Innehållsförteckning för #144 från Raspberry Pi Official Magazine

Attaching a camera to Raspberry Pi opens up a world of vision-based possibilities. I can take photographs, but now thanks to AI Kit my Raspberry Pi can make smart decisions based on what it sees. I’ve been having a lot of fun this month with Raspberry Pi’s Camera Module and AI Kit. Toby, our maker-in-residence, glued a GorillaPod to the bottom of an official Raspberry Pi case and made a portable smart camera to take out for testing. My three-legged camera and AI Kit creation has yet to get a name (PiTriPod, maybe?) Read all about how to set up AI Kit on Page 46, Camera on Page 56, and amazing camera projects to try out on Page 62. Of course, what makes Raspberry Pi special isn’t just the board…

Our retro-gaming classic went on sale back in 2019, and this year we’re releasing the new edition of Code the Classics Volume I. The biggest update is the addition of three new tutorials covering Python, Pygame Zero, and Git for version control. These new tutorials will make working with the code examples easier for beginners Retrogamers of certain generations will remember the days of type-in computer game listings. Nearly every computer magazine, from ANALOG Computing (magpi.cc/analogcomp) to The Micro User (magpi.cc/microuser) featured code listings that you’d have to type into your computer. There were books, too, like the ubiquitous Usborne books (magpi.cc/usborne). You’d trade an hour or two of your time for an experience that was just as good as games from your local computer store. This new edition of…

MAKER DeLorean driver Mike looks after IT for a small business and says others describe him as a time-travelling mad scientist magpi.cc/andotrope Mike Ando loves making things in his spare time, and uses a Raspberry Pi “because they’re so easy and save me time implementing things”. Even so, he’s just spent eight months designing his own take on Gehn’s holographic imager from the game Riven, the sequel to puzzle adventure Myst. As well as displaying images and playing video clips, it can be used for video calls and games. “Basically, I’ve brought a 150-year-old children’s toy into the 21st century.” Actually, the Australian systems administrator has created two such ‘andotropes’. The second version uses Pico W which is much smaller and cheaper and doesn’t use so much expensive and heavy…

MAKER A German software developer who has recently returned to Berlin after a two-year stint in London. magpi.cc/magni We know plenty of folks who love to whack up the font size on their ebook reader of choice, and we’ve definitely on occasion tried to pinch zoom printed media (do not judge us), so the idea of being able to zoom in on a book without hauling out a magnifying glass is very attractive. This is what maker Markus Gräser has achieved. “[It’s a] technical version of a magnifying glass to help people with low vision,” Markus tells us. “It’s basically a camera that can be connected to any HDMI screen, with a simple interface to scale and modify images. There are lots of professional devices out there, and a few…

MAKER Author of Scratch Programming in Easy Steps, Mission Python, and Web Design in Easy Steps. Get free chapters at Sean’s website. sean.co.uk You'll Need > PDFs to search magpi.cc/issues > Raspberry Pi OS with desktop magpi.cc/imager > Libre Office libreoffice.org Last month, we experimented with clocks to improve productivity. This month, we’ll see how you can delegate some common tasks to Python. First, we’ll create a program that searches through your archive of The MagPi PDFs. It works for any PDFs, in fact – we’ve used it for bank statements and ebooks. The output is saved to a text file, which you can print, browse or keyword search. Then, we’ll see how you can download web content and save it as a formatted file for LibreOffice. Next time you find you’re…

MAKER David is an engineer at Raspberry Pi with a special interest in camera software and algorithms, plus image processing hardware. magpi.cc The latest version Raspberry Pi OS (based on Bookworm) has a new camera system called rpicam. This replaces the older libcamera application. Raspberry Pi has made five different types of cameras, of which all but the original v1 camera is currently in production. Some of them come in two or more different variants. The official Raspberry Pi camera modules are: • Raspberry Pi Camera Module • Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2 • Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera • Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 • Raspberry Pi Global Shutter Camera First, you will need to set up your Camera Module by attaching it to your Raspberry Pi. See The…

Top Tip Compatibility Raspberry Pi Camera Modules are compatible with all Raspberry Pi computers with CSI connectors – that is, all models except Raspberry Pi 400 and the 2016 launch version of Pi Zero. You can use most Raspberry Pi models for photography since all feature a CSI (camera serial interface) for connecting the Camera Module (see ‘Compatibility’, left). Power off your Raspberry Pi and use the ribbon cable supplied with Camera Module (magpi.cc/camcable) to connect it to the CSI connection on the board. Raspberry Pi Zero and the new Raspberry Pi 5 feature smaller CSI connections, and you will need a special cable to use these devices. Handily, most resellers include the narrower ribbon cable as part of their Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi 5 case kits. You’ll…

▶ Industrial Shields ▶ magpi.cc/touchberrypi10 ▶ From £483 / €570 / $614 SPECS DISPLAY: Capacitive touch, 10.1-inch, 1280×800, TFT/ IPS, 900 nits, RTD2662 controller chip CONNECTIONS: Screw terminals for power, I2C, SPI, RS485, RS232/TTL, 2 × analogue inputs, 3 × digital inputs, 5 × digital outputs Verdict A really solid unit with good hazard protection, a decent touchscreen, and enough I/O for simple applications. 8/10 Designed for use in industrial settings, the newly updated TouchBerry Pi is a panel PC powered by Raspberry Pi 4 that comes in two screen sizes: seven and 10.1-inch – we tested the latter. It has been designed and produced by Industrial Shields, a Spanish company that specialises in industrial automation solutions based on open-source hardware. Its products are used in a wide range of…

INTERVIEW > Name John Sheehan > Occupation Freelance software developer > Community role Raspberry Jam organiser > URL dev.to/jennasys Every month, without fail, we put together the list of upcoming events in The MagPi’s community events pages (see p92) and see that there’s a Riverside Raspberry Pi Meetup. It’s been going for over ten years now and is located in Riverside, a city/county not too far from Los Angeles. “Someone else actually started the group in 2013,” John Sheehan tells us. He’s currently the main organiser for the event, which runs monthly. “At the time, I had just started up my own Python meetup group and I was only one of a few dozen members in the Raspberry Pi group. The organiser of the Raspberry Pi meetup that started it…

This event in Cameroon was held in April. Organisers Mbah Mattklaus and Loic Dessap, brought several people together to show off their Raspberry Pi projects, and to learn about Raspberry Pi in general.…

01. Getting Started with Raspberry Pi 5: Unlocking Its Potential Sunday 27 July Light House Event Center, Ipaja, Nigeria magpi.cc/vikirp5 This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the basics of Raspberry Pi 5 and explore its diverse capabilities. Whether you’re new to Raspberry Pi or looking to enhance your skills, this event will provide hands-on experience and practical knowledge. 02. Melbourne Raspberry Pi Meetup Sunday 4 August Docklands Makerspace and Library, Melbourne, Australia magpi.cc/mrpm144 This meetup is open to everyone with an interest in electronics, robotics, home automation, 3D printing, laser cutting, amateur radio, high-altitude balloons, space tech, etc. Makers are invited to bring along their projects and project ideas, and come connect with other makers. Get your questions answered, show off the work you are doing, and get…

We’re just back from Open Sauce 2024 (opensauce.com) and I don’t think we’ve ever seen so many makers, tech enthusiasts, and YouTubers all together in one place before. This year’s Open Sauce expanded into the Cow Palace venue in San Francisco and definitely felt more gigantic than last year’s inaugural event. Our poor feet; please send help for our feet. The event combines the best of makers and creators, featuring interactive exhibits, an up-close look at maker technology, talks, panels, and small workshops with top YouTubers. "Thanks again to everyone who stopped to talk to us about your creations" Pi-powered creations everywhere It was excellent to meet so many makers who had brought their Raspberry Pi-powered creations to Open Sauce. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be blogging about as many…

MAKER Rodrigo is a software engineer, hardware hobbyist and industrial design aficionado from Mexico. He’s been tinkering with hardware since 2010. magpi.cc/linamp When looking to play MP3 music files for a good while from the late-’90s onwards, Microsoft Windows users would tend to migrate towards the Winamp media player. Originally released in 1997 and developed by Justin Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev, Winamp’s skeuomorphic user interface soon resembled a compact stereo system. It was instantly accessible and it certainly caught the attention of a young Rodrigo Méndez – so much so, he’s based a cool Raspberry Pi project on it. “I remember when I first got my own PC – an 800Mhz Athlon with Windows 98,” he recalls. “My cousin installed Winamp in it and gave me some MP3s to play.…

01 The back-to-back Android tablets, motor and stepper controller, plus wireless access are all Raspberry Pi 3B-controlled. 02 Toggles on the outside of the case trigger the content to play, while Raspberry Pi tells the Arduino motor controller to spin the screens at a rate that ensures only one animation (length unimportant) is shown at once. 03 Mike designed a 3D printed case and spent hours fitting all the components and brass struts in place. A Python script runs on startup to control everything, with the two screens rotating at 1200rpm to simulate movement and be viewable from any angle.…

MAKER Nate is a retrofuturist and writes documentation for Raspberry Pi. magpi.cc/natec The Raspberry Pi AI Kit bundles the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ with a Hailo AI acceleration module for use with Raspberry Pi 5. The kit contains the Hailo AI module containing a neural processing unit (NPU), a Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+, to connect the AI module to your Raspberry Pi 5, a thermal pad pre-fitted between the module and the M.2 HAT+, a mounting hardware kit, and a 16mm stacking GPIO header The AI module features a 13 tera-operations per second (TOPS) neural network inference accelerator built around the Hailo-8L chip in an M.2 2242 form factor. In this tutorial we will look at how to assemble and attach AI Kit to Raspberry Pi, and use it for…

▶ Elecrow ▶ magpi.cc/LoRaWANHAT ▶ From £32 / $41 SPECS CHIPSET Semtech SX1302 with an RTC battery SENSITIVITY -125dBm @125K/SF7, -139dBm @125K/SF12 CHANNELS 8 channels with bandwidth of 125/250/500 kHz "The range on the gateway is very good, and we didn’t have any problems with devices around our home not reaching it" As the Internet of Things and home automation grow more advanced, the technology that allows devices to connect up around your house (or office, or farm, etc) has also beefed up. We’re used to using a lot of wired connections or making use of proprietary wireless formats, however LoRaWAN on Raspberry Pi has opened up whole new avenues to users, with more open and accessible wireless protocols that can cut down on almost all your wires. The LoRaWAN…

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. Remember to follow along at the hashtag #MagPiMonday!…

Raspberry Park I was thinking about the many uses of Raspberry Pi and I was wondering – do you know of any rides in theme parks that use Raspberry Pi? I’m sure some must, maybe they’re in that Star Wars Land somewhere. Beth via email Unfortunately we’ve never had anyone tell or admit to us that they’re using a Raspberry Pi in their theme park – although we have seen waiting time displays malfunction and turn out to be driven by Raspberry Pi! We have heard on the grapevine that they do possibly use them at one of the more major, secretive theme park operators but despite our best efforts we’ve never got them to spill the beans on how Raspberry Pi powers their magic. Maybe because this would unfortunately…

THE FINAL WORD I’ve probably mentioned here or in past tutorials that I am a streamer when I’m not working on the magazine. I play games and build robot model kits on camera, which probably does not surprise anyone who knows me. Specifically, I stream as a VTuber. What this means is that I have an animated avatar which I puppet with my face; it uses a mixture of technologies such as face tracking, which is mapped to specific image manipulation software to simulate a living, breathing cartoon character. You also get VTubers who use a 3D model that works similarly to mocap done for movies and video games. I mainly stream with a 2D cartoon model – one I rigged myself, of course, defining how the different image layers…

MAKER VEEB began as a lockdown photography project for Vanessa Bradley and Martin Spendiff, but soon morphed into a site documenting their builds. veeb.ch Warning! Moving parts Be careful when handling this project because it has moving parts. Children should be supervised. Precision turntables are ideal for rotating items to photograph, among other uses, but can cost hundreds of pounds. So VEEB Projects’ $50 DIY precision turntable – using Raspberry Pico W, 3D printed parts and a stepper motor – is all the more remarkable. It’s actually an upgrade from the duo’s previous turntable that featured an IR remote. “We already made a turntable about a year ago to solve a problem we were having taking photos of something,” reveals Martin Spendiff. “We wanted a turntable, but one we could…

MAKER PJ is a writer, software engineer and home automation enthusiast. He is guaranteed 100% AI-free, even if his home server isn’t. @mrpjevans You'll Need > Argon EON NAS enclosure (or similar) magpi.cc/eonnas > At least two HDD drives > Additional OS drive (ideally SSD) > Fast internet in both directions > SATA to USB3 cable (optional) We live in a golden age of free opensource software. We also live in an age of megacorps offering ‘free’ services that routinely sell your data via arcane terms and conditions. Luckily there is a new appetite for running your own services and regaining control thanks to fast and affordable bandwidth and the growth of small yet powerful computers to do the work (sound familiar?). In this new series, we’re going to go…

DATABASE DESIGN FOR MERE MORTALS Covering all the fundamentals in a software-independent way, this classic hands-on guide is a great way to learn database design. ▶ magpi.cc/ddmeremortals4e SQL ANTIPATTERNS Antipatterns are erroneous practices that result in poor results. Aimed at experienced SQL users, this book shows you how to fix them. ▶ magpi.cc/sqlantipatterns PRACTICAL SQL Billed as a ‘beginner’s guide to storytelling with data’, it takes you through all the fundamentals of SQL with plenty of real-world examples. ▶ magpi.cc/practicalsql…