14 Most Helpful Raspberry Pi Tutorials

2018-03-06 | By Maker.io Staff

The Raspberry Pi is a fantastic single-board computer, and its power and capabilities are often underestimated. In this blog, we will look at a number of helpful Raspberry Pi tutorials that can help you fully utilize the Pi!

Installing Raspbian OS

This tutorial is essential for most (if not all) beginner Pi users. It will teach you how to install the most common OS used on the Pi called Raspbian, which is a must-have for 99 out of 100 Pi projects. When the Pi boots, it will look for a specific boot file on the SD card, and once that file has been found, it will begin to execute the code inside. If you know how to program ARM processors, then you can, in fact, write your own OS, bootloader code, etc., but this is typically beyond the scope of most engineers. So, learning how to install the Raspbian OS is essential!

Python

The Raspberry Pi can be coded in a range of different languages, including Java and C++, but, arguably, the most flexible and easy language to use is Python. Programs written in Python can take half the time to write and half the amount of code to do the same task (when compared to languages such as C and C++). Of course, learning different languages is the best thing that any engineer can do, but as a first language, Python is a good language to start with. There are many tutorials on Python online (even a few on Maker.io), so here are a whole bunch of them!

Maker IO: Python and the Pi
Python.org: Python as a whole
Python and Physical Computing: Learn about using GPIO
PythonProgramming: Introduction to Python and Pi

IoT

In the world of electronics, you cannot go more than 10 feet without a person, article, or book slapping you in the face with three letters: I, O, and T. In this world of internet-enabled devices, it comes as no surprise that there are so many IoT-enabled projects for the Pi that can allow your Pi to be accessed over the internet, control external devices using a mobile device, and take sensor readings and print them to a website.

Microsoft: Connect the Pi to Azure
PubNub: Pi and IoT
Maker Pro: Pi IoT tutorial
TechRadar: Pi IoT tutorial

Portable Pi

The Pi is a great computer, but two features make it highly desirable in projects: its physical size and its low power consumption. This means that you can put the Pi in very small places, including bookshelves, cupboards, units, desk mounts, and even a CubeSat! The power consumption of the Pi is also remarkably low, with the Pi running off a standard USB connection and using as little as 1.2W when in standby (compared to 1.5W when loading 1080p video). This means the Pi is not only ideal for remote locations, but it is also ideal for battery power operation. So, these tutorials will teach you all about the Pi and batteries.

MakeUseOf: 3 Ways to power the Pi
Instructables: $20 portable Pi console
LifeHacker: Build a portable tiny Pi
Hackster: Build a small Pi console
Adafruit: Pi tablet

Summary

While the Pi, at first, may seem like nothing more than a low-end desktop with Raspbian, learning the tutorials above will quickly show you that the Pi is, in fact, a very powerful computer with microcontroller capabilities.