment/suggestion is not a criticism - what made you think it was? Twas merely a suggestion to save effort, time and money, that's all.

Whilst I'll praise effort and flair and the whole DIY ethic, why expend money and energy when you don't have to?

Paragraphs what they be. I failed me GCE O level in English over 40 years ago and me grammar has been getting worse ever since.

Makes it easier to read than one long flowing rambling stream of consciousness, it's hard work.

English O Level was the only one I passed - first time. I failed Maths three times and all the others as well.

Not that it mattered though, I just told all prospective employers I had five O levels anyway. Flops realised at an early age how gullible some folk are