Even more inspired Pi projects
If the Raspberry Pi projects we’ve
described here have got you thinking about ones of your own, these innovative
projects could be great inspiration.
LEGO supercomputing
The University of Southampton used 64
Raspberry Pi computers and LEGO bricks to create the most powerful Pi – the 1TB
Pi (the cumulative amount of memory provided by its SD cards). Iridis-Pi, as
the computer is known, is named after the university’s own supercomputer. Find
out how to make your own (or simply how it was done) at www.snipca.com/9330. Unfortunately, there
is no bulk order discount for buying 64 Pi computers at once.
LEGO
supercomputing
First Pi in space
Dave Akerman has launched four Raspberry Pi
computers high into the skies (www.snipca.com/9297).
Fantastically, he uses a tiny Doctor Who Tardis to house the Pi and several
hydrogen-filled weather balloons to transport the Pi into near space. The fourth
launch, in March, sent the Pi 35km above Earth where a 3G link and onboard
telemetry ensured plenty of stratospheric photos could be relayed back to
‘mission control’. Before the Pi travelled beyond 3G range, Pi fans were able
to track the Pi Tardis via a live video stream. There’s a video of the mission
on the RasPi.TV website (www.snipca.com/9270).
Turn your Pi into a Kindle
If you’re happy to ‘jailbreak’ your Kindle you
can turn it into a mini computer. You’ll need a powered USB hub, a small
keyboard (for setup) and a terminal emulator for the Kindle. Details on setting
up USB networking and how to enable multi-user screen mode are given on this
blog post titled KindleBerry Pi (www.snipca.com/9244).
Add Wi-Fi to a digital SLR camera
You can buy a camera lens to add directly
to your Pi computer (www.snipca.com/9296),
but some people prefer to hack their existing cameras and marry them with their
Pi.
Linux developer David Hunt installed a
Raspberry Pi in a camera grip and used its USB port to add a Wi-Fi dongle. This
lets him back up his digital photos as he goes. He also suggests controlling
the camera remotely over Wi-Fi. Instructions and a summary of what he did are
available at www.snipca.com/9295.
Add
Wi-Fi to a digital SLR camera
Buying your first Pi
If you haven’t yet got a Raspberry Pi
computer, head to Famell (http://uk.farnelI.com)
or RS (http://uk.rs-onlina.com) to buy
one. These official distributors are most likely to have the hard-to-find Model
A. You need to spend at least $36.5 per order at Farnell to pay using a debit
or credit card (rather than setting up a business account). You can also buy a
Pi through Amazon. However, it costs $38.5 plus shipping, compared to the $36
with free delivery that Farnell charges.
There isn’t a big difference between the
$36 256MB RAM Model A and the $51 512MB Model B. Both use a 700MHz Broadcom SoC
(system on a chip) – the sort of processor that runs a smartphone and which
includes a graphics chip as well as the main CPU. The Model A has a single USB
port and doesn’t have an Ethernet port, so you’ll need to plug in a USB Wi-Fi
dongle to get online.
Raspberry
Pi's A Boards Arrive
We recommend you buy a powered USB hub for
use with either model of Pi to use with your USB keyboard and mouse. You’ll
probably want a case for your Raspberry Pi as well. Mod MyPi (www.modmypi.com) sells a range, though many
people like to make their own custom cases. Connect a screen via DVI, composite
video or HDMI.
You can buy Raspberry Pi kits at RS or
Farnell containing many of these extras. Other items such as a webcam can be
salvaged from your pile of unused PC kit or bought cheaply on eBay (www.ebay.com).
