I’ve been asked in emails and comments about what software I use on my 1942 Crosley Radio-Pi project.

I use the recommended Raspbian distro of Linux based on Debian Wheezy.  I normally do not start or use the GUI/X.  Many Raspberry Pi users use a Linux distro oriented around XBMC such as  OpenELEC or Raspbmc.  XBMC is a software media player that allows users to play and view most videos, music, podcasts, and other digital media files from local and network storage media and the internet.

While I have a Logitech K400 keyboard with touchpad attached via a USB dongle for “local” use, I almost always ssh into the R-Pi from my Mac.  The Radio-Pi  is connected to my home Wi-Fi network via an Edimax EW-7811UN Wi-Fi USB adapter (US$10 at Amazon).

More info on my frequently used apps and utilities after the break.   (more…)

A while back, I saw a picture online of a restored antique radio that caught my attention.  The accompanying  post described the process of restoration.  I’m not into radio restorations but I think the old wood radio cases are very “cool”.  I also recently contributed to a Kickstarter project for HDMIPi, an “affordable 9 inch High-Def screen for the Raspberry Pi”.  I thought that I might place the screen and R-Pi inside an old radio case.

After looking on eBay and craigslist, I could not find a suitable enclosure for the HDMIPi and paper mockups showed the screen to be a bit small at a distance.  I used my old original iPad as a test device for measurements and viewing.  I liked the viewing and pixel size of this its screen.

Well, the HDMIPi was going to be slow in coming (still is) and I saw (fairly) inexpensive 1024 X 768 iPad displays and driver boards on eBay.  I also found a old 1942 Crosley radio case that had a front cut-out that was very close to the iPad screen size.  The radio portion was not fixable so the case was reasonably “priced”.  I bid on it … and won.  I then had yet another project demanding time 😉

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I ordered a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer on the first day offered, on leap day, February 29, 2012, and received it on June 4, 2012.  A bit of a wait but I was excited to “play” with a $35, full-blown Linux-running, HDTV 1080p output, computer — and it was all for a great cause.  The Raspberry Pi Foundation is trying to do something about the situation where computers had become so expensive and arcane that programming experimentation on them had to be forbidden by parents; and to find a platform that, like previous generations of home computers, could boot into a programming environment.

I’m planning on using multiple R-Pi SBCs as mini servers and for real-time sensing and control of various devices.  Now, where did I put my soldering iron and multimeter?