Using the Pi, the camera module and an Illy coffee tin, Jim at Fotosyn has created a simple timelapse camera. He used an AA battery converter/holder for power, but any USB power unit will do. Nice little project. If you’re going to use it outside, though, make sure the container is waterproof!
MAKE is currently running a “Component of the Month” series on it’s website. This month, they are covering relays.
What can you do with a relay? Well, you can switch a large current on with a small current. So you can switch an electric fan on from your Pi, for instance.
Cambridge News have done a nice piece on this ecology project from the Zoological Society of London. They have partnered up with Cambridge Consultants (who recently hosted our second Cambridge Raspberry Jam to great success) to create remote cameras which monitor wildlife and help to catch poachers. It’s all part of the “Instant Wild” project. The cameras are connected to satellite, are motion-triggered and run off a long-life battery which means they can be deployed in remote areas.
Just a quick blog – Bart Bania has blogged about getting a small Nokia 5110 LCD screen to work with the Raspberry Pi and lots and lots of resistors 🙂
I have no affiliation, connection or arrangement with Ciseco, apart from meeting them at a recent Jam and talking to them about this product since then.
Ciseco, who attended July’s Cambridge Raspberry Jam and will be making an appearance at September’s Jam, have just announced the launch of their Wireless Inventors Kit which aims to bring together the Pi and an Arduino-compatible board via wireless communication. This brings with it a whole host of practical things you can build when you need wireless connectivity.
The Kit comes with loads of things including:
Ciseco, a Nottingham-based company, have also added an extensive tutorial/guide for the RasWIK which is available here. This takes you through the basics of setting everything up as well as detailing an extensive list of projects you can do. Take a look and see for yourself what kinds of things you can make happen.
The kit costs £49.99 (including VAT) and is available from their store here. This may seem like a lot, comparing it to the Pi itself, but contains a hell of a lot for the money. With more hobbyists wanting to explore the link between the Pi and Arduino, and also wanting easy connectivity to remote projects, this Kit seems like a great deal and should ignite a lot of interest and ingenious, wireless projects.
Foundation forum member tjsheffler has been experimenting with getting a simple HLS stream from the camera module and syncing it with audio from a mic. He’s not been completely successful, but you can follow his progress and replicate his experiments on the forum. Read the forum topic
