Using a Wacom tablet on Linux

The CAD boys used graphics tablets back in the days when I still worked in industry.

Using a pen with a tablet provides a very precise input method for controlling a computer application.

But are these low cost Wacom tablets any good, and do they work on a Linux computer?

Internet Radio example using Gambas cli

Now that I'm taking Gambas command-line programming more seriously, I thought I might rewrite the software on my internet radios.

As mentioned in a recent post, Gambas can be used to write cli programs (command-line interface) as well as the more usual gui (graphical) applications.

So this post just describes the software aspects of this project, while the other design details can be found in earlier posts.

BirdBox2017: a few problems

This system was deployed just over a month ago and has been visited by blue tits almost every day.

It is basically doing its job by recording lots of video clips of both the inside and outside views of the bird box, which is mounted on the side of our pergola.

However, it does have a couple of problems that are rather annoying.

Raspberry Pi: adding extra desktops

As a Lubuntu/LXDE user, I hate many of the changes made to the Raspberry Pi desktop over recent years.

But I have to keep reminding myself that this little single board computer is not targeted towards me.

So this is a memo to me on how to add virtual desktops to a Pi, now that they have removed the Openbox Configuration Manager.

Raspberry Pi: stuff I don't need in Jessie

They pack a lot of stuff into the current Raspbian Jessie Full distribution that I have no use for.

The down-side to this is two-fold: a lot of precious space is taken up on the SD card, and updates can take longer than necessary when any of these unused apps get updated.

So this post is just a place to save my list of packages that I'm happy to remove.

Picaxe syntax highlighter for gEdit

I hate trying to understand and edit source code when its presented as plain black text.

It is funny how just a splash of colour can make so much difference to the readability of a source file.

So if you have to examine Picaxe source files on Linux (and you cannot use the LinAxePad editor) you need an alternative.

Linux: network OK, but no internet connection

I've performed the Raspberry Pi upgrade from Wheezy to Jessie a few times without any real issues.

But a recent attempt left me with an unusual networking problem.

I know I won't remember the details the next time I have this problem, so I need to write it down.

The Adafruit USB Audio Adapter

This USB module is recommended for the Raspberry Pi, but one of the sales bullet points for this module says "Not recommended for Mic input"

Why would you buy it just for the audio output when the Pi already has an audio output?

Well I need it for the audio input, and for just £4.77 post free from The Pi Hut via Amazon, it was worth a punt.

Wheezy & Jessie, more than just a Toy Story.

I've just updated Raspbian on a RaspberryPi....it took hours!

But this wasn't just a routine apt-get update & upgrade, it was a move from Debian Wheezy to Jessie.

So all of my applications where updated, in addition to the operating system and many configuration files.

A Simple RPi Music Box

Do you have a Raspberry Pi you are not using, or (like me) have a Pi which is only used infrequently, just to try out ideas?

 

Why not connect it to your stereo and put it to use as a music box.

One of my RPi boards is just used for the occassonal experiment. So I thought I'd load my music files onto an unused 4GB sd card and put this Pi to use.

Beginners Guide To Updating Your Raspberry Pi

The software associated with the Raspberry Pi is improved, modified and re-issued very frequently.

 

So even if you purchased your Pi with a pre-installed SD card, sooner or later you will want to update it.

These notes are aimed at those new to the Pi, and written for Raspbian, which is the main (recommended) operating system for the Pi.