An illustrated introduction to building a computer using a Raspberry Pi 2. A Raspberry Pi, that is! Images from Microsoft clipart

What is a Raspberry Pi? It is a computer It can do nearly anything a standard laptop or desktop computer can do once set up. The Raspberry Pi is like the main printed circuit board (PCB) that is the heart of a computer called a motherboard. Images from Microsoft clipart.

W hy purchase a Raspberry Pi 2? Images from Microsoft clipart.  It is compact.  It is inexpensive at $35.  It is more powerful than its previous version.  It is 6 times quicker than the previous model but completely compatible.

What do I need to get started? USB Mouse and a case for protection Monitor or Flat Screen TV USB Keyboard Micro USB Power source MicroSD card with the operating system (OS) installed (don’t forget SD card adapter) Images from Microsoft clipart.

What operating system you say? Just as the MAC or your personal computer uses OSX, computer uses Windows, the Raspberry Pi needs an operating system too! It is recommended to start with NOOBs (an easy operating system installer) which contains Raspian OS. You can buy it preinstalled on an SD card or download it here.here Images from Microsoft clipart.

So how do I get started? 1. Buy your Raspberry Pi 2 and a case 2. Gather your hardware  Mouse  Monitor (or flatscreen TV)  Keyboard  Power source  MicroSD card (with adapter and operating system) Images from Microsoft clipart.

3. Plug in all external devices into the USB and HDMI sockets on the front of the board (keyboard, mouse, monitor) and power. then turn the board over and insert the Micro SD card. HDMI 4 USB sockets Images from Microsoft clipart. SD card slot (other side) Power

4. Boot it up!  Power it on.  On the Setup Options screen select the following: Expand the filesystem (so the entire SD card is usable) Set a password (optional but best practice) Overclock (increases system speed; select “Raspberry Pi 2” from menu to increase from 900 MHz to 1 GHz). Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool (raspi-config) Setup Options 1.Expand Filesystem Ensures that all of the SD card storage is available to the OS 2.Change User Password Change password for the default user (pi0 3.Enable Boot to Desktop/Scratch Choose whether to boot into a desktop environment, Scratch, or the command-line 4.Internationalisation Options Set up language and regional settings to match your location 5.Enable Camera Enable this Pi to work with the Raspberry Pi Camera 6.Add to Rastrack Add this Pi to the online raspberry Pi Map (Rastrack) 7.Overclock Configure overclocking for your Pi 8.Advanced Options Configure advanced settings 9.About raspi-config Information about his configuration tool Self-created image.

5. Update firmware and packages. Once booted into Raspian, update firmware and packages by opening a terminal (the computer screen on the top line) and type the following without the :  sudo apt-get update  sudo apt-get upgrade  sudo rpi-update  sudo reboot Once Pi 2 reboots, you can install additional software. VLC and LibreOffice are recommended. Chromium is also available as an alternative browser. To add these, do the following in terminal:  sudo apt-get install vlc  sudo apt-get install libreoffice  sudo apt-get install chromium Images from Microsoft clipart.

Desktop: Raspian comes with LXDE as the default desktop, but Xfce is better. To install, enter the following:  sudo apt-get install xfce4  Once installed, log out of your desktop. On the login screen, select Xfce before logging in with your credentials. Images from: Wikimedia Commons. (June 2014). Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Retrieved from Microsoft clipart.

Congratulations! You now have a full-fledged computer, capable of the following: watching Web-surfing YouTube Office work Playing games Images from Microsoft clipart. And Much More!

Now let’s test your knowledge! 1. What is a Raspberry Pi? A computer! Correct! 2. A Raspberry Pi is very expensive. True or False False! They only cost $35 !

3. Name at least 3 external devices needed to attached to your Pi. Mouse, monitor, keyboard, power source, or SD card 4. Name 2 things you can do with your Pi. Surf the web, watch YouTube, play games or office work GREAT JOB! Image from Microsoft clipart.