Raspberry Pi
Raspberry is a reference to a fruit naming tradition in the old days of microcomputers. A lot of computer companies were
named after fruit. There's Tangerine Computer Systems, Apricot Computers, and the old British company Acorn, which is a
family of fruit.
Pi is because originally we were going to produce a computer that could only really run Python. So the Pi in there is for
Python. Now you can run Python on the Raspberry Pi but the design we ended up going with is much more capable than th e
original we thought of, so it's kind of outlived its name a little bit.
Pi does stand for: Python Interpreter. It was originally planned to equip the Pi with a built-in interpreter for
python. In Raspberry Pi, the "Pi" part of the name originally referred to the Python
programming language. The founders intended for the device to primarily run Python
code. While the Raspberry Pi now supports various programming languages and
applications, the name "Pi" has stuck. "Raspberry" itself is a nod to the tradition of naming
early computer companies after fruits
Raspberry Pi is a small, affordable, single-board computer widely used in IoT (Internet of Things)
applications. It's a versatile tool for building connected devices and systems, enabling various IoT
functionalities due to its processing power, connectivity options, and GPIO pins for interacting with
external sensors and actuators.
What is Raspberry Pi?
Single-Board Computer:
Raspberry Pi is a compact computer built on a single circuit board.
Versatile:
It can be used for various applications, from simple projects like controlling LEDs to more complex
ones like building a smart home system or a data logger.
Affordable:
It is relatively inexpensive, making it accessible for hobbyists, students, and professionals.
Connectivity:
It offers various connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and USB, allowing it to
connect to the internet and other devices.
GPIO Pins:
The Raspberry Pi has GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins that allow users to connect and control
external devices like sensors, motors, and displays.
Software Support:
It supports various operating systems, including Raspberry Pi OS (based on Debian), Ubuntu, and
Windows 10 IoT Core.
Raspberry Pi in IoT:
Data Acquisition:
Raspberry Pi can be used to gather data from sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, etc.) and transmit
it over the internet.
Remote Control:
It can be programmed to control devices remotely, enabling features like smart home automation.
Edge Computing:
Raspberry Pi can perform some processing tasks locally, reducing the need to send all data to the cloud,
which is beneficial in scenarios with limited bandwidth or latency concerns.
Prototyping:
It's a great tool for quickly prototyping IoT solutions due to its ease of use and relatively low cost.
Specific Applications:
Raspberry Pi-based IoT solutions are used in various industries, including manufacturing, agriculture,
healthcare, and smart cities, according to Hitaltech, according to RayPCB and according to WebClues
Infotech.
Examples of IoT Applications:
Smart Home Automation: Controlling lights, appliances, and security systems.
Industrial Automation: Monitoring and controlling equipment in factories.
Environmental Monitoring: Measuring temperature, humidity, air quality, and other parameters.
Healthcare Monitoring: Tracking patient vital signs and enabling remote patient care.
Agriculture: Optimizing irrigation, monitoring crop health, and managing livestock.
Raspberry PI - Interfaces (serial, SPI, I2C).
The Raspberry Pi offers several interfaces for connecting and communicating with external
devices, including Serial (UART), SPI, and I2C. Each of these protocols serves different
purposes and has distinct characteristics:
Serial (UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter):
Function: Provides point-to-point asynchronous serial communication, commonly used for
console access, debugging, and communication with modules like GPS or Bluetooth.
Wires: Typically uses two wires: TX (transmit) and RX (receive).
Characteristics: Asynchronous, meaning no shared clock signal. Data is transmitted in
frames with start, data, parity (optional), and stop bits.
SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface):
Function: A synchronous serial communication bus primarily used for high-speed data
transfer between a master device (Raspberry Pi) and one or more slave devices (e.g.,
sensors, displays, SD cards).
Wires: Typically uses four wires: SCLK (Serial Clock), MOSI (Master Out Slave In), MISO
(Master In Slave Out), and SS/CS (Slave Select/Chip Select).
Characteristics: Synchronous (uses a shared clock), full-duplex communication, supports
a single master and potentially multiple slaves (each requiring a dedicated SS
line). Generally faster than I2C.
I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit):
Function: A synchronous serial bus designed for short-distance communication between
multiple master and multiple slave devices (e.g., sensors, EEPROMs).
Wires: Uses two wires: SDA (Serial Data) and SCL (Serial Clock).
Characteristics: Synchronous (uses a shared clock), supports multi-master and multi-
slave configurations, devices are addressed uniquely on the bus. Slower than SPI but
requires fewer wires for multiple devices.
Enabling these interfaces on Raspberry Pi:
These interfaces are often disabled by default and need to be enabled through the
Raspberry Pi configuration settings, accessible via sudo raspi-config or by manually
editing the /boot/config.txt file. You may also need to install relevant libraries and tools
(e.g., python-smbus, i2c-tools) to interact with devices using these protocols.
There are many peripherals that can be added to a microprocessor over the I2C and SPI serial interfaces.
These include atmospheric sensors, EEPROMS, and several types of display.
The Pi Wedge helps access the I2C and
SPI signals.
Before we get started, you might want to review some related background material.
I2C is a useful bus that allows data exchange between microcontrollers and
peripherals with a minimum of wiring.
SPI is a cousin of I2C with similar applications.
For the C/C++ examples, we'll be using the wiringPi library to interface with these
buses
For the Python examples, we'll be using spidev for SPI and smbus for I2C.
1. Serial (UART):
Purpose:
The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) provides a simple, two-wire
(Tx/Rx) serial communication method for point-to-point connections.
Pins:
The Raspberry Pi has dedicated GPIO pins for UART communication (e.g., GPIO14 for
TXD and GPIO15 for RXD on many models).
Usage:
Commonly used for debugging, communicating with GPS modules, or connecting to other
microcontrollers.
2. SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface):
Purpose:
SPI is a high-speed, synchronous serial communication protocol used for communicating
with multiple slave devices from a single master (the Raspberry Pi).
Pins:
SPI requires multiple pins: MOSI (Master Out Slave In), MISO (Master In Slave Out), SCLK
(Serial Clock), and CE (Chip Enable/Slave Select) for each slave device.
Usage:
Ideal for connecting to devices requiring fast data transfer, such as SD card readers,
certain displays, and ADCs/DACs.
3. I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit):
Purpose:
I2C is a two-wire, multi-master, multi-slave serial bus used for short-distance
communication between integrated circuits.
Pins:
I2C uses only two lines: SDA (Serial Data Line) and SCL (Serial Clock Line).
Usage:
Frequently employed for connecting to sensors (e.g., temperature, humidity,
accelerometers), real-time clocks (RTCs), and small EEPROMs.
Key Considerations:
Enabling Interfaces:
SPI and I2C interfaces often need to be enabled in the Raspberry Pi's configuration
settings (e.g., using raspi-config).
Libraries:
Python libraries like RPi.GPIO, smbus, and spidev provide convenient ways to interact with
these interfaces programmatically.
Device Tree Overlays:
For advanced configurations or alternative pin assignments, Device Tree Overlays can be
used to modify the hardware interface settings.
