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GET
STARTED
WITH RASPBERRY PI
FROM THE MAKERS OF THE OFFICIAL RASPBERRY PI MAGAZINE

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ESSENTIALS
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WELCOME TO
GET STARTED
WITH RASPBERRY PI!
Y
ou are holding, in your hands, a piece of history.
This isn’t just a book about a computer: It’s a book
with a computer.
Not just any computer either. Raspberry Pi 3A+ is an
incredibly well-designed microcomputer. And it’s part of
the most creative computer family on Earth.
With a Raspberry Pi, you can hack, make and build all
kinds of different things. It could be a digital camera, or a
retro games console, or a home media centre. Or a sensor on
board the International Space Station, or a programmable
Minecraft machine.
Almost everything you need to get started with a
Raspberry Pi computer is inside this kit, including a
memory card for the operating system and storage. All you
need to add is a USB keyboard and mouse, HDMI cable, and
5V micro USB power supply (such as a phone charger).
Our tutorials will guide you, step-by-step, from setting
up Raspberry Pi 3A+ hardware to learning how to use the
Raspbian operating system, through to hacking electronics
with the GPIO pins on your Raspberry Pi 3A+.
You’ll also learn how to program a computer with Scratch
and Python, two of the world’s best programming languages.
We’re so glad you’ve got Get Started with Raspberry Pi
with the Official Starter Kit. Now let’s begin…
Lucy Hattersley
Editor
FIND US ONLINE magpi.cc GET IN TOUCH magpi@raspberrypi.org
EDITORIAL DESIGN PUBLISHING

Editor: Lucy Hattersley Critical Media: criticalmedia.co.uk Publishing Director: Russell Barnes
Features Editor: Rob Zwetsloot Head of Design: Lee Allen russell@raspberrypi.org
Book Production Editor: Phil King Designers: Sam Ribbits. Mike Kay
Contributors: Wesley Archer, Gareth Illustrator: Sam Alder Advertising: Charlotte Milligan
Halfacree, Dave Honess, Sean McManus, charlotte.milligan@raspberrypi.org
Marc Scott, Mark Vanstone Tel: +44 (0)7725 368887
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This bookazine is printed on paper sourced from This official product is published by Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd., Maurice Wilkes Building, St. John’s Innovation Park, Cowley Road,
sustainable forests and the printer operates an Cambridge, CB4 0DS. The publisher, editor and contributors accept no responsibility in respect of any omissions or errors relating
environmental management system which has to goods, products or services referred to or advertised in the magazine. Except where otherwise noted, content in this magazine is
been assessed as conforming to ISO 14001. licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). ISBN: 978-1-912047-70-3.
Get Started With Raspberry Pi 3

Contents 06 GETTING STARTED 58 TV HAT
Learn about Raspberry Pi 3A+ Stream live TV from and to a Raspberry Pi
08 EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED 60 SENSE HAT MP3 PLAYER

What’s required to get up and running Make your own music player
10 SET UP YOUR RASPBERRY PI 3A+ 64 CAMERA MODULE

Put it in its case and get it connected Set up and use a Raspberry Pi camera
12 INSTALLING RASPBIAN 72 PICTURES FROM SPACE

Use your memory card to install the OS Receive radio signals from the ISS
14 RASPBERRY PI STARTER GUIDE 78 THE 50 BEST TIPS

Explore the Raspbian desktop and more Master Raspberry Pi with these tricks
22 LEARN TO CODE 88 BUILD A SAMBA FILE SERVER

Start programming with Scratch and Python Share your files with other computers
34 GPIO ZERO 92 USE SSH

Control the pins on your Raspberry Pi Remotely control your Raspberry Pi
38 HOW TO USE A BREADBOARD 96 SWITCH TO THE COMMAND LINE

Prototype electronic circuits Discover the power of terminal commands
40 MAKE WITH CODE 102 INSIDE RASPBERRY PI 3A+

Create electronic projects with Raspberry Pi Behind the scenes with the team who built it
50 RASPBERRY PI ACCESSORIES 110 SAFETY AND USER GUIDE

The best add-ons, HATs, and expansions Technical info for your Raspberry Pi 3A+
GETTING STARTED 06 MAKE WITH CODE 40
INSTALLING RASPBIAN 24
4 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

CONTENTS
SENSE HAT MP3 PLAYER 62
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED 08
LEARN TO CODE 34 PICTURES FROM SPACE 72 THE 50 BEST TIPS 78
USE SSH 104
TV HAT 58 CAMERA MODULE 64

FEATURE
GETTING
STARTED
WITH RASPBERRY PI 3A+
Packing an incredible amount of power into a small form
factor, Raspberry Pi 3A+ is a superb single-board computer
R
aspberry Pi 3A+ is a low-cost microcomputer keep the size down, it lacks an Ethernet port and
packed onto a single board. While smaller than features a single USB port – so you’ll need a USB hub
a Raspberry Pi 3B+, it packs all of the latter’s to connect more than one device.
processing power into a more compact form factor A full-size HDMI socket enables you to use a
– not as tiny as a Raspberry Pi Zero, but still small standard HDMI cable to connect to a TV or monitor. It
enough to fit in the palm of your hand. uses the same micro USB power input as most other
Despite its diminutive stature, Raspberry Pi 3A+ Raspberry Pi devices, and you can use an official
is no toy: it is a fully-fledged microcomputer with a adapter or salvage a high-quality power supply from a
1.4GHz quad-core ARM CPU and 512MB RAM. It packs mobile phone (2.5 A output is recommended).
enough technology to run the full version of the Other ports include a 3.5 mm AV jack (which you can
Raspbian operating system with ease. use to output audio or connect to a non-HDMI TV) and
Raspberry Pi 3A+ is a versatile device that’s ideal a connector to attach a Raspberry Pi Camera Module
for creating Internet of Things and embedded projects to turn Raspberry Pi 3A+ into a low-cost camera for
requiring more power than a Raspberry Pi Zero. To taking photos and recording videos.
RASPBERRY PI 3A+
Powerful processor Small form factor
Raspberry Pi 3A+ packs It offers a full computer
a powerful 1.4GHz experience, complete
quad-core ARM 54 with the Raspbian
CPU with 512MB RAM, operating system, in a
enabling it to run a smaller form factor than
full desktop operating a full-size Raspberry Pi
system with ease. 3B+ or 4 model.

FEATURE
A full-size
HDMI port means
you can connect a
TV or monitor using a
standard HDMI cable
Devices like
keyboards and
This connector enables mice are connected
you to add a Raspberry Pi to the USB port;
Camera Module to take you may need a
photos and videos USB hub
Hooking a Raspberry Pi 3A+ up to the

internet is easy, thanks to built-in wireless
networking. It also features Bluetooth 4.2 and
LE so you can attach wireless devices.
Raspberry Pi 3A+ has the full 40‑pin
GPIO header of the other Raspberry Pi
models, enabling you to connect and control
electronics or plug in various HAT (Hardware
Attached on Top) devices.
Setting up a Raspberry Pi 3A+ is relatively
simple and the end result is a pocket-sized,
powerful, versatile computer that runs a full
operating system and can be used for a whole
range of projects.
GPIO to go
The 40-pin GPIO
(general-purpose input/
output) header enables
Raspberry Pi to talk to
other hardware, from
The official case supplied in your Starter Kit
LEDs and buttons to protects Raspberry Pi 3A+ while offering access to all its
ports and pins, thanks to cutouts and a removable lid
special add-on boards.

FEATURE
EQUIPMENT
YOU’LL NEED
All the kit you need to get a Raspberry Pi up
and running for the first time
Y
ou don’t require much To get the most out of your
to get your Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi in the long term,
started: a smartphone though, you should use high-
charger, a recycled HDMI cable, quality components.
and a keyboard and mouse are all Not all USB power supplies
you need. are born equal. A reliable
Most items can be sourced branded supply (such as the
from spare computer hardware official Raspberry Pi one) will
around the house, or begged and provide a steady stream of
borrowed from friends and family. power, even when you attach
If you’re looking for the ultimate multiple devices to Raspberry Pi.
in low‑cost computing, Raspberry Any equipment you can’t recycle
Pi is it. can be picked up from various
You should be able to source, online retailers, such as The Pi Hut
salvage, and scavenge most and Pimoroni. For official add-ons,
equipment you need to get a visit the Raspberry Pi products page
Raspberry Pi up and running. (rpf.io/products).
IN YOUR KIT: MICRO SD CARD

The microSD card in your kit acts as the hard drive
for your Raspberry Pi. After removing it from the SD
adaptor, you install the Raspbian operating system
onto the card, then all your documents, files, and
projects are saved to it as you work. The microSD
card in your Starter Kit is a high-quality piece
of equipment and comes with NOOBS pre-installed.
If you want to use a larger capacity card, take a look at
the results from benchmark tests done by Raspberry Pi
fan Jeff Geerling. Some cards run up to four times as fast
as others. You can read more at magpi.cc/xZLRky.

FEATURE
The lid of the

official Raspberry Pi
case can be unclipped,
offering fast access to
the GPIO pins on the
board inside
Raspberry
Pi 3A+ can be used
without a case, but
it’s better protected
inside one
The official
case features
cutouts to provide
easy access to
all of the ports on
Raspberry Pi 3A+
HDMI cable USB power

An HDMI cable is the easiest way to connect your Raspberry A good 2.5 A power supply provides you with enough power
Pi to a computer monitor or television. You don’t need an to run your Raspberry Pi 3A+. Many people use an Android
expensive one, and most people recycle one from an old or iPhone adapter and micro USB cable. Or you can buy an
games console or DVD player. official Universal Power Supply (magpi.cc/2a14pye).
Keyboard and mouse USB hub

Any standard USB keyboard and mouse can be used with Raspberry Pi 3A+ has a single USB socket. You may be
Raspberry Pi – or a Bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse, but able to connect a wired mouse to a spare USB socket
wired devices are easier to set up. The official Raspberry Pi on your keyboard. Otherwise, you'll need a USB hub
Keyboard (magpi.cc/keyboard) features a built-in USB hub like this (magpi.cc/2ykHg8r). Connect the mouse and
to connect a mouse and other devices. keyboard to the hub, and the hub to Raspberry Pi 3A+.

FEATURE
SET UP YOUR
RASPBERRY PI 3A+
Discover how to set up your Raspberry Pi 3A+ Starter Kit and start using it
S
o, you’ve unpacked your Starter Kit and keyboard and mouse you’ll either have to daisy-chain
You’ll Need are wondering what to do with all the bits? them using the USB port on the keyboard (if it has
Fear not, as here we’ll guide you step by step one) or use a USB hub.
> Your Starter Kit
through the process of setting up the hardware and On another edge of the board, you’ll see a full-size
> USB mouse installing the Raspbian operating system. HDMI port for connecting your Raspberry Pi 3A+ to a
> HDMI cable Raspberry Pi 3A+ may be small, but it’s a fully TV or monitor – all you need is a standard HDMI cable.
> micro USB fledged computer. To keep the size of the board down, Turning your Raspberry Pi 3A+ board over, you’ll
power supply however, it lacks the Ethernet port featured on larger see a small silver slot – this is where you’ll insert your
models (such as Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4) and there is microSD card from the Starter Kit. Let’s start putting
only a single USB port. Therefore, to connect both a it all together…
micro USB
power port:
plug in your
power supply
here, such as a
mobile phone
charger
HDMI port: use USB port:

a standard HDMI you’ll need a USB
cable to connect to hub to connect more
a TV or monitor than one device

FEATURE
HOW TO: SET UP RASPBERRY PI 3A+
>STEP-01 >STEP-04
Put it in the case Connect to a TV
Place your Raspberry Pi 3A+ into the red base of the Insert a standard HDMI cable into the large HDMI
case, making sure that the USB, HDMI, 3.5 mm AV, and port and connect the other end of the cable to an
power ports line up with the cutouts in the case. HDMI socket on your TV or monitor. Turn the latter
on and select the appropriate video input.
>STEP-02 >STEP-05
Insert microSD card Power it up
Turn the case over. That silver slot takes microSD You’re now ready to power up your Raspberry Pi.
cards like the NOOBS one in your Starter Kit. Insert Connect a power supply (such as a phone charger) to
the card into the slot with its metal contacts facing its micro USB port. There is no on/off switch, so turn
down – it’ll only fit one way. on the power at the mains.
>STEP-03 >STEP-06
Plug in a mouse Install Raspbian
Connect a standard mouse to the USB port. If using a A menu will soon appear on screen. Click the checkbox
keyboard with its own USB port/hub, you could daisy- to the left of Raspbian, then click Install – it’ll take a
chain a keyboard and mouse, but only a mouse is while. When prompted, click OK to start up Raspbian
needed for initial setup. and after a few seconds you’ll see its desktop interface.

FEATURE
INSTALLING
RASPBIAN
Discover how to use NOOBS to quickly set up the Raspbian
operating system on your Raspberry Pi
B
efore you start using your Buster, hence the name Raspbian operating systems. Beginners
Raspberry Pi, it needs to (sometimes you’ll hear it called should start with NOOBS (New Out
have an operating system ‘Raspbian Buster’). Of Box Software). More advanced
(OS). This is the software used to You can install a range of users may copy an image file
start the hardware, and open and different OSes on a Raspberry Pi, containing a whole operating
close programs. including LibreELEC, a version of system directly to the SD card.
Most Raspberry Pi owners use the Kodi Entertainment Centre In your Starter Kit is a microSD
an open-source operating system software. To view and install other card (inside the larger SD adapter)
called Raspbian, which is based on OSes, click on the ‘Wifi Networks’ preloaded with NOOBS.
Linux. The current version is based option in the NOOBS menu. If you wish to use a different
on a version of Linux called Debian Raspbian is the official OS and microSD card, you must first
the one most beginners should start wipe it using the Windows FAT32
with, however. It’s the simplest format The easiest way to do this on
to install, easiest to use, and most a Mac or Windows PC is to use SD
projects and tutorials use Raspbian Card Formatter (magpi.cc/sdcard).
as their base. Connect your microSD card to a
Mac or Windows PC, typically using
NOOBS automates the
process of installing
Start with NOOBS a microSD-to-SD card adapter or a
Raspbian. Select the There are two approaches to USB card reader, and use SD Card
Raspbian option and
click on Install to run it installing Raspbian and other Formatter to erase the card.
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Raspbian Windows 10 IoT Core Ubuntu MATE
The official operating system is the Not the full version of Windows, Ubuntu is one of the world’s most
easiest to use, and the one beginners but Windows 10 IoT Core enables popular Linux operating systems, and
should start with. It works a lot like programmers to run Internet of Ubuntu MATE is a lightweight version
other popular operating systems. Things and embedded projects. that runs just fine on the Raspberry Pi.

FEATURE
SETTING UP
and the message ‘OS(es) Installed
NOOBS
Successfully’. Click OK to start
using your Raspberry Pi.
Format SD card
Open SD Card Formatter and you'll see
Installing image files your memory card in the Drive letter.

Change the Volume Label to BOOT
Installing an operating system
so you can identify it later. Now click
directly from an image file (rather
Option and change Format Type to Full
than via NOOBS) is a slightly more
(Erase). Ensure Format Size Adjustment
complex procedure, but one that
is set to Off and click OK. Click Format,
more advanced users should learn.
then OK. Click Exit to close SD Card
You format the microSD card to
NOOBS automatically copies all the files needed
Formatter when it’s finished.
to run Raspbian onto your microSD card FAT32 as usual, then download the
operating system as an image file, a
Next, download the NOOBS large file ending in ‘.img’. This file
ZIP file from magpi.cc/2bnf5XF. is then copied bit by bit as an exact
Extract the contents of the file and replica to the microSD card.
open the NOOBS folder. Copy the There are various methods for
contents across to the root of the doing this, but the easiest way
SD card. See the ‘Setting up NOOBS’ is by using an application called
steps for more information. balenaEtcher (etcher.io).
Download NOOBS
The microSD card in your kit already
With the NOOBS files copied Etcher turns the whole process
has NOOBS installed on it. So you
across, remove the microSD card of flashing an OS image file into
should only use these instructions
from your computer and slot it into three simple steps: Select Image,
to reinstall NOOBS. In a browser,
your Raspberry Pi. Now connect the Select Drive, and Flash Image. So it’s
visit magpi.cc/2bnf5XF. Click on
keyboard, mouse, and HDMI cable. difficult to go wrong.
Download ZIP. When the zip file
Finally, attach the USB power to More importantly, the same
download is complete, double-click it
boot up the Raspberry Pi. program, with the same interface,
to uncompress the folder.
The Raspberry Pi will boot, is available on all three types of
displaying the NOOBS installer computer – Windows, macOS, and
menu. To install Raspbian, place Linux – which makes it easy for
a tick next to the Raspbian option everybody to understand.
and click Install. Click Yes in the Learning how to copy image
Confirm alert to begin installing it. files is essential if you want to
Now you just need to wait use operating systems other than
while the Raspbian file system Raspbian or the ones included in the
is extracted. When it’s finished, NOOBS installer. Beginners should
Copy NOOBS files
Open the freshly extracted folder so
you’ll see the Raspbian desktop stick with NOOBS and Raspbian.
you can view all the files. You’ll need
to copy all the files from the NOOBS
folder to your SD card. Press CTRL+A
(⌘+A on a Mac) to select all the files,
then drag all the files to the SD card
LibreELEC OSMC folder. Once they’ve copied across,
Based on Kodi, LibreELEC is ideal Also based on Kodi, OSMC (Open eject your SD card. Be careful to copy
for setting up your Raspberry Pi as Source Media Centre) is an easy way the files inside the NOOBS folder to
a home theatre PC to play back and to transform your Raspberry Pi into a the microSD card (not the NOOBS
stream video and audio. video and audio player. folder itself).

FEATURE
P I
RRY
R B E
E
RAS P
START
GUIDE
S
o, you’ve followed our guides and now
Get to know
have your Raspberry Pi 3A+ hardware set
up and have installed Raspbian from the
NOOBS microSD card. What next?
We’re here to help with a Starter Guide that
your brand new

should teach you some of the basics (and beyond!)
of how to use it. First, we’ll give you a guided tour
of the Raspbian operating system, show you how
Raspberry Pi
to configure its settings, introduce you to some
awesome applications, and reveal how to install
extra software. We’ll also show how to connect
to and control your Raspberry Pi remotely from
By Sean McManus another computer using SSH and VNC.

FEATURE
Meet Raspbian with Desktop

01 03 06
01 Click the Raspberry Pi
logo to open the applications
02 04 07 05
menu. This is where you’ll
find the software that’s pre-
installed in Raspbian, and 09
anything else you add later.
02 Click the globe for quick

access to the Chromium
web browser.
03 Click the folders to

open the File Manager. You
can use it to find, move, 08
copy, and delete files on
your storage devices. Why
not explore the Linux
file system?
04 Find the Terminal here.

It gives you powerful tools
for managing your files and
devices, and the command
line is often the quickest way
to get things done.
05 Volume control. Right- hover the mouse pointer wirelessly control your store your files in the
click to select audio output. over the icon to see your Raspberry Pi device. /home/pi folder.
Raspberry Pi’s IP address.
06 WiFi options. Turn 08 File Manager. Use the 09 With basic, scientific,
WiFi on and off, and switch 07 Manage Bluetooth hierarchical browser on and paper modes, this
networks here. If the icon connections. You can use the left or the Go menu to calculator is handy. Find it
is blue like this, you’re Bluetooth devices such find devices connected to in the Accessories section of
connected. You can also as keyboards and mice to Raspberry Pi. You should the applications menu.
Raspberry Pi Configuration
Need to adjust some settings? The To adjust the amount of memory for
Raspberry Pi Configuration tool is the GPU or to set older Raspberry Pi
in the Preferences section of the models to run faster (overclocking),
applications menu. In its System tab, visit the Performance tab.
you can change your password, adjust You can change the time zone,
display options, and set Raspberry keyboard, and other geographic
Pi to boot to the command-line options in the Localisation tab.
interface (CLI) instead of the desktop. There are separate options in
In the Interfaces tab, you can Preferences for configuring the
enable connections, including appearance, audio, main menu,
remote GPIO access and the camera. mouse and keyboard, and screen.
FEATURE
O ME S
AWES
ICA TION
APPL
Discover some of the software Claws Mail | INTERNET
Send and receive email. The setup wizard
that comes with Raspbian, and helps you add your email account, and the
streamlined interface shows you your mailboxes,
find out how to install more message list, and a preview of the selected message.
R
aspbian comes with a selection of pre-
installed software (which depends on VLC | SOUND & VIDEO
which version you install), so you can start Listen to music while you’re coding using
working, learning, and making things straight VLC, a fully featured media player for
away. Ranging from productivity suites to games, music and video. It can play digital files, streams,
you’ll find a well-curated collection of software is and physical media such as CDs and DVDs.
just a click away, in the applications menu. There
are lots more packages to browse and install, too.
Minecraft Pi | GAMES
We call it a game, but it’s more a way
LibreOffice Writer | OFFICE of life. With Minecraft Pi, you can build
No computer is complete without a word things in Creative mode, and write programs to
processor. LibreOffice Writer has all the change the (game) world.
font and formatting options you would expect, and
has basic compatibility with Microsoft Word.
Python Games | GAMES
These tea-break games are fun, but
LibreOffice Calc | OFFICE they’re also great Python demos. Find the
Work out your budgets with this code in the /usr/share/python_games folder, and
spreadsheet package. If you’re familiar open it in a Python editor to see how it works.
with Microsoft Excel, you’ll feel at home here.
LibreOffice Calc can open and use typical Excel files.
SmartSim | PROGRAMMING
Experiment with designing and testing
LibreOffice Impress | OFFICE digital logic circuits. You can develop
If you’re presenting to a room of people, custom components and then incorporate them
don’t panic: Impress has your back. Use into other circuits. Download examples and read
it to craft and display your slide deck. It’s largely tutorials at smartsim.org.uk.
compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint.
Sense HAT Emulator

Chromium | INTERNET PROGRAMMING
Chromium is the open-source version This emulator features on-screen
of Google Chrome. The default search controls to simulate temperature, pressure,
engine in Raspbian is Duck Duck Go, which humidity, and device position changes. A great way
promises not to track you online. to try out the Sense HAT before you buy one!

FEATURE
Updating your software Why not

Linux software comes in packages,
which are compressed archives install
these?
that you can download. A package
manager is used to find and install
them, including any other software
they need to work.
Use Add/Remove Software to
Fritzing | PROGRAMMING
Design and document your
update your packages. From the
electronics circuits based on
menu, choose Preferences > Add / Remove Software. Click on
Raspberry Pi with this design tool. We use
Options and Check for Updates.
it to make circuit diagrams in The MagPi.
You can also update from Terminal. In Raspbian, the package
manager is called APT. Updating all the software from the Terminal
is a two-step process. First, enter sudo apt-get update in the
Terminal to update the cache of available software. Then enter
GNU Image
sudo apt-get upgrade to update the software installed on Raspberry
Manipulation Program
Pi. You’ll be told what changes will be made and asked to confirm by
(GIMP) | GRAPHICS
GIMP is a powerful image editor. You can
typing Y and pressing ENTER.
use it to create digital art, but its best
feature is probably the clone tool, which
enables you to retouch holiday photos.
Mathematica
PROGRAMMING
Good for more than just maths,
Mathematica uses the Wolfram language,
which has data and intelligence built
in. Install it from Recommended
Software, in the Preferences section of
the applications menu.
Installing software
The easiest way to manage software is to use the Add / Remove
Software tool in the Preferences part of the applications menu. It
provides a visual front-end for the package manager.
You can click a category on the left to browse applications, or
enter a keyword in the search box in the top-left to look for a
particular application. Choose the applications you want to install
by ticking the box beside them. Some packages require other
packages to work properly, but the tool will take care of that for
you. To remove an application, untick its box. When you’ve made
your choices, click OK to install or remove your software.
FEATURE
NECTED
T CON
GE If your Raspberry Pi is up in a tree photographing nature, you don’t
want to climb up there just to update it. Log in remotely and take control
T
here are two technologies you can use to The software for SSH is pre-installed on
connect to your Raspberry Pi from another Linux, macOS, and Windows 10. Start by opening
device: Secure Shell (SSH) and Virtual the command line. On a Mac, find it by typing
Network Computing (VNC). Before you can use ‘Terminal’ into the Spotlight search. On Windows
them, they need to be switched on in the Raspberry 10, Use +R to open the Run dialog box, then
Pi Configuration settings. To do so, click the type in cmd.
Interfaces tab, then enable SSH and/or VNC. Once you’re in the command line, enter
Both approaches require you to know the IP ssh pi@198.51.100.0, but replace the numbers
address of your Raspberry Pi. The easiest way to find with the IP address of your own Raspberry Pi
it is to hover the mouse pointer over the WiFi icon device. The ‘pi’ bit is your username.
in the taskbar. Alternatively, click the Terminal icon
and enter ifconfig. It will show you all your network
connections. You’re looking for an IP address, which
SH enables you to use
S
will be four numbers with a dot between them,
like 198.51.100.0. You’ll find it beside ‘inet’, in the
the command line on your
details for wlan0 if you’re using WiFi or in the eth0 Raspberry Pi remotely, so
summary if you’re plugged in to the network.
it’s very handy
Using SSH
SSH enables you to use the command line on The first time you connect to a device using SSH,
your Raspberry Pi remotely, so it’s very handy for you’ll see a warning that shows the ECDSA key
installing software and fixing configuration files. for the device you’re trying to connect to. You can
You can’t use SSH to run any applications that need (if you wish) validate that this is correct by using
the graphical desktop, though. ssh‑keygen -l -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key.pub
in the Raspberry Pi Terminal. But it’s usually OK to
Tip! just type in yes and then press ENTER to confirm

you want to connect.
You’ll be asked to enter the password for your
See our SSH Raspberry Pi device. You won’t see the cursor move
tutorial on page 96 while you do this, so type on regardless. When you
for more detailed press ENTER, you’re in! You’ll see a Linux welcome
information on message, the date and time of your last login, and
using SSH to then the Raspbian command prompt, waiting for
remotely control a instructions. When you’ve finished, enter exit to
Raspberry Pi. leave the SSH session.
If you’re using an earlier version of Windows,
download PuTTY from putty.org. Enter your
Raspberry Pi’s IP address in the Host Name box, and
click Open. Again, you’ll see a warning if this is your
first connection, which you can safely dismiss. Log
in as pi, and enter your password. Raspberry Pi is
Enable SSH and VNC before you try to use them now at your command!

FEATURE
Top Tips for VNC
At the top of VNC Viewer in the middle is a tiny

toolbar. The File Transfer option enables you to easily
copy files to Raspberry Pi.
Using VNC Viewer to manage Raspberry Pi from an iPad
Using VNC
Virtual Network Computing (VNC) enables you to
remotely access the Raspberry Pi desktop, so you
can manage files and run software using it. Some
people use VNC to share their keyboard, mouse, and
monitor between a PC and Raspberry Pi.
Raspbian includes VNC Server, which runs
automatically in the background if you’ve enabled it
in your settings. You’ll need to download and install
Send files from Raspberry Pi using the File Transfer
VNC Viewer (magpi.cc/FuGnye) on the device you
option in VNC Server in Raspbian. Use the three-bars
want to use to control Raspberry Pi. VNC Viewer is
menu (top-right) to find it.
available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. There are
also Android and iOS apps, so you can use VNC to
control Raspberry Pi from a mobile device, although
it’s rather fiddly without a real mouse and keyboard.
Optionally, by creating a RealVNC account and
registering your Raspberry Pi, you can then access it
from anywhere in the world using VNC Viewer.
When you start VNC Viewer, it’ll ask you to enter
a VNC Server address. This is the IP address you
noted when you ran ifconfig on your Raspberry Pi.
The first time you connect to a device, VNC
Viewer warns you that it has no record of
connecting to this device before, and shows you the
device’s signature and identification catchphrase.
To verify you’re connecting to the correct device,
click the VNC icon on the right of the taskbar in
Raspbian to see your device’s details.
VNC Viewer prompts you to enter the username
and password for the device you’re connecting to.
You’ll then see your Raspbian desktop in the VNC
Viewer window. You can now use your keyboard
and mouse (or touchscreen on a mobile device) Use the toolbar in VNC Viewer to start a chat
to control the Raspbian desktop, including using session with anyone using the server (Raspberry Pi
programs installed on Raspberry Pi. device) and anyone else connected to it remotely.
FEATURE
TO JOY
CODE
Raspberry Pi comes with everything
you need to start programming
I
f you’ve never programmed before, you’re
in for a treat. Raspbian comes with several
integrated development environments (IDEs)
you can use to write your own programs, supporting
languages that are friendly to use, and fun to tinker
with. If you’re a veteran coder, you’ll find powerful
IDEs are included to help you be productive, too.
Scratch 2 Node-RED
LANGUAGE: SCRATCH LANGUAGE: JAVASCRIPT/NODE-RED
With its friendly drag-and-drop commands and Node-RED enables you to use a flowchart to program
a library of sprites and sound effects, Scratch data flows for Internet of Things applications on
makes it simple to get started with coding. By Raspberry Pi. It uses JavaScript, the language of the
minimising typing, and guiding you to sensible web. Run the Node-RED console in Raspbian and
block combinations, it helps you to avoid common then visit http://localhost:1880 in your browser to
mistakes. Don’t be fooled by its accessibility, program it. For help, see nodered.org.
though: it’s a fully-fledged programming
language, with plenty of potential.
Greenfoot
LANGUAGE: JAVA
Thonny Java is one of the
LANGUAGE: PYTHON world’s most popular
Python is one of the most popular languages on programming
Raspberry Pi, and Thonny is our favourite way to languages. Greenfoot
Tip! edit it. In a single window it shows you your code,

the shell, and your data (variables), so you can easily
see what’s going on and fix any bugs that creep in.
makes it easier to
learn, by providing a friendly environment for
building simple games. The editor incorporates
See our Learn a game world, and you add Java code to image
to Code guide objects to control their interactions. Find out more
overleaf for Sonic Pi at greenfoot.org.
information on LANGUAGE: SONIC PI
how to get started Learn how to
programming compose and perform Geany
with Scratch music with code! LANGUAGE: LOTS!
and Python. Sonic Pi incorporates If you’re looking for a lightweight but powerful
synths, samples, and IDE, try Geany. It supports many languages,
effects that you can including HTML, C, Java, PHP, JavaScript, and Perl.
control by writing programs using a language based Its code auto-completion and syntax highlighting
on Ruby. You can develop and modify programs can help you code faster, and reduce errors. Our
while the music plays, to perform live concerts or favourite feature? Code folding, used to show or
improvise at home. hide logical chunks of code in a long program.

HE R
FURT
UR CES
RESO There’s a wealth of resources available to support
you as you learn more about Raspberry Pi and Raspbian
The Official Raspberry Official Raspberry Pi

Pi Beginner’s Guide Documentation
Available to buy in print and as a free PDF, The documentation provides concise user
this book shows you how to set up Raspberry guides for Linux, Minecraft, Sonic Pi, Scratch,
Pi, and gets you started with programming and Python. It’s also the place to go for
it in Scratch and Python. It also covers the advice on configuring Raspberry Pi, hardware
Sense HAT and Raspberry Pi Camera Module, specifications, and remote access tips. Useful
with code examples you can build and tailor. for both beginners and power users.
magpi.cc/BGbook rpf.io/docs
GPIO Zero Documentation Conquer the Command Line

See how easy it is to start programming your We publish a series of short books called The
own electronics projects for Raspberry Pi. MagPi Essentials, and this one explains the
The documentation for GPIO Zero shows you Terminal, including using it for connecting
how to connect up sensors, LEDs, motors, disks, compiling software, and backing up. You
and more. With a bag of cheap components, can download all the books in the series, and
you can start building your first circuits. past issues of The MagPi, at magpi.cc/issues.
rpf.io/gpiozero magpi.cc/CLIbook
Hacking and Python Games

Making in Minecraft Go behind the scenes of the Python games that
Minecraft on Raspberry Pi is a come pre-installed in Raspbian with Al Sweigart’s
great way into the world of coding. free online book. It explains the program code for
This book, another in The MagPi seven of the games in detail, and lets you study
Essentials series, shows you how to another four listings yourself.
shape the world with Python code, magpi.cc/RTfkvD
use a connected LED as a treasure
sensor, and use Sonic Pi and Node-
RED together with Minecraft.
magpi.cc/MCbook
FEATURE
LEARN TO
WITH SCRATCH & PYTHON

Anybody can learn to code! Programming a
computer is much easier than you think. Come
with us and we’ll help you get started
Sean
AUTHOR
McManus
Author/co-author
of inspiring coding
books including
Mission Python, Cool
Scratch Projects
in Easy Steps, and
Raspberry Pi For
Dummies. Get
free chapters at
Sean’s website.
sean.co.uk

FEATURE
p24 START
CODING WITH
SCRATCH
p27 CODE A
QUIZ GAME
WITH PYTHON
p30 MAKE AN
LED TORCH
L
earning to code can be one of the most profound WITH PYTHON
skills you will ever develop. With code, you can
control a computer. You can get it to do things for you,
and also control gizmos and other computers. Kick back and
let your computer do all the work. p31 BUILD AN
Sure, that’s cool. But coding is about more than that. It’s
ELECTRONIC
about understanding how computers work, and getting a
better understanding of how technology – and the modern GAME
world – works. It’s about breaking down problems into little
bits and solving them. It’s an amazingly helpful life skill.
That’s why it’s profound.
On a more practical level, knowing just a little code can
lead to better job opportunities; a little more can open up
well-paid and fun jobs. It’s an impressive skill to put on
your CV and anybody can do it. Anybody.
Coding is a lot easier than you think. And putting the
power of computing and digital making into the hands of
people is what Raspberry Pi is all about.
Raspberry Pi is ‘the little computer that could’, and
you’re ‘the person who can’. Don’t worry: you’ve got
this. We can help you get started.
Raspberry Pi is ‘the little

computer that could’, and you’re
‘the person who can’

FEATURE
Start coding
with Scratch
Beginners, arise! It’s time to take your first steps with
coding, as we introduce you to Scratch and Python, with
a sprinkling of twinkling LEDs! By Sean McManus
B
Start Scratch 2
eing able to write programs is like a superpower:
it means you can get your computer to do
01 Open Scratch by clicking on the Raspberry Pi
whatever you want. Join us as we show you Menu icon and choosing Programming > Scratch 2.
how to make your first programs using Scratch and You will see Scratch interface and a single
Python. You’ll also see how easy it is to build simple character in the top-left, known as ‘Scratch Cat’.
electronics projects. To control the Scratch Cat, we’re going to drag
A program is just a set of instructions. In Scratch, blocks from the Blocks Palette into the Scripts Area
the instructions are written with visual blocks that and join them together.
lock together to make a sequence called a script. Start by clicking on Events and drag the
The blocks are colour-coded to help you find when clicked block to the Scripts Area.
them. To find the brown blocks, for example, Now click on Motion and drag a
click the brown Events button above the point in direction 90 block and connect it the to
Blocks Palette. the bottom of the when clicked block.
Scratch makes coding easier, because you Click on the fields in the blocks to edit the
don’t need to worry about the spelling of numbers. Click on ‘90’ and change it to ‘0’.
commands. And everything is laid out in Now click and drag the blocks below, and edit
front of you. their numbers, to build a script for Scratch Cat.
This script runs when you click the green flag
above the Stage. It sets the cat’s movement
direction to up, puts the cat in the top-left corner
of the Stage, and sets it to always face left or right.
Then, the movement blocks inside the forever
Understanding bracket keep the cat moving all the time.
coordinates Click the green flag to run your script. Scratch

Cat will move to the left side and bounce up
The Scratch screen is divided into units called and down.
steps. When the cat moves 10 steps, it only makes
one movement, but that stride shifts it 10 positions
across the Stage. The middle of the Stage is at
You’ll Need x=0, y=0. The x-axis (left to right) runs from -240
to +240, and the y-axis (bottom to top) runs from
> Scratch 2 -180 to +180. The directions the sprite can move
in are numbered 0 (up), 90 (right), 180 or -180
> Raspbian with (down), and -90 (left). You can use numbers in
Desktop and between those numbers too, so -45 would be a
Recommended north-west direction. Why not try starting a new
Software
project and joining some Motion blocks together
> A good sense to experiment? You can run a script or a block by
of timing! clicking it, or use the when flag clicked block as
we did in our program here.

FEATURE
03
02
01
01 Blocks Palette: Find

instruction blocks here
02 Scripts Area: Drag and

04 drop blocks here to build
your script (program)
03 Buttons: Click to view

different types of blocks in
the Blocks Palette below
04 Sprite List: Select and

manage sprites here
Send a broadcast
02 The moving objects in Scratch, including
Click the Bananas sprite to add it to the Sprite
List. Notice that its Scripts Area is blank. We’ll Top Tip
the cat, are called sprites. One sprite can send a give Bananas two scripts. The first one sets the
message to all the other sprites using a broadcast. sprite’s size and makes it invisible when you click Get the
You can’t hear it or see it on screen, but sprites the green flag. The second runs when the cat right sprite
can listen for it, and then start a script when they broadcasts its fire message. Click and drag the
Make sure you’re
receive it. We’ll use a broadcast to make the cat blocks below to the Scripts Area.
adding scripts to
throw some bananas. Click the brown Events
the correct sprite.
button, and add the two blocks below to the Scripts You can select a
Area. This new script doesn’t join to the existing sprite by clicking
script (from Step 1) – it sits on its own in the same it in the Sprite List.
Scripts Area.
You need to change ‘message1’ to ‘fire’. Click
the down arrow next to ‘message1’ in the broadcast
block and choose New Message. Enter the message
name ‘fire’ and click OK.
As the program is running, when you tap SPACE,
the broadcast message is sent silently. Crafty!
When adding the glide block, drag the

y position block inside the round ‘y:’ field to
replace the ‘10’ default value.
The ‘fire’ broadcast makes the bananas jump
Add aerodynamic bananas
03 Scratch enables you to get results fast
to the cat (use the go to mouse-pointer block,
and choose Cat1 in its menu). Then it makes the
because it includes its own images and sounds. bananas visible, glides them across the screen, and
Click the first New Sprite button above the Sprite hides them again.
List (it will display ‘Choose sprite from library’ as Click the green flag, and tap SPACE to test.
you hover over it). Scratch Cat now throws bananas.

FEATURE
Top Tip
Blocks inside
Where next?
blocks We’re huge fans of Scratch at The MagPi, so
check out our past issues online for more Scratch
Some blocks can tutorials. Issue 5 includes a memory game, like
go inside other Simple Brian. Issue 34 has a multiple-choice quiz,
blocks. In Step 3, and our 2018 Annual included an introduction
the y position to electronics and Scratch. See issue 76 for
block keeps the a roundup of resources to help you learn
sprite’s y position Scratch, and don’t forget there’s a Scratch book
the same while in The MagPi’s own Essentials series
its x position (magpi.cc/learnscratch) and the Code Club Book
changes. of Scratch (magpi.cc/ccbook1).
Add monkey magic

04 Variables are names used to remember
information, such as a score, that might change.
Click the Data button and click Make a Variable.
Give it the name ‘score’, select For All Sprites, and
click OK. Let’s add a moving target for the cat to try
to hit. Click the ‘Choose sprite from library’ icon
and choose the Monkey2. Select Monkey2 in the
Sprites area and give it the script above.
The monkey’s script sets the new score variable
to 0 when the game starts, then makes the monkey
move up and down. Each sprite can have more
than one image: the Next Costume block cycles
through them, creating an animation. something is true – in this case, whether the
monkey is touching the bananas. If so, the blocks
inside its bracket are run. Here, those blocks
hide the monkey, add 1 to the score, and wait one
Add collision detection
05 Our monkey will react when it’s
second before showing the monkey again.
This whole code chunk goes inside the monkey’s
These last two
scripts add a struck by a bunch of bananas. To do that, forever bracket – below the next costume block
timer and make we use an if block; this checks whether – so the program keeps checking whether the
the monkey
react when it monkey has been hit.
sees bananas
Finishing touches
06 Let’s add a simple timer to stop the sprites
moving after 30 seconds, and make the monkey
react when it sees incoming bananas. Add these
two scripts to the monkey sprite. Now the game is
complete, why not try experimenting with it? Can
you make the monkey move erratically instead of
disappearing when it’s hit? Can you change the
sprites’ positions and directions to turn the game
sideways, making it more like Space Invaders?
What about adding more targets to hit? One of the
best ways to learn to code is by experimenting with
existing programs.

FEATURE
Code a quiz game

with Python
Make your own text quiz game that mangles famous
phrases using the Python language
M
any people progress from Scratch
to Python, a programming language
that is powerful, easy to get started
with, and much easier to read and write than
other languages.
We’re going to make a simple quiz question
generator that strips the vowels and shuffles the
01
spaces in a phrase. The player has to work out what
that phrase is.
We’ll be using Thonny, which provides a
friendly single-screen environment for running
and testing Python code. Like Scratch, the Thonny
IDE (integrated development environment) comes
pre-installed in the Raspbian with Desktop and 03
Recommended Software operating system.
02
Create a list of questions
01 As well as variables, Python has lists, which
can store multiple pieces of information. Our
program creates a list called questions. Each item
in the list is a piece of text, known as a string. In Python, strings are surrounded by double quotes
01 Type in and edit
to show where they start and end. The whole list is your program
code here
enclosed in square brackets, and there are commas
between the list items. Type in the code below, save 02 Enter direct
commands and
Getting
your program, and then click Run. If it worked, you see program input
should see no error messages in the Shell window. in the Shell here
indentation right 03 Keep track of the
import random data your program
Python uses indentation to show which is processing here
instructions belong to a function, an if statement,
or a repeating section. As you can see in Step 3 questions = ["As You Like It",
(overleaf), you can have multiple levels of "The Tempest", "Measure for Measure",
indentation. The last line belongs to the if "Much Ado About Nothing", You’ll Need
instruction, and that is repeated inside the for "The Comedy of Errors",
loop. The best way to get the indentation right is > Raspbian with
"King Lear", "Cymbeline",
to remember the colon at the end of the previous Desktop and
"Hamlet", "Coriolanus", "Othello",
line. Then, Thonny will add the indentation for you Recommended
automatically. If you forget, use four spaces at the "Love's Labour's Lost", Software
start of the line to insert the indentation. You’ll still "King John", "Julius Caesar",
> Thonny
need to fix that missing colon, though! "Edward III"]

FEATURE
Where next?
You can find Python code to dissect in most issues
of The MagPi. Issue 53 (magpi.cc/53) includes
a more in-depth beginner’s guide to Python,
Pick a random question
Top Tip 02 Python includes modules of prewritten
covering variables, looping with while and for,
branching with if, and functions, which we’ll
code you can use, such as the random module cover shortly in this guide. Issue 54 (magpi.cc/53)
Pesky we imported in Step 1. The first new instruction introduces object‑oriented programming in both
Scratch and Python. Issue 73 (magpi.cc/73)
punctuation! creates a new variable called chosen_phrase and
includes a roundup of Python books and online
puts a randomly chosen question into it. The resources. There is a book in our Essentials
Take care to
second line converts the chosen_phrase to upper series too, called Make Games with Python
add the colons
at the end of
case. Run the program a few times and look at the (magpi.cc/gameswithpython).
the if and else value of chosen_phrase in the Variables pane. You
instructions. The should see different names come up, although
code won’t work names can also repeat.
without them. Add a line of space between the code in Step 1 list. If it is not, the letter is added to the end of
and add the following code: puzzle. The += means ‘add at the end’. Run the
program, then test it’s working by looking at the
chosen_phrase = random.choice(questions) contents of puzzle in the Variables panel. It should
chosen_phrase = chosen_phrase.upper() contain no vowels, spaces, or apostrophes.
Add the following code to the program:
vowels = ["A", "E", "I", "O", "U", " ", "'"]

Strip the vowels and spaces puzzle = ""
03 Let’s create a new list of forbidden
characters, chiefly the vowels, but also the for letter in chosen_phrase:
space and the apostrophe. That last list item in if not letter in vowels:
the vowels list is an apostrophe inside double puzzle += letter
quotes. We create an empty string variable, called
puzzle. We’re going to go through each letter in
the phrase, check whether it’s in the vowels list,
and if not, add it to the end of the puzzle string. Insert random spaces
The for instruction sets up a repeating piece
04 Each character in the string can be referred
of code, called a loop. The instructions that to by its position number, starting at 0. The number
should be repeated are indented from left. Each is called an index, and you put it in square brackets
time around the loop, the variable letter is after the string. Try this in the Shell (click on the
set to contain the next character from the line starting with ‘>>>’). Instructions in the Shell
chosen_phrase string. The if instruction are carried out immediately. Enter the following:
checks whether the letter is in the vowels
print("Hello"[1])
You get ‘e’ back (because the first character is

number 0). You can get a chunk too (called a slice)
by giving a start and end index, like this:
print("Hello"[1:4])
It gives you ‘ell’ because the last index position
Debugging in Thonny (4) is left out. We’ll create a new list, called
puzzle_with_spaces, by adding chunks of the
You can step through the program slowly to see puzzle string and a space until there’s no puzzle
what it’s doing, which can help you to find errors. string left. The while loop repeats the indented
Click the Debug button in Thonny, then click the
instructions below as long as the length of puzzle
Over button to run through each instruction in turn.
Watch the Variables pane on the right to see how is more than 0. The group_length variable is
the lists and strings change at each stage of the given a random whole number (integer) from
program. Thonny also helps you avoid errors by 1 to 5. Then that many letters are added
highlighting unclosed brackets and double quotes. to puzzle_with_spaces from the front of
puzzle, plus a space. Those characters are

FEATURE
Python is easy to get started

with and much easier to read and
write than other languages
then cut off the front of puzzle. The slicing here

DOWNLOAD
only uses one number, so the other one is assumed
to be the start or end of the string.
quiz_game.py THE FULL CODE:
Add this code to your program:
> Language: Python magpi.cc/github82
puzzle_with_spaces = ""
001. import random
while len(puzzle) > 0: 002.
group_length = random.randint(1,5) 003. questions = ["As You Like It", "The Tempest",
puzzle_with_spaces += "Measure for Measure", "Much Ado About Nothing",
puzzle[:group_length] + " " "The Comedy of Errors", "King Lear", "Cymbeline",
puzzle = puzzle[group_length:] "Hamlet", "Coriolanus", "Othello","Love's Labour's Lost",
"King John", "Julius Caesar", "Edward III"]
004.
005. chosen_phrase = random.choice(questions)
Add collision detection 006. chosen_phrase = chosen_phrase.upper()
05 It prints the puzzle_with_spaces. It then 007.
uses the input() function to ask you what your 008. vowels = ["A", "E", "I", "O", "U", " ", "'"]
guess is. Your answer goes into the guess variable, 009. puzzle = ""
and is then converted to upper case to make sure 010.
it matches the correct answer if it’s right. The 011.
if instruction checks whether guess is the same 012. for letter in chosen_phrase:
as chosen_phrase. If so, it prints one message. 013. if not letter in vowels:
Otherwise, the instruction indented under else 014. puzzle += letter
runs, to tell you the right answer. In Python, one = 015.
is used to put a value into a variable, but two (==) 016.
are used to compare items in an if instruction. 017. puzzle_with_spaces = ""
Add this code to the end of the program: 018.
019.
print(puzzle_with_spaces) 020. while len(puzzle) > 0:
guess = input("What is your guess? ") 021. group_length = random.randint(1,5)
guess = guess.upper() 022. puzzle_with_spaces += puzzle[:group_length] + " "
023. puzzle = puzzle[group_length:]
if guess == chosen_phrase: 024.
print("That's correct!") 025.
else: 026. print(puzzle_with_spaces)
print("No. The answer is ", chosen_phrase) 027. guess = input("What is your guess? ")
028. guess = guess.upper()
Click the Run button and hopefully you’ll see some 029.
letters in the Shell and ‘What is your guess?’ Enter 030.
an answer and you’ll see ‘That’s correct!’ or ‘No. 031. if guess == chosen_phrase:
The answer is’ and the correct response. 032. print("That's correct!")
If you’ve typed the code out by hand, it’s likely 033. else:
that you’ll see an error message. Go through your 034. print("No. The answer is ", chosen_phrase)
code line-by-line and compare it to the full code
in quiz_game.py.

FEATURE
Build an LED torch

and electronic game
Discover how easy it can be to get lights blinking and buttons clicking using
GPIO Zero and use your new-found skills to build an electronic game
O
ne of the best things about the Raspberry Pi is the yellow wires in the diagram. The first button
that you can easily hook up your own electronics connects to the GPIO 2 pin on one side, and to
projects. Using some electronics components and the ground rail on the other side. We’ll connect
the GPIO Zero library, you can program a puzzle game the latter to a ground pin on the Pi, so anything
where you have to repeat a sequence of lights that plugged in that row of holes connects to ground.
gets longer each turn. You might remember a similar
electronic game from your childhood, but we call ours
Simple Brian. In The MagPi issue 77 (magpi.cc/77)
Connect your first LED
we showed how to use Python code to play the game
on screen. Here, we’ll show you how to make the
02 Always use a resistor when you connect an
electronic game itself, building on your new-found LED to your Pi, to prevent the LED drawing too
Python skills from Missing Vowels. much current and getting damaged. Both the LED
First, we’re going to show you how to build a and the resistor plug straight into your breadboard.
torch by lighting up LEDs. Let’s get going. The current flows from GPIO 18, through the
resistor, through the LED (lighting it up), to the
breadboard’s ground rail. LEDs only work one way
around: the short leg is the negative side, which
Connect your first button
01 The torch circuit diagram (Figure 1)
you connect to ground. The LED won’t light up yet.
shows an LED light connected to the GPIO

pins of a Raspberry Pi using a breadboard
You’ll Need Make an LED torch
(see magpi.cc/breadboard for a primer
on using this piece of equipment).
03 You’ve made your first circuit! Let’s test it
> 4 × LEDs (ideally Press the button into the board, by coding a torch. The torch.py code shows how to
different colours)
then use jumper wires to form a use an LED and a button. It imports the relevant
> 4 × 330 Ω resistors circuit with your Pi, as shown by parts of the GPIO Zero library, then sets up an LED
> 4
× 6 mm Tactile called light, connected to GPIO pin 18. The button
momentary on pin 2 is set up with the name button. The while
button switches True loop checks whether the button is pressed
> 4
00-point forever. If so, the light is turned on. Otherwise, it’s
breadboard
Where next? turned off. Pay attention to the capitalisation of
LED and Button when setting them up.
> 9
× Male-to-female
jumper cables The online documentation for GPIO Zero
(magpi.cc/DPyuYc) provides more code
> 8
× Male-to-male examples, including a button-controlled camera,
jumper cables an LED bar graph, and a motion sensor. We
Add the other buttons and LEDs
> P
iBow case with surveyed useful resources for basic electronics
in issue 77, and there’s a book in our Essentials
04 Take a look at Figure 2 (overleaf). It looks
Breadboard Base
pimoroni.com series called Simple Electronics with GPIO Zero complex at first, but the other three buttons
(magpi.cc/gpio-zero). and LEDs are connected in the same way as

FEATURE
Figure 1
The finished game, with all the lights lit up for testing
01
the first ones, just using different pins on the Pi.

All the buttons (yellow wires) connect to the Pi’s
inner row of pins, and the LEDs (blue wires) to the
outermost row. We’ve separated the components
in this diagram a bit so it’s easier to see how to
wire it up, but try to line up your LEDs and buttons
on the breadboard so it’s easier to play the game.
03
Test them all

05 Now you can test these LEDs and buttons 02
too. Modify your torch code to use LED(23) and
Button(3) and then run the program to test the
next light switch works. Then check LED(24) and
Button(4), and finally LED(25) and Button(17). The
buttons should be next to the LED they illuminate. 01 Count the pins to see where to connect
your wires
02 The breadboard makes it easy to plug in

components and quickly set up circuits
Build an electronic game 03 Using this simple circuit (with an LED and a
06 Now we’re ready to start making the Simple
button), you can make a push-button torch
Brian game (see brian.py). This starts by setting up

a list of buttons, and a list of their associated LEDs.
DOWNLOAD
It also creates an empty list called sequence, which
we’ll use for the sequence of lights the player must
torch.py THE FULL CODE:
repeat. With each turn, it’ll get longer.
001. # Torch demo

Add functions 002. from gpiozero import Button, LED
07 Functions enable you to bundle up a set of 003.
instructions so you can reuse them. You have to 004. light = LED(18)
define a function before you can use it. To define 005. button = Button(2)
a function, you use def, followed by the function 006.
name, (), and a colon. The brackets are there to hold 007. while True:
any info you’re sending to the function, but we don’t 008. if button.is_pressed:
need to send any so they’re empty. You can tell 009. light.on()
which instructions belong to a function, as they’re 010. else:
indented. The lights_on() and lights_off() 011. light.off()
functions use a loop to go through all the items in

FEATURE
the leds list, putting them into led, then turning

Figure 2
led on or off. The flash_all() function shows how
to repeat a set number of times, in this case 3. The
loop turns the lights on and off, with a 0.25 second
pause after each change using sleep(0.25).
03
Lights test flash all

08 After you’ve entered the functions (down
to line 23), you can test the program by adding
flash_all() as the last line and then running it.
All the lights should flash together, three times.
Delete that test line before you carry on. In line
25, the program runs the lights_off() function to
ensure the lights are all off before the game begins.
01
Add to the sequence
09 Now we enter the main game loop, under
02 while True (line 27). Everything from here on in is
indented to show it belongs to that loop, repeating
endlessly. The game sequence starts as an empty
list, so the first thing we do is to add an LED. We
pick a random LED using random.choice() and
add it to the end of the sequence list using the
append() list method. A list method is a built-in
Python function that you can apply to a list. Other
01 Just like its famous namesake, our Simple Brian methods are available to insert and remove items,
game features four LED lights that flash up a
and sort the list, among other things.
sequence for you to memorise
02 The circuit also contains four buttons. We’ll

push these to repeat the sequence of lights that
we’ve memorised
Play the list sequence
03 At the heart of our project is the Raspberry Pi.
The buttons and lights are connected to our
10 The lights all flash three times using the
computer with wires. Code in the computer flash_all() function before the sequence begins,
flashes the lights and keeps an eye on the
buttons we’re pushing to show this is the start of the sequence. Then a
loop is used that takes each LED from the sequence
list, and puts it into light, in turn. It’s turned on,
there’s a short pause, then it’s turned off. There’s
another short pause so it’s obvious there are
multiple flashes of the same light if it repeats in the
sequence. In round one, there’s only one light in
the sequence list, but as the game progresses, this
loop will get longer. You can run the program at this
point to see the light sequence gradually extend,
without the player getting a chance to guess.
Get the player’s guess

On a breadboard, the rails along the
edges are connected in a long line, 11 Getting the player’s guess uses a similar
and the short lines of dots in the
middle are connected to each other loop to the one that plays the lights sequence. It

FEATURE
DOWNLOAD
brian.py THE FULL CODE:
001. from gpiozero import Button, LED 034.

002. from time import sleep 035. # play the sequence
003. import random 036. for light in sequence:
004. 037. light.on()
005. buttons = [Button(2), Button(3), Button(4), 038. sleep(0.5)
Button(17)] 039. light.off()
006. leds = [LED(18), LED(23), LED(24), LED(25)] 040. sleep(0.25)
007. 041.
008. sequence = [] 042. # get the player's input
009. 043. for light in sequence:
010. def lights_on(): 044. guess = None
011. for led in leds: 045. while guess == None:
012. led.on() 046. for button in buttons:
013. 047. if button.is_pressed:
014. def lights_off(): 048. # convert button push to list
015. for led in leds: index number
016. led.off() 049. guess = buttons.index(button)
017. 050.
018. def flash_all(): 051. if leds[guess] == light:
019. for _ in range(3): 052. light.on()
020. lights_on() 053. sleep(0.5)
021. sleep(0.25) 054. light.off()
022. lights_off() 055. sleep(0.25)
023. sleep(0.25) 056. else:
024. 057. print("You failed at level ",
025. lights_off() len(sequence))
026. 058. for _ in range(10):
027. while True: 059. light.on()
028. # Add a new light to the end of the sequence 060. sleep(0.15)
029. new_light = random.choice(leds) 061. light.off()
030. sequence.append(new_light) 062. sleep(0.15)
031. 063. sequence = []
032. # Flash all before playback 064. break
033. flash_all()
works its way through the sequence list, accepts a Check the player’s guess
guess, and checks whether it matches the current
12 We’re still inside the loop going through Top Tip
item in the sequence. There are three loops inside the sequence here, as the indentation of line 51
each other here. The program sets the guess shows. Now we check whether the light the player Underscoring
variable to None, a special value in Python. Then guessed (leds[guess]) matches the current light in repetition
a while loop keeps repeating until the guess the sequence. If so, the light is turned on and then
variable changes. Inside that, a loop goes through off again. If the two lights don’t match, the player The line for _ in
range(3) repeats
the buttons list, checking each one in turn to see made a mistake. We can tell how long a list is using
the indented
whether it’s pressed. If so, the guess variable is len(listname). We use the length of the sequence instructions three
changed, ending the while loop. The program list to tell the player which level they got to. The times. The _
converts the button the player pressed into its correct light is then flashed quickly ten times. The shows we don’t
index number in the list and puts that into the sequence list is emptied to start a new game, and the need to use the
guess variable. That way, we can match the button break instruction breaks out of the for loop that’s loop number.
Often, you’d
to its LED, which will be at the same position in the getting player input. When the player has either
use a variable
leds list. You can find the position of an item in a guessed all the lights, or failed, the game repeats
name instead.
list using listname.index(item). from line 28, adding a new light to the sequence.

TUTORIAL
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO
GPIO ZERO
Discover the easy way to control GPIO pins on your Raspberry Pi
T
he 40 metal pins on your Raspberry Pi board
GPIO Zero are known as General Purpose Input/Output
Layout Guide pins, or GPIO pins for short. These pins are your
connection between the virtual world of computer code
GPIO Zero uses the BCM and the real world. With GPIO, you can connect circuit
number system to identify components up to your Raspberry Pi.
pins. These are the numbers It’s easy to attach LED lights, buttons, buzzers, and
referenced on the outside of all kinds of electronic components to your Raspberry
the diagram, such as 18 for Pi. Typically you connect these components to a
GPIO18. The board numbers breadboard, at least when you are starting out. A
(the ones on the inside) are breadboard is a plastic prototyping board used to
just to help you count the link circuit components together without having to
pins. You can use any pin here connect them physically. The legs of the components,
marked GPIO, but the ones along with cables, are pushed into adjoining holes
in blue double up with other on the breadboard (see page 38 for more details).
functions. For this reason, we You then hook the breadboard up to the GPIO pins on
will stick to the ones marked a Raspberry Pi (again, using jumper cables). You’ll need
in green in this tutorial. male-to-male jumper cables to connect breadboard
components together, and male-to-female jumper
cables to connect the breadboard to the GPIO pins on
your Raspberry Pi.
Different GPIO pins have different qualities. Some
provide constant power, either at 5 volts or 3.3 volts.
Others are ground pins, which should be used to
complete a circuit.
Perhaps the most interesting GPIO pins are the ones
that can be programmed. These can be turned on and
off, powering up components (like LED lights) from
code. Alternatively, they can be set to respond to voltage
change inputs, such as a button push. Your code can
then respond to these inputs.
You’ll Need
Typically, you’ll program GPIO pins using Python,
> Rasbperry Pi although Scratch, Java, and a host of other languages can
> Breadboard be used to control GPIO.
Programming GPIO in Python used to be quite a
> LEDs
detailed task. But a Python library called GPIO Zero
> Button
simplifies things massively. With GPIO Zero you can
> Jumper cables quickly connect components and start using them with
just a few simple commands.

TUTORIAL
Set up a circuit
01
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1
A B C D E
A B C D E
Programming GPIO pins is a relatively
The LED has two legs. The
straightforward process, but remember that there are a few short one is connected to the
steps required to perform the most basic of tasks. resistor (and to the ground pin).
The long leg is connected to
We’re going to start by wiring up a single LED to GPIO25 on the Raspberry Pi
F G H
F G H
GPIO25 as shown in this diagram. If you don’t know how
to use a breadboard, take a look back a couple of pages
I
J
J
in this magazine. This circuit is extremely similar to the
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1
one we used there, except that instead of the long leg of
the LED being connected to a live pin, it is connected to
a programmable GPIO pin. This makes the LED light up
when the GPIO pin is turned on in our program.
Use a female-to-male jumper lead to connect the GND
pin to the ground rail on the breadboard. A resistor is used to
Insert one end of a resistor into a hole on the ground prevent the LED from burning
itself out. The smaller the
rail, and the other end into a hole on the breadboard. resistor, the brighter the light
Connect the short leg of the LED into a hole on the same will be, but don’t burn your LED
out. A 330Ω resistor is a good
line and the longer pin on the line next to it.
start, though you can use other
Finally, take another male-to-female jumper wire. sizes. However, if you pick one
that’s too high, you may not be
Place one end in a hole on the same row as the longer LED
able to see the LED
leg. Connect the other end to GPIO18.
Regular GPIO
02 GPIO Zero
If we were going to light up this LED using regular
code rather than GPIO Zero, this is what we would have to
03 GPIO Zero simplifies things. The same code in GPIO
write (don’t enter this code: it’s just an example): Zero looks like this:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO from gpiozero import LED

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) led = LED(25)
GPIO.setup(25, GPIO.OUT) led.on()
GPIO.output(25,GPIO.HIGH)
Enter each line of the code above into the Python shell one
It’s not impossible to decipher. But this code is fussy, line at a time. Press RETURN after each line. When you
and concepts like ‘OUT’ and ‘HIGH’ get in the way of enter led.on(), the LED will light up.
understanding the relationship between the code and the As well as consisting of fewer lines, this program is
light. With GPIO Zero it’s a lot easier. easier for young students to understand.
LED RESISTOR BUTTON SWITCH

LEDs are easy to start with. LEDs Always use a resistor with LED A button switch completes a circuit
have one leg longer than the other. lights. This prevents them from connection when it’s pressed. Code
They only work one way around. burning out from high voltage. can respond to button pushes.

TUTORIAL
More control
The first line of the program is where we import the
gpiozero library into Python.
05 One neat thing about GPIO Zero commands is that
The second line creates an LED object, with the pin you can enter arguments inside the brackets. Enter led.
number as the argument (inside the brackets). blink( and stop at the open bracket. A yellow box appears
The third line tells the pin to switch on. showing the text ‘on_time=1, off_time=1, n=none,
Now enter led.off(). The light will switch off. background=True)’.
These are the parameters available for the blink
method: the number of seconds for which a light stays on
and then stays off, how many times the light blinks, and
Blink
04 The real joy of GPIO Zero is that it lets you perform
whether you can add more code while the light is blinking.
After each argument is the default value: one second
rather complex tasks with simple instructions. Creating on, one second off, none (which means the light blinks
a blinking LED with more standard code requires you to until you say otherwise), and True (which lets you carry on
import the time module, set an LED to on, pause for a adding code while the light is flashing).
period, then set the LED to off, and repeat in a loop. This To set default values, add a number for each value (from
process makes it difficult to perform other code tasks at left to right):
the same time. In GPIO Zero, however, you simply enter
this line: led.blink(4,2)
led.blink() The light comes on for four seconds, and off for two
seconds. Enter led.off() to stop it. Alternatively, you
The light will start blinking on and off at one-second can add the item and equals sign to pick a value to change
intervals. Enter led.off() to stop it. (and keep the defaults).
led.blink(n=3)
The light will blink three times and stop.

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A B C D E
A B C D E
Traffic lights
06 Let’s take our LEDs and build something a little
F G H
F G H
more complex. We’re going to add another two LEDs to our

circuit (three in total). We’ll use one red LED, one amber,
I
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and one green.

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Connect the new LEDs into the circuit using another two
resistors to connect their shorter legs to the ground rail.
Connect the longer leg of the amber LED to GPIO8 and
the longer leg of the green LED to GPIO 7. These are the two
pins next to GPIO 25, so you have your LEDs all together.
Now we need to create a program to control our traffic
lights. Open Thonny and choose File > New.
Type in the code from traffic_lights.py. Save and run
it (hit the Play icon or press F5). The Python program will
run, and you’ll see your traffic lights in action.
The short leg of each LED is connected to a resistor.

Each longer LED is connected a separate GPIO pin. These
pins are used to turn on, or off, the power to each light
All three resistors are connected to the

ground rail. This rail is connected to a single
GND pin on the Raspberry Pi

The LED is wired up to One leg of the
GPIO 17 via a resistor. When button is connected to the
GPIO Zero detects a button ground rail. The other leg
DOWNLOAD
push, it lights up the LED is connected to GPIO 21
button.py THE FULL CODE:
> Language: Python magpi.cc/2ehTqVq
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001. from gpiozero import LED, Button
A B C D E
A B C D E
002. from signal import pause
003.
004. led = LED(17)
005. button = Button(21)
F G H
F G H
006.
007. button.when_pressed = led.on
I
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008. button.when_released = led.off
J
J
009.
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010. pause()
traffic_lights.py
> Language: Python
001. from gpiozero import LED

002. from time import sleep
003.
004. red = LED(25)
005. amber = LED(8)
006. green = LED(7)
007.
008. green.on()
009. amber.off()
010. red.off()
Adding a button
07 Now we’re going to add a button to our circuit and
011.
012. while True:
connect it to GPIO 21 with an LED wired up to GPIO 17. 013. sleep(10)
Buttons are wired up in a similar fashion to LEDs, using
014. green.off()
015. amber.on()
female-to-male jumper leads.
016. sleep(1)
Like LEDs, buttons have legs. One leg is wired to a GND 017. amber.off()
pin (via the same ground rail you’ve been using for LEDs); 018. red.on()
the other leg is connected to a GPIO pin. Some buttons 019. sleep(10)
have four legs, so you can connect them to the breadboard
020. amber.on()
021. sleep(1)
with their legs straddling the central groove (see the
022. green.on()
breadboard diagram). 023. amber.off()
024. red.off()
Button responder
08 Unlike LEDs, you don’t need to use a resistor with Going further
a button. The button’s legs are the same length, and it
typically doesn’t matter which way around you hook it up You can achieve a lot more with GPIO Zero than
to the breadboard. controlling LEDs and buttons.
When the button is pushed, it forms a connection For a more detailed look at how you can detect
between the ground rail and the pin, completing a circuit. motion, control robots, read sensor information (such
The Raspberry Pi is set up, using GPIO Zero, to detect this as movement sensors or thermometers), we have
connection and respond. created a fantastic guide book: The MagPi Essentials:
Open Thonny and create a new file. Enter the code from Simple Electronics with GPIO Zero. Learn more at
button.py, save the file, and run the code. When you push magpi.cc/gpio-zero.
the button, the LED will light up.

TUTORIAL
HOW TO USE A
BREADBOARD
This humble plastic block full of holes can be used to create just about anything
M
ost of our projects are tested using a small
You’ll Need piece of plastic known as a breadboard.
Officially, it’s known as a ‘solderless
> B
readboard
breadboard’ because it enables you to use circuit parts
> L
ED light
without soldering them together.
> R
esistor Electrical components are connected by pushing
> M
ale-to-female them into the holes in a breadboard. These holes are
jumper leads connected in strips, as shown in the main image. If you
> M
ale-to-male push a wire, or a different component, into one hole in a
jumper leads strip, and another wire into the hole next to it, it’s as if
you’d physically joined (or soldered) the two wires.
In the old days, people would either solder wire
components together on an actual breadboard, or they’d
wrap wires together around nails in a pinboard.
For a lot of Raspberry Pi fans, using a breadboard is
part of life. But for many newcomers this quirky piece of
kit is baffling: a smorgasbord of holes arranged in rows
and columns that seem to make little sense.
So we think it’s a great idea to read this beginner’s
guide to how a breadboard works. In this tutorial, we’ll
explain how these holes are arranged, and how to set up
a circuit on your breadboard.
If you already know all this, feel free to move on.
If not, stick around and learn about one of the most
fun things you can do: building your own circuits and A hole in the blue (sometimes
black) rail is connected to a GND pin.
hooking hardware up to your Raspberry Pi.
It then becomes the ground rail
01 These horizontal rows are where you place

the components that make up your circuit. They
are linked into groups of five (or six) holes
These long vertical strips are known as rails. They

are used to provide regular constant power. The red rail
is connected to a power pin and becomes the live rail
Fritzing diagram
01 Circuit diagrams can be a little hard to understand
for the novice. So we use visual breadboard diagrams, like
this. This complete diagram uses the power and ground pins
from a Raspberry Pi to light up an LED.

TUTORIAL
02 05
Wire up the live rail

02 Take a female-to-male jumper lead (the colour of
the wire doesn’t matter) and connect the female end to a
5V pin on the Raspberry Pi. Place the male end of the lead
into a hole on the red rail on the breadboard.
03
Add the LED

05 Take an LED component and look at the legs. Notice
that one of the legs is shorter than the other. Place the
shorter leg in a hole on the same row as the resistor. This
leg is now connected to the resistor (which is linked to
the ground rail, and therefore to the ground pin on the
Raspberry Pi).
06
The ground rail
03 Take another female-to-male jumper and connect
the female end to a ground (GND) pin on the Raspberry Pi.
The male end goes into a hole on the blue (ground) rail. All
blue holes now act as a ground pin.
04
Add a resistor Wire it up

04 Take a resistor and connect one leg of it to a hole
06 Place the longer leg in a hole on the next row along.
on the ground rail of the breadboard. It’s now linked to the Now take another male-to-male jumper lead and place
ground pin of the Raspberry Pi (via the jumper lead we used one end in the hole next to the long leg of the LED. Place
in the previous step). Take the other leg and connect it to a the other end in a hole on the red live rail to complete the
hole on the main breadboard. circuit. The LED lights up.

rr y P i to le a rn h ow to code
ht a Raspbe
If you have boug s , th e n y o u h av e made
d h a c k n ew e le ctronic gizmo
an d w it h this guide…
G et sta rt e
a great choice.
FEATURE
I
f you have just got a brand new
shiny Raspberry Pi, you may have
plugged it in and got it working.
You may have played a few of the games
or tried out the applications, or maybe To get started with coding is really easy. Coding
you’ve loaded one of the programming is just giving a Raspberry Pi an instruction to do
tools and then looked at it wondering something. The only thing you need to know is
what to do next. If you haven’t done what language to talk to it in. In this case we are
any programming before, we have going to talk in Python 3. We will need to write
wisdom for you here. In the next few our instructions somewhere so, to start, open a
Mark
pages you’ll find answers and probably
some questions, but then some more
answers. Before you know it you will be
Terminal window – click the icon in the top left
of the screen which is a grey box with a blue bar
across the top. This opens a black window with a
Vanstone
a coding, hacking ninja. prompt: pi@raspberrypi:~ $ in green. If you type
python3 and hit ENTER, Python starts and you Educational software
I f you have never done will see the triple chevron prompt: >>>. Now type
print("Hello") and hit ENTER. Bosh! Your first
author from the
nineties, author
any programming before, this program. You have instructed your Raspberry of the ArcVenture
Pi to print the word ‘Hello’ and, all being well, series, disappeared
may appear a bit daunting, it has obeyed. into the corporate
Entering programs like this is not going to be software wasteland.
but it’s quite easy really very useful most of the time, so now let’s look at Rescued by
an app we can write and save a program with. Raspberry Pi!
If you’re new to programming, this Go to the desktop menu (click the Raspberry
may appear a bit daunting, but it’s Pi logo in the top left of the screen) and in the magpi.cc/YiZnxL
quite easy really – you’ve just got to Programming section, select Thonny (which @mindexplorers
get stuck in and start with some simple should then open by default in its Simple mode).
things that will get you results. One Try typing in the following program in the
of the programming languages that is Thonny editor and save it, then run it by clicking
supplied with Raspberry Pi is Python. the Run button. The output will be displayed in
It’s very easy to get started with Python the Shell frame below the program editor.
and it can be used to program many
of the add-ons that are available for mwc1.py
Raspberry Pi – so this is going to be
very useful to learn. We can get you 001. import random Language: Python
up and coding in 30 seconds flat; just 002. magpi.cc/HNJhhd
read on… 003. correct = False
004. r = random.randint(1,10)
005. c = 0
006. while correct == False:
007. n = input("Guess my number between 1 and 10: ")
008. c = c + 1
009. if int(n) == r:
010. correct = True
011. else:
012. if int(n) > r:
013. print("Sorry, my number is lower. Try again.")
014. else:
015. print("Sorry, my number is higher. Try again")
016.
017. print("Well done. The correct answer was " + str(r) + ".
You got it in " + str(c) + " tries.")

FEATURE
Import modules updateAnswer()
Make new
answer string
Define data
startGuessing()
While not finished,

input new guess
Player wins Player loses

Coding involves using several elements. Let’s take
a look at a range of them and how they work
After initialising the data the program
needs, we loop round, updating the
End
I
answer variable until the player guesses
n the last program, we get input from the all the letters or they run out of tries
keyboard and output text and numbers by
using the print() function. We have also used theWord. When we call a function that is inside
a condition structure in the form of if and else. a module, we use a full stop between the module
Coding Python is very particular about how you indent the name and the function name. Next, we want to get
guides
code with spaces (four per indent level); this shows the player to start guessing what the word is. If we
that the indented code is inside another structure. look at the bottom of the code, we can see that we
In the last program, everything indented after the call a function called startGuessing(). This is our
while statement will be part of that loop. Let’s take own function that we need to define.
Want to learn more a look at a few more coding techniques.
about coding? Check
out our guides to
Defining functions
Python coding and
Using lists 03
object-orientated
programming in
01 We are going to write a Hangman-style
Each time we call a function, the code inside
it runs. Sometimes functions have outputs, like our
The MagPi #53 and game, where we start with a secret word and the function updateAnswer() that returns the variable
#54 respectively. player has to guess it, letter by letter. If correct, we result. One of the rules of Python is that you must
show them where that letter appears in the word. define a function before you call it, so we will need
magpi.cc/53 They are allowed ten wrong attempts before the to define our startGuessing() function near the
magpi.cc/54 game ends. See the mwc2.py code to follow along. top of the code. To do so, we write def and then the
First, we make a list of words to choose from. A name of the function, followed by brackets and a
list is defined in Python using square brackets, colon. If we want to pass variables as inputs into a
like: list = ["a","b","c"]. We’ll call our list function, we can add them inside the brackets.
WORDLIST. In this case we’re writing the list name
in upper case to show that it is a constant, i.e. It is
not going to change throughout the program.
Getting loopy
04 Now for the code in our startGuessing()
function. We set the number of tries and dashes,
Pick a word
02 We can pick a word from our list using the
one for each letter of the secret word, then we go
into a loop. The code says: “While the player still
random module. We import the module at the top has some tries left and the answer we have is not
of our code, then we can use the random.choice() the secret word, run the following code.” In our
function to get a word and store it in a variable: loop, we print the answer we have so far and how

FEATURE
mwc2.py
Language: Python
Module 001. import random
magpi.cc/RqQdhR
A module 002.
is another 003. WORDLIST = ["orange", "table", "january", "balloon",
code file. It "mouse", "speaker", "lorry"]
004. theWord = random.choice(WORDLIST) Variable
can contain
005. A variable is a container for data,
functions,
006. def startGuessing(): in this case a string which can
variables,
007. triesLeft = 10 change as the program runs.
and data.
008. answer = "-" * len(theWord)
009.
Function
List 010. while triesLeft > -1 and not answer == theWord:
A function contains code
A list is a 011. print("\n" + answer)
that can be called from
collection 012. print(str(triesLeft) + " tries left")
elsewhere in the program.
of variables, 013. guess = input("Guess a letter:")
in this case 014. if len(guess) != 1:
string variables. 015. print("Just guess one letter at a time.") Output
016. elif guess in theWord: Output is anything
017. print("Yes that letter is in the word.") that the program
Loop
018. answer = updateAnswer(theWord, answer, guess) produces, in this case
A loop is a part
019. else: words printed to the
of the code
020. print("Sorry, that letter is not in the word.") shell window.
that is repeated
021. triesLeft -= 1
one or more
022.
times, usually
023. if triesLeft < 0:
depending
024. print("Sorry, you have run out of tries. The word was: " + theWord)
on an equation
025. else:
being True.
026. print("Well done, You guessed right. The word was: " + theWord)
027.
Input 028. def updateAnswer(word, ans, guess): Condition
An input is data that 029. result = "" A condition branches a program
a program receives, 030. for i in range(len(word)): to execute one set of code or
in this case from 031. if word[i] == guess: another. Sometimes there are
the keyboard. 032. result = result + guess several branches.
033. else:
034. result = result + ans[i]
035. return result Calling a function
036. When a function is called, the code inside
037. print("I'm thinking of a word....") the function is run and then returns to the
038. startGuessing() next line of code after the function call.
many tries the player has left. Then we use an if, guessed all the right letters in our word or they have
elif, else condition structure to respond to the got it wrong ten times, the program will drop out of
player, depending on what they typed. the loop to reach the final part of the function.
Changing the answer Win or lose

05 If the player guesses a letter correctly, we
06 We have an if and else structure to print
call another function: updateAnswer(). This congratulations, or let the player know they’ve run
uses a for loop to add the correct letters into out of tries. A few of the functions are used with
our answer variable, then return that string (a variables: len() finds the length of a string, and
variable containing letters/characters rather than str() converts a number variable into a string so
a numeric value). This then becomes the answer it can be added to the start or the end of another
variable that we print at the start of each loop in the string. After the function is complete, it returns to
startGuessing() function. When the player has where it was called, which is the end of the program.

FEATURE
I
n the previous example, we imported a module
into our code and used functions from it. If we
want to control electronics from code, there
is a very useful module available called gpiozero.
GPIO stands for ‘general-purpose input/output’
and the line of double pins on one side of your
Raspberry Pi are called GPIO pins. For details about
the labels of all the pins, see pinout.xyz. If we
connect electrical components to these GPIO pins,
we can use the gpiozero module to make things
happen. When we import a module, there are often
many different functions inside. We can also make
new coding ‘objects’ with them. Objects are like
variables but have their own set of functions and
properties inside them that we can call or change,
and we do that using the same dot notation (full
stop) that we did with the random module. For
Now we’ve got the hang of the coding, let’s put more details on using coding objects (called object-
oriented programming or OOP), see issue 54 of
it to work with some electronic components The MagPi: magpi.cc/54.
The breadboard
You’ll Need 01 Breadboards come in various sizes, but
they all work in the same way. If there are tracks
marked red and black/blue (and/or + and –) on the
A breadboard long edges of the board, these are for power and are
magpi.cc/NtjSiy connected along the length – although sometimes
divided into sections. The matrix of holes which
An LED make up the main part of the board are connected
magpi.cc/WBVPxG in lines the other way (vertically in the diagram).
There is usually a break in the centre of the board
A resistor so that the two sides are not connected.
magpi.cc/iDTFag
2 × male-to-female
jumper wires
magpi.cc/OkMyVX
Light-emitting diode (LED)

02 An LED is a bit like a bulb in that if you apply
electricity to it in the right way, it lights up. An LED
This resistor is 1 kΩ This is a yellow LED,
(kilohm), but you can but you can buy LEDs in is also a diode, which means that the electricity
use a similar value many different colours needs to flow in the correct direction or it will not
light. When connecting an LED to Raspberry Pi, we

FEATURE
need to add a resistor to the circuit,

as most LEDs will burn out if we
connect them directly to the main
power output. In the example, we are
using a 1 kΩ resistor, but it’s fine to
use another similar value. To light
an LED using gpiozero, assemble
the components as in the diagram,
then write a Python program: start
with from gpiozero import LED,
then create an LED object with led =
LED(17), and finally type led.on()
to light the LED. You can control the
state of the LED using
the gpiozero module
in Python
A resistor
03 Resistors do what their name
Potentiometer
suggests: they resist the flow of
electricity (current). Some components
05 A potentiometer is a variable resistor. It
need to have a certain amount of current usually has a turning spindle that changes the
in order to operate correctly. Resistors resistance from one value to another, quite often
enable us to set the current or voltage to from no resistance to full resistance (no electricity
a suitable level for the other components flowing). A potentiometer can provide us with
we are using. There are many different a variable output voltage which we can measure
types of resistors, with different with the GPIO, but there is a slight problem. The
resistance values. The resistance value potentiometer provides an ‘analogue’
can be read from the pattern of coloured output (varies continuously
Electronics
guide
stripes on the resistor. You can also between values) and the GPIO
get variable resistors, which are known inputs are only digital, i.e.
as potentiometers. on or off. So we need another
component: an analogue-to-
digital converter (ADC). For more details
about using electronic
Jumper wires
04 We need to connect
components with
Raspberry Pi, check out
Analogue-to-
our components to
Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins.
06 digital converter
our Electronics Starter
Guide in issue 64 of
For this we use jumper ADC components come in various forms, but the The MagPi.
wires. The ones we will one we have in this example is called an MCP3008.
be using have a female It’s an integrated circuit (IC), meaning that it’s a magpi.cc/64
connector at one end, box with some circuitry inside it. We don’t need
to go on the GPIO pins, to know what is inside it – we just need to know
and a male connector what to connect to each of the legs of the IC. We
to go in the holes of the will need to wire up several of the legs to GPIO pins
breadboard. You can also and provide the IC with power; when we’ve done
get jumper wires with that, we can connect the potentiometer to the IC
both male connectors or and then read values in
both female connectors, showing the position
for different situations. of the potentiometer
They can be bought in spindle using the
strips all joined together, gpiozero module.
sometimes known as We’ll cover the code
‘jumper jerky’. in the next section.

FEATURE
Now to put what we have covered to the test: we will make a

You’ll Need retro game and control it with our own homemade controllers
Breadboard
O
magpi.cc/vhZkGh n the previous page we talked about function to write the graphics to the window, and
potentiometers and analogue-to- an update() function to update the game items
6 × male-to-female digital converters, and this is where between draw cycles.
jumper wires & we get to use them. It’s a bit more complicated
10 × male-to-male than lighting up an LED, but only a little. First,
jumper wires we are going to write a program which has two
magpi.cc/ffZNwL Running the code
rectangular bats at each side of the screen that
can be moved up and down by two players. A ball
02 The listing mwc3.py provides all the code
2 × potentiometers bounces backwards and forwards between the you need for the game to work. There is some code
magpi.cc/oZRFEe bats until one player misses the ball and the other in the updatePaddles() function for the keyboard
player scores a point. That’s right, you guessed to control the paddles or bats, just in case you want
MCP3008 it, the game is Pong and we are going to create a to test it before making the proper controllers. We
integrated circuit controller for each player from a potentiometer import several modules with this code. We have
magpi.cc/aCvXuo and wire it into our Raspberry Pi. covered pgzrun, but we also need random so that
the ball will move in a random direction each time
it starts. In addition, we need gpiozero to deal
with the input from the controllers, and we need
Super-fast game coding the math module for calculating the direction of
01 If you have been following other coding the ball.
articles in recent issues of The MagPi, you will
know that when writing a quick game on Raspberry
Pi, Pygame Zero is your friend. We can make the
Wiring it all up
basics of the game code very quickly by importing
the pgzrun module, which holds all the Pygame
03 One thing to bear in mind when connecting
Zero code. We need to call pgzrun.go() at the end any electronics to a computer is that if the
of our code, and that’s our game window sorted. As wires are connected in the wrong way, you may
with all Pygame Zero programs, we have a draw() cause damage to the computer or the electronic

FEATURE
It may seem like a lot of

wires, but work through
the diagram methodically
to make sure they are
plugged in correctly
components, so it’s always a good idea to power off case. You will see from the diagram that all the legs
your Raspberry Pi before connecting anything to on the top side of the IC are connected to either
the GPIO pins. Follow the wiring diagram (overleaf) GPIO pins or to power lines. There are two red
carefully, making sure that the jumper wires are connections going to the positive power track, then
connected to the right GPIO pins and to the correct a black lead to the negative or ground track. Then
places on the breadboard. Once you have put there are four coloured wires that go to: purple –
everything in place, it’s a good idea to have another GPIO 11; green – GPIO 09; orange – GPIO 10; and
check just to make sure. blue – GPIO 08. Then there is one last connector to
the ground track.
The MCP3008 IC
04 The inputs
The MCP3008 converts the voltage from our
potentiometers into a number with the help of the
05 All the MCP3008 pins on the bottom side
gpiozero module. It has eight channels for input, of the IC are input channels. We will use the first
but we are going to just use two of them in this two pins, which are channel 0 and channel 1. We

FEATURE
connect the middle pins of our potentiometers to

those channel pins, which will read the positions
and convert that to a value in our program. If you
want to know exactly what all the pins are for on
The MCP3008 this IC, you can do a web search for ‘MCP3008
straddles pinout’ and that will give you descriptions of each.
the centre ICs are very useful in electronics as they mean that
break of the we can reduce how complex our circuits are and we
breadboard so don’t need to know exactly how they work inside.
that the pins on They are a little bit like modules in Python.
either side are
not connected
Finishing the job

06 When you have checked that all the
connections are correct, you can switch your
Raspberry Pi back on and reload your program. You
The left-hand
may want to initialise the SPI interface on your
potentiometer‘s
Raspberry Pi by going to the main desktop menu
middle pin
connects to pin > Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration, and
0, and the right go to the Interfaces tab. It will work without this,
one‘s to pin 1 of but may cause a few warnings in the Thonny shell
the MCP3008 window. So, all being well, when you run your
program you will have a game of Pong which can be
controlled by two players with the potentiometers.
If it doesn’t work first time, check your code and
then your wiring, and try again.
When everything is
plugged in and working,
you can play Pong!

FEATURE
mwc3.py
Language: Python
001. import pgzrun 050. p2Y = (
magpi.cc/umUcfq
002. import random pot2.value * 540) +30
003. from gpiozero import MCP3008 051.
004. import math 052. if keyboard.up:
005. 053. if p2Y > 30:
006. pot1 = MCP3008(0) 054. p2Y -= 2
007. pot2 = MCP3008(1) 055. if keyboard.down:
008. 056. if p2Y < 570:
009. # Set up the colours 057. p2Y += 2
010. BLACK = (0 ,0 ,0 ) 058. if keyboard.w:
011. WHITE = (255,255,255) 059. if p1Y > 30:
012. p1Score = p2Score = 0 060. p1Y -= 2
013. BALLSPEED = 5 061. if keyboard.s:
014. p1Y = 300 062. if p1Y < 570:
015. p2Y = 300 063. p1Y += 2
016. 064.
017. def draw(): 065. def updateBall():
018. screen.fill(BLACK) 066. global ballX, ballY, ballDirX, ballDirY,
019. screen.draw.line((400,0),(400,600),"green") p1Score, p2Score
020. drawPaddles() 067. ballX += ballDirX*BALLSPEED
021. drawBall() 068. ballY += ballDirY*BALLSPEED
022. screen.draw.text(str(p1Score) , center=(105, 069. ballRect = Rect((ballX-4,ballY-4),(8,8))
40), color=WHITE, fontsize=60) 070. p1rect = Rect((100, p1Y-30), (10, 60))
023. screen.draw.text(str(p2Score) , center=(705, 071. p2rect = Rect((700, p2Y-30), (10, 60))
40), color=WHITE, fontsize=60) 072. if checkCollide(ballRect, p1rect) or
024. checkCollide(ballRect, p2rect):
025. def update(): 073. ballDirX *= -1
026. updatePaddles() 074. if ballY < 4 or ballY > 596:
027. updateBall() 075. ballDirY *= -1
028. 076. if ballX < 0:
029. def init(): 077. p2Score += 1
030. global ballX, ballY, ballDirX, ballDirY 078. init()
031. ballX = 400 079. if ballX > 800:
032. ballY = 300 080. p1Score += 1
033. a = random.randint(10, 350) 081. init()
034. while (a > 80 and a < 100) or (a > 260 and a < 082.
280): 083.
035. a = random.randint(10, 350) 084. def checkCollide(r1,r2):
036. ballDirX = math.cos(math.radians(a)) 085. return (
037. ballDirY = math.sin(math.radians(a)) 086. r1.x < r2.x + r2.w and
038. 087. r1.y < r2.y + r2.h and
039. def drawPaddles(): 088. r1.x + r1.w > r2.x and
040. global p1Y, p2Y 089. r1.y + r1.h > r2.y
041. p1rect = Rect((100, p1Y-30), (10, 60)) 090. )
042. p2rect = Rect((700, p2Y-30), (10, 60)) 091.
043. screen.draw.filled_rect(p1rect, "red") 092. def drawBall():
044. screen.draw.filled_rect(p2rect, "red") 093. screen.draw.filled_circle((ballX, ballY), 8,
045. "white")
046. def updatePaddles(): 094. pass
047. global p1Y, p2Y 095.
048. 096. init()
049. p1Y = (pot1.value * 540) +30 097. pgzrun.go()

TUTORIAL
THE
RASPBERRY PI
ACCESSORIES
Our guide to the greatest add-ons, HATs,
and expansions for your Raspberry Pi
R
aspberry Pi is fantastic on its own. is where add-ons and accessories come in
With wireless LAN, Bluetooth, – there are hundreds of extras you can get
USB ports, the multitalented GPIO for your Raspberry Pi that will improve its
pins, and a full operating system, it really already impressive specs.
is a fully functional computer. What add-ons should you get, though?
What if you could make it better? Do We’re here to show you the best the
more? Make certain functions easier? This Raspberry Pi world has to offer.

TUTORIAL
Types of
s
accessoriofe
The glossary
s
add-on term
HAT
We’ll start with an important
one. HAT stands for ‘Hardware Attached
on Top’ (it’s a backronym), and is a standard for
add-ons. That means there are specific definitions of how
a HAT can connect and work. All you need to be concerned
with is that a HAT fits perfectly on top of a Raspberry Pi,
connecting to the GPIO pins. You will usually need to install
extra software to get them working.
pHAT/Bonnet/Cap/etc.
While the HAT standard has recently
been extended to different sizes, many
companies have created their own term
for add-ons that act like a HAT but
don’t quite meet the technical criteria.
Pimoroni coined pHAT, and Adafruit
uses Bonnet, and other firms
tend to use similar
variations on the
headwear theme
or HAT.
Add-on
A HAT is an add-on, but an add-on isn’t necessarily a HAT.
Add-ons can be connected via USB, only specific GPIO pins,
the camera port, etc. It’s a catch-all term for something
that you can add onto your Raspberry Pi in some way.

TUTORIAL
PROGRAMMING AND
MAKER ACCESSORIES
Improve your projects with these add-ons
ThunderBorg
magpi.cc/xcsSpm
price: £37 / $50
This dual motor control

board by the folks at
PiBorg is a powerful
and robust way to use a
Raspberry Pi to control
a robot. As well as being
able to make the motors go
forward and back, it can control
the speed for more precise Sense HAT
manoeuvring, and can take a
wide array of power inputs. magpi.cc/sense-hat
Use it with: Robots, RC cars price: £30 / $37
Developed for the Astro Pi mission, the Sense HAT is primarily a set of
environmental sensors. It can detect pressure, humidity, temperature, and
orientation/movement. It also has an 8×8 LED matrix and a little joystick for
very basic display and control. There are a couple of Sense HATs running on
Raspberry Pi boards up on the ISS at the moment.
Use it with: Weather stations, space stations
Hologram Nova
hologram.io/nova
price: From £53 / $64
Despite the world’s best efforts, WiFi is not

available absolutely everywhere yet. You can’t even plug an
Ethernet cable into a tree! The Nova solves this problem by letting you connect
to cellular networks around the world on your Raspberry Pi via this USB device.
Use it with: Portable projects, outdoor cameras

TUTORIAL
Edge TPU Accelerator

magpi.cc/TFLQpM
price: £61 / $75
Google was responsible for the AIY

Voice Kit – a special HAT and extras
that lets you turn a Raspberry
Pi into an AI voice assistant.
The Edge TPU accelerator
aims to help Raspberry Cluster HAT
Pi out with AI tasks,
and make your voice magpi.cc/Qrshbi
assistants better. price: £31 / $37
Use it with: Voice control, AI Putting Raspberry Pi boards into

projects a cluster isn’t that tricky, but
the Cluster HAT makes it very
easy. Using one Raspberry Pi,
you can distribute computing to
up to four Raspberry Pi Zeros.
Cluster computing is a great
way to perform different kinds
of calculations.
Use it with: Mathematics,

big algorithms
Ultimate GPS HAT

magpi.cc/vmPqLL
price: £42 / $45
This GPS add-on allows you to

GFX HAT track the precise location of your
Raspberry Pi – well, as precise
magpi.cc/ZWvcLG price: £22 / $22 as GPS can be. You’ll have to
combine the position data with
A very functional screen that draws a lot less power than most displays, it also
map data to make much use out
includes six capacitive touch buttons for control. It’s the successor to an excellent
of it, but once you have it all
add-on known as Display-O-Tron, and makes interactive projects look great.
working it’s pretty fantastic.
Use it with: Thermostat, practical projects
Use it with: Sat-navs, route tracking

TUTORIAL
INDUSTRIAL AND POWER

Using a Raspberry Pi for
enterprise? You may want
to check these out…
Energenie Pi-mote
magpi.cc/FnezCP
price: £22 / $27
Another remote-control power

solution, this one is designed for
Raspberry Pi to control power
elsewhere. There are various
Energenie Pi-mote products,
the cheapest starting at £10,
PoE HAT
but the starter kit version also magpi.cc/aqpwZc price: £18 / $22
includes compatible sockets.
You can even get a Pi-mote Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4 models include proper Power-over-Ethernet support,
that allows the plugs to talk to although you need one of these HATs to get it working. Of course, the network
Raspberry Pi as well. needs to be set up to support (i.e. power) the PoE and Raspberry Pi combo. It
also currently only works on Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4.
Use it with: Timed-lighting,
some IoT Use it with: Server racks, headless solutions
Witty Pi 2
magpi.cc/merPpf
price: £20 / $25
Serious Raspberry Pi users often need power management and a real-

time clock (RTC) for various reasons. The Witty Pi 2 offers these things,
along with some extra on/off functions that can programmed. As
Raspberry Pi normally requires the internet to check the time, an RTC is
essential for scheduling tasks on a Raspberry Pi that’s not online.
Use it with: Industrial settings, automated solutions
TUTORIAL
DINrPlate DIN rail mount

dinrplate.com
Want to use a Raspberry Pi in a server environment, but don’t

need a UPS or RTC or any of the advanced stuff like that? Just
have some DIN rails handy anyway? Then the DINrPlate is an
excellent add-on that lets you mount a Raspberry Pi to a DIN
rail without any fancy extras. And the price reflects that.
Use it with: DIN rails, DIY servers
Hackable Pi Switch Cap Strato Pi CM

magpi.cc/ZvcsrZ price: £18 / $22 magpi.cc/rfBfvo
price: From £206 / $266
Are you a sysadmin in a big

company that would like to use
Raspberry Pi boards? The Strato
Pi turns a Raspberry Pi into a
server good enough to pass
the rigorous tests of enterprise
IT. It has an impressive list
of features: RTC, UPS, two-
module DIN-rail case, RS-485,
and more.
Use it with: Enterprise, servers
On/off switch solutions for Raspberry Pi have

been around as long as Raspberry Pi itself,
but none of them has been that great.
Along comes the Hackable Pi Switch
Cap from Nanomesher and finally we
have one that does everything you
need. By default, it allows you to turn
your Raspberry Pi on and off with a
button, and you can reprogram it to
do more with an included remote.
Use it with: Desktop Pi, HTPC Pi

TUTORIAL
MEDIA ADD-ONS
Improve your listening, watching, and more
HiFiBerry DAC+
magpi.cc/aimAyy
There are many digital-to-analogue converters (DACs)

that turn Raspberry Pi into a powerful stereo, but we’re
partial to the HiFiBerry DAC+ range. There are cheaper
versions, smaller versions, more powerful versions, and
all of them improve your Raspberry Pi’s sound.
Use it with: Stereo system, PA
HyperPixel 4.0
magpi.cc/WgSmAA
The HyperPixel 4.0 is a massive, wonderful screen

for Raspberry Pi that you can get with or without a
capacitive touch function. It’s dead simple to set
up and, due to the high pixel density, it’s great for
watching media or looking at pictures.
Use it with: Portable media projects, wall screens
USB game controller

magpi.cc/2ve6iUo
price: £6 / $7
If you’re playing retro games with your Raspberry Pi, you

might want a retro controller to help it feel more authentic. We
recommend one of the many available in this classic style, with enough
buttons to play any game prior to 1996 and some afterwards as well.
Use it with: Retro games console, RC car projects

TUTORIAL
TV HAT
FLIRC USB
magpi.cc/ryviXi price: £20 / $25 flirc.tv
The official Raspberry Pi TV HAT is pretty amazing – its most basic
function is allowing you to tune into TV signals using your Raspberry Pi. For applications such as Kodi,
That’s pretty standard, but the amazing part is its ability to stream said TV there are plenty of ways to
not only around your network, but also over the internet if you’re abroad and control your Raspberry Pi-
missing the latest episode of GBBO. based home theatre PC via your
smartphone or tablet. FLIRC
Use it with: DIY DVR, TV anywhere
makes the whole thing a bit
simpler, though: take your
favourite remote, let FLIRC
know which button is which,
and then just plug it into your
HTPC. Simple.
Lightberry HD Use it with: Kodi setups, remote-

controlled IoT
lightberry.eu
Ever wanted your films to expand out of your TV? With Lightberry, you can
install DIY Ambilight-like effects to your TV so that special effects become
just that little bit more special. There are various kits to choose from as well.
Use it with: HTPCs, magic mirrors
Picade X HAT
magpi.cc/BupAFF
price: £16 / $16
The Picade is Pimoroni’s

excellent tabletop arcade kit,
and its newest iteration is
controlled by the powerful
Picade X HAT. It’s so good,
they made it so you could buy
it separately to use in your own
DIY Raspberry Pi arcade setup.
Use it with: Arcade builds,
remote controls

TUTORIAL
Watch live TV
from Raspberry Pi
Phil
with the TV HAT
MAKER
King
Set up your new add-on to stream live TV from and to a Raspberry Pi
When not subbing
The MagPi and
T
editing Raspberry
Pi books, Phil he latest official Raspberry Pi add-on is
enjoys watching a a must for telly addicts. The Raspberry Pi
mixture of quality
Assemble and mount
(Endeavour, The
Crown) and other
TV HAT enables any Raspberry Pi (with
40‑pin GPIO) to decode live digital TV signals and
01 Insert the thin end of the supplied silver RF
(old Dynasty stream them to remote devices – such as another cable adapter into the gold connector on the side of
re‑runs) TV.
Raspberry Pi, computer, or even a smartphone. the HAT. Take the 40-pin header and insert its pins
magpi.cc The HAT’s built‑in Sony CXD2880 tuner supports into the holes in the underside of the HAT – not
DVB-T2 and DVB-T standards (Freeview in the UK), into the black female header on the top! Mount the
so you can watch all your favourite channels. Here HAT on your Raspberry Pi, with the RF adapter at
You’ll Need we show you how to set it up, and even use it to the microSD card slot end. To make it secure, you
turn a Raspberry Pi into an all‑in-one TV/PVR. can screw it in using the supplied stand-offs.
> Raspberry Pi TV HAT
> Wireless network
> Computer
Top Tip
Recording
Add a hard drive
or USB stick to
Raspberry Pi to turn
it into a capacious Connect your TV aerial With the supplied header
homemade PVR cable to the HAT via inserted on its underside, the
with LibreELEC. the supplied adapter HAT is mounted on Raspberry Pi

TUTORIAL
Install Tvheadend
02 Connect a coaxial RF cable from a TV aerial
socket to the RF adapter on the HAT. You’ll need
decent digital terrestrial TV (Freeview in the UK)
reception for the tuner to work. With Raspbian
Stretch installed on its microSD card, turn on your
Raspberry Pi – a green LED will light on the HAT.
We need to install a back-end TV service to
stream video: we’ll use Tvheadend. To install it,
open a Terminal window and enter:
sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install tvheadend
You can access

Configure Tvheadend the EPG and
03 Watching TV
watch live TV in a
It takes a few minutes for Tvheadend to
install, so you may want to go and make a cup
06 You can now watch live TV streamed from
web browser on a
remote computer
of tea. Once installed, a package configuration the TV HAT in your browser. In the EPG, click the
screen will appear and you’ll be prompted to TV icon to the left of any programme to show it in
enter a Tvheadend administrator user name. a window, which you can expand to full-screen.
For simplicity’s sake, enter kodi for this, then There are also options to schedule and record
also enter kodi for the password – you can always shows – use the Help option for more details.
change it later if you prefer. You’re now ready As well as using a web browser, you can view
to log in from another device. the TV stream from a variety of clients, including
Kodi, omxplayer, VLC, and smartphone apps –
see magpi.cc/ZpJtwd.
Log in remotely
04
Using LibreELEC
Now that Tvheadend is running, you can
access it from another computer (possibly a second
Raspberry Pi). In a web browser, enter this address:
http://raspberrypi.local:9981/extjs.html. If that The live TV stream from the TV HAT can be accessed
doesn’t resolve, use your Raspberry Pi’s IP address in the Kodi media player, most easily by using
instead, followed by :9981/extjs.html. Log in the LibreELEC OS on a Raspberry Pi. Install the
Tvheadend client by selecting Add-ons > Install from
using kodi for both the username and password. A
repository > PVR clients > Tvheadend HTSP Client.
configuration wizard will appear, enabling you to In addition, using LibreELEC, it’s possible to set up
choose the TV network type and transmitter. both the Tvheadend client and server on the same
Raspberry Pi – a Pi 2, 3, 3A+, 3B+, or 4 is recommended
– for an all-in-one TV/PVR device. To do so, select
Add‑ons > Install from repository > Services >
Configure TV network Tvheadend Server 4.2, and install it. Access it from
05 In the configuration wizard’s ‘Network
another computer using the IP address followed by
settings’, it should show ‘Tuner: Sony CDX2880 #0

:9981 and set it up as in Step 5. You can then access
it from within LibreELEC (with the Tvheadend client Top Tip
DVB-T #0’. For the Network Type, choose ‘DVB-T installed) by selecting the main ‘TV’ option.
Network’. For predefined muxes, select your local To make TV recordings, you’ll need to create a Live viewing
transmitter: for example, ours was uk-Rowridge. recordings folder on a connected USB stick or hard
drive – navigate to it in File Manager, right-click, The live TV stream
Upon clicking Save & Next, it’ll start scanning for
and select ‘Make new folder’). Then, in the web can be accessed
muxes and services (channels). After it reaches
interface on a remote computer, go to Configuration in many ways,
100%, tick all three boxes (Map all services, > Recordings and set the recording system path to including Android
Create provider tags, Create network tags) and an var/media/[your_drive_name]/recordings. and iOS apps.
electronic programme guide (EPG) will appear.

TUTORIAL
Make a Sense HAT

MP3 player
Turn a Raspberry Pi and Sense HAT
accessory into an MP3 player
I
Marc Scott n this project, you will be making your very own
MAKER
MP3 player using a Raspberry Pi and a Sense

Marc is a former HAT. You’ll be able to shift between tracks in
teacher of your playlist, change the volume, and show a cool
Computer Science,
disco display on the LED matrix.
and is currently a
learning manager
at the Raspberry
Pi Foundation.
magpi.cc/ZHdSsd Get set up

01 Open up Scratch 2 on your Raspberry Pi
(choose Menu > Programming > Scratch 2). Now
choose a sprite for your MP3 player. Right-click
on the cat sprite and choose Delete. Click on the
Step 1 Add the Speaker sprite
‘Choose sprite from library’ icon; now choose

Things in the sidebar and highlight Speaker. Click
OK to add it to the Stage. It will add some blocks to
the scripts area – right-click to remove them.
You’ll Need
Add GPIO support
> Raspberry Pi (not a 02 A special GPIO extension in Scratch 2 on
Zero / Zero W)
Raspberry Pi is needed to control and read input
> Sense HAT and output components connected to the GPIO
> Speakers or pins. With Scratch 2 open, click on More Blocks
headphones in the Scripts menu. Next, click on the ‘Add an
Extension’ button. You can then double-click on
Step 2 Pi SenseHAT blocks appear under More Blocks
the ‘Pi SenseHAT’ extension to add it. You should

now see the Pi SenseHAT blocks in the More
Blocks section.
Create a disco effect

03 Click Events and drag a when flag clicked
block to the scripts area. Choose the Control tab
and add a forever block below when flag clicked.
Within the More Blocks menu, find the set pixel
block and drag it inside the forever block.
Step 3 Creating a random sparkle effect

TUTORIAL
DOWNLOAD
THE FULL CODE:
magpi.cc/Nqwqmz
The Sense HAT has

64 LED lights (in
an 8×8 matrix) that
can be set to any
RGB colour. We’re
using them to scroll
text and create a
disco effect
The LED matrix is used to

scroll track information and
Use the joystick to switch
produce a disco light effect
tracks and adjust the volume
Top Tip
Analogue audio
If you’re using
headphones or
speakers, don’t
forget to change
the audio out on
your Raspberry
Pi from HDMI to
Analog. Right-
click on the
Plug headphones or speakers into the volume icon on
audio socket to hear the music play the desktop.

TUTORIAL
With the pick random block (under Operators),

you can set random pixel positions and random
colours within the loop to make your Sense HAT
sparkle, by choosing LEDs on the Sense HAT to
light up (numbers between 0 and 7 on the 8×8
grid), and the amount of red, green, and blue to
colour the pixels (numbers between 0 and 255).

Step 4 Find Have a go at running your program by clicking
some music
on the green flag. You should see the LEDs on the

Step 5 Import
the MP3 files Sense HAT begin to randomly sparkle.
Get some tunes

04 Now you have a disco effect, it’s time to
make your MP3 player play some tunes! First,
save the project. Back in Scratch, click File > Save
Project > Create Folder. Name the folder Scratch
MP3 and double-click it to navigate inside. Name
the file Scratch MP3 Player.sb2 and click Save.
It’s time to make your MP3

player play some tunes

Step 6 Add a play sound block
Gather a few MP3 files together to begin with
– you’ll want at least three. (We’ve downloaded
three tracks from freemusicarchive.org). Save
them in the same Scratch MP3 directory as your
Scratch code.
Add the sounds

05 Click on the Sounds tab for your sprite. Get
rid of all the stock sounds, such as ‘scratchy beat’
and ‘drum jam’ (right-click and select Delete).
Now use the ‘Upload sound from file’ button to
upload all your MP3 files. Choose the MP3 files in
your Scratch MP3 folder and click Open.
Step 7 Change Raspberry Pi’s audio output to Analog
Face the music

06 Now it’s time to play your tracks. Your code
should currently look like that in Step 03. You can
play a sound using the play sound block. Add this
block above the forever loop.
Click on the green flag to play your track as the
disco lights start. Make sure you have speakers or
headphones plugged into your Raspberry Pi.

TUTORIAL
Analogue out
07 At this point you will need to change the
enter ‘track’ in the left field, and drag a track
variable into the right field (as shown in the Top Tip
sound output to analogue by right-clicking on the image). You can choose whichever colours you like.
speaker icon in the header bar of the desktop and Shuffle
then clicking the Analog option.
Next, you’re going to display the number of the A nice feature
Volume control to have on an
track that’s currently playing. Click on Data and
Make a Variable; call it ‘track’ (leave it set for all
09 You can now add some extra controls to your
MP3 player is the
option to shuffle
sprites and click OK). MP3 player. First of all, set up your script so that the tracks so
the Sense HAT joystick can control the volume. that they play in
Set track
08 Drag a set block above your play sound
Raspberry Pi treats the Sense HAT joystick in
the same way as the arrow keys on your keyboard.
a random order.
Pushing the Sense
block and choose track and 1. Click More Blocks This means that, for example, pushing the HAT joystick
inwards means
and drag a scroll message block under set track. joystick up is the same as pushing the up arrow
the same thing
The scroll message block can use the track on your keyboard. to Scratch as
variable with a join block. Drag a join block and Test your scripts again: click the green flag, and pressing ENTER
then use the Sense HAT joystick to change the on the keyboard.
volume of your music. Update the MP3

Step 8 Scroll the track number on the LED matrix player code so
that when the
joystick is pushed,
the code chooses
Change tracks
10 Now that you know how to use the joystick,
and plays a
random track.
it’s time to try to use it to change which track is
playing. When the program starts, you will need to
stop all sounds.
Use the when left arrow is pressed and the

Step 9 Controlling volume with the joystick
when right arrow is pressed blocks to stop all
sounds and to increase or decrease the value of your
track variable.
You can also use a scroll message block to show The Sense HAT is
again which track is being played. You can use the a versatile piece of
hardware made by
when arrow is pressed blocks to change the value Raspberry Pi. It’s
stored in your track variable. called a Sense HAT
due to all the sensors
That’s it – your MP3 player is complete! Click on on board (hardware
and motion), but
the green flag and then have a go at changing your
we’re using its other
tracks using the Sense HAT joystick. features here

Step 10 The complete code

FEATURE
Add vision with the
CAMERA
MODULE
A Raspberry Pi Camera Module should be an essential
piece of any digital maker’s kit, as it can be used in a wide
variety of projects. Wesley Archer puts us in the picture
G
ive your Raspberry Pi the gift of sight We’ve seen many exciting builds take advantage
with an official Camera Module of these, but being able to see what is happening
(magpi.cc/xSXqyL). This handy add-on around your Raspberry Pi is very simple with
connects directly to the Raspberry Pi and is used the Camera Module. These are some of the best
in a wide range of vision-based projects. projects for beginners. They’re easy to set up and
Using a Raspberry Pi to monitor its produce visible results.
surroundings is a fascinating subject, especially Using the Camera Module is a great way to
with the huge array of sensors, accessories, HATs, add an extra dimension to most projects. Let’s
and pHATs available. get started…
Regular or Camera Module V2.1 Camera Module NoIR V2.1
night vision?
The Camera Module has two
variants – the standard version
and the NoIR version, which
has the infrared filter removed
to allow the camera to detect
infrared light. It makes a great
night-vision camera when used
with an IR light source!

FEATURE
The Camera Module is small The small lens captures still

enough to fit inside bird- images and video, which are
boxes or small project boxes saved to Raspberry Pi

FEATURE
SET UP YOUR
CAMERA MODULE
Before you can start snapping away with the Camera Module,
you’ll need to connect it to a Raspberry Pi and test it out
S
etting up a Camera Module couldn’t be includes the cable. As with a full-size Raspberry
You’ll Need
easier. You attach the Camera Module Pi, gently pull the plastic clasp and then slot the
> Raspberry Pi directly to the Camera Serial Interface (CSI) camera cable in – you should see the white part
Camera Module port on the Raspberry Pi board. facing upwards. You’ll know if the cable is in
magpi.cc/ Connecting it to your Raspberry Pi is the same correctly if the camera works, but it is best to check
kAtsHn whether you own a Raspberry Pi 3A+/3B+, 4, Zero, before booting your Raspberry Pi.
> Pi Zero Camera or even an earlier Model B with 26 GPIO pins.
Adapter (optional) However, if you are going to connect a Camera
3
magpi.cc/
Module to a Raspberry Pi Zero (1.3, W, or WH),
uAUbdp
you’ll need to use a Pi Zero Camera Adapter. This is Connect the
> microSD card often sold separately (£4, magpi.cc/uAUbdp), and Camera Module
> Raspbian sometimes included with the Official Raspberry Pi Similar to the way the camera cable connects to
Zero case (magpi.cc/LECcmF). Raspberry Pi, gently pull the small plastic clasp on
If you received a Raspberry Pi Zero W free the Camera Module and then slot the other end of
with a 12-month subscription to The MagPi the camera cable into the port – this time the blue
(magpi.cc/subscribe), you will have got a Zero part should be facing you, with the camera lens
Camera Adapter cable free with your Starter Kit. pointing the opposite direction. Gently close the
Once you’ve got your Camera Module and clasp, locking the cable in place – the clasps can be
Disable LED Raspberry Pi, you use the cable to attach the two fragile, so handle with care.
together. We’ll show you how…
The V1 Camera
Module lights a
red LED when
1
activated (the V2
Camera doesn’t Connect the cable to
have one). To a Raspberry Pi 2/3/3+/4
disable this, add On a full-size Raspberry Pi, you will need to
disable_camera_
connect the camera cable to the Camera port
led=1 to the
nearest the Ethernet port. Gently lift the small
/boot/config.txt
file (and reboot). plastic clasp on the Camera port and connect the
camera cable with the blue part facing towards
the Ethernet port, then gently push the clasp back
down so it holds the cable in place.
2
While small, the
Camera Module takes
high-resolution photos
Connect the cable
(up to 3280×2464 pixels) to a Raspberry Pi Zero W
and captures HD video The Raspberry Pi Zero W has a smaller Camera
(up to 1080p) without
breaking a sweat port, but the official Raspberry Pi Zero case usually

FEATURE
The cable connects

the Camera Module to
the Camera port on a
Raspberry Pi board
Raspberry Pi Zero
owners will need a Pi
Zero Camera Adapter
to connect the Camera
The cable is flexible, enabling you to position Module to the smaller
Camera socket on
and attach the Camera Module wherever you the board
want for your project. You can also buy different-
length cables to suit your project
4 Enable the Camera Module

By default, the Camera Module is not enabled
in Raspbian, but it is very easy to do this. If you
5 Enabling via SSH
If you are accessing your Raspberry Pi over
SSH, you’ll need to enable the camera via the
Raspberry Pi
Camera Case
have your Raspberry Pi connected to a mouse, command-line Raspberry Pi configuration tool Using a full-sized
Raspberry Pi? Why
keyboard, and monitor, you can use the Raspberry instead. Enter the following in a Terminal window:
not buy a Raspberry
Pi Desktop to enable the Camera function. Click
Pi case designed to
on the raspberry icon (top left) and choose sudo raspi-config accommodate the
Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration. Click the Camera Module,
Interfaces tab and set Camera to Enabled. Click OK; Now select ‘5 – Interfacing Options > P1 – Camera’ such as the PiShell?
when prompted to reboot, click Yes. and choose <Yes> to enable the camera. Press
ENTER on <Ok> and choose <Finish>. When
asked to reboot, choose <Yes>. We’re now set to
snap away.
6 Test the Camera Module

Before diving into a project, it’s worth testing
your Camera Module works as expected first. Open
a Terminal and enter this command:
raspistill -o /home/pi/hello.jpg
Smile for a few seconds – you can see yourself on

You must activate
the live camera preview – while the photo is taken the Camera interface
in Raspberry Pi
and saved to the /home/pi directory. Why not open
Configuration before
it in File Manager to see the results? using the camera

FEATURE
CAMERA MODULE
SETTINGS
Get the most out of your Camera Module by tweaking
the various settings and creating different effects
T
he Camera Module doesn’t just snap photos raspistill -w 640 -h 480 -br 40 -o /home/
– it also records video – but did you know pi/hello.jpg
that there are lots of different settings that
can be applied to customise how the photo or video This demonstrates how you can take a smaller
appears? In this guide, we’re going to explore some photo (640×480 pixels) with a brightness of 40, but
of the settings and commands that can be used feel free to experiment to see what works best.
to tailor how you use the Camera Module in your
project, and we’ll explore some of the more quirky
features too!
2 Adding text
If you’re old enough to remember actual
printed photographs, then you may have noticed
that some cameras added the date and time
to record when the photo was taken. If you’re
too young to remember, don’t worry as you’ve
1
just learned something new! With raspistill
Adjusting resolution you can add your own text to your photos too,
and brightness using the -a or --annotate parameter. Take the
The v2.1 Camera Module has a maximum resolution following example:
for a photo of 3280×2464 pixels, but images
this large can take up a lot of storage space over raspistill -a 4 -a "Pi Camera %d-%m-%Y
time and take longer to process by Raspberry Pi. %X" -o /home/pi/text.jpg
Fortunately, raspistill, the program that captures
photos on our Raspberry Pi, allows us to specify The first -a 4 part sets the bitmask notation in
the photo resolution very easily. For example, the metadata to record the time (more info on that
you can set the width (640 pixels) and height (480 here: magpi.cc/2egcYup).
pixels) using the -w and -h parameters accordingly. The second -a part includes our custom text
You can also specify the brightness with the -br (Pi Camera) and formats the date into dd-mm‑yy
parameter and a value between 0 and 100. The (%d-%m-%Y) before adding the time (%X) and then
image above was taken with the NoIR Camera saving the photo in our Raspberry Pi’s home
Module (hence the odd colours) using: directory (/home/pi) as text.jpg.

FEATURE
Camera
Essentials
We’ve only just
scratched the
surface of what
the Camera
Module can do
in our guide, so
why not take
a look at The
MagPi Essentials
Camera Module
Guide for a more
comprehensive
overview of all the
commands, hints,
and tips to ensure
you get the most
out of it?
magpi.cc/
camera-
essentials
"You can add image effects to photos taken

by the Camera Module, such as inverting the
colours to a negative"
3 Add image effects

Another quirky feature of raspistill is that
you can add image effects to photos taken by the
Camera Module, such as inverting the colours to a
negative, making the photo look like a sketch, or
even adding a cartoon effect. Now, before you all
get carried away, some of the effects can be a little
hit-and-miss, but they can add a cool look to your Make the photo
look like a watercolour
photos nonetheless! This is done by adding the painting instead of a
-ifx parameter along with the desired effect (full negative with the -ifx
watercolour parameter
breakdown available here: magpi.cc/SuuECJ).
The following example applies a negative effect Embossing is the
to the photo, as well as adding our custom text, process of creating a
raised image, usually
date, and time: in paper or card. You
can recreate the effect
with the -ifx emboss
raspistill -ifx negative -a 4 -a "Pi parameter
Camera %d-%m-%Y %X" -o /home/pi/negative.
jpg
As you can see from the image above, this is an

interesting effect! Be sure to try out the sketch and
emboss commands too.

FEATURE
CAMERA MODULE
PROJECTS
We’ve selected six Camera Module-related projects to try out.
If you need some inspiration, then take a look at the pick of the bunch
Stop-motion animation
Stop-motion animation – think Wallace &
Gromit – is where a series of photographs are
taken, but with minor changes made to the
‘scene’ being filmed. The scene is changed
slightly between shots – known as frames –
and when they are all stitched back together
afterwards, the illusion of animation is
complete! In this fantastic tutorial, learn how to
add a button to your Camera Module setup and
create your very own stop-motion animation!
More info: magpi.cc/KiYbdb
Raspberry Pi Zero LED case hack

As you now know, the NoIR version of the
Camera Module has the infrared filter removed
from the lens so that it can detect infrared light.
This makes it an ideal choice for projects in the
dark. In this neat project, you can easily add IR
LEDs to provide additional infrared light, so that
your pictures capture more detail in the dark –
and all housed within the official Raspberry Pi
Zero case, too!
More info: magpi.cc/xCozST
Rodak: a Raspberry Pi in a Kodak

Taking photos is what the Camera Module is
designed for, so what better way to do that than
to upcycle an old Kodak Brownie Flash III camera
to house a Raspberry Pi Zero, like Alex Ellis did? It
also contains some additional components, such
as a LiPo battery for power-on-the-go, a push-
button to trigger the camera, and a cool NeoPixel
status LED to show you when the camera is ready
to fire again!
More info: magpi.cc/sAxjyc

FEATURE
"Easily add IR LEDs

to provide additional
infrared light, so
that your pictures
capture more detail
in the dark!"
Google Vision: Camera Tell

This cool project, by Dan Aldred (aka TeCoEd),
makes use of the Google Vision cloud service. If you
haven’t heard of Google Vision, it uses artificial
intelligence to analyse an image and tells you
what is in it! Dan takes this project even further by
creating a portable camera – housed inside an old
disposable camera – that uses a Camera Module,
as well as Google Vision to announce what you have
just taken a photo of.
More info: magpi.cc/VadAHy
Make a parent detector

Do you suspect your parents sneak into your
Home CCTV with motionEyeOS room when you’re out? Do they play on your
If you missed the Home Security feature in The Xbox or PS4 without your permission? Then
MagPi 73 (magpi.cc/73), you should definitely follow this tutorial and build a parent detector,
check out the handy motionEyeOS, which is using the Camera Module and a PIR (passive
a standalone operating system that runs on infrared) sensor, and catch them red-handed!
Raspberry Pi and allows you to easily create your Learn how the PIR sensor can trigger the Camera
very own home CCTV setup with a few clicks. Once Module to take a photo whenever it detects
the OS image is flashed to your microSD card, you movement, then see how your parents react
will be up and running in no time and be able to when confronted with the evidence.
keep an eye on your home when you are away. More info: magpi.cc/nlaODg
More info: magpi.cc/mpLqjp

TUTORIAL
Pictures from space

via ham radio
Have you ever wanted to receive a radio signal from space?
It’s fun and a lot easier than you might think!
W
hat is Slow Scan TV (SSTV), then? You Firstly, switch the audio output to the 3.5 mm
convert a picture into sound (similar to headphone jack. This is needed for the way
Dave fax machine or dial-up modem noise) PulseAudio loops back the system audio as an
MAKER
Honess transmit the sound via radio, and convert the input device. On the Raspbian desktop, simply
received sound back into a picture at the other right-click the speaker icon in the menu bar and
Dave lives in end. The International Space Station (ISS) has choose Analog.
the Netherlands
a long history of transmitting SSTV pictures for Then, open a Terminal and install the required
and works at
the European global events, each lasting several days, where software for the project:
Space Research people the world over tune their radios to the ISS
and Technology
and try to receive the pictures every time it flies sudo apt-get update
Centre, where he
helps coordinate over their home. It’s a hobby of mine! sudo apt-get install rtl-sdr sox
the educational One such event began on 12 April 2019 to pulseaudio qsstv ntpdate -y
operations for celebrate the anniversary – to the day – of the
European crew on
the ISS.
launches of Yuri Gagarin in 1961 and the first Next, set your time zone and pull the correct time
Space Shuttle, 20 years later, in 1981. from the internet. In the Raspbian main menu,
@dave_spice
go to Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration >
Localisation tab > Set Timezone, change Area and
Location accordingly, then click OK.
Install prerequisites
01 and set the time
Finally, go back to the Terminal window to pull
the time:
We presume you are running a clean install of
Raspbian and are online. sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org
Note that the desktop clock in the top right only

You’ll Need updates every minute.
> Raspberry Pi 2B or
later
Install and test

> 3.5 mm speakers or
headphones 02 the RTL-SDR dongle
> RTL-SDR USB Insert the RTL-SDR dongle into your Pi and screw
dongle (search for in the antenna (it can sit on your desk at this
‘RTL2832U’) with a stage). Then verify the RTL-SDR is working with
good whip or dipole
the rtl_test program. In a Terminal window, enter:
antenna (or just
get this starter kit:
magpi.cc/uBMKQg) rtl_test
> Tape measure, at
This is one of the clearest pictures your author has been able
least 1 metre If you see a ‘failed to open rtlsdr device’ error,
to receive with this setup. It was from an 83 degree elevation
pass near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, on 15 February 2019 remove the dongle, reinsert it, and try rtl_test

TUTORIAL
This inexpensive
USB dongle acts as
the radio receiver
It takes about two whole minutes for a picture to be decoded.

When they do this from the ISS, a picture is transmitted
continuously for about two minutes, with two minutes of
off‑time before the next picture starts
This is a good, but
cheap, antenna
again. Leave for about 30 seconds and look out for which can pick up
any messages about loss of samples. Press CTRL+C the ISS SSTV signal
when 30 seconds has elapsed. The loss of 100 bytes
or so is acceptable.
ISS is in range. Let’s just check the settings are all
03 Listen to a commercial correct. In the main menu, select Internet > QSSTV, Top Tip
FM radio station then select Options > Configuration and choose the
Let’s tune into a commercial FM radio station to following options in the Sound tab: Play with SSTV
check that both the dongle and the antenna are on mobile
working correctly. The command below pipes Audio Interface – PulseAudio
raw data from rtl_fm into ‘play’, which will then Input and Output Audio Device – default -- Playback/ For a quick test,
produce the audio output. Modify the value after recording through the PulseAudio sound server you can try these
free mobile
the -f to specify your own FM station/frequency Sound Input – From sound card
apps: Robot36 on
and don’t forget to put the capital M after the Sound Output – To sound card Android; CQ SSTV
number so it knows you mean megahertz and not on iOS. Play this
hertz (98.8MHz is BBC Radio 1 in the UK). In a Click OK. Next, run the Calibrate function and go MP3 (magpi.cc/
Terminal, enter: make a cup of tea/coffee: Options > Calibrate. Click ruANWC) and put
OK when both progress bars reach 99%. the phone near
the speaker.
rtl_fm -M wbfm -f 98.8M | play -r 32k -t
raw -e s -b 16 -c 1 -V1 -
Decode a picture from test audio

Note that the ‘Tuned to’ value in the output
doesn’t match. This is due to a property of all
05 Now that QSSTV is set up, we can download
SDR hardware, called ‘DC spike’, and can be a test audio file, play it, and see a picture slowly
ignored. Plug in your speakers/headphones and appear. In a Terminal, enter:
you should now be able to hear audio from the
commercial FM station. Move the antenna around wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/
or select a different FM radio station with a closer davidhoness/sstv_decoder/master/sstv_test.mp3
transmitter if the audio is noisy. Press CTRL+C to
quit from rtl_fm. Select the Receive tab in QSSTV and choose the
following settings:
Use VIS – on
Set up QSSTV
04 QSSTV is the program that will listen to
Auto Slant – on
Autosave – on
the audio output on the Raspberry Pi and decode Signals – Normal
the pictures from the fax/modem noise when the Mode – Auto

TUTORIAL
Click the play ► button. Nothing will happen, but At the time of writing, for instance, an SSTV
Top Tip just click it to start the receiver. event was scheduled to start on 4 August 2019
Open sstv_test.mp3 in the Chromium browser. to honour NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, the
RTL-SDR You can either drag and drop the file from File first person to operate amateur radio from space.
starter kit Manager, or enter file:///home/pi/sstv_test.mp3 These events usually last for a few days at a time,
into the address bar. meaning you will get multiple ISS passes during
Your author Let it play and watch the picture appear in QSSTV. which you can receive the SSTV signal.
personally Notice the waveform and waterfall display activity on
recommends
the right of the screen. Other SSTV test recordings
this starter kit
that comes with can be found online, such as: magpi.cc/dXpjRr.
When is the ISS flying over me?
the USB dongle
and a good
07 There are many websites you can use
v-dipole antenna: for this, but your author’s personal favourite
magpi.cc/uBMKQg Prepare for the next SSTV event
06 To get pictures from the ISS you need to
is heavens-above.com.
Click ‘Unspecified’ in the top right to set your
know three things: location. Type your postal code and country into
‘Enter place to search for’ and click Search. Scroll
• When the ISS will be transmitting the SSTV down and click Update. You’ll now be back on the
signal. It’s not always-on. homepage; under Satellites, click ISS. For ‘Passes
• What frequency the SSTV signal will be to include’, select ‘all’.
transmitted on (usually 145.8MHz). The table now showing lists the times of the
• When the ISS will fly over your location. upcoming ISS passes for your location. The Alt
Imagine holding this
picture above your value under ‘Highest point’ is the maximum
head and aligning The ISS flies over most places a few times every elevation of the pass above the horizon; 90 would
it with the compass
directions. The line day (unless you live in the Arctic/Antarctic). You mean it goes directly overhead. Passes with higher
shows the flight path
can find out when the ISS is transmitting on this maximum elevation will give better results than
of the ISS across the
sky above you website: ariss-sstv.blogspot.com. lower ones. Clicking on any row in the table shows
the sky chart for that pass. Imagine holding that
picture above your head and aligning it with the
compass directions. The line shows the flight path
of the ISS and this is useful for roughly positioning
your antenna. It can also be useful to look at the
‘Ground track’ (see link in top right). Plan ahead
and set up your ground station with time to spare
before the ISS flies over.
Adjust your antenna

08 If you are using the RTL-SDR kit
antenna, please read the getting started guide for
it: magpi.cc/qzUKtZ.
It’s a good idea to adjust the length of the
telescopic arms based on this dipole calculator
(magpi.cc/uGNNxP) to match the antenna’s
resonant frequency to 145.8MHz. This will help
pick up weaker signals from low elevation passes.
Under Desired Frequency, enter 145.8. Under
Select Antenna Calculation, select One Side. Click
Calculate. The answer should be 48.9 cm.
Remember, there is about 2 cm of metal in each
side of the antenna base. So take 48.9 and, before
screwing in the arms, use a tape measure to make
them both this length minus 2 cm (excluding the

TUTORIAL
screw threads). It doesn’t have to be perfect, but

make it as close as possible.
Deploy your antenna

09 As a general rule, try to get your antenna
up as high as possible with a good view of the
sky in all directions. Outside is always better, but
you can still get the signal from inside a house –
you’ll just see more noise in the pictures. Then,
with the dipole arms flat, roughly align them
with the flight path of the ISS that you find on
heavens‑above.com and bend the two arms
upwards into a right-angle V-shape. You don’t
Start QSSTV The ARISS VHF
need to realign it for every pass, but it will yield
better results if you do.
12 In the Raspbian main menu, select Internet
antenna installed on
the bottom of the
Columbus module
Antennas and their performance are sometimes > QSSTV. Select the Receive tab in QSSTV and Credit: NASA/ESA
a bit of an art form as opposed to an exact science. choose the following settings:
Experiment with different configurations on Use VIS – on
different ISS passes. Try one arm horizontal and Auto Slant – on
one arm vertical, for instance. Autosave – on
Mode – Auto
Save if Complete (%) – 10
Set the correct time again

10 QSSTV saves the decoded images with a
Click the play ► button. The waveform and
waterfall display on the right should show noise
UTC time file name and this is useful later when coming from rtl_fm. Leave QSSTV running.
working out which ISS passes they are from. In a
Terminal, enter:
Antennas and their performance are
sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org
sometimes a bit of an art form as opposed
to an exact science
Tune into the ISS frequency
11 What is Doppler shift?
We’ll use rtl_fm again for this, but note that
the command is different to the commercial radio
13 A common example of Doppler shift is
station one. A commercial radio station uses wide the change of pitch heard when a police car or
band FM whereas the ISS SSTV transmission uses ambulance speeds past you. Compared to the
narrow band FM and so we have to set rtl_fm up emitted frequency of the siren, the frequency you Top Tip
differently. In a Terminal, enter: hear is higher during the approach, identical at the
instant of passing by, and lower during departure. Antennas
rtl_fm -M fm -f 145.8M -s 48k | play -r The same thing happens with radio waves as with to avoid
48k -t raw -e s -b 16 -c 1 -V1 – sound waves. The ISS is moving at 7 km per second!
Avoid the little
To compensate for this, ground stations must
30 cm mag-
You should be able to hear white noise now (don’t continually retune their receiver as the ISS mount antennas
forget the capital M for megahertz), but this will approaches (starting ~3.5kHz above 145.8MHz), that often come
change to the fax/modem noise when the ISS passes overhead (reaching 145.8MHz exactly), with these RTL-
flies over with the transmission active. Keep this and flies away (ending ~3.5kHz below 145.8MHz). SDR dongles.
window open. A picture is transmitted from the The good news is that QSSTV is clever and can You will have
little or no hope
ISS continuously for about two minutes, with compensate by tracking the centre frequency of the
of picking up the
another two minutes of off-time before the next audio signal as the ISS flies over. So you don’t need
ISS with them.
picture starts. to do anything!

TUTORIAL
doppler.py
> Language: Python
001. #!/usr/bin/python3
002. import urllib.request
003. import math
004. import socket
005. import ephem
006. import time
007. import sys
You can potentially get a certificate like this, even if you only
decode a few lines of one picture 008. import ssl
009.
010.
Compensate for 011. C = 300000000.0
14 Doppler shift (optional) 012. F0 = 145800000.0
It doesn’t make much difference, but if you 013.
want to have some fun with this, your author 014. LATITUDE = "52.219308"
has created a Python script to compensate for 015. LONGITUDE = "4.419926"
Doppler shift. It tracks the ISS using ephem, 016. ALTITUDE = 20
computes the corrected frequency for when the 017.
ISS is passing over, and retunes rtl_fm using a 018.
UDP socket: magpi.cc/zNtRDB. 019. class tle_reader(object):
To use it you’ll first need to run sudo pip3 020. """
install ephem and then just start the script 021. For keeping ephem two line element sets up to date
in another Terminal window. But first you will 022. """
need to modify the code to set your location. 023. def __init__(self,
See the LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, and ALTITUDE 024. tle_name="ISS (ZARYA)",
variables at the top. Get the values from the top 025. tle_file=
right of heavens‑above.com and just estimate "https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/stations.txt",
your altitude. 026. tle_max_age=3600):
027. self._tle_name = tle_name
028. self._tle_file = tle_file
029. self._tle_max_age = tle_max_age
Wait for the ISS to arrive 030. self._tle = None
15 You may want to leave your ground station 031. self.reload()
overnight or over the weekend to capture several 032.
passes. When you return, select the Gallery tab 033. def build_index(self, tle_lines):
in QSSTV to see what images were received. 034. index = {}
Alternatively, it’s always exciting to watch the 035. for i in range(0, len(tle_lines), 3):
pictures coming in live as the ISS is above you! 036. index[tle_lines[i].strip()] = (tle_lines[i +
1], tle_lines[i + 2])
037. return index
038.
Get an SSTV award! 039. def reload(self):
16 On your Raspberry Pi, the decoded pictures 040. print("Loading: %s" % self._tle_file)
can be found in /home/pi/qsstv/rx_sstv. You can 041.
upload them on this website for verification and 042. try:
recognition: magpi.cc/Kdjnmy. 043. ctx = ssl.create_default_context()
Check the information for the event on 044. ctx.check_hostname = False
ariss-sstv.blogspot.com to find out how to apply 045. ctx.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_NONE
for the award certificates. This will be a PNG file 046. with urllib.request.urlopen(self._tle_file,
that is emailed to you and will show a unique context=ctx) as response:
number. Good luck!

TUTORIAL
DOWNLOAD
THE FULL CODE:
magpi.cc/zNtRDB
047. tle_lines = response.read().decode( 092. self._s.send(cmd_bytes + param_bytes)

"utf-8").splitlines() 093.
048. index = self.build_index(tle_lines) 094. def __del__(self):
049. tle_data = index[self._tle_name] 095. self._s.close()
050. self._tle = ephem.readtle( 096.
self._tle_name, tle_data[0], tle_data[1]) 097.
051. except Exception as e: 098. rtl = rtl_fm_remote()
052. print(e) 099. iss = tle_reader(
053. tle_name="ISS (ZARYA)", tle_max_age=5520)
054. self._tle_age = time.time() 100.
055. 101. if iss.tle is None:
056. @property 102. sys.exit(0)
057. def tle(self): 103.
058. return self._tle 104. myloc = ephem.Observer()
059. 105. myloc.lon = LONGITUDE
060. @property 106. myloc.lat = LATITUDE
061. def tle_expired(self): 107. myloc.elevation = ALTITUDE
062. return time.time() - self._tle_age > 108.
self._tle_max_age 109. freq = F0
063. 110. running = True
064. 111.
065. class rtl_fm_remote(object): 112. try:
066. """ 113. while running:
067. For remote control of rtl_fm command line program 114. myloc.date = time.strftime(
068. """ '%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S', time.gmtime())
069. def __init__(self, 115. iss.tle.compute(myloc)
070. host="localhost", 116. alt = math.degrees(iss.tle.alt)
071. port=6020): 117.
072. self._host = host 118. if alt > 0: # iss is flying over location
073. self._port = port 119. new_freq = int(
074. self._s = socket.socket( F0 - iss.tle.range_velocity * F0 / C) # doppler
socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) 120. if new_freq != freq:
075. self._s.connect((self._host, self._port)) 121. print(
076. new_freq, round(alt, 2), myloc.date)
077. def set_freq(self, freq): 122. rtl.set_freq(new_freq) # set new
078. self.send_cmd(0, freq) frequency in rtl_fm
079. 123. freq = new_freq
080. def set_mode(self, mode): 124. elif iss.tle_expired:
081. self.send_cmd(1, mode) 125. iss.reload() # we could be running for
082. days / weeks
083. def set_squelch(self, squelch): 126. else:
084. self.send_cmd(2, squelch) 127. time.sleep(10) # do nothing, wait for
085. iss to arrive
086. def set_gain(self, gain): 128. freq = F0
087. self.send_cmd(3, gain) 129. except KeyboardInterrupt:
088. 130. running = False
089. def send_cmd(self, cmd, param): 131.
090. cmd_bytes = (cmd).to_bytes(1, "little") 132. print("Bye")
091. param_bytes = (param).to_bytes(32, "little")

FEATURE
THE 50
E R R Y P I
RASPB
R R A S P B IAN
MASTE 01
Boot from USB
P B E R R Y PI You can boot some Raspberry Pi
AND RA S
models (3B, 3B+, 3A+, 2B v1.2)
from a USB port instead of a microSD
KS,
card. It’s faster and more reliable for
E S E H AC long-term use, plus you get lots of
WITH TH
extra storage space. See the official
documentation at magpi.cc/eXHfjq.
T S & T R I C KS 02
Power over Ethernet
HIN The official Raspberry Pi PoE
HAT enables you to power
a Raspberry Pi 3B+ or 4 via an
Ethernet cable. Great for those
projects that require a constant
wired connection.
78 Get Started with Raspberry Pi

FEATURE
01
08
09 02
10 06 03
04
07
Touchscreen
07 A Raspberry Pi Touch Display
05
(magpi.cc/CAPxtI) gives users
the ability to create all-in-one,
integrated projects such as tablets,
infotainment systems, and embedded
projects. Its ribbon cable connects to
the DSI port present on all Raspberry
Power it up
05
Pi boards (except Raspberry Pi Zero
Audio output
03
The power requirements of your and Zero W).
All Raspberry Pi models have a Raspberry Pi increase as you
GPIO pins guide
composite out port to connect
analogue devices. Model B+ and later
make use of the various interfaces.
The GPIO pins can draw 50 mA safely, 08 Open a Terminal and enter:
combine the audio out and composite distributed across all the pins; an
out on to the same 3.5 mm jack plug. individual GPIO pin can only safely pinout
This requires a particular type of lead, draw 16 mA. The HDMI port uses
with audio left on the tip, audio right 50 mA, the Camera Module requires …for a quick visual guide to the GPIO
on ring 1, ground on ring 2, and video 250 mA, and keyboards and mice can pins. Or enter:
on the sleeve. See magpi.cc/tDfjLV. take as little as 100 mA or quite a bit
more. Buy the Official Power Supply pinout -x
Switch sound options
04
and check the power rating of your
The HDMI port outputs audio devices: magpi.cc/xfszUR. …to open the web browser and point it
as well as video. If your display to the interactive model at pinout.xyz.
Use a camera
06
lacks a built-in speaker, you’ll want
Hardware diagrams
09
to use the speaker jack. If so, right- You can use a webcam, but
click on the volume icon in the menu Raspberry Pi has a dedicated You can see the mechanical
bar and switch from HDMI to Analog. option: the Camera Module drawings for Raspberry
Alternatively, use the command line: (magpi.cc/jbKzbf). This is attached Pi 3B+ (and all other models)
to the CSI (Camera Serial Interface). on the Raspberry Pi website:
amixer cset numid=3 1 The Camera Module is used to take magpi.cc/WWFUji.
high-definition video and still
Wireless hotspot
10
Set the last number to ‘1’ for Analog, images. It’s easy to use for beginners,
or ‘2’ for HDMI. Use raspi-config to but has plenty to offer advanced Many Raspberry Pi models
change the audio setting at boot: users if you’re looking to expand feature a wireless LAN adapter
your knowledge. There are lots of to connect to local network. But you
sudo raspi-config examples online of people using it for can also use the access point to create
time-lapse, slow-motion, and other a wireless hotspot. The process is a
Choose Advanced Options > Audio and video cleverness. You can also use the little long, but it’s great for learning
‘Force 3.5 mm (‘headphone’) jack’ or libraries Raspberry Pi has developed more about how wireless LAN works.
‘Force HDMI’ to set this as the default. to create visual effects. Read more at magpi.cc/nnriRT.
Get Started with Raspberry Pi 79

FEATURE
A N T I P S
RASPBI
p b e rr y P i’ s operating
a s
Customise R
Add some
cks.
e tips and tri
visual flair to
w it h t h e s the Raspbian
system
interface using
ersley
the Screensaver
By Lucy Hatt
program
Demo programs
11 Raspbian comes with a bunch of demo sudo apt-get update
programs that demonstrate various sudo apt-get install xscreensaver
features. Find them here:
cd /opt/vc/src/hello_pi This may take a few minutes. The

screensaver application will then appear
They’re written in C. Compile them with: under Preferences in the main desktop
menu. This provides many options for
./rebuild.sh setting up the screensaver, or disabling it.
Understand config.txt
13
You will now be able to run the .bin files in
each example folder. For instance, run: Note: this is for advanced users only!
Raspberry Pi uses a configuration file
cd hello_tiger instead of the BIOS found on most PCs. This
./hello_tiger.bin file is normally accessible as /boot/config.txt
from Linux, and must be edited as root.
…to see a large rotating image of a tiger on the
screen. For more info, see magpi.cc/tpNaGV. sudo nano /boot/config.txt
Screensaver
12
Any changes will only take effect after you
By default, the Raspberry Pi Desktop have rebooted your Raspberry Pi. After Linux
Raspbian has a doesn’t have easy-to-use screensaver has booted, you can view the current active
selection of demo
software installed. Firstly, you should install settings using the following commands:
programs hidden in
the opt directory the X Windows screensaver application.
vcgencmd get_config <config>
…displays a specific config value; for

example, vcgencmd get_config arm_freq.
vcgencmd get_config int
…lists all the integer config options that are

set (non-zero).
vcgencmd get_config str
…lists all the string config options that are

set (non-null).
A range of options can be edited in the

config.txt file – see rpf.io/configtxt.

FEATURE
Y T I P S
SECURIT
k a b o u t s e curity when
o thin rld
You’ll need t rr y P i t o t h e outside wo
aspbe
connecting R
Change your password
16 With the standard install of Raspbian, the
default username is pi and the password is
Free up space
14
raspberry. If you haven’t at least changed this
You can save space on your microSD card password, anyone can log into your Raspberry
for projects, documents, and code by Pi! Go to Menu > Preferences > Raspberry Pi
removing some of the programs provided in Configuration. In the System tab, click Change
Raspbian by default.You can remove software Password, enter one, confirm it, and click OK.
from the command line:
Keep Raspbian up to date
sudo apt purge mathematica
sudo apt clean
17 From time to time, security
vulnerabilities are found in software, so
sudo apt autoremove it’s always best to get the latest versions on a
regular basis. In a Terminal, type sudo apt-
But it's much better to choose Menu > get update to update your package lists, then
Preferences > Recommended Software. Clear sudo apt-get dist-upgrade to get the latest
the tick next to the unwanted program and version of the packages on your system.
click OK.
Install Fail2ban
Kernel update (& rollback) 18
15
If someone wants to hack into a Raspberry
If you use the standard Raspbian update/ Pi, they may try to guess your username
upgrade process, this will automatically and password. It will probably take a lot of
update the kernel to the latest stable version. attempts, but this is called ‘brute-forcing’. To
This is the recommended procedure. However, prevent this, you can install a program called
sometimes you may wish to update to the Fail2ban. Install using sudo apt install
latest ‘bleeding edge’ or test kernel. fail2ban and a user will be banned for ten
minutes if they fail login five times.
sudo rpi-update
Change default SSH port
The rpi-update utility will download the 19 If you change the default SSH port,
latest (unstable, testing) kernel version and anyone trying to connect would need to
copy all required files onto your system. Note know which port to use. To alter it, sudo nano
that the latest kernel from rpi-update is /etc/ssh/sshd_config and change the line
not guaranteed to work correctly! Make sure #Port 22 to read Port 2222 (without the #) or
that it doesn’t conflict with your distribution another memorable number. Save and exit
packages. It doesn’t provide a way of (CTRL+O, ENTER, CTRL+X), then restart SSH
automatically uninstalling the files. with sudo service ssh restart.
To revert to the current stock Raspbian
Turn off interfaces
20
kernel after trying rpi-update or a custom
kernel, you need to reinstall both these you don’t need
packages, by running: The safest way to stop hackers is to not
have any network connection, but another way
sudo apt-get install --reinstall of shutting down the system a bit more is to
raspberrypi-bootloader raspberrypi- go into Main Menu >→ Preferences >→ Raspberry
kernel Pi Configuration and select the Interfaces tab.
Make sure everything you don’t need is disabled.

FEATURE
K I N G T I P S
G A N D M A
CO D I N
sp berry Pi.
o m y o u r m akes with Ra
Get more fr
ersley
By Lucy Hatt your project together, and less time figuring
out how to get it to work. Bookmark the
Switch to Thonny
21
documentation: gpiozero.readthedocs.io.
If you’re still programming in Python
Make circuit diagrams
23
IDLE or using Text Editor, then switch
to Thonny. It is just as easy as the other Fancy making a circuit board diagram
programs, but has a simple debugger that like the ones you see in The MagPi
makes it much easier to fix flaws in your magazine? The software you’re looking for
code. Press CTRL+F5 instead of F5 to run is Fritzing. It’s currently in beta, and we
a program step-by-step. Unlike more mostly use the Windows version to create
advanced IDEs, you don’t need to set the images you see in The MagPi. However, a
breakpoints. Press F6 for a big step and F7 version is available for Raspberry Pi.
for a small step. It’s ideal for makers because
it enables you to fix problems, but isn’t so sudo apt-get update
involved that you get completely absorbed in sudo apt-get install fritzing
code and so you can carry on with your build.
Restart your Raspberry Pi and you’ll find the
GPIO Zero
22
program under Menu > Programming. We are
Make sure you learn to code using the currently having trouble opening the parts
The Thonny
IDE (integrated GPIO Zero Python library (now in version bin on Raspberry Pi; if any readers have a fix,
development 1.5). This boilerplate library is designed then please let us know.
environment) makes
it easier to debug to take the hassle out of using electronics
Raspberry Pi and Arduino
24
your programs components and kits with Raspberry Pi. With
without getting
too distracted GPIO Zero you can spend more time putting Raspberry Pi works fantastically well
with an Arduino attached. Despite
looking visually similar, the two boards are
very different. Raspberry Pi is a complete
single-board computer, while the Arduino
range are microcontrollers. They work
fantastically well together because the
Arduino is handy for controlling parts, with
Raspberry Pi better for the higher-level
interface and master control. You can install
the software to control an Arduino from
Raspberry Pi:
sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo apt-get install arduino
Arduino programs are called ‘sketches’, and

are based on the C programming language.
For more info, see our book on learning C
(magpi.cc/learn-c-book) and our guide to
Arduino and Raspberry Pi (magpi.cc/67).

FEATURE
Codewars Pi store in Cambridge. We use a half-size
25
Codewars is a good
web resource for
breadboard in our diagrams, so if you get that practising and flexing
One of the best ways to boost your
type you’ll find it much easier to follow our your programming
programming skills is to complete muscles
projects: magpi.cc/dXHByV.
challenges. If you are looking for some Learning the
programming challenges, then sign up for ‘Western Union’
Second-hand
splice technique will
28
Codewars on your Raspberry Pi. The website make your soldering
joints stronger
(codewars.com) has a video game style, and Get to know your local second-hand
you get points and advance through levels by (‘thrift’) store. Used objects can be a
completing challenges (kata). We’ve even seen great source of inspiration, and upcycling old
the latter being used in job interviews and to tech with new Raspberry Pi parts is a popular
gain entry to coding boot camps. pastime. High-profile maker Martin Mander
has rescued old radios, televisions, and toys.
Learn to solder
26
Follow him on Twitter (@MartinWMander)
There’s a technique to soldering wires for inspirational ideas.
together called the ‘Western Union’ or
Share early and often
29
‘Lineman’ splice, and you should learn it if
you’re going to solder (magpi.cc/mckKVW). It The best way to get inspiration and help
was developed during the introduction of the for your project is to share it with the
telegraph (hence the name), and the wrapping Raspberry Pi community. In March 2019,
pattern is designed to tighten as the two ends The MagPi ran #MonthOfMaking on Twitter, to
pull against each other. encourage readers to share projects with one
another. But don’t wait till next year – share
Make a maker kit
27
your project on our forum (magpi.cc/forum),
We can’t recommend highly enough Facebook (magpi.cc/facebook), or Twitter
putting together a maker kit. This should (@TheMagPi). The more other readers see your
contain a wide range of electronics parts, bits, project, the more likely you’ll be to finish it.
and tools. Find a good components case and
Tips for makers
30
put in it a selection of resistors, capacitors,
LEDs, buttons, potentiometers, a piezo buzzer, Element14 has two collections of Tips for
and a breadboard with lots of jumper cables. Makers packed with interesting ideas.
You can pick up kits and parts from most Sign up with the Element14 website to access
Raspberry Pi resellers, or visit the Raspberry them: magpi.cc/XQaCyC.

FEATURE
G T I P S
NE T WORKIN i
o re a b o u t Raspberry P
wm s
Need to kno re are some of the basic
He ady
networking? s t in g t ip s if you’re alre
tere
and some in You can connect your Raspberry Pi to a
p
networked u
local area network and the internet using
an RJ45 cable or by configuring WiFi
Wired or wireless
31
provide similar information. Your local
You’ll Need Raspberry Pi has two standard ways of IP address will be the number that looks
connecting to a network: with an Ethernet something like 192.168.0.34. You can also
> N
etwork cable cable or on-board WiFi (on newer models). find your IP address by hovering over the
> Internet router The Ethernet cable is usually either a Cat5e network icon (top right) of your desktop.
or Cat6 (for fast networks) type, with an RJ45
> Internet connection
IPv4 and IPv6
33
connector on each end. One end plugs into a
router or hub and the other end into Raspberry The terms IPv4 and IPv6 are descriptions
Pi. Wired connections are generally faster of the internet protocol and address.
than WiFi and will connect as soon as the IPv4 uses 32-bit numbers for the address
cable is plugged in. Home wireless network and looks something like: 192.168.1.23. As
connections can usually be connected to by the internet has now grown so large, the
just selecting the network and typing in a limited number of available IPv4 addresses
password – see magpi.cc/HiDkyk. has become a problem. A new version of
IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address,
Know your IP
32
has been defined. In July 2017, the final
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a definition of the protocol was published,
number allocated to your Raspberry Pi although IPv6 has been in use for over 20
so that other computers know where to find years. An IPv6 address looks something like:
it on the network. There are several ways to fe80:94c:38c8:4600:7b33:64bb:baf7:e866. On
find your Raspberry Pi’s current IP address. a home network you will normally be using
In a Terminal window, there are a couple of IPv4 format addresses, but look out for that
You can use the commands you can use. The old command to change in the future.
curl tool to download (which still works) is ifconfig. There is a
Useful commands
files, such as PDFs of
34
The MagPi issues new shorter command now, ip, which will
You can do quite a lot with network
commands in the Terminal. Some
commands need to be installed first. The
ping command is there by default. If you type
ping and then either an IP address or a web
domain, it will tell you how long it takes to
send a message to that computer/server and
then get a reply. Cat is also pre-installed.
Type cat /sys/class/net/wlan0/operstate
to see the status of your WiFi connection.
Install whois with sudo apt-get install
whois and then type whois with a domain
name and you will find the registration
details of that domain.

FEATURE
Networking files
35 Raspberry Pi has several files where
it holds details about networking. It’s
quite useful to know where some of these
are, as you may need to change some of the
information for custom configurations. The
file /etc/hosts has a list of names that map
to IP addresses. You could have an entry that
says ‘192.168.0.3 myserver’ and that would
mean that if you typed ‘myserver’ into a web
browser address bar, the network would try
to connect to 192.168.0.3. Other useful files
are /etc/networks, which has network names can connect to any Telnet server. For example, You can use lots
of different tools
mapped to IP addresses; /etc/protocols, which enter telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl 23 to find out about
has a list of all the network protocols that can to see an ASCII version of Star Wars, or try your Raspberry Pi
network connections;
be used; and /etc/services, which has a list of telnet mtrek.com 1701 for a Star Trek you can even play
all the network services available. game. There are lots of Telnet sites still online games in the
Terminal window!
out there, some of which can be found at:
Network traffic
36 If you want to know what’s happening
telnet.org/htm/places.htm.
PiServer
between your Raspberry Pi and the rest of
the network, there are a few commands you can 38 PiServer is a useful tool for networking
install. A simple stats command is available many Raspberry Pi boards together
with sudo apt-get install vnstat. When without needing SD cards in them. For info on
you run this command, it will give you some how to set it up, go to magpi.cc/RQDQXx.
basic data transmission totals. If you want
Downloading files with curl
39
some extra tools, you could install iptraf-ng,
which has a menu of different tools and filters You can download files directly in the
to analyse the network traffic. To see some Terminal with the curl tool. Use curl -O
real-time data transfer stats, install bmon, <URL>. See magpi.cc/JrKoTA for more info.
which shows data quantities per second.
Headless wireless
37
Telnet
Although Telnet is a very old networking
40 If you use the Raspberry Pi in a ‘headless’
mode (without the Raspbian interface), it
system (first designed in 1969), it is still can be tricky to connect to a wireless network.
available and can be installed on Raspberry Pi You will need to define a wpa_supplicant.conf
using sudo apt-get install telnet. Telnet file for your particular wireless network and
is a bit like a very early version of websites put this file in the boot folder. See here for
and when this is installed, your Raspberry Pi more information: magpi.cc/RHviuV.

FEATURE
E T R I C K S
COMM AND LIN
-line
g t o u p y o ur command most
Lookin s in troduces the
P J E v a n
game? t s and tricks command1; command2; command3
r s h o rt c u
popula
To only proceed if the previous command
Piping
41
has succeeded:
Applications in Linux systems,
such as Raspbian, have three ways command1 && command2 && command3
of communicating with you and other
applications: standard in (stdin), standard For example:
out (stdout), and standard error (stderr).
Output from a command-line application mkdir ~/myDir && cd ~/myDir && nano
arrives on stdout and you can use the pipe myFile.txt
character ‘|’ to send that output directly into
another application, like this: …will create a directory, move into it, and
open up the nano text editor with a new file,
ls -l | wc -l myFile.txt. You can save this line somewhere
for future use or create an alias (see Tip 47).
Here we get a long-form listing of the current
Run background tasks
44
directory and pipe that output into ‘wc’, a
counting application. The -l argument means Running a command ‘in the background’
‘count the lines’, so we now have a ‘new’ app enables you to issue other commands
that tells us how many items are in a directory. while it works. If you’re using the Desktop,
You can chain as many commands as you wish the simplest solution is to open another
to achieve complex tasks. Terminal window. Alternatively, to have
a process run in the background, add an
Output redirection
42
ampersand (&) at the end of the command:
Try this:
very-long-command &
curl https://cataas.com/cat
This works well, but any output to stdout and
The command downloads a cat image – but stderr will appear on your console screen. To
you’re on the Terminal, which can’t show avoid this, use ‘nohup’:
graphics. The image arrives as a lot of
nonsense on stdout. We can use redirection to nohup very-long-command &
save it as a file like this:
Now all output is written to nohup.log in
curl https://cataas.com/cat > cat.jpg your current directory.
Watching log files

45
The ‘>’ operator tells Raspbian to put
everything arriving on stdout into the file Sometimes when a process is generating
instead of your screen. You can also use ‘>>’ output, you might need to follow what’s
which appends to an existing file, or ‘<’ to happening. For example, your web server isn’t
feed the contents of a file into a command. working quite right, so you can troubleshoot
the problem by looking at the logs. To show
Run multiple commands
43
the contents of any file on-screen:
You can put multiple commands
together on a single line so that they cat text.txt
execute one after the other:

FEATURE
However, if the log file is huge, you’ll struggle

to cope. To show the file in ‘pages’:
less text.txt
To just see the last few lines:
tail text.txt
Best of all, to ‘follow’ the log file as it grows:
tail -f text.txt
46
A miscellany of shortcuts
S H O OT I N G
TROUBLE
Tilde – The tilde character ‘~’ always refers
to your home directory in paths. So cd ~
always takes you home (as does cd on its own).
TAB autocompletion - Whenever possible,

Raspbian will attempt to complete the
Find out more
TIPS
49
Some command-
command name you are typing. Try typing whoa line applications
take on a basic Many commands come
followed by TAB. It will expand to whoami. This graphical
appearance to with a huge array of ‘arguments’ that
also works for paths. make them easier control behaviour. These are in the form of
to use. The most
History - Forgotten that command? Your likely you are to ‘switches’ (simple flags) or ‘parameters’ that
see is raspi-config provide additional info such as an input file.
Raspberry Pi is keeping track. Pressing the up
arrow key repeatedly goes through previous Most commands have an accompanying ‘man’
commands. Or run history to get a full list. page (short for manual). To see if a ‘manpage’
exists for your command, just enter:
!! - Two exclamation marks means ‘the
previous command’. Forgot to use sudo? Don’t
man command
type the command again, just enter sudo !!.
You can even learn about ‘man’ itself:
Using aliases
47 If there’s a long command you’re going man man
to be using a lot, create an alias for it.
Aliases are kept in a hidden file (non-existent Alternatively, many commands respond to the
by default) called .bash_aliases, in the home switch --help (or -h for short) to provide a
directory. To create or view contents: summary of options.
Get in remotely
50
nano ~/.bash_aliases
We’ve all been there: happily working
For each alias you want to create, enter a line away in Raspberry Pi Desktop and
following this pattern: something goes awry. Now the screen has
locked up, your Doom high score is lost, and
alias howmany="ls -l | wc -l" the only option is to unplug your Raspberry
Pi, which risks data corruption. Well, you
Now you can run howmany for that command. may be able to get in using SSH, which allows
you to log into your Raspberry Pi (so long as
It’s got stuck!
48
you’ve already enabled SSH on it) from another
Stuck with a crashed program on your computer and get to the command line:
screen? To gain access back to the
prompt, try CTRL+C to stop the process, or ssh raspberrypi.local
CTRL+Z to put it in the background. Now enter
killall <commandname>. You can use ps ax to Then, if you get to a prompt:
show a list of running processes. Still there?
Try sudo killall <commandname>. As a last sudo shutdown -h now
resort, use sudo kill -9 <processid> (get
the process ID from ps ax). …and your Raspberry Pi is rescued.

TUTORIAL
Build a
Lucy Samba file server
MAKER
Hattersley
Lucy is the editor Use Samba/CIFS to share a Raspberry Pi directory
of The MagPi
magazine. She
enjoys hacking and
with other computers on a network
fixing technology,
and building quirky
I
projects. She’s
done the Samba all
t’s easy to use a Raspberry Pi as a Samba We also assume you’re using a 32GB (or smaller)
weekend long! file server where you can store backups and microSD card, which provides a reasonable amount
magpi.cc share files from all the other computers on of storage space without requiring any extra steps
your network. to make it accessible. However, if you need extra
Samba is the Linux implementation of the SMB/ storage, it’s possible to mount a large external USB
CIFS file-sharing standard used by Windows PCs drive and create a Samba entry for it.
and Apple computers, and widely supported by Alternatively, if you want to keep things
media streamers, games consoles, and mobile apps. compact, you can install Raspbian on microSD
With Samba activated, you can quickly copy files cards of up to 256GB, although we think it’s
from a computer on your network to a Raspberry Pi wiser to install Samba on an external drive and
using wireless LAN (or a direct Ethernet connection). use a smaller microSD to boot Raspbian and
This tutorial assumes that you’ll use a keyboard, connect to it.
mouse, and monitor to set up your file server; We suggest checking non-working microSD
alternatively, you can enable SSH (magpi.cc/ssh) cards online (magpi.cc/2q97aGO) before you buy,
and connect to it remotely from another computer to make sure you get one that’s fully compatible
on your local network. with the Raspberry Pi.
The Samba configuration file is

located at /etc/samba/smb.conf
You’ll Need
> Raspberry Pi
> microSD card
> Keyboard and

mouse for setup The [share] section in Samba’s
configuration file contains the details
> Network and
router (Ethernet of a directory shared on the network
recommended)

TUTORIAL
Top Tip
Status report
You can see the
status of the
Samba drive using
sudo service
smdb status.
And you can use
smbd restart to
turn the service
off and on again.
Activate Samba support in

Windows 10 and you’ll be
able to access the shared
directory over a network
Once set up, you can mount your home file is fully updated, and install Samba using APT. Open
server on all the other computers on your a Terminal and type:
network, and use it as a convenient place to store
everything from music files you want to share sudo apt update
with your housemates, to backups of important sudo apt upgrade
documents and save-game files you’d like to share sudo apt install samba samba-common-bin
between computers.
We recommend using a wired Ethernet Answer Y when prompted.
connection for stability and fast transfer speeds.
The project will still work if you connect your
Raspberry Pi via WiFi, although performance will be
Create shared directory
affected, particularly when it comes to copying over
large files.
03 Now we’re going to create a dedicated
shared directory in our home directory.
sudo mkdir /home/pi/shared

Install Raspbian
01
Enter the credentials
(username and
Download the latest version of NOOBS You can put it anywhere, but ours is in the home password) created
(or the latest Raspbian Stretch with Desktop directory (it makes it easier to access without during the setup
process to access
image file) and install it to a microSD card. See adjusting permissions). You’ll be able to access this the Samba share
magpi.cc/quickstart if you’re unsure on how to
set up a Raspberry Pi for the first time. Insert the
microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and connect
the keyboard, mouse, and HDMI cable. We suggest
you connect an Ethernet cable between your
Raspberry Pi and modem/router (otherwise use the
wireless LAN icon to connect to a wireless network
when booted up). Attach the power cable to boot up
your Raspberry Pi.
Install Samba
02 Samba is available in Raspbian’s standard
software repositories. We’re going to update our
repository index, make sure our operating system

TUTORIAL
Use testparm to test

the edits you make
to smb.conf
directory from other computers on your network. of the file and add the configuration code from the
Files you drop in here are accessible on other smb-pi.conf listing. Press CTRL+O to save the file,
computers, and files you drop into the directory and CTRL+X to exit nano.
from other computers will appear on Raspberry Pi.
Configure Samba Looking at the configuration file

04 Now we need to edit Samba’s configuration
05 The Samba configuration file uses the
file to make the shared directory visible to other same format as Windows .ini files, with sections
computers on the network. First, let’s make a surrounded with square brackets. The commands
backup just in case you want to look at the original. are case-insensitive and ignore white space. Let’s
take a closer look at some of the lines in the file…
sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/
The location of the shared folder:
smb.conf_backup
path = /home/pi/shared
Now let’s edit the Samba configuration file. Enter:
Set this to ‘no’ to turn off the service:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf
available = yes
The smb.conf file is packed with detailed
File Explorer
information on the Samba configuration (it’s a
displaying the Samba This is the list of users allowed to log in to
share in its Network good idea to read through it all). Scroll to the end
the service:
valid users = pi
Whether this share is seen in the list of available

shares in a net view and in the browse list:
browsable = yes
Ensures that users can write to files (the default

is no):
writable = yes
Take a look at the Samba.org documentation for

more information on all the configuration options

TUTORIAL
available in smb.conf (magpi.cc/alEJZY). Test out

the Samba configuration file with testparm. Enter
the following:
testparm
…and you should see a series of ‘Processing

section’ tests. At the end it should say ‘Loaded
services file OK’. If not, head back to the start of
this step and check you have entered the additional
setup text correctly.
A file being copied from

the Windows PC computer
to the shared directory on
Create a password
06 Before we start the server, you’ll want to set
Raspberry Pi
a Samba password. Enter:
smb-pi.conf DOWNLOAD
sudo smbpasswd -a pi THE FULL CODE:
Enter a simple and memorable password for > Language: ASCII magpi.cc/ryrLvF
testing (you can create a more secure one later by
rerunning the command at any time). 001. [share]
Now restart your Samba server: 002. path = /home/pi/shared
003. available = yes
sudo service smbd restart 004. valid users = pi
005. read only = no
The Samba service will restart and the shared drive 006. browsable = yes
will now be available on the network. 007. public = yes
Turn on SMB in Windows

07 Samba used to be installed by default
see RASPBERRYPI in the list of devices. Click it
and the ‘Enter network credentials’ window will
in Windows, but it has recently become an appear. Enter your username pi and the password
optional installation.
In Windows 10, click on the Search bar and type
you created in Step 6. Click ‘Remember my
credentials’ if you want to save the password, and
Top Tip
‘Control Panel’. Click on Control Panel in the then click OK.
Reboot
search results. Now click ‘Programs’ and ‘Turn The File Explorer will now display the shared
everything
Windows features on or off’. Scroll down to find directory. You can drag files and folders from
‘SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support’ and click the Windows to the shared folder and they will be If you’ve set
‘+’ expand icon to reveal its options. Place a check copied to your Raspberry Pi. it all up and
in the box marked ‘SMB 1.0/CIFS Client’. Click have checked
OK. This will enable Samba client support on your everything, try
restarting your
Windows 10 PC so it can access your Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi
Find the Pi on a Mac
09 Samba works across many different devices.
and Windows
computer.
And it’s perfectly possible to access the shared Sometimes this
Find your Pi on the network
08 You’ll now be able to find your Raspberry Pi
folder from a Mac computer, or even an iOS or
Android device (with the right app). Open a new
helps Windows
find the drive on
the network (once
file server (named RASPBERRYPI by default) from Finder window on a Mac and choose Network in
the shared drive
any device on your local network. the sidebar. Click on ‘raspberrypi’ and ‘shared’
appears, we find
Click on the File Explorer icon in Windows and to access the directory. As with Windows, you can it stable).
choose the Network option in the sidebar. You will drag files directly to and from Raspberry Pi.

TUTORIAL
Use SSH (Secure Shell)

with Raspberry Pi
Remotely control your Raspberry Pi from a PC, Linux, or Mac
computer and transfer files using SSH. By Lucy Hattersley
S
SH (also known as ‘Secure Shell’) is an SSH also enables you to share files to, and
encrypted networking technology that from, a Raspberry Pi using SCP (secure copy)
enables you to manage computers from on the command line, or SFTP (SSH File
Lucy
MAKER
the command line over a network. Transfer Protocol).

Hattersley SSH is handy if you want to quickly connect to a You don’t need to install any software to start
Lucy is the editor
Raspberry Pi from a terminal window on another using Secure Shell. Linux, macOS, and Windows 10
of The MagPi. computer. It’s also ideal for lightweight distro have the SSH command-line application installed
She likes retro installations that don’t have graphical interfaces, by default.
gaming, building
and projects that don’t have a screen (such as You’ll need to use the password for your
robots, coding, and
making magazines robots). It’s especially useful when creating Raspberry Pi to log in. For security reasons,
and websites. Internet of Things (IoT) projects, as these may be we strongly recommend changing the default
magpi.cc embedded inside other hardware. password (magpi.cc/tZdxha).
We covered VNC (Virtual Network Computing) SSH uses an encrypted network, so it doesn’t
on page 19 – and in more detail in issue 71 of The send your password as plain text. More advanced
MagPi, magpi.cc/71 – and Secure Shell offers a users can control the encryption keys, using
similar service. But while VNC shares the entire ssh-keygen. For now, we’ll look at setting up and
desktop, SSH works from the command line. using Secure Shell.
You’ll Need
> Raspberry Pi
> Network router
> Raspbian OS
> Second computer

(Windows, macOS,
or Linux)

TUTORIAL
hostname -I
Top Tip
This will return four numbers separated by dots.
For instance, ours is: SSH from boot
You can activate
192.168.0.41
SSH when setting
up Raspbian
S
SH is turned off by default in Raspbian and has to Write this number down. You’ll need it shortly. by placing a
be enabled. The easiest way is to use Raspberry Pi
Configuration Tool file named ssh,
without any
extension, onto
Activate SSH in Raspbian Connect via SSH the boot partition
01 For security reasons, Secure Shell is
04 Open Command Prompt on a Windows PC,
of the microSD
card from another
not turned on by default in Raspbian. On your or a Terminal window in Linux or macOS. computer. When
Raspberry Pi, choose Menu > Preferences > Enter this command: Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi Configuration. Click on Interfaces and boots, it looks for
set SSH to Enabled. Click OK. You don’t need to ssh pi@<IP> the ssh file. If it
restart your Raspberry Pi, and SSH will be enabled is found, SSH is
enabled and the
whenever you use that installation of Raspbian Replace <IP> with the IP address of your Raspberry
file is deleted. The
from that point on (be sure to have updated your Pi. In our case, we enter ssh pi@192.168.0.41.
content of the file
password from the default, which is ‘raspberry’). The first time you do this, you’ll get a message does not matter; it
saying that the authenticity can’t be established, could contain text,
followed by a long cryptographic hash of letters or nothing at all.
and numbers. It will say, ‘Are you sure you want to
Activate SSH Client in Windows
02 Linux and macOS both support SSH out-of-
continue connecting?’
Enter yes and press RETURN. You’ll be asked to
the-box; skip ahead to Step 3 if you are using one enter the password for your Raspberry Pi.
of those operating systems.
Windows 10 supports SSH, but you need to
activate it. Click on Search and look for ‘Manage
On Raspberry Pi
Optional Features’. Click it in Search to open the
Settings window.
05 You will now see your usual command line
Click ‘Add a feature’ and wait for the list of replaced with pi@raspberrypi: ~$. You are now
Optional Features to load. Scroll down the list to logged in and working on the command line from Use the hostname
command in
Open SSH Client (Beta). Click Install. your Raspberry Pi. Enter ls and you’ll see Desktop, Terminal to confirm
Downloads, Documents, and the other unique the host name
‘raspberrypi’,
Raspberry Pi folders and files. You can create, edit, and add the -I
flag to get your
move, and work with files as if you were using
assigned IP (internet
Get your IP address
03 Connect your Raspberry Pi to a local network.
Terminal on your Raspberry Pi. protocol) address
Use wireless LAN, or connect Raspberry Pi directly

to a router with an Ethernet cable. Open a Terminal
window and enter the following command:
hostname
You should see:
raspberrypi
In some circumstances you can use this host name,

which is handy if you don’t have the IP address, but
it’s more reliable to use the IP (internet protocol)
address. Enter this to get your IP address:

TUTORIAL
Visual interfaces
Top Tip 06 There are limitations to SSH. A plain
SSH connection can’t open programs that use a
Turn SSH on graphical interface, so you should learn to use
and off command-line alternatives (such as nano or vim
instead of Leafpad for text editing). See How to Edit
You can activate Text files on Raspberry Pi (magpi.cc/BNFKeP).
and start
On Linux computers, you can forward your X
SSH from the
command line on
session over SSH, to allow the use of graphical
your Raspberry Pi: applications, by using the -Y flag:
Use SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) in a program

sudo systemctl ssh -Y pi@<IP> such as FileZilla to transfer files to and from your
enable ssh Raspberry Pi via a graphical interface
sudo systemctl
Now you are on the command line as before, but
start ssh
you have the ability to open up graphical windows. scp Downloads\MagPi85.pdf pi@192.168.0.41:/
And turn it off For example, typing: home/pi/MagPi
using:
scratch & This copies The MagPi issue 85 PDF from the
sudo systemctl Downloads folder on our Windows PC to the MagPi
stop ssh …will open up Scratch in a graphical window. directory on Raspberry Pi.
sudo systemctl
Note that X11 is no longer present on Macs Notice that the directory path uses backslash (‘\’)
disable ssh
with macOS (magpi.cc/AqEvnA), so you have to for Windows source and slash (‘/’) for the Linux
download and install it (xquartz.org) separately to destination (if you’re using a Mac or Linux machine,
access graphical windows over SSH. it’ll be a slash in both source and destination.)
Copy files Copying files

07 It’s not easy to share files using Secure
08 If you copy a lot of files back and forth from
Shell from the command line, but it’s possible a computer to Raspberry Pi, then it’s a good idea to
and a handy skill to learn. If you’re still accessing set up SFTP using a dedicated FTP program, such as
Raspberry Pi, enter exit at the command line to FileZilla (filezilla-project.org).
return to your local shell: Install FileZilla on your computer (it is available
for Linux, Windows, and macOS).
exit Open FileZilla and choose File > Site Manager.
Now click New Site and you can give the site a
With SSH turned on, you can copy files from custom name, such as ‘Raspberry Pi’.
your source computer to Raspberry Pi using Change the Protocol to ‘SFTP – SSH File
SCP. We’ve downloaded The MagPi issue 85 Transfer Protocol’.
(magpi.cc/85) PDF file to our Downloads folder. Enter ‘raspberrypi’ in the Host field, ‘pi’ in the
We’re going to copy it to the MagPi directory on User field, and your Raspberry Pi password in the
our Raspberry Pi. Password field.
Use the scp command followed by the path to the Click Connect and you will connect remotely to
source file, and then the destination location. the Raspberry Pi. You will see all your Raspberry Pi
The destination is pi@<IP> followed by a colon ‘:’ files in the right-hand ‘Remote’ side of the display.
and the path to the destination location. On the left, in the ‘Local Site’ section will be all
the files on your computer. Double-click directory
scp <source> pi@<IP>:<destination> folders in either side to navigate into them, and
use the ‘..’ folders at the top of each list to navigate
Replace the <source> and <destination> parts with back up to the parent folder.
the paths to the file and desired destination folder, Double-click a file in Local Site to send
and add your Raspberry Pi’s IP address. it to the Remote section, and vice versa.
For instance, copying the PDF file on our Follow the FileZilla tutorial if you need more
machine looks like this: guidance (magpi.cc/W0vBgn).

THE OFFICIAL
Raspberry Pi
Beginner’s Guide
The only guide you
need to get started
with Raspberry Pi
Inside:
• Learn how to set up the Raspberry Pi,
install an operating system, and start using it
• Follow step-by-step guides to code your
own animations and games, using both the
Scratch and Python languages
• Create amazing projects by connecting
electronic components to the Pi’s GPIO pins
Plus much, much more!
£10 with FREE

worldwide delivery
Buy online: magpi.cc/BGbook

TUTORIAL
SWITCH TO THE
COMMAND LINE
By using the command line, you are able to work faster and smarter.
Discover how to get started today…
T
here’s nothing wrong with GUIs (graphical pi@raspberrypi:~ $
You’ll
Need user interfaces), and Raspbian comes with
a rather fine desktop interface. But beneath You are now at the command line. You enter commands
> R
aspberry Pi
the icons sits a whole other world: the command using the text interface. Enter echo Hello World and
> R
aspbian line. This is where your real computer is. With the press RETURN, you’ll see ‘Hello World’ printed on the
command line, you’re not locked into doing just line. Below this is another $ prompt, ready to accept
what desktop applications enable you to do. You can another command.
do just about anything to your computer, and you Most users get to the command line via the
can do it much faster. Terminal app, but there is another way known
Think of it like driving a car. If you’ve only ever used as ‘virtual console’. Press CTRL+ALT+F1 and
a GUI then you’re driving an automatic. The command the desktop will vanish. A black screen appears,
line is like switching to manual. It can be daunting for displaying ‘Raspbian (or Debian) GNU/Linux 8
newcomers, but it really needn’t be. With just a few raspberry pi tty’ and below it, ‘raspberrypi login’.
commands, you can master the command line. If you are not automatically logged in , enter pi and
press RETURN, then enter your password (raspberry
Typing commands by default, but you should always change it).
When you boot a Raspberry Pi, you start by default You can now use the command line in full-
inside the desktop interface. The fastest way to get screen mode. You can get back to the desktop using
access to the command line is through the Terminal CTRL+ALT+F7 and switch back to the virtual console
app. Click on the Terminal icon in the top menu bar using CTRL+ALT+F1. Additional virtual consoles can
(or choose Menu > Accessories > Terminal). A window be accessed using CTRL+ALT+F2 to F6. Each has its
opens with a black background and some green and own login and operates independently.
blue text. You will see the command prompt: If you prefer the command line, you can boot
Raspbian directly to the command line instead of the
desktop interface. Open Raspberry Pi Configuration
(Menu > Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration).
Change the Boot setting to ‘To CLI’ and click OK. Now
when you reboot, you’ll start in the command line
(enter startx to start up the desktop).
Locate yourself
The first thing you need to learn is how to find out
where you are. You are in your home folder by default.
Most people access
the command
Enter the following command and press RETURN:
line through the
Terminal app in the
desktop interface pwd

TUTORIAL
pi@
The first part of the
command line is your
user name followed
by an @ symbol. You
can see this on the
command line by
entering whoami.
raspberrypi
After the @ comes
your host name.
It is the name of
your computer:
‘raspberrypi’ by default.
~/Documents
After the host name is
your current working
directory. This displays
just ‘~’ when you are in
your home folder.
$
The dollar sign shows
you’re operating as a
normal user.
This command is short for ‘print working directory’

and it tells you where you are. The command line will UNDERSTAND
return /home/pi.
The home folder is the same one that appears by
THE LANGUAGE
default when you open the File Manager app. You There’s a lot of confusing jargon thrown around related to the
view the files and directories inside the working command line. Terms like command line, shell, and terminal are often
directory using the list (ls) command: used interchangeably.
Each has a precise meaning…
ls
> T ERMINAL: This is the program you use to access the command line from
Here you’ll see the same directories (or folders) that the PIXEL desktop in Raspbian (its full name is LXTerminal).
are in the File Manager app: Desktop, Downloads,
Documents, and so on. >C
ONSOLE: This is a physical terminal display with a keyboard. Consoles
used to be empty computers that connected to a large mainframe
The file path computer.
Before going any further with directories, you need to
understand the file path and the difference between a >V
IRTUAL CONSOLE: These are virtual versions of a physical console. In Linux,
‘relative’ and ‘absolute’ path. you have multiple virtual consoles accessed using CTRL+ALT and the
Files are placed inside folders (which are called function keys.
‘directories’ in the command line). In the visual
GUI, you can see these as folders that you open, > T TY: Teletypewriter. In Linux, tty is used to display which virtual console
revealing files and more folders. Your home folder you are using: tty1, tty2, and so on.
contains a Documents folder, and inside that are
three more folders: Blue J Projects, Greenfoot >C
OMMAND LINE: This is the text-based environment in general or the
Projects, and Scratch Projects. specific line you are working on. The command line starts with a dollar
sign ($), known as the ‘prompt’.
/home/pi/Documents/Scratch\ Projects
>S
HELL: This is a command-line interpreter. It surrounds the computer’s
In the file path above, the first slash is the root kernel (hence the name). To get to the kernel, you go through the shell.
of your hard drive. Here you have a directory called The shell interprets your text commands and turns them into code the
home that contains all users. In here is another kernel understands.
directory called pi (that’s you), and inside that is
another directory called Documents, and inside that > BASH: This stands for ‘Bourne Again Shell’ and is the type of shell used
is one called Scratch Projects. in Debian (the version of Linux upon which Raspbian is based).

TUTORIAL
ls
The first part of a
command is the
command itself. Here we
have ls, which lists the
contents of a directory.
-lah
After the command
come options. These
start with a hyphen
and are typically single
letters. Each modifies
the command. Here we
have ‘l’, ‘a’, and ‘h’. These
stand for long listing
mode, all files, and
human-readable.
/home/pi/
Documents
The final part of the
command is the
arguments. These
are often file names
or file paths. Here we
are listing an absolute
(direct) path to the
Documents directory. If
you omit the argument,
it’ll display the contents
of the current directory.
The eagle-eyed reader may have noticed the weird directories like bin (for binaries), boot (files used to
backslash character: ‘\’. You can’t have spaces in file start up the system), and home. Enter:
names, so you use a backslash followed by a space at
the command line. Most of the time you’ll also use ls /home/pi
the TAB button to quickly enter long file names (see
‘Tab completion’). …and you’ll view the contents of your home folder,
File paths come in two types: relative and absolute. just as if you had entered ls from within it.
Relative paths are ‘relative’ to your working directory, You can use absolute paths no matter what your
which is /home/pi/ when you start. Entering ls alone working directory might be, because they always
shows the contents of the current directory. You can start from the root.
view the contents of a directory inside your working
directory using ls and its name: Moving around
Up until now we’ve stayed in the home folder
ls Documents and looked around using ls. You move from
one directory and another using the cd (change
You can also view the contents of the directory above directory) command:
you using two dots (..):
cd Documents
ls ..
Now enter:
This displays files relative to where you currently are
in the file system. If you moved into the Downloads pwd
folder and entered ls Documents, it’d cause an error,
because there is no Documents directory inside the …and you’ll see a different working path:
Downloads folder. /home/pi/Documents. To move back up a directory
An absolute path, on the other hand, always starts (known as the ‘parent’ directory), you use two dots.
with a slash ‘/’, which is the root directory (the base of
your hard drive). Enter: cd ..
ls / Enter pwd again and you’re back in the home folder.

Now try it using an absolute path. Enter:
…to view the root directory. Here you’ll see all the
directories and files that make up Linux. You’ll see cd /

TUTORIAL
…and you’ll be in the root directory. Enter ls to view > Owner: Typically this will be the person who created
the folders at the base of your hard drive. Enter: the account.
> Group: This is a group of users. You have only one
cd /home/pi group, pi, by default, containing just one
user (also pi).
…to move back to your home folder. There’s a > Other: These are users from other systems.
shortcut for this:
Each of the three groups contains letters: ‘rwx’. These
cd ~ letters are always in that order and each is either the
letter or a hyphen. A letter indicates that the person,
The tilde (~) character is a shortcut for your home group, or other has access to read, write, or execute the
folder. You can use it at the start of an absolute file. A hyphen means they don’t have that level of access.
directory too. For instance, entering: Some examples include:
cd ~/Downloads > rwx read, write, and execute

> rw- read, write, but don’t execute
…moves to your Downloads folder no matter where > r-x read and execute
you are in the system. > r-- read only
Files Now that you’ve discovered how to move around the

Throughout the file system, you’ll find various types file system from the command line, it’s time to learn
of files. A good selection is in the python_games what else you can do.
folder, so enter:
Take command
cd ~/usr/share/python_games One of the first commands you need to learn is mkdir.
ls -l This stands for ‘make directory’. Move to the home
folder and create a new directory called test:
The -l part (an option) makes it use ‘long listing’ mode,
which displays items with lots of information:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 pi pi 973 Jan 27 2015

4row_arrow.png
From left to right, each item is:
> Permissions: The users and groups that

can access a file.
> Hard links: The number of files that
are linked to this file.
> Owner: The person who owns the file.
Usually either pi or root.
> Group:
> File size:
The group the file belongs to.
The name of the file.
TAB COMPLETION
> Modification: When the file was last changed. The single most useful tip you’ll ever learn for the command line is tab
> File name: The name of the file. completion. Pressing TAB at any time when entering a working path
attempts to complete the file or directory name for you. Use cd
The most obscure item is the list of letters ~/usr/share/python_games and enter xdg-open Tr, then press
and hyphens that make up the permissions. the TAB key. Notice how it fills it out to ‘xdg-open Tree_’. There are
The first letter will be either a ‘-’ or a ‘d’ three files starting with Tree. Quickly press TAB twice and you’ll see them:
depending on whether it’s a file or a directory. Our Tree_Short.png, Tree_Tall.png and Tree_Ugly.png. Enter S, T, or U and
4row_arrow.png is a file, so it’s a ‘-’. press TAB again to fill out the whole file name. Press RETURN to open it.
After that are nine letters arranged into three Tab completion can be invaluable for entering long file names packed
groups of three (see Figure 1 overleaf): with letters, numbers, and punctuation.

TUTORIAL
Figure 1 The permission structure

of a Unix file or directory
cd ~ space) and a newline marker at the end (you can see this
mkdir test character using od -c test.txt if you’re curious).
cd test Let’s try deleting files. This command removes the file:
To create files, you use the touch command; if the file rm test.txt
doesn’t exist, it creates an empty one. Enter:
Now move up to its parent directory and use another
touch test.txt command, rmdir, to remove the empty test directory.
You’ll create a blank file called test.txt. Enter ls -l cd ..

and you’ll see the new file along with all its details. rmdir test
Notice that the file size is 0. This is because the file
is completely empty. We can edit the contents of the You’ll rarely use rmdir to remove directories,
file using a text editor called nano: however, as it will fail to work if they have files in
them. The solution is to use rm with the -R option.
nano test.txt This option stands for ‘recursive’ and means it goes
inside each directory (and subdirectory) and removes
You can enter and edit text in nano. Enter a single every file and directory. Be careful when using rm -R,
line, ‘Hello World’, and press CTRL+O followed by as it’s permanent and deletes everything inside. Enter:
ENTER to save the file. Now press CTRL+X to exit.
Enter ls -l again; you’ll notice that the file size has rm -R test
changed from 0 to 12. This is one for each letter (including
The test directory and everything inside it will
disappear. Unlike the desktop environment, there
is no Wastebasket in the command line. When you
remove files, they’re instantly gone for good.
Options
Most commands have options that affect how they
work. It’s common to use these three options with
the ls command:
ls -lah
You can set

Raspbian to boot Options start with a single hyphen ‘-’ followed the
into the command
line (instead of the
letter for each option. The three options used here are:
graphical interface)
from the Raspberry Pi
Configuration settings • l = long listing format

TUTORIAL
• a = all including hidden files But with it, you can remove or delete vital system
• h = human-readable (makes large file sizes files. Enter ls /bin and you’ll see many programs
more readable) (known as ‘binaries’) used by Linux. These include
the ls command you just used. Accidentally deleting
Options are case-sensitive. So ls -l and ls -L are these files could make your system unstable.
two different things (small ‘l’ is long listing format; So use sudo with care. In Raspbian you don’t need to
large ‘L’ is dereference mode). Sometimes options are enter the password to use sudo. On many other Linux
listed out in full. These start with two hyphens and systems, however, you will be asked for the password
have a single hyphen for spaces. This command is the before you can use sudo.
same as ls -lah:
What’s up, man?
ls -l --all --human-readable There are lots of ways of getting help inside the
command line. The first command you should turn
But it’s more common to see (and use) the single to is man. This stands for ‘manual’ and gives you
letter approach. instructions on Linux commands and tools. Enter:
Sudo man ls
Sudo stands for ‘substitute user do’, although it’s
often also called ‘superuser do’. If you have multiple …and you’ll see the manual for the list command.
users on your system, it can be used to perform Notice under the SYNOPSIS it says:
commands as another user.
It’s mostly used to get root access to your Linux ls [OPTION]... [FILE]...
installation. There is an account that controls your
pi user, called ‘root’. This is an all-powerful account, This shows you the structure of the command.
which can change just about anything on your system. Almost all commands are in the ‘command, option,
Your default account can view files in the root of argument’ structure, although some arguments have
the hard drive, but it can’t create or delete files at more than one [FILE] argument (such as copy, which
the root. Enter: requires a source and destination file).
Press the space bar to move down the instructions.
cd / Here you will see a list of all the available options.
touch test.txt With man, you can get detailed information on just
about every tool on the command line. You can even
You’ll see touch: cannot touch ‘test.txt’: Permission get a manual for the man command with:
denied. However, enter:
man man
sudo touch test.txt
If you need a quick reminder on how to use a
…and the test.txt file will be created on the root of command, try using it with -h or --help as an option:
your hard drive. You can see it using ls -l.
Now try to delete it: touch --help
rm test.txt …tells you what options are available with the touch
command. You can use this with many command-line
It will say rm: remove write-protected regular empty tools to get a quick refresher on how they work.
file ‘test.txt’?” Enter Y and it’ll say rm: cannot Moving from a GUI to a command line is a vital skill for
remove ‘test.txt’: Permission denied. hackers and coders. Everything on your computer, from
You need to use sudo to remove the file: programs to preferences, is stored in the file system
somewhere. Learning to use the command line makes
you a more capable Raspberry Pi user.
sudo rm test.txt So, the next time you make a file, move a file, or
delete something, don’t head to the File Manager.
You can see why sudo is such a powerful tool. Without Open Terminal and perform tasks from the
it, you couldn’t install software using apt or apt-get. command line. Soon it’ll be second nature.

FEATURE
3A+
Raspberry Pi
Gone too long, the A+ is back with the

power of Raspberry Pi 3 behind it
T
he last time the Raspberry Pi family had a
new A-form-factor design, more compact
and lightweight than the full-size B and B+
ranges, it was Raspberry Pi A+, released four years
ago. Since then, the family has grown considerably:
we’ve seen Raspberry Pi 2, 3, Zero, Zero W and WH,
3B+ and, most recently, Raspberry Pi 4.
acks the power of Raspberry Pi

P
3B+ into the same footprint as
the original Raspberry Pi A+
Launched in November 2018, Raspberry Pi 3A+
packs the power of Raspberry Pi 3B+ into the same
footprint as the original Raspberry Pi A+. Read on
for the lowdown on what Eben Upton describes as
“the best product we can make.”
UK suppliers:
The Pi Hut Pimoroni

magpi.cc/zVTpyC magpi.cc/LhuKdS

FEATURE
For a complete list of

resellers globally where the
new Raspberry Pi 3 Model
CPC RS Components A+ can be purchased,
magpi.cc/aIgkOF magpi.cc/nDkZGZ please see rpf.io/products

FEATURE
Meet Raspberry Pi 3A+

This mini marvel squeezes a lot into its compact footprint
SPECS
SoC:
Broadcom
BCM2837B0 Full-size display (DSI) and
quad-core A54 camera (CSI) ports make
connecting peripherals a snap
(ARMv8) 64-bit
@ 1.4GHz
GPU:
Broadcom
VideoCore IV
NETWORKING:
2.4GHz and 5GHz The radio, originally developed
802.11b/g/n/ac for 3B+, makes Raspberry Pi
wireless LAN 3A+ the first A-model to feature
on‑board networking
RAM:
512MB LPDDR2
SDRAM
BLUETOOTH:
Bluetooth 4.2,
Bluetooth Low Raspberry Pi 3A+ benefits
from the same clever
Energy (BLE)
power management chip
(PMIC) as 3B+
GPIO:
40-pin GPIO
header,
populated
STORAGE:
microSD
PORTS:
HDMI, 3.5 mm
QuickStart guide
analogue audio-
video jack,
1 × USB 2.0, Raspberry Pi 3A+ is directly compatible with 3B+
Camera Serial
and all other Raspberry Pi models. If you’ve already
Interface (CSI),
Display Serial got a power supply and microSD card with a new
version of Raspbian installed, you’re ready to go. Unlike the Zero family,
Interface (DSI)
Raspberry Pi 3A+ includes
If 3A+ is your first Raspberry Pi, check out pages both full-size HDMI and
analogue audio-video outputs
6–13, or see our online QuickStart guide to get up
DIMENSIONS:
67×56×11.5 mm and running fast.
magpi.cc/quickstart

FEATURE
Raspberry 3A+ has the

same 1.4GHz system-on-
chip (SoC) as 3B+, with no
loss of performance
The biggest change from

Raspberry Pi 3B+: the
reduction from four to one
USB 2.0 ports

FEATURE
Benchmarking Small but mighty, the reduction

in size doesn’t mean Raspberry
Raspberry Pi 3A+
Pi 3A+ loses any performance
compared to 3B+
F
or projects where a full- lightweight, and less power- which runs at the same 1.4GHz
size Raspberry Pi is simply hungry package, but the only frequency. While 512MB of RAM
too bulky, there hasn’t way to see if that is true or not is less than the 1GB of a 3B+, the
been much choice: aside from is to put it through its paces in a smaller Raspberry Pi 3A+ can
the Compute Module 3, which range of benchmarks. certainly hold its own.
is targeted at industrial users, Looking back at the original
the choices were the four-year- Raspberry Pi A+, it’s hard to
old Pi A+ or ultra-compact Pi Spec comparison imagine they’re from the same
Zero family – and in either At its heart, Raspberry Pi 3A+ is family: from a single-core
case it meant a dramatic drop a cut-down version of 3B+. It has 32-bit 700MHz processor and
in performance. the same Broadcom BCM2837B0 no networking to a quad-core
Raspberry Pi 3A+ comes system-on-chip (SoC) roughly in 64-bit 1.4GHz processor with
with the promise of full- the centre of the board, hidden built-in wireless LAN and
size performance in a small, under a metal heat-spreader, Bluetooth. What an upgrade!
Python GPIO FREQUENCY (kHz)

311.5
316.8
Higher is better
264.5
Designed to highlight a real-
world bottleneck, the Python
GPIO benchmark switches a 181.9
single pin on and off while a
frequency counter measures 62.32
58.55 48.75
how quickly the pin is toggled. 43.07 42.63 42.62
The faster the processor, the
faster the pin can be toggled
before the processor hits its limit. Model A Model B Zero Zero W Model A+ Model B+ Pi 2 Pi 3 Pi 3B+ Pi 3A+
SysBench CPU 336.91

343.06
337.02
339.21 SINGLE-THREADED (SECS)
Lower is better MULTI-THREADED (SECS)
Focusing on the central processor’s 233.83 235.86

performance, the SysBench CPU 218.53
benchmark tests how quickly a
Raspberry Pi can perform prime 139.22
number calculations. For Raspberry 119.22 119.23
Pi models with quad-core

processors, the test is run twice: 54.55
34.97
30.04 29.92
once with a single thread using only
one of the cores, and again with
four threads using all four cores. Model A Model B Zero Zero W Model A+ Model B+ Pi 2 Pi 3 Pi 3B+ Pi 3A+

FEATURE
857.96 856.48
SysBench 1kB READS (MBps)
Memory Throughput 1kB WRITES (MBps) 719.76
638.27
Higher is better 632.27
547.9
Processor performance is only 425.87
part of the puzzle regarding
overall system performance: in the 314.31
SysBench Memory Throughput test, 147.27 139.01
measurements show how quickly 120.12
118.14
a Raspberry Pi can read and write 108 105.65
106.9 103.03
99.97 81.25
to the random-access memory 89.43 75.99
(RAM) in 1kB chunks, reported in
megabytes per second (MBps). Model A Model B Zero Zero W Model A+ Model B+ Pi 2 Pi 3 Pi 3B+ Pi 3A+
Power Draw POWER DRAW LOAD (W)

5.661
Lower is better POWER DRAW IDLE (W) 4.108

3.672
More performance typically means
more power used. Here, each 2.601
Raspberry Pi is connected to an HDMI 2.295 2.295
2.244
display, wireless keyboard, and, where
1.428 1.377
applicable, a WiFi or wired Ethernet 1.02 1.071 1.326 1.126
0.714 0.714 1.173
network before two measurements
0.765 0.663
are taken: power used while Raspberry 0.51 0.51
Pi is sat idle at the desktop, and again
while running a CPU-heavy application. Model A Model B Zero Zero W Model A+ Model B+ Pi 2 Pi 3 Pi 3B+ Pi 3A+
Thermal Size & Weight

Performance Lower is better
Cooler is better
The biggest difference between Raspberry
Raspberry Pi 3B+ benefited Pi 3B+ and 3A+ is their respective sizes. Here,
from a change to the way the footprint of each model is measured
the system-on-chip (SoC) is from its widest points – to include the size of
attached to the circuit board, the ports which sit proud of the board – and
allowing it to better dissipate its weight measured, both important aspects
heat. With Raspberry Pi 3A+ for embedded and robotics applications.
having a smaller board,
this test captures thermal FOOTPRINT (mm2)
images under heavy CPU WEIGHT (g)
load to show how well the
5904 5904
two designs cope. 5083 5083 5083 5083 50
42 42
39 40
3930 3930
30
29
23
2074 2074
10
8
Model A Model B Zero Zero W Model A+ Model B+ Pi 2 Pi 3 Pi 3B+ Pi 3A+

FEATURE
Eben Upton and

Roger Thornton on
Raspberry Pi 3 A+ “W
e describe our product design
process as resembling a bunch
of trains driving along, because
we’re dealing with a bunch of subsystems,” Eben
Upton, co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation,
explains of the development process that has
Eben and Roger talk about Raspberry Pi 3 A+’s delivered Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+. “Some subset
of the trains will arrive at the station, and when
inspiration and launch timing enough of them arrive then we’ve got a new
product we can make. We don’t have a big team of
marketing guys who make PowerPoints about our
roadmap. It’s much more coffee-table-oriented
Simplifying certification than that.”
Bringing back A+
“What’s the cost to do a certification “The A+ form factor was always a good form
campaign,” Eben asks. “Couple of factor,” says Roger Thornton, Principal Hardware
hundred thousand?” Engineer. “A lot of people have asked us for an A+
“For a five-gig one, yeah, it’s about again, and we were able to make that, so we did.”
250… 300 000,” answers Roger – the cost With both Raspberry Pi 2 and 3 having
of clearing a radio-containing product launched exclusively in larger B-variant form
like the Raspberry Pi 3 for general sale. As with any Raspberry Pi, factors, the A+ has been absent from the line-up
3A+ undergoes in-depth
Raspberry Pi 3B+ moved to a modular for a full two generations. “It was skipped for
testing before it’s released
radio certification, so the existing to the public Raspberry Pi 2 because it simply wasn’t around
compliance work remains largely valid
for 3A+. “A lot of the work we’d done to
modularise the board meant that we
could copy over pretty much all of our
compliance work,” Roger explains, “so
thankfully this product’s been just a bit
of paperwork. There’s definitely been an
improvement in time-to-market.”

FEATURE
“If we have an
opportunity to bring
our best tech down
a bit, then we do,”
explains Eben Upton
“A lot of people have

asked us for an A+
again, and we were
able to make that,”
says Roger Thornton
of the launch
for long enough,” recalls Eben. “It normally takes Filling a hole
six to nine months for us to get our feet under “There’s a massive performance gulf between the
ourselves, and by that time it was very clear that 3B+ and Zero,” explains Eben. “3A+ represents us
the 3B was imminent.” bringing our best technology to the lowest possible
“The Zero W happened the year after the 3B,” price point. We can’t bring this technology down
Roger adds, “and to some extent addressed the gap to the Zero price point, at the moment, but we can
that an A+ might have occupied.” bring it down a bit.
The Zero family isn’t a complete replacement for “We don’t just like to sit there at $35 feeling
the A+, though, as the launch of Raspberry Pi 3B+ pleased with ourselves. If we have an opportunity
hammered home. to bring our best tech down a bit, then we do. I
This is us bringing our best

technology to the lowest
possible price point
Miniature size, mean, this is the best product we can make. We

full performance don’t know how to make anything better at the
moment. It’s lovely, actually. We like to make
“We’re confident that the performance you saw physically beautiful objects. They sometimes cost a
on a 3B+ you’ll be able to get on a 3A+,” says bit of money to make, or cost a bit of blood, I think,
Roger. “There’s no reduction because of the and this… I mean, for me, once we knew we could
board size change; you should still be able to make it, I think we kind of had to.
run the processor at the same speed. We have “There may be another motivation for doing
had to reduce the memory to hit the price point it: it’s kind of tidying up ‘classic’ Raspberry Pi,”
we’re after, but it still runs nicely.” Eben admits. With their attention turning to
“When we launched the original A+, we Raspberry Pi 4 – since launched in June 2019 – the
launched it with half the RAM of the original B+,” hardware design team were starting the research
Eben adds. “At the time that meant 256MB; now phase of figuring out what they might do next.
halving the RAM still leaves you with half a gig, “Tying up loose ends is an important part of that,
which is kind of fun.” and the lack of an A+ form-factor product is a
loose end,” says Eben.

SAFETY & USER GUIDE
警告 som er gældende i det land, hvor anvendelsen Suomi

• Raspberry Pi 使用的任何外置电源应符合所 er tiltænkt. Strømforsyningen skal give 5 V
在国家的相关法规和标准。电源应提供 5V jævnstrøm og en nominel strømstyrke på Raspberry Pi 3 Malli A+/ B+
DC 和 2.5A 最小额定电流。 mindst 2,5 A. TÄRKEÄÄ: SÄILYTÄ NÄMÄ TIEDOT
安全使用说明 Instruktioner for sikker brug MYÖHEMMÄN KÄYTÖN VARALTA.
• 此产品不可超频。 • Dette produkt må ikke overophedes. Varoituksia
• 请勿将本产品暴露在水或潮湿环境中；当其 • Udsæt ikke dette produkt for vand eller fugt, • Kaikkien ulkoisen Raspberry Pi -laitteessa
运行时，请勿将其置于导电表面上。 og sæt det ikke på en ledende overflade käytettyjen virtalähteiden on noudatettava
• 请勿将此产品暴露于任何热源；此产品仅适 under drift. käyttömaassa sovellettavia asiaankuuluvia
合在正常室温中使用，以确保可靠运行。 • Udsæt ikke dette produkt for varme fra nogen asetuksia ja standardeja. Virtalähteen virran
• 在通风良好的环境中运行此产品, 在使用过 kilder; det er designet til pålidelig drift ved on oltava 5V DC minimin nimellisvirran
程中请勿覆盖。 normal stuetemperatur. ollessa 2,5A.
Raspberry Pi 3 • 使用时，请将本产品放在稳定、平坦、绝缘 • Anvend dette produkt i et godt ventileret miljø, Ohjeet turvallista käyttöä varten
的表面上，请勿让它接触导电物品。 og tildæk det ikke under brug. • Tätä tuotetta ei saa ylikuormittaa.
Model A+/B+ • 拿放本产品时请小心，以免对印刷电路板和 • Anbring dette produkt på en stabil, flad og • Älä altista tätä tuotetta vedelle tai kosteudelle,
连接器造成机械或电气损坏。 ikke-ledende overflade under brug, og lad äläkä aseta sitä johtavalle pinnalle sen
Safety and User guide • 本产品通电时避免接触、拿放。拿放时应只 det ikke komme i berøring med ledende ollessa toiminnassa.
接触产品的边缘，以最大限度地降低静电放 genstande. • Älä altista tätä tuotetta mistään lähteestä
电损坏的风险。 • Vær forsigtig ved håndtering af dette aiheutuvalle kuumuudelle; se on suunniteltu
Designed and distributed by • Raspberry Pi使用的任何外设或设备应符合 produkt for at undgå mekanisk eller elektrisk luotettavaa toimintaa varten normaaleissa
Raspberry Pi 使用国家的相关标准，并进行相应标记，以 beskadigelse af printkort og stik. huonelämpötiloissa.
Maurice Wilkes Building 确保满足安全和性能要求。 • Undgå håndtering af dette produkt, mens det • Käytä tätä tuotetta hyvin ilmastoidussa
Cowley Road 如需查询所有合规证书及编号，请访问 www. er tændt. Må kun håndteres ved at holde i lämpötilassa, äläkä peitä sitä käytön aikana.
Cambridge raspberrypi.org/compliance 。 kanterne for at minimere risikoen for skader • Aseta tämä tuote vakaalle, tasaiselle, ei-
CB4 0DS ved elektrostatisk udladning. johtavalle pinnalle sen ollessa käytössä, äläkä
UK • Alt perifert udstyr eller udstyr, der anvendes anna sen koskettaa johtavia kohteita.
www.raspberrypi.org Čeština til Raspberry Pi skal overholde relevante • Noudata varovaisuutta tätä tuotetta
standarder i landet for anvendelse og käsiteltäessä mekaanisen tai sähköisen
Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/ B+ mærkes i overensstemmelse hermed for at vaurioitumisen estämiseksi painetulle
Raspberry Pi Regulatory compliance and safety DŮLEŽITÉ: TUTO INFORMACI SI PONECHTE sikre, at kravene for sikkerhed og ydeevne piirilevylle ja liittimille.
information PRO POUŽITÍ V BUDOUCNU. er opfyldt. • Vältä tämän tuotteen käsittelyä sen ollessa
Product name: Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/B+ For alle overensstemmelsescertifikater og kytkettynä virtalähteeseen. Käsittele vain
IMPORTANT: PLEASE RETAIN THIS Varování numre, gå på www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. reunoista sähköstaattisen purkautumisen
INFORMATION FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. • Každý externí napájecí zdroj použitý s vaaran minimoimiseksi.
Raspberry Pi musí splňovat příslušné • Kaikkien Raspberry Pi -laitteiden
Warnings předpisy a normy platné v zemi určení. Nederlands kanssa käytettävien oheislaitteiden ja
• Any external power supply used with the Napájecí zdroj by měl poskytovat muiden laitteiden on oltava käyttömaan
Raspberry Pi shall comply with relevant stejnosměrné napětí 5V a minimální Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/ B+ asianmukaisten standardien mukaisia,
regulations and standards applicable in the jmenovitý proud 2,5A. BELANGRIJK: BEWAAR DEZE INFORMATIE ja niiden on oltava merkittyjä sen
country of intended use. The power supply Pokyny pro bezpečné používání VOOR TOEKOMSTIGE VERWIJZING. varmistamiseksi, että turvallisuus ja
should provide 5V DC and a minimum rated • Tento výrobek by neměl být přetaktován. suorituskykyvaatimukset täytetään.
current of 2.5A. • Výrobek nevystavujte vodě ani vlhkosti a za Waarschuwingen Lisätietojen saamiseksi kaikista
provozu ho neumisťujte na vodivý povrch. • Elke externe voeding die met de Raspberry vaatimustenmukaisuussertifikaateista
Instructions for safe use • Výrobek nevystavujte teplu z jakéhokoli Pi wordt gebruikt, moet voldoen aan de vieraile verkkosivustolla www.raspberrypi.org/
• This product should not be overclocked. zdroje; je navržen pro spolehlivý provoz při relevante voorschriften en normen die van compliance.
• Do not expose this product to water or normálních pokojových teplotách. toepassing zijn in het land van het beoogde
moisture, and do not place it on a conductive • Výrobek používejte v dobře větraném gebruik. De voeding moet 5V DC en een
surface whilst in operation. prostředí a za provozu ho nepřikrývejte. minimale nominale stroom van 2,5A leveren. Français
• Do not expose this product to heat from any • Výrobek při používání ponechte na stabilním, Instructies voor veilig gebruik
source; it is designed for reliable operation at plochém a nevodivém povrchu a zabraňte • Dit product mag niet overklokt worden. Raspberry Pi 3 Modèle A+/ B+
normal room temperatures. jeho dotyku s vodivými předměty. • Stel dit product niet bloot aan water of vocht IMPORTANT: VEUILLEZ CONSERVER CETTE
• Operate this product in a well-ventilated • Při manipulaci s výrobkem dbejte na to, en plaats het tijdens gebruik niet op een INFORMATION POUR VOUS Y REPORTER
environment, and do not cover it during use. abyste zabránili mechanickému nebo geleidend oppervlak. ULTÉRIEUREMENT.
• Place this product on a stable, flat, non- elektrickému poškození desky plošných • Stel dit product niet bloot aan warmte
conductive surface while in use, and do not spojů a konektorů. van welke bron dan ook; het is ontworpen Avertissements
let it contact conductive items. • Vyvarujte se manipulace s výrobkem, když voor betrouwbare werking bij normale • Toute alimentation électrique externe utilisée
• Take care while handling this product to je napájen. K manipulaci používejte pouze kamertemperatuur. avec le Raspberry Pi doit être conforme aux
avoid mechanical or electrical damage to the okraje, abyste minimalizovali riziko poškození • Gebruik dit product in een goed geventileerde réglementations et normes applicables dans
printed circuit board and connectors. elektrostatickým výbojem. omgeving en dek het niet af tijdens gebruik. le pays d'utilisation. L'alimentation électrique
• Avoid handling this product while it is • Veškerá periferní a další zařízení používaná • Plaats dit product tijdens het gebruik op een doit fournir 5 V CC et un courant nominal
powered. Only handle by the edges to s Raspberry Pi by měla být v souladu s stabiel, plat, niet-geleidend oppervlak en laat minimum de 2,5 A.
minimize the risk of electrostatic discharge příslušnými normami země použití a měla het niet in contact komen met geleidende Consignes pour une utilisation en toute sécurité
damage. by být odpovídajícím způsobem označena, items. • Ce produit ne doit pas être utilisé à une
• Any peripheral or equipment used with the aby se zajistilo, že splňují požadavky na • Wees voorzichtig met het gebruik van dit vitesse supérieure à celle prévue pour son
Raspberry Pi should comply with relevant bezpečnost a výkon. product om mechanische of elektrische usage.
standards for the country of use and be Všechna osvědčení o shodě a čísla najdete na schade aan de printplaat en connectoren te • N'exposez pas ce produit à l'eau ou à
marked accordingly to ensure that safety and www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. voorkomen. l'humidité et ne le placez pas sur une surface
performance requirements are met. Such • Gebruik dit product niet terwijl het wordt conductrice pendant le fonctionnement.
equipment includes, but is not limited to, gevoed. Alleen aan de randen vasthouden om • N'exposez pas ce produit à la chaleur quelle
keyboards, monitors, and mice. Dansk het risico op schade door elektrostatische qu'en soit la source; il est conçu pour un
ontlading te minimaliseren. fonctionnement fiable à des températures
For all compliance certificates and numbers, Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/ B+ • Alle randapparatuur of apparatuur die met de ambiantes normales.
please visit www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. VIGTIGT: OPBEVAR DENNE INFORMATION FOR Raspberry Pi wordt gebruikt, moet voldoen • Faites fonctionner ce produit dans un
FREMTIDIG REFERENCE. aan de relevante normen voor het land van environnement bien ventilé et ne le couvrez
gebruik en dienovereenkomstig worden pas pendant l'utilisation.
汉语 Advarsler gemarkeerd om ervoor te zorgen dat wordt • Placez ce produit sur une surface stable,
• Eksterne strømforsyninger, der anvendes til voldaan aan de veiligheids- en prestatie-eisen. plane et non conductrice pendant son
Raspberry Pi 3 代A+/ B+型 Raspberry Pi skal være i overensstemmelse Ga naar www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. utilisation et ne le laissez pas en contact avec
重要提示：请保留此信息以供将来参考。 med relevante bestemmelser og standarder, des éléments conducteurs.

SAFETY & USER GUIDE
• Faites attention lors de la manipulation de ce alle normative e agli standard pertinenti 한국어 być zgodne z odpowiednimi normami
produit pour éviter tout dommage mécanique applicabili nel paese di utilizzo previsto. dla kraju użytkowania i być odpowiednio
ou électrique au niveau de la carte de circuit L'alimentatore utilizzato dovrà fornire 5 V CC e Raspberry Pi 3 모델A+/ B+ oznakowane, aby zapewnić spełnienie
imprimé et des connecteurs. una corrente nominale minima di 2,5 A. 중요: 추후 참조를 위해 이 정보를 wymagań bezpieczeństwa i wymogów
• Évitez de manipuler ce produit lorsqu'il est Istruzioni per l’utilizzo in sicurezza 보관하십시오. eksploatacyjnych.
sous tension. Ne manipulez que par les bords • Questo prodotto non deve essere Wszystkie certyfikaty zgodności i numery
afin de minimiser les risques de dommages overcloccato. 경고 można znaleźć na stronie www.raspberrypi.org/
dus aux décharges électrostatiques. • Non esporre questo prodotto all’acqua o • Raspberry Pi 와 함께 사용되는 모든 외부 compliance.
• Tout périphérique ou équipement utilisé all’umidità e non collocarlo su una superficie 전원 공급 장치는, 해당 국가에서 적용되는
avec le Raspberry Pi doit être conforme aux conduttiva mentre è in funzione. 관련 규정 및 표준을 준수해야합니다. 전원 Português do Brasil
normes applicables dans le pays d'utilisation • Non esporre questo prodotto a fonti di calore. 공급 장치는 5V DC, 최소 정격 전류 2.5A를
et être marqué en conséquence pour garantir Il prodotto è progettato per un funzionamento 공급해야 합니다. Raspberry Pi 3 Modelo A+/ B +
la sécurité et les performances. affidabile solo alla normale temperatura 안전한 사용을 위한 지침 IMPORTANTE: POR FAVOR, GUARDE ESTAS
Pour tous les certificats et numéros de ambiente. • 본 제품을 '오버클럭’ 해서는 안됩니다. INFORMAÇÕES PARA REFERÊNCIA FUTURA.
conformité, veuillez consulter www.raspberrypi. • Utilizzare questo prodotto in un ambiente ben • 본 제품을 물이나 습기에 노출시키지 말고,
org/compliance ventilato e non coprirlo durante l’uso. 작동 중에 전도성 표면 위에 놓지 마십시오. Avisos
• Per l’uso, collocare questo prodotto su una • 본 제품을 모든 소스의 열에 노출시키지 • Qualquer fonte de alimentação externa
superficie stabile, piana e non conduttiva. 마십시오. 일반적인 실내 온도에서 안정적인 usada com o Raspberry Pi deve cumprir os
Deutsch Evitare che venga in contatto con oggetti 작동을 하도록 설계되었습니다. regulamentos e normas aplicáveis no país
conduttivi. • 본 제품을 통풍이 잘되는 환경에서 de utilização. A fonte de alimentação deve
Raspberry Pi 3 Modell A+/ B+ • Durante l’uso o lo spostamento del prodotto 사용하고, 사용 중에는 덮지 마십시오. fornecer 5V CC e uma corrente nominal
WICHTIG: BITTE BEWAHREN SIE DIESE prestare attenzione ad evitare danni • 이 제품을 사용하는 동안 안정적이고 편평한 mínima de 2,5A.
INFORMATIONEN FÜR ZUKÜNFTIGE REFERENZ. meccanici o elettrici al circuito stampato e 비전도성 표면에 놓고, 전도성 물품에 Instruções para o uso seguro
ai connettori. 접촉시키지 마십시오. • Este produto não deve ser usado em
Achtung • Evitare di maneggiare questo prodotto • 인쇄회로기판 및 커넥터의 기계적 또는 overclock.
• Jedes externe Netzteil, das mit dem mentre è alimentato. Afferrare solo dai bordi 전기적 손상을 방지하기 위해, 본 제품을 • Não exponha este produto à água ou à
Raspberry Pi verwendet wird, muss den per ridurre al minimo il rischio di danni da 취급할 때 주의하십시오. umidade, e não o coloque em uma superfície
einschlägigen Vorschriften und Normen scariche elettrostatiche. • 전원이 공급되는 동안에는 본 제품을 다루지 condutora durante a operação.
entsprechen, die im Bestimmungsland • Tutte le periferiche e le apparecchiature 마십시오. 정전기로 인한 손상 위험을 • Não exponha este produto ao calor de
gelten. Die Stromversorgung sollte 5 V utilizzate con il Raspberry Pi devono essere 최소화하기 위해 가장자리만 잡으십시오. qualquer fonte; Ele é projetado para operação
Gleichstrom und einen minimalen Nennstrom conformi agli standard pertinenti per il • Raspberry Pi 와 함께 사용되는 모든 주변 confiável à temperatura ambiente.
von 2,5 A liefern. paese di utilizzo ed essere dotate del relativo 장치 또는 장비는, 해당 사용 국가의 관련 • Opere este produto em um ambiente bem
Anweisungen für die sichere Verwendung marchio a garanzia della conformità con i 표준을 준수해야 하며 또한 안전 및 성능 ventilado e não o cubra durante o uso.
• Dieses Produkt sollte nicht übertaktet requisiti di sicurezza e prestazioni necessari. 요구사항을 충족하도록 표시해야 합니다. • Coloque este produto em uma superfície
werden. Per informazioni su numeri e certificati di 모든 준수 인증서 및 번호는, 다음 사이트를 estável, plana e não condutora durante o
• Setzen Sie dieses Produkt nicht Wasser conformità, visitare www.raspberrypi.org/ 참조하십시오. www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. uso, e não deixe que entre em contato com
oder Feuchtigkeit aus und stellen Sie es compliance. dispositivos que conduzem eletricidade.
während des Betriebs nicht auf eine leitfähige Polski • Tome cuidado ao manusear este produto
Oberfläche. para evitar danos mecânicos ou elétricos à
• Setzen Sie dieses Produkt keiner 日本語 Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/ B+ placa de circuito impresso e aos conectores.
Wärmequelle aus. Es ist für einen WAŻNE: PROSIMY ZACHOWAĆ TE • Evite manusear este produto enquanto
zuverlässigen Betrieb bei normalen Raspberry Pi 3 モデルA+/ B+ INFORMACJE NA PRZYSZŁOŚĆ. estiver ligado. Somente manuseie pelas
Raumtemperaturen ausgelegt. 重要: 将来参照できるようこの情報は保管して bordas (laterais) para minimizar o risco de
• Betreiben Sie dieses Produkt in einer gut おいてください。 Ostrzeżenia dano por descarga eletrostática.
belüfteten Umgebung und decken Sie es • Wszelkie zewnętrzne źródła zasilania • Qualquer periférico ou equipamento usado
während des Gebrauchs nicht ab. 警告 używane z Raspberry Pi powinny być zgodne com o Raspberry Pi deve cumprir os padrões
• Stellen Sie dieses Produkt während des • Raspberry Pi と共に使用する外部電源は使 z odpowiednimi przepisami i normami de fabricação e uso relevantes para o
Gebrauchs auf eine stabile, flache, nicht 用対象国内の規制や基準に準拠したものに obowiązującymi w kraju przeznaczenia. país e assim garantir que os requisitos de
leitende Oberfläche und lassen Sie es nicht してください。電源の出力は 5V DC で最 Zasilacz powinien zapewniać napięcie 5V DC segurança e desempenho sejam atendidos.
mit leitfähigen Gegenständen in Berührung 低定格電流が 2.5A でなければなりません。 i minimalny prąd znamionowy 2,5A. Para todos os certificados conformidade
kommen. 安全な使用のための説明 Instrukcje bezpiecznego użytkowania e números, visite www.raspberrypi.org/
• Seien Sie vorsichtig beim Umgang mit • 本製品をオーバークロックしてはなりま • Ten produkt nie powinien być przetaktowany. compliance.
diesem Produkt, um mechanische oder せん。 • Nie należy wystawiać tego produktu na
elektrische Schäden an der Leiterplatte und • 本製品を水や湿気にさらしたり、動作中に działanie wody ani wilgoci, ani umieszczać go Pусский
den Anschlüssen zu vermeiden. 導電性の面に置いてはなりません。 na powierzchni przewodzącej podczas pracy.
• Vermeiden Sie die Handhabung dieses • 本製品をどんな熱源からの熱にもさらさな • Nie należy wystawiać tego produktu na Raspberry Pi 3 Модель A+/ B+
Produkts während der Stromversorgung. いでください。本製品は通常の室温で動作 działanie ciepła z jakiegokolwiek źródła; ВАЖНО: СОХРАНИТЕ ЭТУ ИНФОРМАЦИЮ
Produkt nur an den Rändern anfassen, するように設計されています。 produkt zaprojektowano tak, aby działał ДЛЯ БУДУЩЕГО ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ.
um das Risiko von elektrostatischen • 本製品は通気性の良い環境で使用し、使用 niezawodnie w normalnej temperaturze
Entladungsschäden zu minimieren. 中に密閉しないでください。 pokojowej. Внимание!
• Alle Peripheriegeräte oder Geräte, die mit • 本製品の使用中は本製品を平らな安定した • Używać w dobrze wentylowanym otoczeniu i • Любой внешний источник питания,
dem Raspberry Pi verwendet werden, 非導電性の面に置き、導電性の物に接触さ nie zakrywać podczas użytkowania. используемый с Raspberry Pi, должен
müssen den geltenden Normen für せないでください。 • Podczas użytkowania należy соответствовать соответствующим
das jeweilige Land entsprechen und • 本製品を扱う際は慎重に取り扱い、プリン umieścić produkt na stabilnej, płaskiej, нормам и стандартам, применяемым в
entsprechend gekennzeichnet sein, um zu ト基板およびコネクター類への物理的また nieprzewodzącej powierzchni i nie dopuścić стране предполагаемого использования.
gewährleisten, dass die Sicherheits- und は電気的損傷を避けてください。 do kontaktu z przedmiotami przewodzącymi Источник питания должен обеспечивать
Leistungsanforderungen erfüllt werden. • 電源が入っている状態で本製品に触れるこ prąd. 5 В постоянного тока и минимальный
Alle Konformitätszertifikate und -nummern とは避けてください。静電放電による損傷 • Należy zachować ostrożność podczas номинальный ток 2,5 А.
finden Sie auf www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. のリスクを最小限にするため、持つ際は端 obchodzenia się z produktem, aby uniknąć Инструкции по безопасному использованию
を持ってください。 mechanicznego lub elektrycznego • Этот продукт не должен использоваться
Italiano • 安全と性能の要件を満たすため、Raspberry uszkodzenia płyty z obwodami drukowanymi вопреки нормативам произодителя.
Pi と共に使用する周辺機器または装置は使 i złączy. • Не подвергайте этот продукт
Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+/ B+ 用国内の規制や基準に準拠したものにし、 • Nie należy przenosić produktu, gdy jest воздействию воды или влаги и не
IMPORTANTE: CONSERVARE QUESTE 該当する表記のあるものにしてください。 podłączony do zasilania. Trzymać wyłącznie размещайте его на проводящей
INFORMAZIONI PER RIFERIMENTO FUTURO. すべての順守証明書および番号については za krawędzie, aby zminimalizować поверхности во время работы.
www.raspberrypi.org/compliance を参照して ryzyko uszkodzenia w wyniku wyładowań • Не подвергайте этот продукт
Avvisi ください elektrostatycznych. воздействию тепла из любого источника;
• Tutti gli alimentatori esterni utilizzati con • Wszelkie urządzenia peryferyjne lub он предназначен для надежной работы
il Raspberry Pi devono essere conformi sprzęt używany z Raspberry Pi powinny при нормальной комнатной температуре.

SAFETY & USER GUIDE
• Эксплуатируйте этот продукт в хорошо Svenska type equipment, operates at a maximum e.i.r.p. • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a
проветриваемой среде и не накрывайте of 23dBm (5150-5350MHz) and 30dBm (5450- different circuit from that to which the receiver
его во время использования. Raspberry Pi 3 Modell A+/ B + 5725MHz). is connected • Consult the dealer or an
• Поместите этот продукт на устойчивую, VIKTIGT: BEHÅLL DENNA INFORMATION FÖR experienced radio/TV technician for help. For
плоскую, непроводящую поверхность во FRAMTIDA REFERENS. In accordance with Article 10.10 of the Radio product available in the USA/Canada market,
время использования и не позволяйте Equipment Directive, and as per below list only channel 1~11 can be operated and these
ему контактировать с проводящими Varningar of country codes, the operating bands 5150- channel assignments deal with only the 2.4GHz
изделиями. • Alla externa strömförsörjningar som 5350MHz are strictly for indoor usage only. range This device and its antenna(s) must
• Соблюдайте осторожность при används med Raspberry Pi måste uppfylla not be co-located or operation in conjunction
обращении с этим продуктом, alla tillämpliga regler och standarder i det with any other antenna or transmitter except
land där de används. Strömförsörjningen
BE BG CZ DK
чтобы избежать механического или in accordance with FCC’s multi-transmitter
электрического повреждения печатной måste tillhandahålla 5 VDC och ha en lägsta procedures. This device is going to be operated
DE EE IE EL
платы и разъемов. märkström på 2,5 A. in 5.15~5.25GHz frequency range, it is restricted
• Избегайте обращения с этим продуктом Instruktioner för säker användning in indoor environment only
ES FR HR IT CY
во время его питания. Используйте • Produkten bör inte överklockas. IMPORTANT NOTE: FCC Radiation Exposure
только края, чтобы свести к минимуму • Utsätt inte produkten för vatten eller fukt, och Statement; This appliance and its antenna must
LV LT LU HU MT
риск повреждения электростатического placera den inte på en ledande yta medan not be co-located or operation in conjunction
разряда. den är i drift. NL AT PL PT RO with any other antenna or transmitter. A
• Любое периферийное устройство • Utsätt inte produkten för värme från någon minimum separation distance of 20cm must be
или оборудование, используемое с värmekälla. Den är utformad för tillförlitlig SI SK FI SE UK maintained between the antenna and the person
Raspberry Pi, должно соответствовать drift vid normal rumstemperatur. for this appliance to satisfy the RF exposure
соответствующим стандартам • Använd produkten i en väl ventilerad miljö, requirements. This raspberry Pi product is
для страны использования и быть och täck inte över den vid användning. The Raspberry Pi complies with the relevant certified for usage as a Single Module under
соответствующим образом маркировано • Placera produkten på en stabil, isolerad yta provisions of the RoHS Directive for the the requirements of 15.212. The integration of
для обеспечения соблюдения требований vid användning, och låt den inte komma i European Union. this module into end products is subject to the
безопасности и производительности. kontakt med ledande föremål. following requirements:
Для всех сертификатов соответствия и • Var försiktig när du hanterar produkten för att WEEE Directive Statement for the European USER MANUAL OF THE END PRODUCT:
номеров, пожалуйста, посетите www. undvika mekaniska eller elektriska skador på Union In the user’s manual of the end of product, the
raspberrypi.org/compliance . kretskortet och kontakterna. This marking indicates that this product end user has to be informed:
• Undvik att hantera produkten med strömmen should not be disposed with other household • To keep at least 20cm separation with the
Español på. Håll den endast i kanterna för att undvika wastes throughout the EU. To prevent possible antenna while this end product is installed
elektrostatiska urladdningar. harm to the environment or human health and operated.
Raspberry Pi 3 Modelo A+/ B + • Eventuell kringutrustning och utrustning from uncontrolled waste disposal, recycle it • That the FCC radio-frequency exposure
IMPORTANTE: POR FAVOR CONSERVE ESTA som används med Raspberry Pi måste responsibly to promote the sustainable reuse of guidelines for an uncontrolled environment
INFORMACIÓN PARA FUTURA REFERENCIA. uppfylla relevanta standarder i det land där material resources. To return your used device, can be satisfied.
den används, och den bör märkas så att please use the return and collection systems • That any changes or modifications not
Advertencias säkerhets- och prestandakraven uppfylls. or contact the retailer where the product was expressly approved by the manufacturer
• Cualquier fuente de alimentación externa Besök www.raspberrypi.org/compliance, för alla purchased. They can take this product for could void the user’s authority to operate this
utilizada con la Raspberry Pi deberá cumplir certifikat och nummer om överensstämmelse. environmental safe recycling. Note: A full online equipment.
con las correspondientes regulaciones y copy of this Declaration can be found at www. • That, if the size of the end product is smaller
normas aplicables en el país de uso previsto. raspberrypi.org/compliance/ than 8x10cm, then additional FCC part15.19
La fuente de alimentación debe proporcionar EU statement is required to be available in the
5V DC y una corriente nominal mínima de Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU) China user’s manual; This device complies with
2.5A. Declaration of Conformity (DoC) Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ CMIIT ID: 2018AJ2147 Part 15 of FCC Rules, Operation is Subject
Instrucciones para un uso seguro to following two conditions: (1) This device
• Este producto no debe ser usado con una We, Raspberry Pi (Trading) Limited, 30 Station FCC may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
frecuencia de reloj superior a la nominal. (No Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JH, United Kingdom, This device must accept any interference
se debe overclockear). Declare under our sole responsibility that the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ FCC ID: 2ABCB-RPI3BP received including interference that cause
• No exponga este producto al agua o a product: Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ to which Model A+ FCC ID:2ABCB-RPI3AP undesired operation. Caution: Any changes
la humedad, y no lo coloque sobre una this declaration relates is in conformity with or modifications to the equipment not
superficie conductora mientras está en the essential requirements and other relevant This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules, expressly approved by the party responsible
funcionamiento. requirements of the Radio Equipment Directive Operation is Subject to following two conditions: for compliance could void user's authority to
• No exponga este producto a ningún tipo (2014/53/EU). (1) This device may not cause harmful operate the equipment.
de fuente de calor; está diseñado para interference, and (2) This device must accept
un funcionamiento fiable a temperatura The product is in conformity with the following any interference received including interference
ambiente normal. standards and/or other normative documents: that cause undesired operation. Caution: Any LABEL OF THE END PRODUCT:
• Utilice este producto en un ambiente bien changes or modifications to the equipment not The final end product must be labelled in a
ventilado, y no lo cubra durante el uso. SAFETY (art 3.1.a): IEC 60950-1: 2005 (2nd expressly approved by the party responsible visible area with the following " Contains TX
• Coloque este producto sobre una superficie Edition) and EN 62311: 2008 EMC (art 3.1.b): EN for compliance could void user s authority to FCC ID: 2ABCB-RPI3A/BP". If the size of the end
estable, plana y no conductora mientras esté 301 489-1/ EN 301 489-17 Ver. 3.1.1 (assessed operate the equipment. This equipment has been product is larger than 8x10cm, then the following
en uso, y no permita que entre en contacto in conjunction with ITE standards EN 55032 and tested and found to comply within the limits FCC part 15.19 statement has to also be
con elementos conductores. EN 55024 as Class B equipment) SPECTRUM for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 available on the label: This device complies with
• Tenga cuidado al manipular este producto (art 3. 2): EN 300 328 Ver 2.1.1, EN 301 893 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
para evitar daños mecánicos o eléctricos V2.1.0 provide reasonable protection against harmful following two conditions: (1) this device may not
en la placa de circuito impreso y en los interference in a residential installation. This cause harmful interference and (2) this device
conectores. In accordance with Article 10.8 of the Radio equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio must accept any interference received, including
• Evite manipular este producto mientras está Equipment Directive: The device ‘Raspberry frequency energy and, if not installed and used interference that may cause undesired operation.
encendido. Sujételo solo por los bordes para Pi 3 Model B+’ operates in compliance with in accordance with the instructions, may cause
minimizar el riesgo de daños por descargas harmonised standard EN 300 328 v2.1.1 and harmful interference to radio communications. ISED
electrostáticas. transceives within the frequency band 2,400 However, there is no guarantee that interference
• Cualquier periférico o equipo utilizado con la MHz to 2,483.5 MHz and, as per Clause 4.3.2.2 will not occur in a particular installation. If this Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ IC: 20953-RPI3P
Raspberry Pi debe cumplir con las normas for wideband modulation type equipment, equipment does cause harmful interference Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ IC:20953-RPI3A
aplicables en el país de uso y debe estar operates at a maximum e.i.r.p. of 20dBm. to radio or television reception, which can be This device complies with Industry Canada
marcado en consecuencia para garantizar The device ‘Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+’ also determined by turning the equipment off and license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is
que se cumplen los requisitos de seguridad operates in compliance with harmonised on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the subject to the following two conditions: (1) this
y rendimiento. standard EN 301 893 V2.1.1 and transceives interference by one or more of the following device may not cause interference, and (2) this
Para obtener todos los certificados de within the frequency bands 5150-5250MHz, measures: • Reorient or relocate the receiving device must accept any interference, including
conformidad y sus números de registro, visite 5250-5350MHz, and 5470-5725MHz and, as antenna • Increase the separation between the interference that may cause undesired operation
www.raspberrypi.org/compliance. per Clause 4.2.3.2 for wideband modulation equipment and receiver of the device.

SAFETY & USER GUIDE
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR IMPORTANT NOTE: Mexico

d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils IC Radiation Exposure Statement:
radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est This equipment complies with IC RSS-102 La operación de este equipo está sujeta a las
autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes :(1) radiation exposure limits set forth for an siguientes dos condiciones: (1) es posible que
l'appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et uncontrolled environment. This equipment este equipo o dispositivo no cause interferencia
(2) l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout should be installed and operated with minimum perjudicial y (2) este equipo o dispositivo debe
brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le distance 20cm between the radiator & your body. aceptar cualquier interferencia, incluyendo la
brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le Cet équipement est conforme aux limites que pueda causar su operación no deseada.
fonctionnement. d'exposition aux rayonnements IC établies pour Este equipo esta diseñado para operar con las
un environnement non contrôlé. Cet équipement antenas que enseguida se enlistan y para una
For product available in the USA/Canada market, doit être installé et utilisé avec un minimum ganacia máxima de 3.5 dBi. El uso de Antenas
only channel 1~11 can be operated. Selection of de 20 cm de distance entre la source de con este equipo no incluidas en esta lista o que
other channels is not possible. rayonnement et votre corps. tengan una ganancia mayor a 3.5 dBi quedan
Pour les produits disponibles aux États-Unis / PROHIBIDAS.
Canada du marché, seul le canal 1 à 11 peuvent IMPORTANT NOTE:
être exploités. Sélection d'autres canaux n'est This module is intended for OEM integrator. The
pas possible. OEM integrator is responsible for the compliance Taiwan
to all the rules that apply to the product into
This device and its antenna(s) must not be which this certified RF module is integrated.
根據NCC低功率電波輻射性電機管理辦
co-located with any other transmitters except Additional testing and certification may be
法規定:
in accordance with IC multi-transmitter product necessary when multiple modules are used.
procedures. Referring to the multi-transmitter Any changes or modifications not expressly 第十經型式認證合格之低功率射頻電
policy, multiple-transmitter(s) and module(s) approved by the manufacturer could void the 二條機，非經許可，公司、商號或使
can be operated simultaneously without user's authority to operate this equipment. 用者均不得擅自變更頻率、加大
reassessment permissive change. Cet appareil 功率或變更原設計之特性及功能
et son antenne (s) ne doit pas être co-localisés
第十低功率射頻電機之使用不得影
ou fonctionnement en association avec une USERS MANUAL OF THE END PRODUCT:
四條響飛航安全及干擾合法通信；
autre antenne ou transmetteur. This radio In the user’s manual of the end product, the end
經發現有干擾現象時，應立即停
transmitter has been approved by Industry user has to be informed to keep at least 20cm
用，並改善至無干擾時方得繼
Canada to operate with the antenna types listed separation with the antenna while this end
續使用。
below with the maximum permissible gain product is installed and operated. The end user
前項合法通信，指依電信法規定
indicated. Antenna types not included in this list, has to be informed that the IC radio-frequency
作業之無線電通信。
having a gain greater than the maximum gain exposure guidelines for an uncontrolled
低功率射頻電機須忍受合法通信
indicated for that type, are strictly prohibited environment can be satisfied
或工業、科學及醫療用電波輻射
for use with this device.Le présent émetteur
性電機設備之干擾。
radio (IC: 20953-RPI3P) a été approuvé par The end user has to also be informed that
Industrie Canada pour fonctionner avec les types any changes or modifications not expressly 應避免影響附近雷逹系統之操作。
d'antenne énumérés ci-dessous et ayant un approved by the manufacturer could void the 高增益指向性天線只得應用於固定式點對點
gain admissible maximal d'antenne. Les types user's authority to operate this equipment. 系統。
d'antenne non inclus dans cette liste, ou dont Operation is subject to the following two
le gain est supérieur au gain maximal indiqué, conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful
sont strictement interdits pour l'exploitation de interference and (2) this device must accept any
l'émetteur. interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) for devices

operating in the bands 5250- 5350 MHz, LABEL OF THE END PRODUCT:
5470-5600 MHz and 5650-5725 MHz. Sélection The final end product must be labelled in a
dynamique de fréquences (DFS) pour les visible area with the following " Contains IC:
dispositifs fonctionnant dans les bandes 5250- 20953-RPI3P / 20953-RPI3A ".The Host Model
5350 MHz, 5470-5600 MHz et 5650-5725 MHz. Number (HMN) must be indicated at any
The device for operation in the band 5150–5250 location on the exterior of the end product or
MHz is only for indoor use to reduce the potential product packaging or product literature which
for harmful interference to co-channel mobile shall be available with the end product or online.
satellite systems. les dispositifs fonctionnant
dans la bande 5150-5250 MHz sont réservés
uniquement pour une utilisation à l’intérieur afin Australia and New Zealand R 007-AG0046
de réduire les risques de brouillage préjudiciable
aux systèmes de satellites mobiles utilisant les Class B Emissions Compliance Statement
mêmes canaux. The maximum antenna gain Warning: This is a Class B product. In a domestic
permitted for devices in the bands 5250-5350 environment this product may cause radio
MHz and 5470-5725 MHz shall be such that interference in which case the user may be
the equipment still complies with the e.i.r.p. required to take adequate measures.
limit.le gain maximal d’antenne permis pour les Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
dispositifs utilisant les bandes 5250-5350 MHz CHILE SUBTEL 5219/DO
et 5470-5725 MHz doit se conformer à la limite Brazil
de p.i.r.e.
Este equipamento não tem direito à proteção
The maximum antenna gain permitted for contra interferência prejudicial e não pode
devices in the band 5725-5850 MHz shall be causar interferência em sistemas devidamente
such that the equipment still complies with the autorizados. Este produto está homologado Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
e.i.r.p. limits specified for point-to-point and non- pela Anatel, de acordo com os procedimentos CHILE SUBTEL 5219/DO
point-to-point operation as appropriate. regulamentados pela Resolução nº242/2000
le gain maximal d’antenne permis (pour les e atende aos requisitos técnicos aplicados,
dispositifs utilisant la bande 5725-5850 MHz)
doit se conformer à la limite de p.i.r.e. spécifiée
incluindo os limites de exposição da Taxa
de Absorção Específica referente a campos
CCAO18LP0240T9
pour l’exploitation point à point et non point à elétricos, magnéticos e eletromagnéticos de
point, selon le cas. For indoor use only. Pour une radiofrequência, de acordo com as Resoluções
utilisation en intérieur uniquement. nº 303/2002 e 533/2009.

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GET
STARTED
WITH RASPBERRY PI
The world’s favourite single-board computer, Raspberry Pi is packed with
potential: it can be a digital camera, a programmable games machine,
or even a sensor for the International Space Station. While creating a
Raspberry Pi project, you’ll learn computing, coding, and electronics.
It’s fun, and creative, and it’s changing the world.
MASTER YOUR RASPBERRY PI IN EASY STEPS
 Set up your Raspberry Pi 3A+ for the first time
 Discover amazing software built for creative learning
 Learn how to program in Scratch and Python
 Control electronics: buttons, lights, and sensors
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FIND US ONLINE magpi.cc GET IN TOUCH magpi@raspberrypi.org

EDITORIAL DESIGN PUBLISHING

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 3

08 EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED 60 SENSE HAT MP3 PLAYER

10 SET UP YOUR RASPBERRY PI 3A+ 64 CAMERA MODULE

12 INSTALLING RASPBIAN 72 PICTURES FROM SPACE

14 RASPBERRY PI STARTER GUIDE 78 THE 50 BEST TIPS

22 LEARN TO CODE 88 BUILD A SAMBA FILE SERVER

34 GPIO ZERO 92 USE SSH

38 HOW TO USE A BREADBOARD 96 SWITCH TO THE COMMAND LINE

40 MAKE WITH CODE 102 INSIDE RASPBERRY PI 3A+

50 RASPBERRY PI ACCESSORIES 110 SAFETY AND USER GUIDE

GETTING STARTED 06 MAKE WITH CODE 40

4 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

SENSE HAT MP3 PLAYER 62

EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED 08

LEARN TO CODE 34 PICTURES FROM SPACE 72 THE 50 BEST TIPS 78

USE SSH 104

TV HAT 58 CAMERA MODULE 64

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 5

6 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

Hooking a Raspberry Pi 3A+ up to the

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 7

IN YOUR KIT: MICRO SD CARD

8 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

The lid of the

HDMI cable USB power

Keyboard and mouse USB hub

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 9

HDMI port: use USB port:

10 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

HOW TO: SET UP RASPBERRY PI 3A+

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 11

12 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

Installing image files your memory card in the Drive letter.

Get Started With Raspberry Pi 13

your brand new

14 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

Meet Raspbian with Desktop

02 Click the globe for quick

03 Click the folders to

04 Find the Terminal here.

Sense HAT Emulator

16 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

Updating your software Why not

Tip! just type in yes and then press ENTER to confirm

18 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

Top Tips for VNC

At the top of VNC Viewer in the middle is a tiny

Using VNC Viewer to manage Raspberry Pi from an iPad

Tip! edit it. In a single window it shows you your code,

20 Get Started With Raspberry Pi

The Official Raspberry Official Raspberry Pi

GPIO Zero Documentation Conquer the Command Line

Hacking and Python Games

08 EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED 60 SENSE HAT MP3 PLAYER

10 SET UP YOUR RASPBERRY PI 3A+ 64 CAMERA MODULE

Using VNC Viewer to manage Raspberry Pi from an iPad

01 Blocks Palette: Find

02 Scripts Area: Drag and

03 Buttons: Click to view

04 Sprite List: Select and

02 The breadboard makes it easy to plug in

02 The circuit also contains four buttons. We’ll