Rasberry Pi
 

You guys know about this, right? SmileWavy

Really cool little device

https://www.raspberrypi.org/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6Q2GSY/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687542&pf_rd_s= lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B009SQQF9C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX 0DER&pf_rd_r=ZWEX86XNVNB89YE4PZZ2

Yup. A Pelican had a few extra and sent me one. I use it for DHCP on my LAN, as well as fake DNS (so I can get to my TV with livingroom.myhouse), and spoofing DNS for a bunch of advertising domains and known-malware-spreading domains.

Of course.

Got one right after they discovered the earth is round.SmileWavy

Sounds a lot like an Arduino.
https://www.adafruit.com

I have a couple. One is a Kano box [Pi 3] so my kids can do visual coding / Minecraft modding, another was a RasPlex server [Pi2], soon to be Kodi. I have not even begun to scratch the surface of these little guys. They have been used as an NFS server, OpenVPN box, Webserver for a bit..........cool part is you can simply swap out the SD card and reboot....new service........BAM!

Yes and no.

Similar concept, low cost prototyping / dev platform, different function.

Arduino's are more I/O interconnect boards.

They can expand functionality when paired with a PI but don't replace the PI and vice versa.

Yes and no, arduino often used for hardware interfacing/control where you don't need extra hardware and an operating system to get in the way, no video output. Ras Pi can run a variant of linux, has hdmi out, ethernet & sd memory, and is much more powerful.

That Amazon device is okay to run Kodi? Hmmm....

1990CS4 meet grey area...............grey area meet 1990CS4

Yes, it's a bit slow though.

You can grab NOOBS for easy access to openELEC which is a stripped down version of KODI tailored for PI's.

I've done a bunch of prototyping on both the Pi and the Arduino. For projects that I need to build more of, the Arduino is a better platform -- it's not copyrighted or trademarked or anything, so I can buy an AtMega chip and put it into a custom-designed Arduino-like board that does what I need. That's not true of the R-Pi. But then, the R-Pi is a MUCH more powerful platform. I mean, it runs Linux fer cryin' out loud.

I used an Arduino to set up a brew controller, when I should have used a Pi; turns out the Arduino isn't capable of anything like multi-threading operations, it takes a LONG time to get a reasonably accurate reading from a thermocouple, so updating a PID controlled SSR is too slow to get the ultimate accuracy that I need. So I'll have to re-implement that solution with a Pi. Meh.

My other fun project is using an Arduino to run an ultrasonic sensing system to tell me how much beer is left in my kegs. There are a lot of interesting engineering challenges, but it's a fun time. :) Right now, I'm trying to figure out why I get really clean signals in the lab, and really noisy signals in the kegerator.

Linux doesn't take a lot of horsepower to run. But the Pi 3 can run *Windows* - that is impressive.

Im more of a mech guy than embedded systems and IT but I am fascinated by some of these new world platforms.

I have used a Pi in the past to set up Volumino which is a music streamer focused on HI-FI. It worked really well but That functionality is built into so many devices these days im not sure its needed.

Ive had an arduino starter kit in a box for several years but I havent thought of a great application for it or at least I havent had the motivation to dig in.

I wish this stuff was around when I was a kid

I've got some arduino boards with the intent of making an intervalometer for time lapse camera control. If I could just find some time to put it together... I can see many uses for temperature controllers. When I bend guitar sides the electric heating elements can be hard to maintain steady. Too hot they burn the wood. Too cool it breaks. Also planning an ...ahem.... vape thing with a steam punk theme. Need precise temp control, but output to analog gauges to keep the retro thing happening.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...6e46e02da1.jpg

If all you're doing is temperature control, a simple low cost PID-controller is a much better answer than designing your own. Wire in a thermocouple and a control output to the heating element through an SSR, and you're done. I've done process control that way a number of times, and it's faster and more reliable than doing it with an Arduino.

The same is true of an intervalometer -- timer remotes already exist for most common camera bodies, and they're generally not much more expensive than the cost of hardware for an Arduino DIY project.

Where Arduino buys you some benefit is if you need it to go a step beyond simple temperature control, or timed events. Say you need to watch a temperature, then take some action when it reaches a certain point, like firing a relay that opens a valve or lights a light. Or if you need to do something that requires a little more "intelligence" than simple if-then stuff, like watching for a pattern on some analog input to take some useful action. Or if you need to interface with some external thing, like, say, the local network. Or if the intervalometer needed to change the interval based on light levels, say, it's wired in to a solar panel so you can automatically adjust the exposures longer as it gets darker.

Yes, a little more need than simple on-off control. The bender needs a timer function that changes temp as the time interval progresses - i.e. 400º for 8 mins , then 300º for the next 6 mins, then 250º for 10 mins, then off. That sort of thing.
As for the intervalometer, the camera (Nikon d70) doesn't have an input that any of the store bought units require. It's got infrared remote trigger capability (I've got a remote that I can pull the trigger signal shape from). I hadn't thought of shaping the interval frequency based on other factors, but that's intriguing..... I also just want to make something... as that's what floats my boat....

I fiddle with Arduino based robotics. Anyone drive servos/step motors off a Rasberry?

You can buy the cheap steppers they use on car gauges now, and it's simple for the arduino to drive.

https://www.amazon.com/ECCPP-Speedometer-Instrument-Dashboard-Silverado/dp/B00KQHACMI/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1470430223&sr=8-5&keywords=gmc+stepper

I am running a homemade EFI on my supercharged Briggs V-twin using an Arduino.
I am currently working on electronic timing control for the same engine using an Arduino.

Here's a video made during development of the EFI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhhRq4s3kD4