If you’re like one of a growing army of Raspberry Pi users, you’re thrilled with the tiny size and big functionality of your microcomputer. But, also like a lot of others, you may find that it falls just a little short in certain respects. It is a $25 computer, after all. Luckily, there are add-ons for the Raspberry Pi line, and they can shore up just about all your Pi’s shortcomings.
The Gertduino is a GPIO (general purpose input/output) extension board designed for the Raspberry Pi. For those who have paired their Pi to Arduino, this may seem familiar. The Gertduino does the same thing and is specifically designed to do so, quicker and easier.
Piface digital is the perfect answer if your task is to automate your household using the Raspberry. This add-on enables you to detect if any switch is on or off, a light sensor broken or unbroken, as in many home burglar alarm systems. Piface digital plugs into the Rasp GPIO to automate pumps, LEDs, motors, or thermostats.
The pi-top speaker is specifically designed to run on the Raspberry PI model 3 A+. It comes pre-configured with out-of-the-box software and three position hardware switches. The pi-top delivers clear audio and comes with HDMI support, so it’s easy to port with the Pi.
The ZigBee is a simple and cost-effective wireless technology designed to compete with WiFi or Bluetooth. ZigBee is commonly associated with devices with short-range/low-range wireless communications devices like home energy motors and wireless light switches. Think of ZigBee as a short-range personal area network, and it considerably increases the flexibility and functionality of your Raspberry Pi.
Pi-traffic is a cost-effective hardware shield which enables the user to plug in components without blocking access to other ports. Initially, a learning tool, pi-traffic extends its scope with its independently controlled four fitted standard pins.
The NoIR is a tiny camera (just 25 x 24 x 29 mm) which connects to the raspberry via a ribbon cable. The NoIR has a fixed focus lens and a sensor of 5 megapixels. But the IR stands for infrared, so make sure to fill your scene with bright infrared light for a decent shot.
The piglow is an add-on board which extends the inbuilt LEDs, as well as handle twitter notifications, email feedbacks, and running scripts statues. The modular case for Pi2 / Pi3 is crucial for protecting the delicate SD card, add-on boards and shields. There’s also a 3.5 inch TFT display with touchscreen capabilities and a touch pen. The sense collects data drawn from the state of its environment.
These and many more add-ons are available for the newer Raspberry Pi models. It’s one of the amazing features of the Raspberry Pi line; you can custom-make exactly the computer you want for the functions you need. Total control, what could be better than that?
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