Download 4 Raspberry Pi eBooks For Free Right Now | Dramel Notes

Today, we have one of the coolest free eBook offers we’ve ever had. We’re talking about four free Raspberry Pi eBooks all in one awesome bundle! These books would normally sell for over $90, but until 12/20, you can get all of them for free!

Don’t miss out on becoming a Pi guru for the low cost of $0 and a couple minutes of time.

Download: The Ultimate Raspberry Pi eBook Bundle

This is a third-party eBook. If you’re downloading an eBook for the first time, our distribution service, TradePub, will ask for some personal information in order to compile demographic statistics, and help us understand our audience. You will only have to do this once. For all future downloads, the system will recognize you.

What Books Do You Get?

In total, you’re going to get four awesome eBooks about the awesome world of Raspberry Pi for free! Each covers a different aspect of the Pi world, and each will teach you a ton about making the most of the tiny computer. Here’s the books you’ll get:

• Raspberry Pi Computer Vision Programming
• Raspberry Pi Cookbook for Python Programmers
• Raspberry Pi Home Automation with Arduino
• Raspberry Pi Robotic Project

To give you a little more perspective on what you’ll be getting if you download this bundle of eBooks, we’re talking about over 1000 pages of Raspberry Pi content. These are not four Pi pamphlets running around calling themselves eBooks. No, these are full length books packed with useful information.

Whether you want to built a robot, learn Python, automate tasks around your home, or almost anything else you can think of with your powerful little computer, the content offered in these eBooks have you covered!

An important thing to note is that you can only get these books for free until 12/20! After that, you’d have to spend $90 for them all, as that’s the standard MSRP. If you’ve always wanted to get into the world of Raspberry Pi, or you already use a Pi and want to take your skills to a higher level, you need to download this bundle of eBooks.

How to Get Your Copy

To redeem your copy and download the free eBook, just head over to this page and sign up for a free account. The process will take just a few seconds, and then you will be sent an email with a link to download a free copy.

It really is that simple. Just make sure to use a valid email address, as you won’t be able to get the link to download the book if you don’t.

If you’ve downloaded an eBook from us before, you don’t need to register your email address again! It will remember you in the system, so you simply need to click the link above and you’ll be sent an email to download this awesome eBook for free!

Want More? Check out all the other eBooks we have to offer right here! There’s a lot, so get ready to flex those brain muscles!

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How to Emulate a Raspberry Pi on Your PC | Dramel Notes

Fancy a $30 computer but not sure you want to take the risk? You’re not a cheapskate, you’re just being wise. And getting a good preview look at what you’re going to buy is pretty simple. Rather than buy a Raspberry Pi and be disappointed, why not try the QEMU emulator to get a feel for it first?

What Is QEMU?

You’ve probably heard of emulation. It essentially enables us to run software on systems where it would otherwise be incompatible. Windows itself has emulation built in, in the form of compatibility mode.

Virtual machines are the default option these days for anyone wanting to try out a new operating system without upsetting their delicate digital life. VMware and VirtualBox are often recommended to anyone wanting to try Linux for the first time (our VirtualBox guide is particularly useful), for instance, or with a desire to access an older version of Windows. It’s even possible to run some older versions of Mac OS X in a virtual machine.

What virtual machines like VMware Player and VirtualBox have in common is that they create a virtualized hardware environment based on the 32-bit and 64-bit architecture. While this makes them ideal for other forms of OS emulation/virtualization, it means that any operating system that runs on ARM chipsets cannot be installed and tested.

This is where QEMU comes in. Because Quick EMUlator emulates ARM chipsets – such as that found in the Raspberry Pi – we can use it to create a virtualized Pi on our PC.

Manual Setup vs Packaged

We have a couple of options open to us if we want to use QEMU. The first is by far away the easiest, and requires us to download this single QEMU package, which features everything we need to launch Raspbian in Windows.

If you fancy getting your fingers dirty, however, and have no qualms about digging out older versions of Raspbian (as you probably know, the latest version of Raspbian is Jessie), you might take a look at this guide, which shows you how to configure QEMU manually for emulation of Raspbian Wheezy (this solution also requires the ARM build of the Linux kernel). Note that this is a long, drawn out, error-prone method, and features several changes to configuration files. If this is your cup of tea, carry on!

Using the QEMU Raspbian Package

For simplicity’s sake, we’re going to use the QEMU Raspbian package from Sourceforge, which you will find at sourceforge.net/projects/rpiqemuwindows. Once downloaded, unzip QEMU.zip to your HDD – perhaps to C:/QEMU – and open. Inside the qemu subfolder, you’ll find three files.

Double-click run.bat to get started. A virtualized Raspberry Pi will appear, with Raspbian Wheezy booting up. This may take a while to complete, but should go pretty much as illustrated in this video.

Once complete, Raspbian will boot straight into raspi-config, a configuration tool for the Raspberry Pi. It isn’t advisable to go over the top with the options on offer here, as this can lead to stability problems. In particular, avoid using the update option or using any of the usual Raspberry Pi update or upgrade instructions where possible.

Note that this configuration tool can be relaunched at any point from a command prompt using

sudo raspi-config

When you’re done, use the arrow keys to select Finish, then tap Enter. From here, you’ll be sent to the command line, where you can either try out some basic Linux commands (try ls to list the items in the current directory, for instance) or enter startx to launch the GUI.

Now you’re in control of the Raspbian desktop interface, where you’ll be able to gain familiarity with the various tools that come packaged with the Pi’s favored operating system, such as the basic building-block development tool for children, Scratch.

It’s time to have a play!

Emulation vs Buying a Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi’s are extremely affordable, so why would anyone want to spend their time using an emulator?

Well, several reasons spring to mind. First, using QEMU to run a virtualized Raspberry Pi environment lets you try out Raspbian without all of the messing around that is involved with writing a disk image to SD. While NOOBs is a better approach, neither is a fast setup, so virtualization gives anyone wanting to dip a toe in the pie, as it were, a quick chance to do so.

Second, a virtual Raspberry Pi offers the chance to gauge how the various apps will run, as well as enable debugging and troubleshooting on your standard PC. This might be useful to children using Scratch or other development tools. Making screenshots on the Raspberry Pi is simple enough, but exporting them can be tricky – virtualization circumvents that. It’s also good practice to test a new operating system in a virtualized environment.

Finally, why do we do anything on a computer? Raspberry Pi fans love to play, and tinker, and this is just another way of looking at things. It may not feature a physical computer, but it can be a time saver, and a bit of a game changer in some scenarios. If you’re a Raspberry Pi owner, it’s certainly worth having access to QEMU – you never know when you might need a virtual Raspberry Pi running.

Have you tried a virtualized Raspberry Pi with QEMU? Did you run into any trouble with it? Tell us in the comments.

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5 Wearable Projects You Can Build with a Raspberry Pi | Dramel Notes

It can be said with some certainty that the Raspberry Pi is a flexible little device. Whether you’re rocking a Raspberry Pi Model A+ or B+, a Raspberry Pi 2 or even a Raspberry Pi Zero (or a combination of several), there’s a good chance that you’ve spent a few hours learning how to use computers in several new ways, picking up some new skills along the way.

You might have made an old printer wireless, built a stop-motion movie studio, or even a file server.

But have you ever thought about wearing your Raspberry Pi? Well no, of course you haven’t. After all, you’re perfectly normal.

Just in case you think that strapping a credit card-sized PCB to your arm (pun intended) is an exciting prospect, you’ll be pleased to know that various Pi-based wearable projects await your attention and interpretation. Let’s take a look at 3 wearable Raspberry Pi projects (which can all be powered using a portable battery solution).

Raspberry Pi Does Google Glass

Perhaps the most famous wearable hardware is Google Glass, the privacy-breaching prototype and later limited release headset equipped with augmented reality. Indeed, Google Glass could almost be described as notorious, such was the reaction to it, from a professor assaulted by fast food restaurant employees to modern day Luddites in San Francisco.

But none of these things have stopped DIYers trying to build their own Google Glass, usually opting for a Raspberry Pi as the device’s brain.

In this example, the builder has used a 3D printed Raspberry Pi case with a belt clip, and loaded an Altoids tin with batteries and a power switch. Sadly he uses video glasses, which means that walking and using the device display at the same time isn’t practical, but it’s a step in the right direction.

You might also be interested in this more streamlined version, which also uses a 3D printed case and video glasses, but the execution is far more elegant.

Raspberry Bike

There’s no way in the world that you would be able to squeeze a Raspberry Pi into a fitness band, but this doesn’t mean that the compact computer cannot be used to track your outdoor pursuits. In this video, you can see how a Pi, coupled with a Kindle e-reader, are used to convey speed and distance to the cyclist.

One particular point to note is how the display is readable while cycling. This is in part due to the size, but also the fact that the Kindle display uses e-Ink, and is therefore quite legible even in sunlight.

It’s certainly more readable than a smartphone!

This Is Not a Smart Watch

The Raspberry Pi is surely too bulky for a smartwatch, right? Well, it depends how you look at things. After all, an Apple Watch relies heavily on its associated iPhone. The only difference is, the two devices are not wired together.

Following the big smartwatch fuss of 2014, Pi developer Alex Eames put this together:

Intended as a spoof, it seems that some thought that the idea had potential, albeit not in its demonstrated form. Next came 3D printed cases, followed by Raspberry Pis strapped to arms around the planet.

It seems that as silly as it may be, the idea has given a lot of inspiration, such as this example, of a small smartwatch sized LCD displaying the time, powered by a Raspberry Pi B+.

This is clearly a Raspberry Pi wearable that is going to happen soon, one way or another…

Bonus: Playboy Industrialists Take Note

While the Raspberry Pi isn’t the focus of this following video, it’s a major element of this Iron Man suit (and let’s face it, he’s had a few), which is – amazingly – built largely from card.

Here, the Raspberry Pi is at the heart of a lot of activity, the most noticeable being the MP3 files that are played when actions occur (such as the voice of Jarvis, or to herald the illumination of the hand repulsors). While this might be a cosplayer’s dream, it’s also a hugely inventive use of the Pi as an element of a larger wearable project.

It might be a very ambitious build, but where would we be without a goal?

Do you plan to try any of these Raspberry Pi wearable projects? Perhaps you already have? Tell us all about it in the comments.

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Raspberry Pi Launches $5 Model Zero: Here’s How It Compares | Dramel Notes

Yet again, the Raspberry Pi foundation has surprised the world. They just announced the Raspberry Pi Zero. But don’t let the name fool you. It’s essentially a cut-down Raspberry Pi, with a price tag to match: each one costs a mere $5. And no, that isn’t a typo.

So, is it any good? What can it do? What compromises were made in order to get it at such a low price point. And more importantly, how can you get one? Read on to find out all these things, and more.

What’s Inside?

Although there are some pretty significant differences compared to the mainstream Raspberry Pi lineup, it feels deeply familiar.

In terms of cold hard specifications, there’s very little that stands out compared to earlier models. It comes soldered with 512MB of RAM, plus a slightly wheezy 1Ghz ARM CPU and 40 GPIO (General-Purpose Input Output) ports. It can run Scratch and Minecraft, and it supports a broad church of Linux distributions, including Fedora, NOOBS (a beginner-oriented Linux distro), and the Raspberry Pi fan favorite, Raspbian. It’s even made in the same factory as the Raspberry Pi B+ and Raspberry Pi 2 in Bridgend, Wales.

This is very much a Raspberry Pi at its core. But there’s some really major differences that set it apart. I’m not just talking about its diminutive price either, although that in itself is groundbreaking.

Admittedly a little bit obvious, it’s worth stressing how unfathomably tiny the Raspberry Pi Zero is. It measures 30mm (3cm) by 65mm (6.5cm), making it roughly the same size as a box of matches. It’s hard to believe that a fully Linux-capable machine can occupy such a small physical footprint.

Despite that, it’s compatible with most Raspberry Pi-based Internet of Things (IoT) projects. Make Magazine tested it with their pirate radio station project, and it worked with a minimum of changes.

Of course, it goes without saying that a number of compromises were made in order to make the Raspberry Pi Zero so small, and so affordable.

What’s Missing?

Perhaps the most conspicuous absences are the lack of wired networking and analog audio-out. If you want to get online, you’re going to need to connect a USB Wi-Fi dongle over the built-in MicroUSB connection. Similarly, if you’ve got any hopes of listening to music on your Raspberry Pi Zero, you’ll need to pipe it through the mini-HDMI port. This means your monitor will need to have built-in speakers.

The official Raspberry Pi store sells a bundle that consists of a mini-HDMI and MicroUSB adaptor. This will set you back £4, or about $7. Although you can just as easily get each of these products on Amazon individually for roughly the same price, give or take a few dollars.

But these are minor inconveniences. Especially when you put them next to the decision to use the Broadcom BCM2835 processor.

This is the same processor that shipped with every model before the Raspberry Pi 2, although it’s clocked at 1Ghz, rather than 700Mhz. The Achilles heel of this processor is that it uses the same tired ARMv6 instruction set, which is only supported on a handful of Linux distributions. Ubuntu, unfortunately, is not one of them. It also means that it can’t run Microsoft’s Windows 10 for IoT Core.

Are There Any Competitors?

I’m calling it: the Raspberry Pi Zero is almost certainly the cheapest Linux computer on the planet. That said, there are similarly low-priced alternatives that are equally worthy of consideration.

Perhaps the most obvious one is the CHIP computer, which bills itself as the world’s first $9 Linux Computer.

The CHIP was a kickstarter phenomenon, raising $2,000,000 over the course of just one month. It shares a lot of similarities with the Raspberry Pi Zero, measuring 40mm (4cm) by 60mm (6cm), and boasts similar specs, packing in a 1Ghz Allwinner CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. Unlike the Pi Zero, it comes with built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, making it a much more attractive proposition for those looking for a day-to-day computer.

If you plan to use the Raspberry Pi Zero to teach coding or in a classroom environment, you owe it to yourself to check out the BBC’s MicroBit.

This diminutive computer distinctly resembles the form factor of the Raspberry Pi Zero. It comes with oodles of GPIO, and support for the Python programming language, although it’s by no means a general purpose computing platform. The only apps it supports are the ones written for it by the user. Each Year 7 pupil in the UK will be given one for free, before they’re eventually available for purchase by the general public. When it’s released, it’ll likely compete with the Raspberry Pi Zero on price, although definitely not on features.

This is to say nothing of the startling number of single-board Linux computers on the market right now – from the PandaBoard, to the Banana Pi, and the ODROID. But none of these are nearly as affordable as the Raspberry Pi Zero. This piece of kit really is in a class of its own.

Where to Get One

You shouldn’t have much trouble getting your hands on a Raspberry Pi Zero. In the UK, it’s available to purchase from element14, The Pi Hut, and Pimoroni. If you live in the US, you can get one from Adafruit and the Micro Center.

Better yet, if you live in the UK, you can get a free unit with the December edition of The MagPi, available in stores right now. You heard me right. A free computer with a magazine.

Way back when I used to compile magazine CD-ROMs. Now we get this; a computer on the cover. pic.twitter.com/2K5pK8D7vE

— Simon Le Gros Bisson (@sbisson) November 26, 2015

Will You Get One?

The Raspberry Pi Zero is a compelling piece of kit, and offers a lot of bang for your (five) bucks. But do you plan to get one? Let me know in the comments below, and we’ll chat.

Photo Credits: Raspberry Pi Zero GPIO Soldering Project (Gareth Halfacre), Raspberry Pi Zero GPIO Soldering Project (Gareth Halfacre)

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10 Raspberry Pi Projects for Beginners | Dramel Notes

The Raspberry Pi is a great little machine—it’s very affordable, highly portable, and user-friendly. But when you first get one, it can be a challenge to figure out which projects you should take on first. These 10 Raspberry Pi projects for beginners are great for getting an introduction to the hardware and software capabilities of the Pi, and will help you get up and running in no time!

Pi-Powered Motion Sensor and Alarm

Sensors and alarms are often considered to be the domain of the Arduino, but the Raspberry Pi can work with hardware, too! Creating a simple motion sensor and piezo buzzer alarm will teach you the basics of working with external hardware with the Pi, and this particular project uses Python, so you’ll start learning a bit of that, too. You can get started with just a Pi, an SD card, a passive infrared sensor, a piezo buzzer, a single resistor, and some wires (though a breadboard will be useful, too).

Raspberry Pi Digital Picture Frame

Although the components for this project are a bit more expensive than some of the others (you should be able to get everything for under $200), this is a really cool project that will result in a nice-looking digital picture frame that you can use around your house. Because the Pi is very versatile, you can also use it for movie streaming or web browsing as well, making this a fun and useful project. A Raspberry Pi, an LCD screen and controller, and a frame are all you need to get it up and running. If you have an old monitor lying around or can scavenge one from somewhere, you’re all set!

Retro Gaming with RetroPie

Old-school video games are awesome, and the Raspberry Pi can help you replay your childhood favorites from NES, SNES, N64, Playstation, and a bunch of other systems. RetroPie is one of the most popular ways to do this, and it’s very easy to set up. Just add a USB controller (like this USB SNES controller) and you’re done. If you want to create a more permanent setup, spend a weekend building this awesome retro game cabinet!

A Web Interface for Your Raspberry Pi

Setting up your Raspberry Pi to be controlled remotely is a great way to start learning some of the code that’s required for your Pi to interact with the outside world. This demo shows you how to turn LEDs on and off from your mobile phone through a simple user interface. Scripts are provided, so you won’t need to stumble your way through a lot of complicated coding, but looking through those scripts will teach you a lot about how to set up web-based apps for your Pi.

Personal Pi-Powered Web Server

You might think that setting up a web server would be a complicated endeavor, but it’s actually very easy, especially with utilities like OwnCloud, which will help you get it set up. The Raspberry Pi is great for use as a personal server where you can store photos, music, movies, or even host a small website: “cloud” services without the costs! You’ll need an SD card and an ethernet cord (or a Wi-Fi dongle if you want a wireless-capable server), and that’s about it. If you already have a personal server, you can also your use your Pi to monitor its status, instead.

Make Your Printer Wireless

Wireless printers are great, but they can cost quite a bit more than USB printers. If you have one of the latter, a Raspberry Pi can help you turn it into a wireless device with a few simple commands and a Wi-Fi dongle that you can get for just $10. Insert the Wi-Fi dongle, plug in your printer, and run a few commands, and you’ll be printing from afar in no time at all.

Code a Pong Game

With no extra parts whatsoever, this is a very simple project for starting to code with Python on your Pi. All of the code is provided in this tutorial for creating a version of Pong, the classic arcade game. If you’ve never used Python or Pygame before, this will be a very good introduction, and will help you get a handle on the basics before moving on to more complicated projects. You could also tweak the code to improve performance or change the game however you see fit.

Make Music with Sonic Pi

Sonic Pi turns your Raspberry Pi into a music-coding machine, letting you use basic programming skills to make sound effects and music from short samples to full-length songs. Although Sonic Pi uses its own programming language, the principles that you’ll learn while making songs translate very well into more traditional languages. Leave yourself a lot of time to play around with this one—it can be quite addicting!

Ultrasonic Distance Measurement

Another good hardware tutorial, this project shows you how to get an ultrasonic sensor set up with your Pi and a breadboard and use that sensor to measure the distance to other objects. Again, this is a project that’s more often taken on with an Arduino, but the simplicity of the entire setup make sit a good Pi project, too.

Raspberry Pi AirPlay Receiver

AirPlay speakers are great, but they can be really expensive. Fortunately, you can use a Raspberry Pi as an AirPlay receiver, giving your old speakers new life. With your Pi, a stereo jack, and a Wi-Fi dongle, you’ll be able to stream music from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to your speakers without dropping a lot of money to upgrade. In the project above, Harry turned his old amp into a smart streaming Airplay receiver that also has a web interface and hooks into loads of streaming services, thanks to the PiMusicBox OS.

Get Cooking

With all of these great Raspberry Pi projects for beginners, you’re sure to come across something you’re interested in. The best way to get started is to just pick a project and get going; you’ll learn the basics of how to use a Pi, and might even get some ideas for your own project!

Which projects have you found to be the best for Raspberry Pi beginners? What did you start out with? Share your experiences below!

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