Bernhard Suter has written a comprehensive tutorial on getting the DS18B20 temperature sensor working with the Pi. It includes the Python code to interrogate the sensor.
Request for help – motor controller boards for the #RaspberryPi
Hello blog readers. First of all, thanks for reading – you make writing this blog worthwhile and it’s great to hear from a few of you from time-to-time, so keep those comments coming in.
Very soon, I’m going to be writing a blog post about the various motor controller boards that are available for the Pi. I would like to provide a description of each one and a review of a) how easy it is to assemble (if necessary) b) how easy it is to use and c) value for money.
I don’t, unfortunately, have the money to buy all the boards and do it myself, and I don’t have the time needed to review each board. So this is where the request for help comes in. Do you own a motor controller board? Have you assembled it and tried using it? If so, you may be able to help. I’m looking for co-authors for this blog post (with full credit given to contributors). I’ve already had a couple of submissions, so I think the idea is a valid one.
So, if you can help by writing a couple of paragraphs about your favourite motor board (or even your least favourite), please contact me through the blog and let me know what you’ve got and what you think about it!
Plan your travel on the #RaspberryPi using GraphHopper
Peter Karussell, over on dzone, has blogged about using the open source Java software GraphHopper to do road routing on the Pi. Just imagine if you could combine this with a touch screen and a GPS module – Pi-powered TomTom! (other route planners are available).
New Raspberry Jam for #RaspberryPi owners in Southend-on-Sea #rjam
The Southend-on-Sea Linux User Group is organising a Raspberry Jam on 1st March. The event runs from 10am to 5pm and is billed as an ‘open day’ in which you can learn what to do with your Pi when you first get it and how to do experiments and projects with LEDs, Python etc. They’re also running a soldering workshop to take some of the mystery out of it.
It’s a free event (although donations are welcome) and will be hosted at the Temporary Art Project (Water Works) on North Road. So, if you’re in the area, why not go along and see what’s happening!
Creating a photobooth with the #RaspberryPi camera and the Python API
Following on from Dave Jones’ excellent work on the Pi camera Python library, David Whale’s Raspberry Pi Saturday Club decided to use it to create a photobooth. They combined it with PyGame to do some text overlays and soon had the experiment up-and-running. Really great work – it’s lovely to see a regular Club doing nice projects like this.
Open Source Limelight brings streamed gaming to your #RaspberryPi
Limelight is a piece of open source software that lets you stream games from your home PC to your Raspberry Pi. Here’s what The Gadget Show has to say about it:
Limelight makes use of similar game streaming magic to the tech Nvidia has crammed into its Nvidia Shield handheld, only it’s an open source version, so it’s free to try out. In fact, thanks to a port called Limelight Pi you can run it on your Raspberry Pi too, so for around £25, you can now stream top notch new releases from your PC in one room to your TV in another, something Valve is working on for SteamOS to make up for the initial lack of games on its new Linux-based platform to begin with.
You can get the code for Limelight here and you can read more about it on The Gadget Show website.