Bygonebytes

Introduction

When the Raspberry Pi became available for pre-order in 2012 I couldn't resist putting my name on the waiting list. When it arrived I unpacked it and installed the operating system then I ran out of enthusiasm, I didn't know what to do with it! So it lay around for a few years, then when I had little work on I thought that I should get to know the Python programming language. I started with a piece of test kit useful for testing computer systems for work (TDM and TD Emulators) then it went on from there.

My Projects

MIDI Controller Interface *New*

Sequencer for the Maplin 5600 Synthesiser

8 Pad Electronic Drum Kit

Synchronising all these Sequencer/Drum Machines!

Drum Machine using sampled sounds

Thermometer with switched 5V outputs

TDM Emulator

8 Bit TDM System

Quiz Control Panel *UPDATE 2* for six contestants

8/16 Input Event Logger

Sequencer for Maplin 3800 Synthesiser

Drum Trigger for E&MM Syntom/Synbal


Other uses I have put the Pi to over the years:

  • Media Centre, 3B+ running LibreElec.
  • NAS Drive(s), First I shared a drive using Raspbian, and then with Open Media Vault (OMV).
  • SETI@Home using five 3B's, four odroid C1+ and one Odroid C2, a total of 40 processors & Einstien@Home with three Pi 2B's, 12 processors.
    • Note: The Pi 3B's overheat and crash when running SETI so I bought Flirc cases to act as a heatsink - this worked fairly well but I had to replace the supplied heat pad with a lump of aluminium and heatsink compound to improve the heat transfer. Works a treat now!..until the hot summer days, hence the thermometer project.

  • Pi-Top laptop with 3B+.
  • and a Desktop, 3B, which I have updated so it boots from a USB 160GB HD. This had it own set of issues, following the instructions on the raspberrypi.org web site it would not boot from the Hard Drive but worked without problem from a USB memory stick. I found that the power/startup time of the HD was too long so the simple solution was to power the drive before the Pi and hey presto it works a treat! The Hard Drive was an old one I had recovered from a laptop upgrade some years ago and put in a USB caddy, formated it exFAT and copied the Raspbian image to it with Etcher. I have since changed the 160Gb HD to a 240GB SSD which boots straight from power on.

    The Desktop is now housed in the Element14 Desktop case using an mSATA 120G drive to !boot from.



    With the release of the Raspberry Pi 4 it seems a sensible step to update the Desktop once again. I have taken delivery of a Pi4 4GB and is set up with twin screens and re-using the 240GB SSD for good size storage. So the Element14 Desktop will be gradually retired as I transfer applications and data over.



  • Maplin 5600 Synthesiser Sequencer with a 3A+.
Since the launch of the Raspberry Pi in 2012 there has been many different models introduced and so I think a few now fall in to the catagory of bygonebytes such as the Model A & B versions 1 & 2. Many peripherals (HATS) have gone the same way, paricularly the 24 pin GPIO header variety. I bought a couple that I no longer use, shown below. Although the early Pi's may be out of fashon they are still supported and work very well.


Raspberry Pi B v1 and Raspberry Pi B v2 both now retired.


AB Electronics Serial Port & Real Time Clock