RAREblog

I'm stuck at home and have seized the opportunity to prepare for a workshop that will link the Shrimp and the Raspberry Pi. I love reusing previous projects. This one combines two bits of software that I prepared earlier :) Twitter client meets Morse Code flasher The core idea is simple. The project listens to what's happening on Twitter, and displays selected tweets by flashing the contents in Morse Code. You could do this using the Pi on its own, or the Arduino on its own, but the project is easier and more reliable if you combine the strengths of both platforms. Why the Pi? It's possible to run a Twitter client on the Arduino but you're pushing the hardware to its limits. I've found some Arduino Internet libraries to be unstable, and your application is likely to be using most or all of the Arduino's limited program and data memory. The Pi's memory is roughly a million times larger than the Arduino's RAM, and Internet applications are ...

Shrimp and Pi I'm excited that I've been asked to run a workshop in April at #CG3 - the next Covent Garden Jam. Contents and date to be decided, but I've had at least one request for a Shrimp and Pi session, which would be a lot of fun. There are a couple of ways that you can connect the Shrimp to a Raspberry Pi. You can use the CP2102 USB-to-serial converter normally used to program the Shrimp, or connect the Pi's serial port on the expansion header to the header on the Shrimp. Either way you can then program the Shrimp via the Pi using the Arduino IDE, and use Serial communications to send data between the Pi and the Shrimp. I have a fun application in mind, and it should be easy to set up as it combines one of my first bits of software on the Pi with a sketch from my Life after Blink workshop (see below). I'll tell you more when I've got it running :) Shrimping It solo! A couple of people have lamented that they couldn't attend last Satu...

Last Saturday I went to the monthly Raspberry Jam at Southend-on-Sea to run another Shrimping It! workshop. I've run several of these before but this is the first one I've run at an event that focusses on the Raspberry Pi . Arduino and Pi There's a growing interest in using Arduinos (or clones) in tandem with the Raspberry Pi.  Cefn Hoile, father of the Shrimp Arduino clone, has even co-authored a book on the subject . Alex Eames, of RasPi.TV fame, has a project called RasPiO Duino on Kickstarter . Its Arduino-compatible board sits on the Raspberry Pi header, and you can program and control the AVR chip from the Raspberry Pi. The Kickstarter is still open. If you want a RasPiO Duino, back it today ! I've been keen on the approach for a while, and I use it in C3Pi. It's not surprising that many Raspberry Jams now encourage talks and workshops on the Arduino, and that's why I was at the Southend Jam. Making the Shrimp and other attractions I...