What this book covers

Project 1, Hello World, will introduce the Raspberry Pi and remind you of things that you should know as you proceed through the book. We will set up the Raspberry Pi and blink an LED.

Project 2, A Raspberry WebIDE Example, will take you through Python development using a browser. We will use the Adafruit WebIDE and lead you through the development process using Adafruit products as props for the examples.

Project 3, The Arduino Raspberry Pi Interface, is inspired by the Harry Potter series, and in an effort to show our love for this series, we have created a clock similar to the innovative and endearing Weasley clock using the Raspberry Pi and an Arduino. This project, of course, allows the clock to report back weather conditions.

Project 4, Christmas Light Sequencer, discusses holidays as the best time for DIY projects, and if you are ever starved of ideas, holidays are the best time to cook up ideas. We picked a Christmas-themed project to demonstrate controlling appliances connected to a local network using Raspberry Pi.

Project 5, Internet of Things Example – An E-mail Alert Water Fountain, follows the theme of the previous project. We will show you how to control a decorative fountain such that anytime you receive a new e-mail, your fountain's light will flash an alert (this can also be switched to receive Twitter alerts).

Project 6, Raspberry Pi as a Personal Assistant, will show you how you can use the Pi as your personal assistant, reminding you of chores, setting alarms, and doing everything at your command.

Project 7, Raspberry Pi-based Line Following Robot, will take you through the simplest of all robots, the line following bot, with Raspberry Pi at the helm. This project will show you the way for this and other complex robotics projects you wish to implement.

Project 8, Connect Four Desktop Game using Raspberry Pi, follows the instant-classic theme for the Raspberry Pi, which includes games. All manners of gaming applications, including the revival of archaic games to new ones and mods, are being created using the Raspberry Pi. We will implement the game using a push button interface.

Project 9, The Raspberry Pi-enabled Pet/Wildlife Monitor, will walk you through a fun example of a bird feeder monitor that allows you to trigger a photo capture each time the bird approaches the feeder. You can think of extending this to other pets, or say, the feral cats in your colony.

Project 10, Raspberry Pi Personal Health Monitor, is a project where we set up a simple web server to record our personal health parameters, build a simple tool to remind ourselves to remain physically active, and remind ourselves to refill a prescription via e-mail alerts.

Project 11, Home Automation using Raspberry Pi, is a project where we will show you how to control appliances using a twisted network where the appliance is connected to a platform such as an Arduino. The Raspberry Pi acts as a server that controls all such nodes in the network.

Project 12, Using a Raspberry Pi for Science and Education, is a project packed with examples, including a vocabulary learning tool, a web host for Khan Academy, and a windmill generator science exhibit. Have fun learning and teaching!

Project 13, Tips and Tricks, is a project packed with tips and tricks that will help you use the Raspberry Pi!

You can also get the videos, tips and tricks, and many more things related to the projects at http://diywithpi.com/.