What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started with a Raspberry Pi Computer, introduces the Raspberry Pi and explores the various ways that it can be set up and used, including how it can be used on a network and connected to remotely with another computer.

Chapter 2, Starting with Python Strings, Files, and Menus, guides us on how to take our first steps using Python 3, start with the basics, manipulate text, use files, and create menus to run our programs.

Chapter 3, Using Python for Automation and Productivity, explains the use of graphical user interfaces to create our own applications and utilities.

Chapter 4, Creating Games and Graphics, explains how to create a drawing application and graphical games using the Tkinter Canvas.

Chapter 5, Creating 3D Graphics, discusses how we can use the hidden power of the Raspberry Pi's graphical processing unit to learn about 3D graphics and landscapes and produce our very own 3D maze for exploration.

Chapter 6, Using Python to Drive Hardware, establishes the fact that to experience the Raspberry Pi at its best, we really have to use it with our own electronics. It discusses how to create circuits with LEDs and switches, and use them to indicate the system status and provide control. Finally, it shows us how to create our own game controller, light display and a persistence of vision text display.

Chapter 7, Sense and Display Real-World Data, explains the use of an analog-to-digital convertor to provide sensor readings to the Raspberry Pi. We discover how to store and graph the data in real time, as well as display it on an LCD text display. Next we record the data in a SQL database and display it in our own webserver. Finally, we transfer the data to the Internet, which will allow us to view and share the captured data anywhere in the world.

Chapter 8, Creating Projects with the Raspberry Pi Camera Module, teaches us how to use the Raspberry Pi camera module, creating our own applications to produce time-lapse videos, stop-frame animations, and a bedtime book reader controlled with QR codes. Additionally we make use of the immensely powerful image processing library OpenCV to perform color recognition and object (or in this case, a tortoise) tracking.

Chapter 9, Building Robots, takes you through building two different types of robots (a Rover- Pi and a Pi-Bug), plus driving a servo-based robot arm. We look at motor and servo control methods, using sensors, and adding a compass sensor for navigation.

Chapter 10, Interfacing with Technology, teaches us how to use the Raspberry Pi to trigger remote mains sockets, with which we can control household appliances. We learn how to communicate with the Raspberry Pi over a serial interface and use a smartphone to control everything using Bluetooth. Finally, we look at creating our own applications to control USB devices.

Appendix, Hardware and Software List, provides us with the full list of the hardware components and modules used in the book, along with suitable places to purchase them from. A full list of the software used is also provided, along with links to documentation.