CHAPTER
5

What You Need for Setup

In This Chapter

As you’ve learned in previous chapters, one way the Raspberry Pi’s cost stays so low—just $20 for Model A+ and $35 for Models B, B+, and 2—is because it excludes a lot of accessories other computers come standard with. That means you need to do a bit of work before you can actually use your Raspberry Pi. Thankfully, you probably have everything you need already, and what you don’t have, you can purchase pretty inexpensively.

The Raspberry Pi uses common computer accessories like a USB keyboard and mouse and Ethernet cable for the internet. It has two options for connecting your Pi to a screen, as you read in Chapter 3. In this chapter, we review everything you need to get your Raspberry Pi set up and ready to go.

Personal Computer

It might sound a little silly that you need a personal computer to set up your Raspberry Pi computer, but it’s true. In order to download and install the necessary operating systems and put them onto SD cards so your Raspberry Pi can utilize them, you’ll need a computer to help with this setup process.

Pretty much any computer—PC or Mac—will do. If you don’t have a personal computer, don’t worry. I share a few alternative ideas for getting operating systems in this chapter, too.

PI POINTER

Throughout this book, I walk you through the setup process using both Windows and Mac computers. Both types of computers work perfectly fine and require about the same amount of work on your part.

HDMI or Composite-Enabled Monitor or TV

Many computers need monitors, and the Raspberry Pi is no different. Because you need to see what you’re doing on the Raspberry Pi, you need a television or monitor to connect it to. You have two options for connecting the Pi to a screen: HDMI, which is usually found on newer HD monitors and televisions, or composite, which is usually found on older TVs.

HDMI (right) and composite cables (left) are two options for connecting your Raspberry Pi to a display.

HDMI is typically the preferred method because the Raspberry Pi can output an HD signal, but if you only have an older composite cable–compatible TV sitting around, that will work fine.

The Raspberry Pi can be run without a monitor at all, but that’s typically reserved for more advanced users. Even if you don’t have it connected all the time, a screen is useful during the setup process because you go through a lot of menus and options.

The Raspberry Pi is small enough that you can attach it to a TV or monitor without it getting in the way, so don’t worry if you have to unplug other equipment you’re currently using to use the Raspberry Pi. If you have a monitor or TV right now, it should be perfectly capable of working with the Pi, at least temporarily during setup.

USB Keyboard and Mouse

You also need a keyboard to do most of the setup on your Raspberry Pi. Some of the projects in this book won’t require the keyboard after you’re all set up, but one is required for the initial installation.

And if you plan on using an operating system like Raspbian, you’ll probably also want a mouse.

Pretty much any USB mouse and keyboard should work with the Raspberry Pi. Like most accessories in this chapter, you don’t need to go out and buy anything new. You can use the keyboard and mouse you already have with your Raspberry Pi and move them back to your computer when you’re finished.

Internet Connectivity

The internet is incredibly helpful when setting up your Raspberry Pi for two main reasons:

Technically, it is possible to do a lot of different projects with the Raspberry Pi without the internet, but it’s much more difficult.

With most models, you can connect your Raspberry Pi to the internet via the Ethernet port with an Ethernet cable. For the Model A+, you need a Wi-Fi adapter (more on this in Chapter 11). But even for that, you’ll need a wired connection via USB.

You’ll need an Ethernet cable to get your Raspberry Pi online.

PI POINTER

If you don’t have internet access, you can still get your Raspberry Pi up and running, but you’ll need to purchase an SD card with an image, or a copy of all the software you need, already saved on it.

For now, just be sure you have some way to connect your Raspberry Pi and your personal computer to the internet.

SD Cards and Readers

Finally, you need an SD card. The Model B uses a standard SD card, while Models A+, B+, and 2 use a micro SD.

SD cards are small memory cards often used in digital cameras. The Raspberry Pi supports most SD cards, but be sure you get one with at least 8GB of memory. You can get more than that if you like, but it’s not required. The more memory you have, the more storage you’ll get on the Raspberry Pi.

Depending on what model Raspberry Pi you have, you might need a micro SD card (left, center) or a standard-size version (right).

If you plan on doing a few different projects, it’s good to have multiple SD cards. The Raspberry Pi’s operating system is entirely housed on the SD card, and because the card is removable, you can swap out different cards—and, therefore, different operating systems—as often as you like. For example, you might want to have one that contains Raspbian and another that holds a media center. Essentially, one Raspberry Pi can do multiple things if you have multiple SD cards. It’s like being able to toggle between Windows and OS X by just swapping hard drives.

I walk you through setting up your SD card in Chapter 8, but if you don’t have a personal computer, you can purchase preloaded SD cards from the Raspberry Pi website at swag.raspberrypi.org/collections/frontpage/products/noobs-8gb-sd-card. These preloaded cards are great if you don’t have access to a computer or the internet, but they’re a bit more costly than a typical SD card.

Finally, be sure your personal computer has an SD card reader. If it doesn’t, you can usually get a USB reader when you purchase your SD card. This enables you to plug an SD card into the reader and then into a USB port on your personal computer.

And that’s all the essential equipment you need—besides your Raspberry Pi—to get your Pi set up. In the next chapter, I guide you through the next steps in the setup process.

The Least You Need to Know