Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 I was finally able to make my initial purchase of a few RPi 2's today. Given I have been searching high and low for a place that would sell and ship them to Canada with out getting raped is quite the feat! For those who already have this little computing marvel are there any must haves on your list? Off the top of my head are the following items I am buying in no specific order. 1. Piface RTC to have accurate time while off line. 2. Back up PSU for portable use and during electrical events. 3. Multi level stacking case. 4. VESA mounting frame kit. 5. LCD screen. 6. Blue Tooth dongle. 7. VGA adapter dongle. I already have the power supply, micro USB WiFi, keyboard, mouse, etc.
Xathros Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 My Favorite addon at the moment is the Piface Digital 2 IO board. Looking at the 4 board GPIO expander board as well. Sheepwalk electronics has all the OneWire interfaces if ya want to play with that. Think shipping is bad from the US? ... Try the UK! Stay away from the little 3"x2" touchscreens that connect via the GPIO. Go with a non touchscreen display with an HDMI interface instead. Lots of cheap 7" automotive screens with HDMI available. Why the VGA dongle instead of HDMI? -Xathros
Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 My Favorite addon at the moment is the Piface Digital 2 IO board. Looking at the 4 board GPIO expander board as well. Sheepwalk electronics has all the OneWire interfaces if ya want to play with that. Think shipping is bad from the US? ... Try the UK! Stay away from the little 3"x2" touchscreens that connect via the GPIO. Go with a non touchscreen display with an HDMI interface instead. Lots of cheap 7" automotive screens with HDMI available. Why the VGA dongle instead of HDMI? -Xathros I have one legacy project that needs the VGA dongle adapter. There are several portions of the project where its being done on the lowest possible dollar amount using existing equipment. Whereas on the other project(s) the allocated budget is more flexible given it has more use and priority for the future. My ultimate goal is to completely down size as many systems in the home using the low energy consumption RPi. The other systems will be migrated to a micro AT computer system or perhaps a Mac Mini, Intel NUC, or one of those plugin computers. I am trying to hit a energy consumption target where 24.7.365 operations is key. While balancing UPS energy reserves and the amount of solar generated power I have in one remote location. Right now I am just in the middle stages of determining what the actual needs are and how to accomplish the various goals.
paulbates Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 That's great Teken Other than a USB drive, I don't have any accessories and use mine for strictly for programs right now, io_guys. I do have a couple of utilities I'd recommend for managing it, if you are interested in that. Paul
Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 That's great Teken Other than a USB drive, I don't have any accessories and use mine for strictly for programs right now, io_guys. I do have a couple of utilities I'd recommend for managing it, if you are interested in that. Paul Paul, Any and all recommendation is warmly accepted by me! One of the RPi's are for the Blue Tooth geo location dongle I purchased earlier this year so I really want to get that great program working so I can make use of this gear. If I can ever figure out what the hell is going on with one of them I might be OK. I had to back away from it because it was driving me completely bonkers trying to reset the bloody thing. At any rate if there are any resources you believe will help a Noob please do pass them along. I am just starting to watch a few on line video's about various projects people have done so far that may help me deploy faster. Whereas some others are just to learn more about various Linux distro's like Mint, Fedora, etc. I will also try a few of I/O Guys software master pieces in another unit and see if they can help me in other area's. The first couple of RPi will be used for SysLog, e-mail server, file server, energy management, and weather station etc. I really wish my programming knowledge was much better . . . Oh well I guess I have the rest of my life to learn, right!
Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 Another Raspberry PI noob subscribing... That's awesome now all of the Noobs can learn together! What are your plans for your little RPi? Part of the big push for me was to try to consolidate many services and resources into smaller energy efficient box's. It was also to take advantage of some of the work Michel at UDI is playing with the RPi. Truth be told I have never been much of a numbers / stats guy. But over the years with my pursuit of energy management and environmental monitoring this has become more interesting to me. My hopes are to validate a few ideas and projects before I fully deploy these services in a Virtual Machine (VM).
paulbates Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Teken Oh its mostly journey with a dollop of destination nmon, shows you how active all 4 processors are. You'll have to get nmon and load it, and then run nmon from the command line. To see the cpus in action, you hit "c" after starting nmon up. xrdp. Its another one to be downloaded, but it lets you go straight to the xwindows desktop from a windows pc using the remote desktop client, You can install the pi somewhere convenient from a wiring perspective, but access it from where ever you have RDP. You won't need to do anything for xrdp after installing it, its loads as a service, just run RDP from your pc and enter the IP address of your pi. Enter the following line on the command line of your pi will download and install both: sudo apt-get install nmon xrdp Tools that are handy from the PC (there are probably mac versions too) WinSCP - This lets you login into your Pi from the PC and securely move files around, or copy them from your PC over. HAD is a great thing to be run on the Pi, and this makes shuffling html files easier Putty This is a very simple telnet tool to get to the command line of the pi from a PC.
Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 Teken Oh its mostly journey with a dollop of destination nmon, shows you how active all 4 processors are. You'll have to get nmon and load it, and then run nmon from the command line. To see the cpus in action, you hit "c" after starting nmon up. xrdp. Its another one to be downloaded, but it lets you go straight to the xwindows desktop from a windows pc using the remote desktop client, You can install the pi somewhere convenient from a wiring perspective, but access it from where ever you have RDP. You won't need to do anything for xrdp after installing it, its loads as a service, just run RDP from your pc and enter the IP address of your pi. Enter the following line on the command line of your pi will download and install both: sudo apt-get install nmon xrdp Tools that are handy from the PC (there are probably mac versions too) WinSCP - This lets you login into your Pi from the PC and securely move files around, or copy them from your PC over. HAD is a great thing to be run on the Pi, and this makes shuffling html files easier Putty This is a very simple telnet tool to get to the command line of the pi from a PC. Paul, That is a most excellent collection for sure! You also reminded me why the RPi was purchased and that was to have a hand in some custom HAD widgets etc. You and I are on a similar thread where Benoit indicates some possible cloud hosted services etc. Xrdp will most certainly be used for six of the RPi units as they will be headless. The remaining two RPi's will need a small screen because it will serve as a portable UI / IO for another small project. I really wish Apple would stop all the freaking soldering of the HDD / RAM in the Mac Mini! [censored] . . . Because one of my goals was to max out one of these units and do a media server and VM's. So, now the Mac Mini is off the list for a consolidated mini box. That is why I have been entertaining a few mini ITX PC based systems like the NUC or Asus. At the end of the day trying to find a powerful computer that had a small energy foot print was pretty hard to find. So I had to really reevaluate needs vs wants.
LeeG Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 TEKEN YOUR USE OF PROFANITY IS GROWING AND ABSURD. UDI, CANCEL THE TEKEN ACCESS!
paulbates Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Hmmmm ... if 8 slices makes a pie, what do 8 pis make?? The model 2 B has a lot of horsepower. Probably heat sinks should go on the list if your kits did not come with them and you plan to push them hard. I think you can get one for the arm and one for the video chip. My use of one 2 B barely warms it up, but I'm making no use of the video chip from a multimedia perspective. Mine has interface duties with io_guy's software, some syslog and HAD. I want to move syslog into mysq, that is still in early stages too. And provide file services for the home area network as well. I kept the original B+ as a sandbox machine. Its a safe place to try things out, and when configuring and testing dictates a reboot. And Michel is up to something with his Pi, I'm sure I will find something to follow along with there My 2 B as a prod only environment experiences just the final tested changes.
Teken Posted April 27, 2015 Author Posted April 27, 2015 TEKEN YOUR USE OF PROFANITY IS GROWING AND ABSURD. UDI, CANCEL THE TEKEN ACCESS! Really, I didn't notice that it was growing at all vs how I express myself each and every day. Should you find what I write offensive may I suggest you place me on the ignore list? Either this has bothered you for sometime or you lack sleep and are just irritable? I wasn't aware you had a omni presence where requesting a member to be banned and access revoked was your role?? Do me a favor, if you see no value in this discussion simply leave, OK? I don't understand why you're attacking me for expressing my views and having an opinion. I am always open to dialog and conversing with others even if we do not agree on specific topic. Regardless, your use of CAP's is in your reply is offensive to say the least. But, gather you're truly mad so this is your emphasis to me, yes? Perhaps what you should have done is come to me via PM and discussed your dissatisfaction with me in private. But instead you came into a positive thread where members are trying to share knowledge on hardware / software and turn it into some kind of grade school screaming match. I am unsure why this is but rest assured I am not going to take any of your crap, OK
G W Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Wow! Is this a test to see how we will react? Too much for me. I think both parties acted wrong.
Xathros Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 Personally, I am not offended by the language in this thread but I can see the need to keep the forums PG-13. I don't believe Teken meant any harm or disrespect with his statements. I hope we can all get past this as I believe this community thrives on the input from people like LeeG, Teken, Brian H and many others. I'd hate to see this community fall apart over something so insignificant. Just my .02 -Xathros
LeeG Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 It took a few minutes to find these. What would a full search find? raped [censored] . . . crap WTF farting *** piss Sorry if I was the only that does not like this language. I have moved on to other environments.
Teken Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 It took a few minutes to find these. What would a full search find? raped [censored] . . . crap WTF farting *** piss Sorry if I was the only that does not like this language. I have moved on to other environments. Moderator Suite On: The hall mark of any person is having the ability to stop, look, and listen. In the many years of moderating dozens of Internet forums from small to large. Having to deal with people from a vast age range, education, and ethnic back ground. Sometimes its best to ignore those topics or individuals that spark a flame. I have always been known to have a open door policy when dealing with people. I pride myself in being discreet and considerate at all times when dealing with people in a open forum. Communication is key in all parts of being a moderator and being a good steward of the community. When conflict occurs with two people its always best to engage those individuals directly. Doing so insures privacy and shows respect for the other because that person took the time and effort to do so. Finding common ground is key, other times it can not be found. So, the end result is respecting the other persons views, thoughts, and ideas. I always remind myself that people have opposing views and some topics such as religion / politics are sensitive to others. While trying to relay thoughts, ideas, and beliefs are often hard to do in written text. This is where inflection and the use of graphical emoticon's often help, or insight others. At the end of the day the forums are about sharing information and hopefully others will learn from such knowledge. Moderator Suite Off: Since I am not a moderator in this forum and in the Coffee Shop discussing a random topic that has interest to me. I should be more cog-nascent that random people will be reading my written text and not have a clue who I am or what I mean at any given time. I gather this is true in most cases in real life . . . Will you ever truly know someone even in a lifetime? Its clear to anyone who has ever read any of my replies, writing, rants, etc. That I write with passion, intent, and meaning and this is translated into the real world. There isn't one single thread in any forum that I would not recite to someone face to face. Why?? Because I believe in what I say and express those thoughts the very best I can when doing so. Sometimes its safe to say I let my emotions get the better of me because I have strong feelings about a topic or comment. I make no apology for anything I say, write, or do. What I do have to consider is sometimes my views, written text may cause friction or mayhem! That is never my intent but make it clear there are times I simply won't mince words simply to be PC. I often find the world we live in is saturated by sheep, followers, and brainless wannabee's. I always enjoy a good conversation, debate, and sometimes a heated argument! But always temper my replies for the venue and forums I am in. Perhaps my writing struck a cord with in you and hence why you felt compelled to write today. After a few hours I thought to myself perhaps LeeG has a valid point. How can we ever grow and do better if no one lets you know where you failed? Perhaps this is something I can do better in . . . For the record the following phrases would never have been structured as so: raped [censored] . . . crap WTF farting *** piss. It would have been that that dirty [censored], or simply [censored]! Crap, maybe crap load? But don't believe I use this phrase very often as it doesn't really suit my writing style. Well WTF is truly WTF??? What more is there to say when you are in shock and awe? Farting around, **** in the wind, I dunno not too sure if that is something I use too often so need context. Piss poor would be a common one for me. ***? More than likely I emphasize this with Aszz which is common but I digress.
larryllix Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I was finally able to make my initial purchase of a few RPi 2's today. Given I have been searching high and low for a place that would sell and ship them to Canada with out getting raped is quite the feat! For those who already have this little computing marvel are there any must haves on your list? Off the top of my head are the following items I am buying in no specific order. 1. Piface RTC to have accurate time while off line. 2. Back up PSU for portable use and during electrical events. 3. Multi level stacking case. 4. VESA mounting frame kit. 5. LCD screen. 6. Blue Tooth dongle. 7. VGA adapter dongle. I already have the power supply, micro USB WiFi, keyboard, mouse, etc. My big stumbling block for RPi was the HDMI monitor. This is not some old monitor I had laying around and I have many. HDMI on monitors is a newer concept and I found one with actual speakers and an amplifier so they actually work on my development station.
G W Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 My big stumbling block for RPi was the HDMI monitor. This is not some old monitor I had laying around and I have many. HDMI on monitors is a newer concept and I found one with actual speakers and an amplifier so they actually work on my development station.I guess you don't want to hear that DisplayPort has replaced HDMI.
MFBra Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 What about a directory or a dedicated wiki chapter for RPi and ISY? (Sorry if already exists, could not find it). After reading here I also bought my first, to integrate the beacons I bought, but now it's a simple file server (need to improve it) and my central "dispatcher" for shutdown commands when there is a power failure, it's connected to the UPS using a software called apcupsd. Ranking up my project list.... Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk
larryllix Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 What about a directory or a dedicated wiki chapter for RPi and ISY? (Sorry if already exists, could not find it). After reading here I also bought my first, to integrate the beacons I bought, but now it's a simple file server (need to improve it) and my central "dispatcher" for shutdown commands when there is a power failure, it's connected to the UPS using a software called apcupsd. Ranking up my project list.... Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk This thread should have been here. It seems to be hard for people to navigate to. http://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/87-raspberry-pi/
Teken Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 What about a directory or a dedicated wiki chapter for RPi and ISY? (Sorry if already exists, could not find it). After reading here I also bought my first, to integrate the beacons I bought, but now it's a simple file server (need to improve it) and my central "dispatcher" for shutdown commands when there is a power failure, it's connected to the UPS using a software called apcupsd. Ranking up my project list.... Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk This thread should have been here. It seems to be hard for people to navigate to. http://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/87-raspberry-pi/ Oh great now there is more to read! I was doing a dry run of the set up while I wait for the RPi's to arrive from China. I noticed lots of the video's reference several steps which seem to have changed since the RPi has launched. While unzipping the Noobs folder there was no IMG file within. After looking at the read me file they have made this extremely simple for the Noob. All you need to do is unzip and copy all of the folders / files over to the formatted micro SD card. I am not a fan of the Win32DiskImager as it has been a little slow and buggy for me. I also didn't use the SDformatter indicated by the read me file and instead used the Windows format tool. I think moving forward I should stop skipping the instructions and follow them to the T. Nothing is more aggravating to have a new toy and it doesn't operate as expected. Only to find out the reason it didn't work is because you were too stupid to follow basic instructions. Ha . . . I'm going to redo these first two cards outlined by the EDOC.
paulbates Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I think the advantage of Win32diskimg is to make back ups. Once you get setup, it's good to have a fairly recent working image when a card goes bad eventually Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Teken Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 I think the advantage of Win32diskimg is to make back ups. Once you get setup, it's good to have a fairly recent working image when a card goes bad eventually Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Exactly, what my plan was after looking at some of the project goals. Once I am sure of how I want the base system to operate and related software I will use this tool or similar to copy the micro SD card. Makes deploying images much faster especially with eight RPi's.
Xathros Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I think the advantage of Win32diskimg is to make back ups. Once you get setup, it's good to have a fairly recent working image when a card goes bad eventually Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Exactly, what my plan was after looking at some of the project goals. Once I am sure of how I want the base system to operate and related software I will use this tool or similar to copy the micro SD card. Makes deploying images much faster especially with eight RPi's. Being on a Mac, I used the Mac's DiskUtility for this. It works just fine assuming the destination card is equal to or larger in capacity. By "equal to" I mean IDENTICAL. I tried to restore an image taken from a Trancend 32Gb card to a Sandisk Ultra 32Gb card and failed as the block count was slightly lower on the Sandisk card. Ended up having to manually create the partitions and rsync each over to the new card. That worked but was a pain. I would recommend setting a standard for the card brand, type and size and have some extras on hand to clone to when needed. -Xathros
Teken Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 It's truly funny that you just called this out. While in the middle of formatting a few Samsung 32 GB class 10 cards one of them shows some m***ive errors.Indicates it's locked and has an insane capacity of 256 GB? The other 12 cards appears correct and formatted correctly. It never ceases to amaze me where a fault can happen. I won a auction for 100 SD adaptors and some of them simply will not register in the computer! I had to laugh because I have been using a tried and true dollar store multi reader for years. Where some of these so called named brands simply do not work! Random Thought: Why does the word m a s s i v e get star'd out??
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