London-based Sopwith has taken a DVB-T dongle, plugged it into his Raspberry Pi and used software packages and scripts he has written himself to create an aeroplane tracker that plots onto a map. Read how to do it by viewing this PDF or read an introduction to the project on his blog. It’s a great tutorial and, as he says, it’s a great way to get your kids learning with the Pi.
Ewa Karweta has taken a Raspberry Pi, a camera module and a bunch of components to provide power and put them into a dog back pack. He’s then kindly asked his pooch to wear it so that he can get a dogs-eye view of the world via the live streaming camera (which uses Mjpg-Streamer). Read how to do it yourself here.
Richard Saville (Average Man) has used one of his ProtoPal prototyping boards to create a board that houses a Nokia 5110 LCD display. He’s written a tutorial about assembling the board and installing the necessary software to use it. Great idea for using the ProtoPal. Read more here.
MisterM has taken a 1981 Sharp VC-2300H portable VCR unit, refurbished it, stripped it out and fitted a Raspberry Pi inside to use it as a media centre. He’s retro-fitted an old VHS cassette tape with a USB hub which is revealed when pressing the ‘eject’ button. Read how he did it here.
Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Grant has been experimenting with small mesh networks to see if they can be used for art installations. She’s created something call SubNodes:
The Subnodes project is an open source initiative focused on streamlining the process of setting up a Raspberry Pi as a wireless access point for distributing content, media, and shared digital experiences. The device behaves as a web server, creating its own local area network, and does not connect with the internet. This is key for the sake of offering a space where people can communicate anonymously and freely, as well as maximizing the portability of the network (no dependibility on an internet connection means the device can be taken and remain active anywhere). The devices are also mesh enabled, implementing the BATMAN Advanced routing protocol.
So far, SubNodes has been used to set up small-scale art installations and demo projects including a chat room called Hot Probs which acted as a kind-of private network agony aunt, which runs on a Raspberry Pi. Read more about the project and the system here.
Les Pounder has just released details of two upcoming events in Blackpool.
The first is a ‘First Taste’ session that is suitable for parents who want to know what the Pi is all about, perhaps to support their child’s learning. It’s being held this Saturday from 2-4pm at the Palatine Library. Planned sessions are as follows:
You can book (free) tickets for the event here.
The second event is a Raspberry Jam (Blackpool’s 5th), again held at the Palatine Library, on Tuesday, 24th February from 2-5pm. You can book (free) tickets for that event here.
