Book Image

Raspberry Pi for Python Programmers Cookbook - Second Edition

Book Image

Raspberry Pi for Python Programmers Cookbook - Second Edition

Overview of this book

Raspberry Pi cookbook for Python Programmers is a practical guide for getting the most out of this little computer. This book begins by guiding you through setting up the Raspberry Pi, performing tasks using Python 3 and introduces the first steps to interface with electronics. As you work through each chapter you will build up your skills and knowledge and apply them as you progress throughout the book, delving further and further into the unique abilities and features of the Raspberry Pi. Later, you will learn how to automate tasks by accessing files, build applications using the popular Tkinter library and create games by controlling graphics on screen. You will harness the power of the built-in graphics processor by using Pi3D to generate your own high quality 3D graphics and environments. Connect directly to the Raspberry Pi’s hardware pins to control electronics from switching on LEDs and responding to push buttons right through to driving motors and servos. Learn how to monitor sensors to gather real life data and to use it to control other devices, and view the results over the Internet. Apply what you have learnt by creating your own Pi-Rover or Pi-Hexipod robots. Finally, we will explore using many of the purpose built add-ons available for the Raspberry Pi, as well as interfacing with common household devices in new ways.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Raspberry Pi for Python Programmers Cookbook - Second Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Hardware and Software List
Index

Introduction


The chip at the heart of the original Raspberry Pi (a Broadcom BCM2835 processor) was originally designed to be a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) for mobile and embedded applications. The ARM core that drives most of the Raspberry Pi's functionality was added because some extra space was available on the chip; this enabled this powerful GPU to be used as a System-On-Chip (SoC) solution.

As you can imagine, if that original ARM core (ARM1176JZF-S, which is the ARMv6 architecture) consisted of only a small part of the chip on the Raspberry Pi, you would be right in thinking that the GPU must perform rather well.

Note

The processor at the heart of the Raspberry Pi 3 has been upgraded (to a Broadcom BCM2837 processor); it now contains four ARM cores (Cortex A53 ARMv8A), each of which are more powerful than the original ARMv6. Coupled with the same GPU from the previous generation, the Raspberry Pi 3 is far better equipped to perform the calculations required to build 3D environments...