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 Projects8 Pad Electronic Drum Kit *New*
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 *New*
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.
- Maplin 5600 Synthesiser Sequencer with a 3A+.

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


AB Electronics Serial Port & Real Time Clock