Raspberry Pi Resources

Raspberry Pi Shopping List: The Raspberry Pi is very cool, but it needs more stuff to make it go. This Raspberry Pi shopping list will help you be sure you have all the essentials and tell you about extras you may want.

Some precautions when you or students work with the Raspberry Pi.

Workshop Slides: From the August, 2021 workshop. Downloads from Google Drive. Why? You are free to use these slides in your classroom or elsewhere, and to adapt them as needed.

Workshop Handouts: From the August,2021 workshop in Word 2016 format; or in PDF format. Downloads from Google Drive. Like the slides, you are free to use and adapt the handouts.

Project Handouts: These are from one to a few pages long and are intended to help your students get started on projects using the Raspberry Pi. Subjects include the Pi Camera, infrared receiver, and temperature probe.

Workshop Wallpaper: Like the desktop wall paper we used? Here it is: 1366x768 or 1920x1080. (This is already installed on the Workshop SD Image linked below.)

Python Jump Start: If you've learned a text programming language like Java or JavaScript, but are new to Python, our Python Jump Start document may help.

Workshop SD Image: This is the the Raspbian "Buster" image from the August, 2021 workshop, compressed with the xz format. Beware: It is a 1.6 GB download from Google Drive; because of the size, you will get a warning that it's too big for Google to scan for viruses. The easiest way to make one or a few SD cards from this image is to use balenaEtcher. Etcher is free, works on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and will accept the .xz file directly; it is not necessary to extract the image from the archive. You will need 16 GB or larger cards for this image.

If you flash a card from this image, there will be an automatic reboot the first time it is started up because the image contains code to resize the file system on first boot in order to use the full capacity of the microSD card.

If you need to make enough copies for an entire class, you can duplicate microSD cards with a Windows computer and about $150 of parts. You can also duplicate multiple microSD cards using your Raspberry Pi. Download the image, use Etcher to flash it onto an SD card (8 GB is best for this one), then, without booting the card, use it as your master for duplicating.

If you need to extract this image, on Windows use the free 7-Zip program. On Raspbian and most Linux distributions, use xz-utils. On MacOS, The Unarchiver will work. The extracted file will be about 6.4 GB.

Use a Laptop or Desktop for Screen and Keyboard: You may be able to use a laptop or desktop computer instead of keyboard, mouse, and monitor. It will take some special configuration.

Teaching with the Raspberry Pi – It's Not Just for Coding is available as a video or as downloadable PowerPoint 2016 slides.

The Picademy Parts Kit Temperature Probe: his one is a little more complicated than some of the other sensors. It may need software configuration and it's possible to damage your Pi if it's wired incorrectly. The linked PDF describes the software configuration that may be needed and includes a circuit diagram with instructions.

Fritzing Component for GPIO Pins: This is a picture of the GPIO pins, with labels, that can be used to make your own Fritzing diagrams. It was derived from Anudit Nagar's f Image of GPIO Fritzing component with breadboard and LED ull Raspberry Pi component. Get Fritzing from fritzing.org, Download this file, unzip it, and import it into Fritzing. Downloads from Google Drive.

I use this part to make diagrams like the one shown. I make the diagram in Fritzing, export as PNG, then crop and sometimes add labels. I've been using Adobe Fireworks to manipulate the PNG, but almost any graphics program, including MS Paint, will do.

Why Google Drive? Like many universities, Kennesaw State has very good Internet connectivity, but Google has outstanding Internet connectivity and multiple datacenters around the world. We've put big files on Google Drive because they will probably download faster for you.

Last update: 2022-11-20 11:30
Originally published: 2018-09-25