computerish question

[Yellow Fang]

A Raspberry Pi is like a mini PC. I found mine frustrating until I downloaded some clever teenager's utility for streaming media. I downloaded a lot of music videos from YouTube and now I use it as a jukebox. I think the idea with the Raspberry Pi is that you learn to program with it, using the Python translator. As a PC I found it very slow, and you have to source all the peripherals from somewhere. I notice Maplins sell Raspberry Pi kits with the peripherals you need. Also, I found it difficult to interface to my old computer monitor. First I needed a special cable, then I needed to dick about with some start up settings in order to size and position the display. It works better on my TV monitor, which has an HDMI input. Back in the days of the ZX Spectrum, you could buy magazines with listing of computer games. My brother used to spend hours getting them to work. I suspect these days you would need to be super-geeky to be arsed, at least in your free time.

An Arduino is more like a micro-controller. You plug them into a USB port, open a terminal window, and download code to them. I think they are brilliant myself, and a better learning tool IMO than the Raspberry Pi. You download the Arduino development environment to your PC. Then you dick about with the example modules until you get it to do what you want. The source code is similar to C, and it is surprisingly easy to make work. I have used Arduinos to measure temperature and humidity sensors and to calibrate flow meters. I have used one as a simple data logger. You can use them to drive little robots if you want.

 

[Fnaar]

I have a stack of pies in my open fridge

 

[stuee147]

I have a stack of pies in my open fridge

that sounds like a fridge id like lol

i think i have it now although all the talk o f ISS HDDI CRT television open stacks ect has completely gone over my head lol
thanks to everyone for there help

 

[vernon]

Arduino can be used for much more interesting things than making lights flash on and off....link

The Raspberry Pi can do that too, and more.

 

[vernon]

I have a stack of pies in my open fridge

I can get a stack of pies in my open mouth.

 

[vernon]

The Arduino is best regarded as a programmable control device and not a computer. The Raspberry Pi is a computer in every sense of the word - it interfaces with a keyboard, mouse, network/wifi and monitor has an operating system - pick from a range. Can be programmed with a range of programming languages - basically any that run on the chose operating system and works with internal/external data storage.

The unwary can become quickly disillusioned with the Raspberry Pi with the frustrations of connecting it up and getting it running especially if they do not have a HDMI compatible monitor. This is more the fault of the packaging and marketing than it is with the device itself. Lack of comprehensive and coherent documentation with starter packs add to the difficulties.

Starter kits are assembled by vendors who do not consider the range of computer hardware that the device might be connected to. An ab initio initiate to Raspberry Pi geekdom might well give up before getting the device functioning fully.

I have my Raspberry Pi running in a headless configuration i.e. the only lead going into it is the power supply cable. It's connected to my home network via wifi and I operate it through remote terminals on my Mac, Samsung Galaxy S3 or Tesco Hudl tablet.

I have it set up with Apache web server and have installed Wordpress where I am creating a Plog, pie blog before connecting it to the web to make it accessible to the world.

I can't think of a more fitting purpose - a pie blog hosted on a Raspberry Pi.

 

[Piemaster]

The Raspberry Pi can do that too, and more.

I don't doubt it, but weight is a big factor when you're using it in a flying object. A few grams can make a difference between a flying object and, well, a computer controlled fan.

 

[vernon]

I don't doubt it, but weight is a big factor when you're using it in a flying object. A few grams can make a difference between a flying object and, well, a computer controlled fan.

That's a rather specific application which doesn't validate the argument that the Arduino is the superior device for control.

 

[Lavender Rose]

Raspberry Pi.......like Magnum P.I?

 

[Piemaster]

That's a rather specific application which doesn't validate the argument that the Arduino is the superior device for control.

Wouldn't disagree, it is a very specific application, but then link I posted was to a quadcopter flying site, to show what they are capable of. Arduino is used for that application in smaller quads because it's lighter (grams make a difference). Rasberry pi is also used for quads. I wasn't arguing which was the better controller.

 

[Markymark]

No point comparing as they're dufferent beasts. Arduino is a micro controller rather than a computer. I use one in robot projects that a Pi would not be appropriate (size, connections, weight). The are other projects that a Pi would be more suitable.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I reckon an Arduino is a better device for control applications. It has more I/O pins than a Raspberry Pi. It had digital pins I/O pins, analogue I/O pins, one or two pins capable of pulse counting and accepting interrupts. I have heard the I/O pins on the Pi are not very strong and need to be buffered. I am not sure whether they meant the pins were electronically weak or physically weak, but I heard they worked better with a bit of additional circuitry to beef them up a bit. There are multifarious types of Arduino now. If you need one for lightweight airborne applications, there is the Arduino Nano. When you download code to an Arduino, it is stored in Flash memory, which means the program will start up again when you reconnect power. I suspect software in a Raspberry Pi is loaded into volatile memory, which means you lose it if the power goes down, like any general purpose PC. There are lots of "shields" you can attach to Arduinos. For example, if you wanted to transmit data over wifi to internet, you could buy a shield that allows you to do that.

Come to think of it, you could load a dedicated application into a Raspberry Pi so that it bootstrapped off the memory card. It does not have to be a general purpose computer. It is just that many control applications would be easier to implement on an Arduino.