A few questions to get me started with projects

[mortambo]

Okay, so I got my Pi up and running fine, I've fiddled around with it some, and today I got a book of projects that kind of walks you through simple things and slowly builds into more complexity.

Now with my Pi I also ordered a breakout cobbler kit and a breadboard along with some wires.

The first project in my book says it requires a pi plate which is a prototyping board. I'm a complete newb at this stuff, but shouldn't the breadboard I have and the cobbler let me prototype stuff? Or am I not understanding things correctly?

If I need to get a Pi Plate that is fine I just was kind of confused. Any and all information would be helpful as Google searches haven't been much help at all.

[ame]

What is the first project in the book? Maybe you can indeed do it with the parts you have.

[Douglas6]

I think you'll be fine with what you have. As long as you can easily connect the Pi's header to a breadboard (which the cobbler does for you) you're fine. You may find it more convenient to have a more integrated (tidier) development area, but it makes little difference to the electrons.

[mortambo]

It's an LED blinker project. The next project uses the cobbler in place of the pi plate so it should be fine I think.

[mortambo]

I think you'll be fine with what you have. As long as you can easily connect the Pi's header to a breadboard (which the cobbler does for you) you're fine. You may find it more convenient to have a more integrated (tidier) development area, but it makes little difference to the electrons.

That is kind of what I thought.

Right now my goal is to get enough stuff so I can try out a bunch of different things for different projects. I assumed that the Cobbler connected to a solderless breadboard was all I would need...at least until I decided what I wanted to do and then I could solder it together so the Pi would be a more dedicated system.

[Ravenous]

As you have a breakout thingy, a breadboard, wires - if you also have appropriate resistors and LEDs (not expensive) that should be enough to get started. You shouldn't need to buy some "pi plate" or similar interface board yet - there really are too many of those to choose from!

You might like to download a few issues of The Magpi - that is available free and there are some LED projects in some of the issues. If you read right through there are push button interfaces, motor control things and so on too.