This is a project that started as something small but has grown over time. I wanted a simple script that would snap a picture and upload it to a ftp site once a day. With that script I could keep an eye on my yard when I was traveling. As time went on, I wanted easier access so I replaced the ftp site with DropBox. Then I wanted more images so once a day went to once and hour. As so on… (more…)
For an upcoming project I needed to upload files to Dropbox from the command line. There is a tool that supports transfers to & from Dropbox but the setup requires a few coordinated steps. This quick how-to is what you need to get started.
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It is well known that the on-board Raspberry Pi audio out is terrible. So I wanted to find a solution that didn’t cost more than the Pi itself. I collected some different options and evaluated them for sound quality and ease of use. If you are an audiophile you can stop reading here. The goal wasn’t to find the best, most accurate audio output board. I was looking for something cheap, easy and great. I tested 8 different options and here are my findings. (more…)
These are the Raspberry Pi accessory items I have on my workbench. I have collected these items as I worked on different projects and ideas over the last few years. This is not my “wish list of Raspi toys” but my true collection of useful items – I have used every item on this list or something very similar. Lets me know – What do you have on your bench? (more…)
In this post I went over the basic steps for getting the touchscreen running. Here are some additional hints and tips for getting the touch screen running. (more…)
When I found a touchscreen the same size as the Raspberry Pi I thought it was a great find. Having the screen the same size as the board was perfect for touch keypads and other man/machine interfaces. I knew it would be a challenge to get it fully functional but it was nearly impossible. Lucky for you the hard work is done and I have documented my steps here. (more…)
For most cases the recommended web server for the Raspberry Pi is lighttpd. But when I entered the command sudo apt-get install php to add php to the Pi, I was surprised to find apache2 was a dependency of php7. I didn’t need apache2. I wasn’t sure if it would interact with lighttpd and I didn’t need all the code that came with it. I partly understand the reasoning but it didn’t solve my problems. I did some Google searches and found a few out-dated how-tos so I collected the current steps here. (more…)
Even though Linux GUIs have been around forever, much of the administration and configuration is easier in a command line interface (CLI). The default CLI (shell) for most versions of Linux is a powerful tool called bash. To configure bash you need to create and/or edit the .bashrc file in your home directory. This file is read everytime you start a new bash window. I have collected some of the best parts from .bashrc files and listed them below. (more…)
