Intro to Raspberry Pi
Introduction to Raspberry Pi
The aim of this course is to introduce the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi as a micro computer, and more specifically the hardware and software specifications of the Pi 3(B).
We discuss the aims of the Pi project, the hardware and software included with the Pi, the fundamentals of the Raspbian Operating System including some simple shell commands, and the use of the Pi as a platform for local development.
The course is split into two sections, with a lab for each.
We introduce the Raspberry Pi project, with an introduction to the concept of open-source hardware, the use of the platform in education, and potential uses in a distributed environment.
We introduce the hardware capabilities of the Pi, including a relative comparison of specifications with the students' own computer, or one that they use in a lab.
In this lab the students work in pairs to plug in and perform basic setup on their own Raspberry Pi.
We re-introduce an Operating System that the student should be familiar with. However, the shell is particularly important for us for two reasons:
- to inroduce a platform for low-power (watts and flops) software development
- to reinforce the use of the filesystem as the basis of Python's package system
This lab includes using the shell to update packages, investigating the command shell, and exploring the graphical interface. This lab is purposefully open-ended: we want enquiring minds to discover the platform for themselves.
This course is designed to take an afternoon, with an open-ended finish.
Alternatively, the first taught section and lab could be introduced before lunch, giving a natural break and something to talk about over food.
After completion of this course, the student should know and understand:
- The aims and objectives of the Raspberry Pi Foundation
- A little about open-source hardware
- The hardware capabilities of the Raspberry Pi 2B
- How to plug in and setup a Raspberry Pi
- The basics of the Raspbian package management system
- Basic shell work including process listing and filesystem navigation
The aim of this course is to introduce the Pi as a platform for software development, so our Introduction to Python course is a natural follow-up.