Best Software?

[jomac]

After many months of wasting my time with Arduino's and coming to the conclusion that they are just a pain, i threw the towel in and bought a RaspberryPi.

I liked the choice of languages, and must admit, i cut my teeth with basic, especially Sinclair basic, basic is something i understand.

Now im a hardware guy, i like to build stuff and design stuff, im currently playing with the Sainsmart 7" touch screen and other devices for a project ive been working on for years.

For a hardware guy like me, whats the best software setup, to make the most of access to hardware, a software language that is easy to grasp, not like Arduino IDE.

Any advice would be welcome.

[DougieLawson]

Go back to BASIC
http://www.fuze.co.uk/

[joan]

Nothing wrong with BASIC.

Python would be a good choice as you are likely to get more support if you have code problems.

At the hardware level C is the natural choice.

Of course if you prefer Java, Pascal, Ada, C++, Forth, etc. etc. you could use them as well.

[asandford]

TBH, if you think that Arduinos are a pain, then the RPI is going to be a nigthmare for you.

[DougieLawson]

TBH, if you think that Arduinos are a pain, then the RPI is going to be a nightmare for you.

My Raspberry Pi with an Arduberry on top and an Arduino Uno connected by USB is a wonderful and very versatile thing.

[asandford]

TBH, if you think that Arduinos are a pain, then the RPI is going to be a nightmare for you.

My Raspberry Pi with an Arduberry on top and an Arduino Uno connected by USB is a wonderful and very versatile thing.

It probably is, and I have many Arduino / pi combos, but if the OP thinks that Arduinos are a pain, then I think that they'll find the Pi a bigger one.

[DougieLawson]

The only thing in the favour of the Raspberry Pi is the wide and wild collection of interpreted and compiled languages that can be used. Everyone should be able to find a programming language that suits their style and needs (or they'll end up writing things in any one of the polyglot's choice of thirty languages like me).

I quite like the Arduino because I only had to brush up on C/C++ with the Arduino's extensive function libraries to use it.

[toxibunny]

scratch has gpio súpport.

specbas hasn't, but op should try it out, for kicks.

the real answer, is python. there's always going to be a learning curve though...

[jomac]

Sorry for the delay in responding.

I found the Arduino setup a total illogical confusion, just when you thought you have mastered things, then the goalposts moved. Im working on a project which is Amateur Radio orientated. The project itself isnt really processor intensive, im simply adding a 'flashy' GUI on a 7" touch screen to switch things on/off and vary things.

I'd spent literally months with a friend trying to get my mind around all thing Arduino and failed miserably.

So i looked at the alternatives and the Pi was one of them, similar price, and even out of the box it was easier to use. I can create a simple jpeg (or similar) of my control panel layout and then define the touch area's, job sorted, Arduino not so easy.

What im really aiming for is a system that will read a rotary encoder switch and support SPI and possibly I2C and maybe Analog in/out.

I grew up in the computer days when PEEK and POKE were common and a lot of basics supported this, but if i could find a basic or another easy to use language, that supported direct access to the I/O ports, then ive got a heads start.

Ive not yet looked very deeply at Python, but if im not mistaken this 'may' do what im looking for, am i wrong?

John

[traidna]

I have been building a website that might be helpful for you
http://sites.google.com/site/RasPiProg

It's a beginners guide to many different programming languages for the Raspberry Pi and I touch on how to install, simple hello world program and physical computing, (how to light an LED to date, reading input is next)

So far I cover Fuze Basic, Python, C, Pascal, Mumps, and Java with more on the way.

Hope this helps

[B.Goode]

What im really aiming for is a system that will read a rotary encoder switch and support SPI and possibly I2C and maybe Analog in/out.

A Raspberry Pi does not natively support analog in/out. (Other than the audio out, which may not be what you had in mind.)

Ive not yet looked very deeply at Python, but if im not mistaken this 'may' do what im looking for, am i wrong?

No.

(Which is to say - you are not wrong in not being mistaken that Python may do what you need for this application! More simply, getting rid of the double negatives - Python may do what you need.)

[jomac]

Thank you for the reply B.Goode, i didnt realise straight away that the Pi didnt natively support analog. Some of the functions needed will use analog, such as radio signal strength, or varying a voltage level. I wondered if it would be easier all around if i used theArduino flavoured Teensey 3 simply to control the 1.8" TFT and SPI / I2C Analog etc and simply communicated with the teensey with a serial protocol.

This radio project has been in the 'building' stage for many years, with a friend helping me on the Arduino side of things. When we reached the point of playing with a 7" TFT we soon realised the limitations of what the Arduino and its libraries could handle, hence the need for something better.

[gordon@drogon.net]

Thank you for the reply B.Goode, i didnt realise straight away that the Pi didnt natively support analog. Some of the functions needed will use analog, such as radio signal strength, or varying a voltage level. I wondered if it would be easier all around if i used theArduino flavoured Teensey 3 simply to control the 1.8" TFT and SPI / I2C Analog etc and simply communicated with the teensey with a serial protocol.

This radio project has been in the 'building' stage for many years, with a friend helping me on the Arduino side of things. When we reached the point of playing with a 7" TFT we soon realised the limitations of what the Arduino and its libraries could handle, hence the need for something better.

You could use an Arduino as a "GPIO Expander" for the Pi to give more pins and analog IO. See https://projects.drogon.net/drogon-remote-control/

And program the Pi in RTB - A modern basic-like language - http://drogon.net/rtb

Alternatively there are several ADC and DAC's supported via SPI or I2C on the Pi - and a lot can be used from RTB too.

-Gordon

[jomac]

Hello Gordon,
Your reply certainly gave me food for thought, and i downloaded the manual for further reading. What im trying to do, hardware wise, is the following...Read the touch screen panel on a 7" TFT, directly control a serial 1.8" TFT display, control 4 electronic variable resistors via I2C or SPI.

Im very familiar with BBC basic and Sinclair basic. Ive tried and failed miserably trying to learn the Arduin IDE and actually grown to hate the device.

If i have to use an Arduino (or related) it would be the Teensey 3.1 which i have a couple of.

Can you see these things working using your suggestions?

John

[gordon@drogon.net]

Hello Gordon,
Your reply certainly gave me food for thought, and i downloaded the manual for further reading. What im trying to do, hardware wise, is the following...Read the touch screen panel on a 7" TFT, directly control a serial 1.8" TFT display, control 4 electronic variable resistors via I2C or SPI.

Im very familiar with BBC basic and Sinclair basic. Ive tried and failed miserably trying to learn the Arduin IDE and actually grown to hate the device.

If i have to use an Arduino (or related) it would be the Teensey 3.1 which i have a couple of.

Can you see these things working using your suggestions?

John

I hate the Arduino IDE too - but I do a lot of (8-bit) AVR programming but to that end, I use "traditional" Makefiles and C (not C++). The ATmegas are actually great little devices and the Arduino environment seems to be good for beginners, but I found it too limiting for my own use.

The Teensy 3 is an ARM based 32-bit AVR. I've not used them.

If your 7" TFT touchscreen uses I2C, then you can probably do everything directly on the Pi.

RTB only supports devices that wiringPi knows about, so using RTB on new I2C/SPI devices might be a little challenging though, but writing some C code to drive them via wiringPi (and thus via RTB) might be possible - depends on how good your C is... It does support the Pi's serial port (and any USB serial port for that matter), so your serial TFT ought to be fine (Assuming you mean asynchronous serial and not e.g. SPI).

There seems to be lots of choices for you digital potentiometers - mostly I2C as far as I can tell. Do you have a specific device in-mind?

-Gordon

[asandford]

Hello Gordon,
Your reply certainly gave me food for thought, and i downloaded the manual for further reading. What im trying to do, hardware wise, is the following...Read the touch screen panel on a 7" TFT, directly control a serial 1.8" TFT display, control 4 electronic variable resistors via I2C or SPI.

Im very familiar with BBC basic and Sinclair basic. Ive tried and failed miserably trying to learn the Arduin IDE and actually grown to hate the device.

If i have to use an Arduino (or related) it would be the Teensey 3.1 which i have a couple of.

Can you see these things working using your suggestions?

John

Perhaps a hybrid device such as the Intel Galileo may be more suitable, it has linux running an Arduino 'emulator' giving best of both worlds.

[jomac]

The monitor i have with the Pi is actually just a simple video monitor and is connected to the Pi via the HDMI interface, the touch screen module comes with a USB interface and drivers. My experience in C is virtually zero, I have a lot of experience in BBC basic and Sinclair basic, but thats about it. After my many months of playing with the Arduino IDE i came to the conclusion, the least i have to do with Arduino the better, its something i dont want to investigate if i can help it.