The Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: subscribe for free #CircuitPython #Python #RaspberryPi @micropython @ThePSF

The Python for Microcontrollers Newsletter is the place for the latest news involving Python on hardware (microcontrollers AND single board computers like Raspberry Pi).

This ad-free, spam-free weekly email is filled with CircuitPython, MicroPython, and Python information (and more) that you may have missed, all in one place!

You get a summary of all the software, events, projects, and the latest hardware worldwide once a week, no ads! You can cancel anytime.

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6 Raspberry Pi projects that won’t break the bank #RaspberryPi @SlashGear

SlashGear writes about six Raspberry Pi projects one can do without spending large amounts.

Browsing through the thousands of Pi projects online, you’ll probably notice that several come with a laundry list of components, some of which have hefty price tags. If you’re just dipping your toes into the realm of Raspberry Pi and don’t want to invest heaps of cash on a trial run, fear not. There’s a host of budget-friendly Raspberry Pi projects at your disposal, perfect not only for electronic beginners but also those who want to test out their newly learned programming skills. Here are six of the best ones to get you started.

Listed are:

• Wall-Mounted Google Calendar
• Pi Camera Doorbell
• Security System with Motion Detection via Camera
• Grandpa Scarer
• Automated Plant Watering with a Website
• Two-Player Arcade Coffee Table

Check out the details in the article here.

See many more projects on learn.adafruit.com

PCWorld reviews the Raspberry Pi 5 #RaspberryPi @PCWorld

PCWorld today reviewed the Raspberry Pi which came out late last year. Their conclusions:

With Model 5 and the new Raspberry Pi OS, the Raspberry Pi Foundation does almost everything right: even demanding program such as Firefox, Chromium, and VS Code run absolutely smoothly on the desktop. Working is simply fun. In normal use, the mini computer is still silent. If a fan is installed, it only starts during longer CPU-intensive work. The Pi 5 is ideal for server use (NAS), as a media center, for home automation, or as a desktop.

The biggest disadvantage is its price. While an impulse purchase for experimentation was still conceivable with earlier models, a clear purpose is now required to justify the cost. The predecessor models are better suited to hobbyists and makers. They are sufficiently fast, less fussy about the power supply, don’t run as hot, are cheaper, and are currently more readily available.

See the full review in the article here.

How to install CircuitPython 9.0.0-beta.0 on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

YouTube user and blogger coXXect shows the steps to install CircuitPython 9.0.0-beta.0 on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. The installation is “bare metal” and not using Raspberry Pi OS (which can run CircuitPython with the Blinka compatibility layer for Python).

See the video below and step by step in a blog post here.

Raspberry Pi and Python powers first driverless car in Formula SAE Brazil competition #Python #RaspberryPi #ML

A Raspberry Pi running Python powers the first driverless car in Formula SAE Brazil competition. Team Ampera pushed through various prototypes before creating a Raspberry Pi-powered car capable of navigating the Formula SAE Brazil track completely autonomously.

“Python algorithms (are used) to build a map of the track. These algorithms don’t just calculate the best path to follow; they also determine control actions, such as steering and acceleration, and send these suggestions to the car’s electronic control unit (ECU).”

See the video below and more via Raspberry Pi News.

Robert Tinney computer art (other than in Byte Magazine) #ArtTuesday #VintageComputing

Robert Tinney is an artist best known for his monthly cover art for Byte Magazine. Starting in 1975, he created over 100 pieces of art for Byte, done by hand, consisting of drawn illustrations with tissue paper, oil painting, and designer wash and airbrush.

Robert Tinney was in great demand to do covers for companies other than Byte. Galactic Studios has a collection of other art on their website here which should be checked out.

You can read more about Tinney on his website and on Wikipedia.

A huge update for TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers on Raspberry Pi Pico #RaspberryPi #ML #AI @Raspberry_Pi

It’s been three years since the RP2040 port of TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers. The work was done by Pete Warden, who at that point headed up the TensorFlow mobile team at Google. Since, the RP2040 port has been languishing. But a couple of weeks ago, that all changed. Raspberry Pi News reports:

Now at Useful Sensors, Pete has been doing some interesting things with RP2040. He has just upstreamed the last three years of changes — after all, as he puts it, “We all love pull requests with 1,129 changed files, right?” — and he’s taking on maintenance of the port on a best-effort basis.

The code now uses both cores of the RP2040 microcontroller.

The upshot? These updates and changes reduce the time for the person detection benchmark code from 824ms to 588ms. That’s a ×1.4 speed increase!

Read more on Raspberry Pi News here and see the pull request on GitHub.