Raspberry pi

In the previous tutorial, we covered the AT commands that are supported by a SIM900 GSM-GPRS modem. We’ve already discussed how to interface a SIM900A GSM-GPRS modem with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, as well as other microcontrollers and desktop computers. Now, it’s time to use this modem to make and receive calls, and send and receive…

The Raspberry pi is a single board minicomputer which has only the essential hardware included so as to meet the goal of low cost. The board is Raspberry pi board runs on ARM11 processor but is available at extremely cheap price. The board is designed with an intention of providing computer education to the remote schools where the PCs are not very commonly used. The idea behind the design is to use the TV screen as the display unit for the Raspberry pi board and hence converting the normal TV into a computer. The board is hence provided with a RCA connector which can be used to connect it directly to a TV screen which is based on PAL and NTSC standard. The board also has a HDMI connector output which can be used to connect the board to a HD TV. 

In the previous tutorial, we covered how to interface a SIM900A GSM-GPRS modem with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and desktop computers. SIM900A can communicate data with the controlling device over the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), I2C, or SPI protocol.  The modem is a piece of mobile equipment with an IMEI number that’s capable of all cellular…

In the previous tutorial, we learned how to use Raspberry Pi’s (RPi) serial hardware port for serial data communication over the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) protocol. Most of the embedded devices have the UART port for exchanging console data. In fact, most of the sensor modules that are designed for peer communication with controllers/computers have the…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed the universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol and voltage levels, covering USB-serial boards and other serial adaptors. We also learned how to find a serial port name on Linux, Windows, macOS, and Raspberry Pi (RPi). In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to use the Python Serial library to setup bidirectional…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed serial communication protocols available on Raspberry Pi. We discussed the terminology of data communication and defined the terms like ‘port’, ‘bus’, ‘interface’, ‘protocol’ and ‘standard’. We talked about UARTs on Raspberry Pi and how these UARTs are referenced by different serial Linux device names when they are accessed through…

In the previous tutorial, we learned how to generate analog output in the form of software PWM when using Raspberry Pi (RPi). We also showed how software PWM can be used to fade an LED.  The PWM output can also be used for other applications, such as for speed control of a DC motor or…

In the previous tutorial, we learned how to use digital input with Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi (RPi), as an embedded computer, is capable of digital input, digital output, pulse width modulation (PWM), and the implementation of several serial communication protocols (such as UART/USART, I2C, and SPI).  In this tutorial, we’ll cover analog output by using PWM with…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed how to use a digital output on Raspberry Pi. We designed a GUI-controlled LED driver, demonstrating how single-board computer features — like high-level language (HLL) such as Python — can control embedded applications.  Microcontroller-based embedded applications are typically programmed in low-level languages, such as in Assembly Language or embedded…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed TTK menus, layout management in Tk GUI toolkit, and mouse and keyboard events in Tkinter/TTK. We also discussed multi-threading in Python and created our own class of threading package so that we can implement our Raspberry Pi codes exactly as if they are running on a microcontroller. We also…

Raspberry Pi is an amazing credit card-sized development board that can serve varied purposes for hackers, hobbyists, artists, as well as students. One of the most versatile application boards, it is believed that it can only be used for some common programming purposes especially the ones related to IoT or AI. In this blog, we will be breaking that myth and show you the versatility of this system and how it can make a difference to our lives in a long run. Let’s get on with it then.

In the previous tutorial, we discussed Tkinter and TTK widgets. With the help of these widgets, we will be creating user interfaces to control embedded electronics. We have already created a blank GUI window for our ‘Raspberry Pi Embedded Electronics Control App’. In this tutorial, we will discuss ttk menus and will create one for…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed the window widget in Tkinter and designed a blank GUI main window. The main window (which is not a child to any other window in the GUI application) and child windows serve as a container for other widgets. There is no point of blank windows. There must be other…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed the object-oriented features of Python. These features are of great importance in organizing our code and structuring our applications. Now, let us talk about designing graphic interfaces in Python. Embedded applications developed on microcontrollers usually have LEDs, character LCDs, or small graphic LCDs as display devices. These displays cannot…

In the previous tutorials, we discussed sequences and unordered collections in Python. We also learned about operations, functions, and methods applicable to them. There can also be more complex data structures in an application. The data values in these data structures can have a complex relationship and behavior. These data structures are defined as user-defined…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed manipulating data values in lists and byte arrays. Python also has mutable unordered collections like sets and dictionaries. Let us see how data values/objects in sets and dictionaries can be manipulated. Sets Sets are unordered mutable collections of items. The items in a set can be any arbitrary immutable…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed basic syntax and elements of Python language. In Python, there are six types of sequences – strings, bytes, byte arrays, range, tuples, and lists. The strings, bytes, range, and tuples are immutable sequences and cannot be modified once defined. It is only possible to create or destroy these sequences.…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed the syntax of Python — identifiers, keywords, comments, statements, literals, and some data types in Python. We also discussed that Python is object-oriented in that everything in Python is an object, and even data types are classes. Python objects can be mutable or immutable. Python objects that point to…

In the previous tutorial, we discussed the Python language, its applications, implementations (CPython, Jython, IronPython, and PyPy), and IDEs. We also discussed writing Python scripts and modules and learned to run Python scripts through IDLE and Bash shell. Before we jump to controlling hardware via Python scripts, it will be useful to have a strong…

In the previous tutorial, we successfully set up a Raspberry Pi (RPi) Linux desktop. Now let’s learn Python.  We could start with how to control the hardware by using Python scripts, but that would defeat the purpose of using Raspberry Pi and a Very-High-Level-Language (VHLL) — such as Python — to control electronics. Certainly, you can…