From raspberrypi.org:
"Raspberry Pi is the third best-selling
computer brand in the world. The Raspberry Pi is a
credit card–sized computer that plugs into your
TV or display, and a keyboard and mouse.
You can use it to learn coding and to build
electronics projects, and for many of the
things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets,
word processing, browsing the internet, and playing
games. It also plays high-definition video. The
Raspberry Pi is being used by adults and children
all over the world to learn programming and
digital making."
For your first project, it can be nice to buy a kit that includes all the things you need. This pretty much ensures everything is plug-and-play or ready to go. That said, if you want to save a little on cost, buying the constituent pieces and setting them up is still pretty straight-forward!
For the in-class demonstration, we'll be using a Raspberry Pi 3 B+.
Follow the steps in the project here. This is for the Raspberry Pi 3 B+. Some of the steps will be skippable if you purchased a kit. Otherwise, make sure you follow all the steps!
There isn't one! You just plug it in! 😄
That said, if you have purchased a battery pack for making your Raspberry Pi mobile (for example, for making a robot car), then that will likely have an on/off switch.
There are tons of add-ons you can buy to plug into your Raspberry Pi! Technically you don't need any of them, but they can be a ton of fun and enable you to do additional projects or have additional features. Some popular add-ons are listed below:
This is a combo of a bunch of different sensors and also has a color display screen! It was originally developed as part of the Astro-Pi project! The sensors include:
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Magnetometer
- Temperature
- Barometric pressure
- Humidity
Potential ideas for Sense HAT projects could include things like building a thermometer, creating a magic 8 ball, simulating rock-paper-scissors, or making a compass!
Interested? Explore further:
- Python Sense HAT Docs
- Buy a Sense HAT
- Set Up Sense HAT
- Magic 8-Ball Tutorial
- Compass Maze Game
- Marble Maze
- Sense HAT Projects List
Tip: Don't have a Sense HAT, but still want to play around with its features? Use the online emulator or the built-in emulator on the Raspbian operating system!
The Raspberry Pi Camera Module is a camera attachment for your Pi. The All-Seeing-Pi project will walk you through both the set up of the camera module and creating a portable photo booth that tweets photos!
You can buy kits for setting up a robot or remotely controlled car. If this is of interest to you, this is a great place to start.
There are lots of options! Start here for a cool top ten list! It includes display boards, traffic lights, and remote controls for your home! Use your imagination and start googling!