Category: Raspberry Pi

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How to Raspberry Pi

Basic installation steps (part 1)

When you have written the Raspbian image to your SD card and booted your Pi for the first time be sure to follow these steps to configure your Pi for your home situation. From the command prompt (or a Terminal window) use the following command.

sudo raspi-config

You will see the configuration program of Raspbian. Here we will set al the primairy settings in order for you to use the Pi. I will not be getting into al the details of the entire configuration with all its options, just the basics to get you on your way.

First it is always a good idea to change the default password to a password you only know. Therefore select the first menu option and follow the instructions onscreen.

Once you have done that you will be brought back to the main menu. Now we will set the network options to let your Pi communicate with your home network and the rest of the world.

If you like you can change te hostname of your Pi (the name it is presented by on your network). If you have more than one Pi this is recommended to change. I myself are very creative with my Pi naming. I name them pi001, pi002, and so on. Fun right?

Select the Hostname option and give your Pi its new name.

After you have confirmed the name setting with an Ok you will be brought back to the main menu. Go back into the Network settings so we can configure your Wifi.

Now type in the name of your WiFi network (the so called SSID).

And then type in your password for your WiFi network. Please keep in mind that your keyboard settings may not be set correctly yet. In which case your special characters in your password (if you use them, please use them by the way!) will be incorrect and you won’t see because the password characters are hidden in this screen. So be sure your password is completely accurate in order to get this working. You could use the SSID screen to try typing your password in order to check the characters you type. (but be aware that the person behind you will also see the password… did I just make you look over your shoulder?).

Once this is done your WiFi connection should be up and running. From the main menu screen we will now change your Location settings.

And choose Timezone.

I am located in the Netherlands, so I will set my location to Europe, Amsterdam.

And we’re back in the main menu again. Now we will set the SSH option. This will allow you to connect to your Pi from another computer using software like Putty (on Windows) or the Terminal in OSX to Secure Shell (SSH) to the command prompt. Maybe this is unknown to you at this point in time, but believe me in no time you will be roaring in you SSH session to your Pi and make it do all kinds of neat stuff. But for now, let’s just turn it on.

Easy right? (n00bs going: “What did I just enable?”) It will all be clear in time my young Padawan.

And now the real scary stuff. No, JK. We will open the rest of your microSD card space that has been waiting for you unclaimed after you wrote the image file to the card. So let us reclaim what is ours!

Choose Expand Filesystem and see the magic unfold.

Once this is done (and I hope you did not blink or else you’ve missed it) you are brought back to the main menu again.

Move all the way to the bottom of the menu untill the Finish option is getting red.

The Pi will ask you if you want to reboot and the only correct answer now is YES!

After this reboot the Pi is ready for the next step, updates! Follow this link to the instructions for that. Great job so far by the way! Your n00b status is almost upgraded to Beginner.

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How to Raspberry Pi

Writing an image file on SD cards

So you took the first step and bought yourself a Raspberry Pi. You took it out of the box, got rid of the anti-static wrapper and stared at it for a few minutes. Totally amazed by the small form factor and the laser engraved Raspberry logo. But now what? Well there are some basics you will need to get to know in order to start enjoying the actual benefits of a Pi, I mean other than starring at that sexy Raspberry logo that is.

The most important thing you need to learn in my opinion is how to write an image to an SD card in order make your Pi do really cool stuf. Let’s begin!

I assume that you have downloaded at least one image file to put on your SD card by the way, you will need one near the end of this post. I will add some links to some of my favourite image files at the bottom.

Get your SD card (8 GB or higher preferably, I use 16 GB minimum by the way) and make sure you can connect it to your ‘other’ computer. What? Nobody told you that you need another computer in order yo get the Raspberry Pi to work … oops. Well that is how it is I’m afraid.

So get yourself one of these SD to USB dongle adapters. I think that is the most universal way of presenting your SD card to your ‘other’ computer. I use a Mac or a Windows machine to prepare my cards to run in the Pi, but a Linux machine should do fine too. However, on this website I explain things the OSX/Windows way. Sorry, and yes Linux rulez and all that.

Now that you are able to see the SD card in OSX or Windows we will need two applications. SD Formatter and Etcher. Follow these links to get them and install them while you’re at it.

SD formatter OSX / Windows
Etcher OSX / Windows

Now more experienced Pi users (no offence) will tell you that SD formatter is not necesarry. But it is always a good idea to completely wipe the SD card before putting your next ultimate peace of software on it. And it only takes a few seconds extra, so why not.

Insert the SD card into your Mac or Windows machine. Startup SD formatter.

Be sure to select Quick Format, or else the few seconds I promised earlier will change into a few minutes. Be sure the SD card is selected and click Format.

That’s it.

Now startup Etcher.

Etcher will automatically detect the SD card (and even prevent you from overwriting your harddrive, it simply will not let you choose your harddisk to write the image to. Well if you do not change the settings that is).

Now pick the image you want to write to the SD card by clicking on the blue button on the left called Select Image. Once your image file is loaded, hit Flash.

Etcher will now write the image to the SD card, verify if the writing has been done 100% correct and than notify you that it is done!

No need to eject the USB/SD card from your PC, Etcher has done that for you. Don’t you just love software that knows what you want and does it before you have to? Me neither, but in this case I think it’s okay.

Now put that SD card into your Pi and give it some juice (by that I mean insert the micro USB poweradapter plug).

And you are good to go!

 

Some of my favourite image files:

 

 

 

 

 

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Raspberry Pi

My Raspberry Pi starter-kit advise

A lot of people have asked me what they should to get when starting with a Raspberry Pi. In this post I will give my advise on the minimal components you needs to get a good start using a Pi.

What Pi should you get:
That is an easy one, Raspberry Pi 3 model B. Simply because that is the most used and most equipped edition of the Raspberry’s nowadays. A Pi Zero W or even the new Zero WH are a nice choice, but not to start with. They are just to much hassle for my taste when you are just staring. USB hub needed with micro USB, mini HDMI adapter, need I go on?

So just get a Raspberry Pi 3B. And don’t get seduced to buy an old Pi 3 (without the B) or even a model 2 because they are cheaper. These editions need a Wifi dongle and also do not have Bluetooth. Not even mentioning the lower CPU speeds and memory and such. Just get a Pi 3 model B. Okay, you can get a second hand one. That’s allowed.

Power adapter:
Get a 5 Volt adapter with at least 2.5 Amperage of output. Even though the Pi will work with only 0.5/1.0 Amps once you get started with your Pi you will probably need more Amps when connecting more and more devices to it (like game controllers or USB drivers and such). So do the investment getting a higher Amperage so you don’t need to buy an extra power adapter in the near future. Personally I buy at least 3 Amps and when I use the Pi for gaming I will not go lower than 3.5 Amps even (I just got to play Bomberman with more than two persons, but that’s just me).

Buy your power supply locally. Do not get tempted to buy one in China. I know they are dirt cheap, but they could burn your house down. So stay away from those cheap Chinese power adapters. Be smart about that please.

I personally buy my USB charger from Ikea. It has 3.4 Amps of power and has 3 USB ports. Th charger is called: KOPPLA and is under 8 euro’s. Only downside is that it has no USB to micro USB cable. Those you CAN buy in China 😉

microSD cards:
Although it depends what you are going to actually do with the Pi the minimum size in my opinion is 8 GB. But at the moment of writing this post the best buy for your bucks is 16 GB (price per GB wise).

If you are certain that you are only going to use the Pi for coding, than 2GB or 4GB should be more than enough. But in my experience it almost never stays at ‘just coding’ on a Pi.

Are you going to use your Pi for gaming, you could consider getting a larger microSD card than that. Not when you are going to play the consoles from 1984 ofcourse, those games are tiny. No, I’m talking about games from a Playstation or even newer consoles. But keep in mind that 64GB or higher is getting pretty expensive. Maybe a USB thumb drive is a better addition to the smaller microSD card.

Case:
Your Pi needs a nice case. It not only deserves it, it will also prolong its lifetime. I myself are hooked on the transparent cases like this one. You can look for a case in local stores, but most of the time these cases are way more expensive. I mean more than 10 times more expensive. That’s why I buy my cases in China.

When choosing a case you have to keep in mind what you are going to use the Pi for. For instance if you are going to use your Pi’s GPIO connection most of the time, make sure you can easily access it. It will be a pain getting your Pi out of its case every time you want to connect something to it.

Are you going to use CPU heavy applications (like game console emulators or mining Altcoins) then look for a case with passive or even active cooling. A metal case can give a lot of cooling and even a case with a fan on it is an option.

A special mention is the ‘Lego’ case. My son loves that one. I installed Kano on a Pi and put it in the Lego case. He fell in love with it instantly. Putting his Lego Star Wars figurines on it and started programming in Kano when he was only eight.

Essentials:
One of the most essential parts is a good USB to microSD card adapter. This small device will enable you to put an image on your Pi’s microSD card. Without this, your Pi is dead in the water I’m afraid. (Also see my post on writing images on SD cards). When you buy one, please make sure the hole where the microSD card goes in has enough room for you to get the card out again. I had a really small adapter eat my SD card and damaged it on the way back out. When that happens with a 128GB card you will be … sad?

HDMI cable to connect your Pi to your monitor or TV (be sure your display device has an HDMI input).

USB Keyboard and USB mouse are helpfull. You will need them at least the first time you bootup the Pi to configure SSH and the Wifi network name and password in order to use the Pi without a keyboard and mouse. So you could borrow it from your PC or Mac (if you only have a laptop or MacBook this won’t work). Having a separate keyboard and mouse is a luxury and I do advice that.

Oh and a monitor is also needed the first time you bootup. How else are you going to know when to type your WiFi password 😉 But borrowing also works here (no, not for you MacBook and Laptop users).

Miscellanious:
Networking cable or a USB Hub can also be essential for your setup. But that really depends on what you are going to connect to your Pi. The Raspberry Pi 3B has WiFi onboard, so a UTP cable should not be essential unless you do not have WiFi. A USB hub is only needed when you want to connect more than 4 USB devices (the Pi has 4 USB connections onboard). Keep in mind that you will definitely want a 3 Amps or higher power adapter when you are connecting so many USB devices.

In short:

  • Raspberry Pi 3 model B (about 40 euro);
  • 2,5 Ampère power adapter (about 10 euro);
  • 16 GB microSD card type 10 (8 euro);
  • microSD naar USB adapter (1 euro);
  • Case (3 euro);
  • HDMI cable (2 euro);
  • Keyboard and mouse (15/20 euro);
  • Last but not least a tv or monitor with HDMI (from 100 euro and up)

So for about 65 euro’s (without a monitor, keyboard and mouse) you are good to go.