I came across the Hummingboard while reading Engadget. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Linux board, it’s jam-packed with features that other boards don’t have. The main feature that sets this board apart from the others is that the SOC is socketed and swappable. What a great idea! Need more power for your project or different board features? Just swap out the SOC module or board and now you can have an expanded set of features all while using the same platform. Does this new board look strangely familiar for some reason? This board shares the same footprint and IO layout as the Raspberry PI. Overview: The Hummingboard is made by Solid-Run, a company based in Israel. It comes in three flavors …
USB Tester Backpack 2.0 Review
Thanks to aerodynes, for the great review of our new USB Tester and Backpack 2.0. “This is a test and review of the new version of the FriedCircuits USB tester and backpack. If you read my previous articles on the backpack and its extensions, you already know that I am a big fan of this simple and very useful tool. …” Read the complete review here:http://www.aerodynes.fr/2014/02/05/friedcircuits-usb-tester-and-backpack-reloaded/
Raspberry Pi Camera Module + PiBow
Previously I show how to mount the Raspberry Pi module in the Pimoroni camera mount, but now we need to connect it. Connecting the camera to the RPi is pretty easy if you are careful and there plenty of guides, but I wanted to use it with the Pibow case. The new PiBow cases have a slit for the ribbon cable but if you have the older version, you can make it work. Here is how I did it: Check out this post about using the camera and real-time streaming with mjpg-streamer.
PiGlow from Pimoroni
In a recent Adafruit order I couldn’t resist picking up the new PiGlow for the Raspberry Pi. This is a neat 18 LED add-on that connects to the GPIO header of the Raspberry Pi and communicates over I2C. With the example Python code, I was blinking in color in no time. You can buy them from Adafruit in the US or directly from Pimoroni in the UK. The Pimoroni site has all the links to get you started. I used the link to Jason Barnett’s Gihub which has a in depth how-to and a lot of examples to get you started and playing in color. The LEDs are in a spiral pattern, making for a great binary clock, which is …
Raspberry Pi Camera with Pimoroni’s Camera Mount
In my last Adafruit order, I decided to get the Raspberry Pi camera and the Pimoroni Raspberry Pi Camera Mount. This has been on my to-buy list for quite some time. I first saw the camera in person at Hacker Dojo when Rob from RPi came on his tour in the States. I am really excited to see what fun stuff I can come up with. In the past I have used a webcam on my desktop with ActiveWebCam to stream my entry-way to keep tabs on it. I want to try the Raspberry Pi to replace this setup as well as other projects. I have may have to put a few more cameras to go with all the Pi’s …
Sparkfun ISP Pogo Adapter
Each Friday, Sparkfun uploads a new video showcasing some of their recent products. One of June 28th’s new products was an ISP adapter that uses Pogo pins. This is great for programming multiple boards or if you just want to load the boot loader without soldering headers. I couldn’t pass it up as I program many boards without soldering headers. By the following week I had the kit in hands, ready to solder up! This kit is great. It’s easy to solder together by following the SFE assembly video. Here are a couple of pictures of me assembling. You can pick one up here: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11591, at a great price. It’s definitely worth it!
Raspberry Pi and eXtplorer
Over the last few months as I have been working with the Raspberry Pi, I have been using eXtplorer as a file manager and text editor. It is PHP and runs from the RPi’s web server. This is a great way to write code on the RPi from your desktop or from any web browser. I figured that I should share it since it is such a great tool. It should almost come with Rasbian. You can find it here: http://extplorer.net/ Here are some pictures of it running on the RPi: eXtplorer Login Screen eXtplorer File Manager Some of the great features are listed below (from their site). This is a must needed tool for working on the Raspberry Pi! I can’t …