Raspberry pi + Amazon Dash button

Amazon has launched its Dash button which allows you to order something (e.g. toothpaste) with a single click through Amazon Prime. You can put these buttons anywhere you like (e.g. in the bathroom in case of toothpaste emergency during the upcoming zombie apocalypse). What's great about them is that you can hack them.

Logpi: prototype #2

After having got my hands on a new camera (the new 8MP Raspberry cam v2.1 not IR), I had to start the design of the Logpi from scratch: cables and sizes are different, software is different.

Logpi: prototype #1

I've been wondering about lifeloggers for a while. I'm not convinced they're useful outside specific events, but as my niece is getting baptised next month, I thought I'd create one and wear it.

Metpi #5: outdoor housing

Once the Metpi setup and adjusted, it was time to put it outside. I looked around at how to build a suitable housing and even though the Stevenson box would look nice, it would be too difficult to build to a high standard. So I went low tech and built one with plant pot plates.

Metpi #2: hardware

I've been using Wu (Weather Underground) for a while to get local weather readings (temperature, humidity, wind, etc). With all the Raspberry pis in the house, I thought I'd use one to measure weather data at home.

Metpi #4: tweaks

After a few days monitoring the metpi, some tweaks are necessary.

Metpi #3: software

For the software side of the Metpi, I wanted to do two things:
- Log the data with the other pis from the Radpi system.
- Publish the data to the Weather Underground platform.

Metpi #1: genesys

I've been using Wu (Weather Underground) for a while to get local weather readings (temperature, humidity, wind, etc). With all the Raspberry pis in the house, I thought I'd use one to measure weather data at home.

Radpi #4: boiler control

With the ability to control the boiler remotely and the temperature sensor data stored in a database, I could start adjusting the temperature in the house.

Radpi #3: temperature

Once I could control the boiler, I could turn my attention to reading and storing the temperature coming from the various Raspberry pis in the house.

Radpi #2: boiler

The first step of the Radpi project was to figure out how to control the boiler. I knew I could switch on/off the boiler with a wemo wifi socket (connected to a wifi repeater due to the thickness of the walls and the distance to the main AP; one of the joys of 150 year old houses). I assumed I could figure out how to control the wemo without using my phone and then use that to control the boiler from a Raspberry pi.

Radpi #1: genesys

After the carpi project, the number of Raspberry pis in the house increased to the point where I nearly had one per room performing one of more tasks (TV boxes, wifi AP, network balancers to deal with the fact that we have both ADSL and satellite internet). Overtime, I wondered what I could use them for since they weren't doing much most of the time.

As our heating system doesn't have a thermostat (it relies entirely on the temperature of the water coming back to the boiler from the radiator circuit; needless to say it's vague and hard to control accurately), I though that maybe if I could know the temperature in each room I could manage it better. The Radpi project was born.

Raspberry Pi 3

The Raspberry Pi 3 is out: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-3-on-sale/

I've ordered mine.

Carpi #3: network

For the software aspect of the Carpi, I had these constraints in mind:
- Control of the player should be done through phones to avoid loging remotes and removing the need to access the pi's display.
- The Carpi needs internet access once in a while for updates and library rescan.
- The phones connected to the Carpi will need internet access while talking to the Carpi.

Carpi #2: hardware

Once the Carpi project was on the way, I started to collect the hardware I needed.

Carpi #1: genesys

The reason why I started this blog was recount for the Carpi project: taking the Raspberry pi to the car.

Pis ahead

I came late to the Raspberry pi movement. For a long time I didn't have any use for them so didn't get any. I was more used to desktop and server machines (my office is full of them) and I didn't see the point of the small under-powered wee things.