Thread: Raspberry Pi

  1. #1
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    Raspberry Pi

    ^_^

    I finally got my Raspberry Pi set!

    I'm a happy camper with 8 of these little bastards running my network now!

    Yes. I am just bragging. It took a crazy long time. ;_;

    Soma

  2. #2
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    I want one! Got too much on my todo list at the moment though... Was that the same order as in this thread?

    BTW, seems like availability is better now, shows in stock and a next day shipping date - found on slickdeals:

    Raspberry Pi [512mb] - Model B - In Stock MCM - $35 w/ $5 shipping
    Raspberry Pi 512MB Raspberry Pi Project Board Model B | RASPBRRY-MODB-512M (RASPBRRYMODB512M) | Raspberry Pi

  3. #3
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    ^_^

    Yep.

    That's what I get I guess for ordering a chunk at the same time.

    I got pushed back over and over so that people who ordered just one could get one.

    [Edit]
    Or, that's my theory.

    I'm not so sure now though. I ordered 4 more when I found out how well they responded to the tasks I've put them and the order time on my email is listed as 89 days.

    ;_;
    [/Edit]

    *shrug*

    It works out anyway as all of them are model b.

    Soma
    Last edited by phantomotap; 01-26-2013 at 12:12 AM.

  4. #4
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    So what are you doing with 8 of them?

  5. #5
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    ^_^

    (The "solver" is a pretty beastly server I've rebuilt, today, so that I could just use the power for some number crunching, data mining, and simulation stuff I enjoy. The thing is vastly overpowered for the server stuff I did with it, but the server stuff I did with it still managed to cause problems with its real purpose.)

    Two of them are connected to televisions so that I can have a "Smart TV" in a couple of rooms in my home where I spend most of my time that isn't spent programming. These two also act as VNC clients into my development machine and solver just cause I'm lazy and my tablet does a lousy job 'cause touchscreens. They also pull double duty as extra file servers. (I didn't see a point in not adding a 2TB drive which was doing nothing hanging off my development machine. I plan on using these as mount points for huge jobs so I can retire a couple of old discs.)

    Two of them are doing the server jobs which used to be done by the solver. (I have two doing the exact same jobs. I decided on this instead of containers/vservers because of the price. The distinction is that one is private and one is accessible to the wide world.) This is the stuff that the server used to do like SSH, (S)FTP, HTTP(S), (D)SCM, DLNA, and other such things. (These have a few TB as well, but here it is strictly necessary because I keep a complete copy of the databases and file system for my public serves hosted in the wild.)

    One of them is a game server including hosting for what is probably the worst multiplayer hack and slash in history. (I know. I wrote it.)

    One is basically a voice controlled "desk pet" spewing out stuff about new emails, posts on forums, and things of that nature. (The software works against RSS and actions from Python so almost anything can be done.) I don't have this going. I don't know when I'll get to fix this thing. I had been working on it thanks to CMU Sphinx, Python, QEMU (emulating a RPi), and a lot of hobby activists! However, the real thing didn't behave as I'd understood. I'm getting... nothing. ;_;

    The other two belong to the digital variety of "desk pet", but it turns out I may have been wrong about them responding well.

    *shrug*

    I guess I'll toss them into the cluster for now. I honestly thought they were doing well, but I guess the test scenes just weren't expensive enough.

    Soma

  6. #6
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Get rid of that voice pet and use that one as a pentesting machine for all those servers. The distribution already exists. PwnPI. The fun part about the project is what you actually can achieve in the hardware department. Why not, for instance, a hot-pluggable battery-driven pentesting PI? Would beat this guy: Cheap WiFi bridge for pen testing or otherwise
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  7. #7
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    Get rid of that voice pet and use that one as a pentesting machine for all those servers.
    O_o

    Why on earth would I do that? I have problems with my code I could never learn from if I toss it.

    The fun part about the project is what you actually can achieve in the hardware department.
    I hate to say, but the problems with the "voice pet" are my fault. I know the hardware can do that as I've seen it done.

    As for one of the other two where raw power is the problem, yeah that might be a good alternative to just tossing them in the cluster.

    Soma

  8. #8
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    I really want a Pi, but I'm afraid it will just sit in a bin gathering dust like all my other little boards. So I've held off buying one.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  9. #9
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    I hate to say, but the problems with the "voice pet" are my fault. I know the hardware can do that as I've seen it done.
    My point is that I always found the Raspberry Pi more interesting as an hardware device, instead as another code plugging machine. It is the main responsible for me gaining a huge interest in the Arduino too. So I always look for projects that involve some sort of soldering, buying parts, low level coding... well, essentially anything that can make me pursuit my newfound hobby; electronics.

    I do suggest you take a look at other potential uses for this device, instead of simple machines to run code you know all too well how to write anyways.

    ...

    My project (still on the drawing board) is an arcade cabinet running MAME. It will be powered by your traditional PC (removed from his case and inserted into the cabinet). There will be a Pi that will act simply as a Torrent Server. The Arduino will power the cabinet lights, coin slot and a series of displays (still debating between that or more traditional leds) to take advantage of MAME high score mechanisms and to provide info about the Pi server even when the arcade is powered down. The leds require drivers that I will have to code myself on the driver chip. So there's still plenty of programming to do in both your language of choice, plus assembly.

    A friend of mine is also putting the bug on me to learn Verilog or VHDL.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  10. #10
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    My point is that I always found the Raspberry Pi more interesting as an hardware device, instead as another code plugging machine.
    I already do that stuff.

    It just happens that the kit I use for that kind of stuff can't run "Gnu/Linux" so using them, the "RPi" as more fully featured devices is more useful to my purposes.

    So I always look for projects that involve some sort of soldering, buying parts, low level coding... well, essentially anything that can make me pursuit my newfound hobby; electronics.
    O_o

    You managed to pick the one thing on the list I'm using the "RPi" for that falls into that category. The "voice pet" is the only thing listed that has hobby hardware, like LED and servos, hanging off it.

    Throw "nabaztag" at your favorite browser. I've been working on an open source, open hardware, and readily assembled variation of the theme for a very long time. Moving to "RPi" for this will, in the long term, get the project more interest as both the "RESTful" API (I'd like to take this time to mention how much I despise that phrase.) responders and hardware events may soon be written in Python.

    My project (still on the drawing board) is an arcade cabinet running MAME.
    I advise you to look into getting some parts from old pinball tables.

    I have earthquake level "force feedback" available if I ever get a real display. ^_^;

    Also, and I'm not trying to influence your design just offer some experience with silly mistakes I made, do yourself a favor and include a nice big trackball and an extra pair of buttons for each player if you have the real estate.

    There will be a Pi that will act simply as a Torrent Server.
    O_o

    I find it odd that you you want to use the "RPi" for something hardware related but go on to admit that you are only intending to use one for a traditional bit of software.

    Seriously though, unless you have an enormous pipe, the "RPi" is overkill for that task alone.

    Have you considered just driving an LCD package from the "RPi"?

    You can still do your own driver coding on the LED if you want maybe using it for an attractor?

    Yog Sothoth!

    I just realized my box doesn't have an attractor!

    Soma

  11. #11
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    You managed to pick the one thing on the list I'm using the "RPi" for that falls into that category. The "voice pet" is the only thing listed that has hobby hardware, like LED and servos, hanging off it.
    Hmm... definitely misunderstood what you were doing with that one.

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    I advise you to look into getting some parts from old pinball tables.
    I have schematics for the wood work, so that is covered. There's excellent carpenters on my present location (it's part of the country culture in fact), so its is pretty much guaranteed I'll get good work done there. My concern is laser plastic cutting (no one's doing it here in Angola), so I will have to get that done in South Africa or Portugal and ship it here. The actual controller will be an X-Arcade Tankstick. A bit pricey, especially when you consider shipping, but well worth every cent. The crt monitor will be a no-brainer around here. You'd be amazed (probably not ) at how many *working* legacy stuff around in this country that you can buy cheap. The other day I was introduced to a working Zenith 486DX-33 in almost pristine condition. I'm looking for a SXGA- or a XGA+. Seen a SXGA- already but it was in no good condition.

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    I find it odd that you you want to use the "RPi" for something hardware related but go on to admit that you are only intending to use one for a traditional bit of software.
    Indeed. I figured since I'm using an Arduino, might as well put everything hardware related on that. But still required a device that could keep the torrent server alive without being required to leave the arcade machine on.

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    Seriously though, unless you have an enormous pipe, the "RPi" is overkill for that task alone. Have you considered just driving an LCD package from the "RPi"?
    For sure. Initially I wanted the whole thing to be operated by the RPi (coin slot, lights and leds). But then someone got me hooked on the Arduino and my mind started wandering. It's ridiculous to have both devices for this project, but I really want to get my hands on both. It's not likely I'll do something else after this one for a while. So just taking this chance.

    As for the internet connection. No way I will make any good use from the Torrent Server here in Angola. Very unlikely I'll do it when back in Portugal either. But... it's cool to have your self-sufficient MAME cabinet!

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    You can still do your own driver coding on the LED if you want maybe using it for an attractor?

    Yog Sothoth!

    I just realized my box doesn't have an attractor!

    Soma
    By Azathoth! I didn't think of doing one either!
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  12. #12
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    I just set up a cross compiler environment last night using this tutorial. it was not too difficult, but there were only a few things the tutorial didn't mention, that I had to figure out myself.

    they are:
    install awk
    install subversion

    it was a fresh install of ubuntu, so many people will already have those tools installed if they've been developing on their machine for a while.

    I was even able to configure a project in eclipse to use the cross toolchain to produce an arm binary. I haven't tested the binary to be sure that it works yet, because it was very late when I got done last night. I plan to try it out tonight, and hopefully It'll just work with no extra trouble. I'll report my findings as soon as I know more.

  13. #13
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    the cross compiler works, and I found this gpio/i2c/spi library that looks very interesting.

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