Innehållsförteckning för #138 från Raspberry Pi Official Magazine

One glance around Raspberry Pi Towers and you’ll find no shortage of retro computing enthusiasts. While Raspberry Pi is an ultra-modern and incredibly powerful computer, it is adored by people originally enthused by the home computing boom of the 1980s and ’90s. So it’s no surprise that Raspberry Pi is used to emulate classic computers and retro gaming consoles. For many Raspberry Pi owners this is their very first project: to recreate one of the esteemed computers of the past, built by the likes of Commodore, Atari, and Acorn. Personally, I’m a Commodore fan: first the C64 and then a beloved Amiga. The massive speed boost offered by Raspberry Pi 5 is a game-changer for retro gaming: opening up a whole new slew of 5th and even 6th generation consoles…

MAKER Brian is The MagPi’s publishing director and a volunteer and restorer at Rhode Island Computer Museum. jepSTone.net Brian Jepson developed an interest in home computing and programming not long after receiving a Radio Shack 150-In-1 electronics kit from his parents. He went on to write about computing and making, culminating in his role as Publishing Director of The MagPi and Hackspace at Raspberry Pi. “When Raspberry Pi originally came out, it really tied both interests together in ways that no other development board had.”, he says. In his spare time, Brian volunteers at Rhode Island’s Computer Museum (ricomputermuseum.org), restoring old computers. He had a couple of SCSI-based (Small Computer System Interface) computers – “a PowerPC ThinkPad and an Apple Macintosh Quadra, all of which used SCSI drives” – and…

FEATURES LEGAL ROMS! Warning! Copyright! This feature discusses the use of legally distributed games and system ROM images for a variety of vintage computers. However, please note that many other titles are distributed online without their rights holders’ permission, and are not legal to use under UK law. magpi.cc/legalroms Raspberry Pi 5 is significantly more powerful than its predecessors, and that translates to upgraded emulation performance. While Raspberry Pi 4 could emulate fourth-generation consoles like the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo without breaking a sweat, and could even manage fifth-generation PlayStation games at CRT resolutions, Raspberry Pi 5 opens the door to emulating fifth- and sixth-generation console hardware, like the Dreamcast, GameCube and Wii. When it comes to desktop emulation, there are a couple of things to be aware…

MAKER Alasdair Allan is a scientist, author, hacker and journalist. In the past he has mesh networked the Moscone Center, caused a US Senate hearing, and contributed to the detection of what was – at the time – the most distant object yet discovered in the Universe. magpi.cc/docs Warning! Lithium batteries We do not recommend using a primary lithium cell for the RTC, as it has a trickle charge circuit which is disabled by default. If enabled, this will kill the cell quickly. magpi.cc/batterysafety Raspberry Pi 5 includes an RTC module. This can be battery powered via the J5 (BAT) connector on the board located to the right of the USB-C power connector. You can set a wake alarm which will switch the board to a very low-power state (approximately…

Rob Miles has been playing with hardware and software since almost before there was hardware and software. You can find out more about his so-called life at robmiles.com. Rotary dial phones are fashionable again. You can even buy brand new ‘old’ ones based on the original design shown in Figure 1 below. These have dials, but not the weight or the authentic bell sound. The author was completely unaware of this trend when he picked up his red phone. The idea was to retain the external appearance and behaviours but bring the device up to date with all-new internals and some fun behaviours. It seemed to him that there should be room inside for a reasonable amount of computing power, and he was keen to hear the old telephone bell…

MATRIX ALBUM ART DISPLAY magpi.cc/artledmatrix As much as we love streaming services, we can’t help but think we’ve lost the art of the album cover. With this fab project, you can bring those covers back to life by displaying them on Adafruit’s LED matrix. It’s a simple enough project which ties in with the music you’re playing so check out the maker’s GitHub page (magpi.cc/ftartwork) to learn how to make it. TOOLS NEEDED ▶ Raspberry Pi 3B+ ▶ Adafruit 64×64 RGB LED Matrix ▶ Adafruit matrix bonnet ▶ Power supply ▶ 5V 10a switching PSU ▶ 3D printed matrix feet ▶ Pi mount SUNRISE LAMP magpi.cc/sunriselamp The Sunrise lamp marries technology with an origami technique called snapology. It requires a lot of patience but, if you have the time to…

A Visual Introduction to Algorithms AUTHOR Educative Price: Free magpi.cc/visualalgo An algorithm comprises a finite sequence of well-defined steps to perform a computation or solve a problem. The concept was first postulated by 9th century Persian mathematician Muhammed alKhwārizmī, from whose name the word ‘algorithm’ is derived. Even a cookery recipe can be considered an algorithm, as it comprises a set of logical steps, but the concept is now more commonly associated with computer programs. A good starting point for newcomers to the field is Educative’s ‘A Visual Introduction to Algorithms’ course. Taking around 14 hours to complete, it is packed with diagrams and illustrations to help you visualise the concepts. Following an introduction, the course moves on to the binary search method, then asymptotic analysis, selection and insertion sort…

> Name Adam Cohen-Rose > Community role Community leader > Occupation Software engineer > URL blog.cohen-rose.org Astro Pi is probably one of the most popular events that our colleagues over at the Raspberry Pi Foundation have ever put on – a chance to get your code running on a Raspberry Pi on the International Space Station for real space experiments. “I heard about the Astro Pi launch through Code Club and followed the projects through the first couple of years,” Adam Cohen-Rose told us. He runs a couple of Code Clubs and is a software engineer for Tesco the rest of the time. “I was really excited to hear about the Mission Zero challenge that lets younger students write a simple program that will actually run in the space station…

Every Monday we ask the question: have you made something with a Raspberry Pi over the weekend? Every Monday, our followers send us amazing photos and videos of the things they’ve made. Here’s a selection of some of the awesome things we got sent this month – and remember to follow along at the hashtag #MagPiMonday!!…

Gadget types I am following The MagPi tutorial “Make a Pi Zero W Smart USB flash drive” and using a Raspberry Pi 4B to test. I’ve connected it to laptop but cannot see the USB mass storage. I followed the tutorial until sudo modprobe g_mass_storage file=/piusb.bin stall=0 ro=1 then attached to laptop USB. How to debug or know what’s wrong? Nelson via email This is a bit of an older tutorial that we will probably revisit and revise in the future, however the main issue would be that you’re doing it on a Raspberry Pi 4. The USB gadget mode that allows for this project to work is different on a Raspberry Pi 4 compared to Zero, so the tutorial will not be one-to-one compatible. We’ve not tested it, but…

01. HYBRID Raspberry Pint Experience Raspberry Pi 5 Tuesday 30 January Online magpi.cc/hrp138 This is Raspberry Pint, where we share our digital making experiences via informal presentations and discussions. Most of our presentations are about building personal or professional projects with Raspberry Pi and other maker tech. We also welcome presentations about skills and techniques such as website design, PCB design, software development, 3D printing, soldering, etc. Occasionally, we have had presentations about artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, and things like that, and would love to hear about what you do in your hobby or professional life. All makers and all digital making welcome. The quirkier, the better. 02. Cornwall Tech Jam Saturday 3 February Fraddon Village Hall, Saint Columb, UK magpi.cc/ctj138 Cornwall Tech Jams are run by volunteers working…

THE FINAL WORD The last stand-alone version of MS-DOS was released in 1994, so you might be surprised to know that a commercial DOS game came out on Steam in 2023. Hadrosaurus Software’s The Aching (magpi.cc/theaching), is an otherworldly horror adventure with 16-colour graphics, an arrow key and text parser interface, and hardware support for the Tandy 1000, a PC released in 1984. You can play it on Raspberry Pi, or anything else that’ll run the DOSBox emulator. No one really uses MS-DOS any more, but the modern, open-source FreeDOS ships with every copy of DOSBox, and you’ve quite probably used that. Most modern DOS developers use DOSBox and its forks for testing, so they can rapidly spot bugs and iterate solutions. The year 2023 in DOS also saw the…

MAKER Tim Alex Jacobs, aka mitxela, is an inventor, artist, and hardware hacker based in London, UK. mitxela.com Tea-light candles are ideal for mood lighting, but naked flames can be dangerous – and those off-the-shelf artificial LED versions aren’t very convincing. Taking a different approach, Tim Jacobs’s POV candle spins an LED matrix at high speed to create the illusion of a hovering 3D flame. “There was a discussion at a pub meet-up about electronic candles, of which there are many different types,” recalls Tim. “I was specifically trying to think of a design that would look right from any angle. I’m not sure if I’ve achieved that yet, but this is only the first prototype!” His solution was to make use of persistence of vision (POV) – the brief…

MAKER A Roman computer engineer in a ‘large and boring company’. His friend Luciano ‘Lucianone’ Remo helped him with some of the preliminary design. The key to a lot of Italian cuisine is simple, high-quality ingredients combined with precision. The carbonara in Rome tends to be a bit better than the one out of your kitchen, after all. Not all Italians are master chefs themselves though, so Michele Ippoliti has come up with a solution: CarbonaraGPT “Its goal is to become the Alexa for Romans who are a total mess at cooking,” Michele explains to us. “Essentially, it’s a Python script that records your voice, translates it into text, and asks ChatGPT to provide you with [recipes]. The fact that ChatGPT can respond in any dialect or language makes it…

Warning! Soldering Soldering is relatively safe, but does use a very hot soldering iron. Take care to avoid getting burned. magpi.cc/soldering MAKER Also known as Penguin Tutor. A Maker and YouTuber who loves all things Raspberry Pi and Pico. Author of Learn Electronics with Raspberry Pi. penguintutor.com @stewartwatkiss You'll Need > PCB > Soldering iron and solder > Bill of materials magpi.cc/picolightsbom Previously, we looked at designing a printed circuit board (PCB) in KiCad. This time around, we will go from a schematic in KiCad to a printed circuit board design which can be sent off to manufacture. Add the components and solder it up to create a complete circuit. The design can be used for 12V lights, including bright light strips and model railway lighting, or the 5V COB lights used in…

Many Raspberry Pi projects offer solutions to practical problems. Many builds also perform specific tasks that are either informative or seek to help make life a little easier. Equally, however, there are loads of makers unleashing their creativity and putting Raspberry Pi at the heart of imaginative endeavours: simply because they can. These makers are producing appealing projects that stop people in their tracks because they either look good or perform tasks that are just sheer, plain fun. These are our kind of makers. In this feature, we take a look at arts and crafts projects that inspire us. In some cases, they’re straightforward but they will hopefully unlock the inventive part of your brain so that you come up with more ingenious ways of taking projects further. In other…

► Kunbus ► magpi.cc/rpconnect4 ► From €329 / £286 / $364 (ex. tax) SPECS FEATURES: CM4 with 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB eMMC storage; 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB RAM; optional Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth PORTS: 2 × USB 3.2, 2 × Gigabit Ethernet, RS485, micro-USB, micro-HDMI, 2 × PiBridge headers, X2 input/relay, X4 power input (10.8 to 28.8V DC) DIMENSIONS: 96 × 45 × 110.5mm Verdict This CM4-based, ruggedised industrial computer benefits greatly from its modular expansion system. 8/10 Based around a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the Revolution Pi Connect 4 is a powerful, ruggedised unit designed for industrial settings. Its robust polycarbonate housing with IP20 protection can be mounted on a DIN rail, while passive cooling from a heatsink enables a wide operating temperature range of -25°C to +55°C Available…

INTRODUCTION TO ALGORITHMS Considered the ‘bible’ of algorithms, Cormen and co’s 1292-page classic is rather heavy-going, but still a mustread for anyone who’s serious about the subject. The ideal companion guide to dip into during a course. magpi.cc/introalgo PYTHON ALGORITHMS This 352-page book gives a good overview of implementing algorithms in Python. While focused on classical algorithms, it also gives a solid understanding of fundamental algorithmic problem-solving techniques. magpi.cc/pythonalgo ALGORITHMS Sedgewick and Wayne’s comprehensive textbook is another must-read. It covers the most important computer algorithms in use today and teaches fundamental techniques, making it both a useful introduction and valuable reference. magpi.cc/algorithmssw…

MAKER Will is an atmospheric scientist who enjoys making and tinkering with all kinds of fascinating hardware in his projects. willwhang.dev You may have read about OneInchEye in issue #137 of The MagPi: it was a lynchpin in the development of Csaba Nagy’s CinePi XL filmography project. Sensing there was a great story behind the creation of the dedicated 20.3Mp sensor, we got in touch with its maker, Will Whang, to hear how OneInchEye (named because of the size of the CMOS) came about - and to admire the resulting photography. Will has always been interested in solar imaging and says “the sight of the mighty sun temporarily obscured, and events like the Venus transit,” have always left him in awe. He studied atmospheric science where he had plenty of…

01 GameCube's pocket pal While the Wii is well supported, you’d struggle to find GameCube homebrew titles. Released in the same year as the GameCube, the Game Boy Advance was its more successful, pocketsized sibling, and has one of the most vibrant dev communities around. We’re going to install the mGBA emulator as a Flatpak package, so we’ll start by installing the package manager and repository. The Flathub app store (flathub.org) only supports 64-bit operating systems and processors, tagged aarch64 in its index. Open a terminal and type: Now reboot Raspberry Pi to ensure that Flatpak’s desktop integrations can set themselves up correctly. With that done, you’ll be able to search for software from the command line or at flathub.org, although Flatpak installation from the browser isn’t currently supported by the…

MAKER KG is a developer and writer who has been waiting over a decade to play text adventures at the bus stop without having to fiddle with an on-screen keyboard. twoot.space/@owlbear You'll Need > SQFMI Beepy kit or equivalent beepy.sqfmi.com > 3D printed case (optional) magpi.cc/slimflat Last tutorial, we set up our handheld computer with the basics, including a word processor, spreadsheet, encrypted instant messaging and more. That’s great, but handheld devices can be idle distractions and sources of stimulation, too. While it’s not going to replace either the Game Boy or the Steam Deck, Beepy is extraordinarily well suited to keyboard-driven activities, from parser text games to extremely online social media posting. This month, we’ll look at books, games and other distractions for Beepy. Remember that you can turn…

DIFFICULTY GUIDE BEGINNER Projects for everyone ADVANCED Projects that require some experience EXPERT Projects that require skill TOOLS NEEDED ▶ Breadboad ▶ Four tactile switches ▶ Five pin-to-socket jumper leads ▶ Four pin-to-pin jumber leads ▶ Speakers/ headphones GPIO MUSIC BOX magpi.cc/gpiomusicbox Don’t be afraid to make a noise about your arts and crafts project. In fact: if you try your hand at making this GPIO music box, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. Connect a set of buttons to a Raspberry Pi computer and you can begin to play sounds using Python. The more buttons you add, the more sounds you can enjoy, potentially turning the project into a fully-fledged instrument. Either that or a sound box that can make rude noises on demand. The choice is yours. HONEYCOMB WALL…

ALGORITHMS PART 1 & 2 Created by Princeton University, this highly rated two-part free course is available on Coursera. It has an emphasis on applications and scientific performance analysis of Java implementations. Modules comprise videos, written materials, and quizzes.. magpi.cc/algocoursera LEARN DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS WITH PYTHON This paid Codecademy course takes around 26 hours to complete. The 19 modules include live coding examples in the browser and cover everything from nodes and linked lists to graph searches and path-finding algorithms. magpi.cc/algopythonca MASTERING DATA STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS USING C AND C++ This paid Udemy course includes 58.5 hours of on-demand video and 270 downloadable resources. You’ll need a C/C++ coding environment set up and experience with the language. It’s a very comprehensive course, though. magpi.cc/algocudemy…

UNIVERSAL ANALOG/DIGITAL INPUTS HAT This HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 allows it to process analogue signals much more easily with 16 inputs that can be stacked quite high on Raspberry Pi 5. Each input can be changed to take a different signal too, included thermistors, so it will aid in IoT applications. ▶ kck.st/3RJ4HOK REBOI There were a few Game Boy games that tried to turn your 8-bit handheld into a PC with varying levels of non-success, but this project will overhaul the classic console so that you can put a Raspberry Pi Zero inside it – although mainly to run RetroPie. It should be able to play more games than the Game Boy could as well. ▶ kck.st/48bd5gj…