Adventures in Raspberry Pi, 3rd Edition

Book Preface

ARE YOU AN intrepid adventurer? Do you like to try new things and learn new skills? Would you like to be a pioneer in creating technology? Do you own a Raspberry Pi, or are you considering getting one? If the answer is a resounding “Yes!” then this is the book for you.

What Is the Raspberry Pi and What Can You Do With It?

The Raspberry Pi is a computer. A very small computer. In fact, it is roughly the size of a credit card. Don’t be fooled by its size; as we know, good things come in small packages. However, the Raspberry Pi does not come in a package at all. It does not come in a case (although you can build one, as discussed in Adventure 1) and its circuit board and chips are fully visible, as you can see in Figure 1. You can plug a Raspberry Pi into a digital TV or monitor and use a USB keyboard and mouse with it, making it very easy to use. Because of its size, you can easily transport it anywhere.

The Raspberry Pi gives you the opportunity to build and control a device that does what you want it to do. For example, you can deploy your very own robot arm, controlled by a program that you have written. You can design and create your own role-playing game, or produce beautiful computer art or music, all by using code.
Just because the Raspberry Pi is small doesn’t mean you can’t do big things with it. Here are just a few examples of some incredible Pi projects: •Launchingteddy bears into space using high altitude ballooning (www.raspberrypi.org/archives/4715)•The ultimate bird feeder—it’s solar-powered, takes photographs and tweets images of birds! (www.raspberrypi.org/archives/4832)•Crazy customised Halloween costumes like Doc Brown from Back to the Future (www.raspberrypi.org/archives/4856)•A robotic sailboat (www.raspberrypi.org/archives/4109)•Pi-controlled sculptures like the 15-foot tall Mens Amplio with a brain that lights up (www.raspberrypi.org/archives/4667)
In the final adventure of this book, you use your Pi to build a jukebox that plays your favorite tunes and displays track information on an LCD screen. And with the skills you learn throughout the book, you’ll be ready to dream up your own exciting projects—and create them.

Who Should Read This Book?

Adventures in Raspberry Pi is for any young person who has an interest in making things happen using computing. You might perhaps be unsure of how to get started or want to further your current skills. Whatever your reasons, this book will be your guide for a journey with your Raspberry Pi, the most important item in your backpack. Your trek will take you from setting up your Pi, through learning the basics of programming, to discovering how to create your own project. By the end of your adventures you will have acquired the skills you need to become a pioneer of technology!

What You Will Learn

This book will help you discover some of the amazing things you can do with your new Raspberry Pi, and introduce you to many of the developer tools and projects available to you. With this book, you learn how to set up and use your Raspberry Pi easily so that you can experience its potential for yourself. You learn the skills you need to design and create your own computing projects.
You find out that you can give instructions to your Raspberry Pi in a variety of ways, using different programming languages and tools. The adventures in the book allow you to experience programming using Scratch, Turtle Graphics, Python, Sonic Pi and Minecraft Pi.
You also learn some computing (and electronics) concepts that you can apply to other devices and programming situations. Many fundamental computing concepts are similar for all programming languages, so once you understand the basics of programming in one language you can apply that knowledge to others very easily.

What You Need for the Projects

First and foremost, of course, you need a Raspberry Pi. If you don’t already own one, you can buy a Raspberry Pi from a distributor in your country. You also need a monitor or other screen, a mouse and a keyboard to connect to your Raspberry Pi.
Each chapter—adventure—in the book notes any special items you need to build the project covered in that adventure. Along with your Pi, some projects require Internet access to enable you to download software or other materials. You need headphones or speakers to listen to the music you make in Adventure 7. For the projects in Adventures 8 through 10, you need some specific cables, wires, LEDs, resistors and other hardware. You can purchase these items from your local electronics store, or from various online retailers.
As final ingredients, you need some curiosity and a willingness to try new skills