The Raspberry Pi Community
In This Chapter
- Raspberry Pi communities online and off
- Writing your own Raspberry Pi guides
- Joining hackerspaces and maker groups
Now that you’ve learned how to use your Raspberry Pi, run through a few projects, and have a good understanding of the hardware, it’s time to branch out on your own. A big part of making things with the Raspberry Pi is the community around it, so if you want to continue making projects, it’s good to get to know other people who are doing the same thing.
You have a lot of options for doing this. You can make your own Raspberry Pi guides and share them online, talk about the projects you’re working on in various forums, meet up with your local hackerspaces to work with other people, or even share your finished projects at larger events.
In this chapter, you learn about all these options and more. By the end of it—and this book, for that matter—you’ll be ready to branch out and start making on your own, collaborating with others, and sharing what projects you’re working on. This book is just the beginning; the next step pushes you to really venture out and make something on your own.
As you’d probably expect, the Raspberry Pi Foundation provides a lot of community activities to help support its device. In addition to basic tutorials and guides, the foundation’s website has a forum for sharing your projects, teacher guides, student guides, and more.
Raspberry Jams
Depending on where you live, you might be able to take part in Raspberry Jams. These community events are organized by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to get people together to meet and talk about their Raspberry Pi projects.
Raspberry Jams vary from country to country and month to month, but the one consistency is the Raspberry Pi. Typically though, these events are pretty focused and easy to figure out. They often include basic open houses, child-learning activities, and even “Pi and Pints” meet-ups.
If you go to one of these jams, you can expect any number of things. At the very least, you’ll meet some other Raspberry Pi enthusiasts. Typically, they also have workshops to teach you new skills, demonstrations to show off other people’s projects, and speakers who talk more in-depth about all things Raspberry Pi. If you’re lucky, they also have pizza.
It might seem strange to attend something like this if you’re not a die-hard Raspberry Pi fan, but these events tend to be pretty fun, regardless of your level of interest. When you’re at one, you’ll meet a lot of likeminded people, learn about cool projects, and walk away a little more inspired than when you walked in.
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You might not feel like you’re expert enough to attend a Raspberry Pi event, but you don’t have to be. Most of these events are geared toward people of all ages and skill levels, so go out, have fun, and make some cool stuff.
These events take place all over the world throughout the year. Keep track of them at raspberrypi.org/jam.
Making the Most of the Foundation’s Resources
Beyond the Raspberry Jams, the Raspberry Pi Foundation offers a slew of other resources:
Forums: The forums are the most useful section on the Raspberry Pi website and where you’ll likely spend the most time. If you’re having trouble with a project, trying to brainstorm ideas for something new, or just want to chat about the Raspberry Pi, the forums are the place to do it.
You’ll likely spend the bulk of your time in the Troubleshooting section, but the forums also offer areas to discuss programming, different project types, hardware, and plenty more. Chances are, if you Google a problem, the answer that pops up will be from the forums.
Of course, you might run into a brand-new type of problem that’s all your own, so it’s worth getting an account on the forums so you can ask questions of the community when you need help. Before long, you’ll probably be one of the people answering those questions, too. You can find the forums at raspberrypi.org/forums.
Resources: Beyond the forums and everything else the Raspberry Pi Foundation does, it also offers a large selection of resources on its site, including free online classes, video guides, teacher’s guides, and more.
You won’t be interacting with anyone directly when you explore the resources, but they’re a good venue for learning. You can find the resources at raspberrypi.org/resources.
Community: On top of providing plenty of original content and classes, the Raspberry Pi Foundation also curates a list of solid outside sources. Included are Geek Gurl Diaries, a collection of video tutorials from Carrie Anne Philbin; RasPi.TV, a collection of videos from Alex Eames; and countless others.
If you’re ever feeling a little stuck on what to do with your Raspberry Pi, the community section on the Raspberry Pi Foundation website is a great place to start. Find it at raspberrypi.org/community.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation website is a fantastic resource for all things related to the Raspberry Pi. The forums alone are well worth your time. They’re one of the best resources online for finding help to any Raspberry Pi problems you might have.
Instructables
The Raspberry Pi Foundation certainly isn’t the only website talking about the Raspberry Pi. There are countless others, and one of the biggest is Instructables (instructables.com). Instructables is a site where users can share DIY projects of all types.
The Instructables Website
Instructables started in 2005 as an in-house documentation system to keep track of a set of projects happening in SQUID Labs. Eventually, in 2006, SQUID Labs launched Instructables as a public website.
Since then, Instructables has become home to millions of DIY projects ranging from cooking recipes to constructing solar panels. It’s one of the biggest sites to share and find DIY projects of all kinds. Anyone can write an instructable guide for just about anything. The only requirement is that it’s something you’ve made.
As you’d probably expect, the Instructables community latched onto the Raspberry Pi the second it was released. Over the last few years, Instructables has hosted hundreds of community-made Raspberry Pi projects–a number of which served as help and inspiration in the writing of this book. Basically, anyone who has an idea for a project can make an Instructables guide. This has made Instructables the go-to spot for community-written guides. You can find a list of all of the Raspberry Pi guides at instructables.com/howto/raspberry+pi.
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If you’re ever short of ideas, Instructables is a great place to visit for all types of DIY projects. The Raspberry Pi stuff is great, but even if you’re looking for recipes, a Halloween costume idea, or just about anything else, Instructables is a solid resource.
How to Join
You can look at anything on Instructables for free, but if you want to write your own guide, you need to join the site. Joining Instructables is very easy and, for the most part, it’s free. Head to instructables.com and click the Sign Up button. A free account is likely all you’ll need so click the Free Account button, and follow the on-screen instructions to create your account.
After you’ve created an account, you can start posting comments, participating in the forums, and create your first guide. You can write a how-to Instructable guide for anything you’ve made, but chances are, after all the work you’ve put into it, you’ll start off with a Raspberry Pi of some kind.
You can make one of three different types of Instructables: a video guide, a photo slideshow, or a step-by-step guide. For most electronics projects, you’ll probably want to stick with a step-by-step guide.
Here are a few tips for making your first guide:
Prepare to take photos or screenshots: Your guide will be pretty similar to what you’ve seen in this book, so screenshots and photos are pretty helpful. Even if it’s just a shot of the command line, a screenshot can help readers know they’re on the right track.
If you’re making something that does require photos, be sure they’re clear and the subject is the focus. If you’re taking pictures of the GPIO on your Raspberry Pi, for example, ensure that’s the main focus of the shot.
Provide a good introduction: Writing an introduction can be tough, but what readers want from an Instructables introduction is very simple. They want to know what they’ll get from doing your project, about how long it’ll take to complete, and what materials you used. State all that up front, and you’ll easily hook readers.
Clear steps: After your introduction, you just need to click the Next Step button to add new steps to your guide. Break up your steps as cohesively as you can. Don’t make long steps; instead, go for shorter steps, even if that means you have more.
When you’re done with your guide, click the Publish button and share it with all your friends.
The more Instructables guides you read, the better you’ll be at writing your own, so spend some time on the site before you write your own. It’s a fantastic way to share your projects with the public at large, so get used to spending a lot of time on the site.
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Remember that anything published on Instructables is written by amateurs like you. This is awesome, but it also means you should be careful about what you’re doing. If an instruction doesn’t seem right or if you’re not sure if you should be doing something, consult another site or an expert before you proceed.
Maker Media
Maker Media is a four-pronged DIY company that covers a ton of stuff with the Raspberry Pi. The company’s facets are: MAKE magazine; Makezine.com; the Maker Faire; and the store, the Maker Shed.
The company started in 2005 as MAKE magazine, a bi-monthly DIY magazine that features how-to guides for all types of projects ranging from welding to electronics. The magazine spun off to the website, Makezine.com, which has since become an excellent resource for community and professionally made DIY projects. As you’d expect, the Raspberry Pi has become a favorite at MAKE.
MAKE, as well as the other Maker ventures, are all huge players in the DIY electronics industry. Countless Raspberry Pi projects have been created by the writers at MAKE and the entire community.
Beyond the magazine, Maker Media also sponsors the Maker Faire. The Maker Faire is a family-friendly event that showcases DIY projects, crafts, engineering, and more in a variety of cities around the world. The first Maker Faire was in 2006 in the Bay Area and hosted around 22,000 people. The most recent Faires took place in the Bay Area, New York, Austin, Detroit, Kansas City, Tokyo, and Rome and totaled around 455,000 visitors.
Typically, these events have exhibitors showing off their projects, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and vendors. When you walk in, you’ll see people in costumes, vendors showing off fun DIY projects, and kids playing with a variety of electronics.
Aside from the larger Maker Faires, countless U.S. cities also host smaller events, called Mini Maker Faires. As the name implies, these are smaller versions of the larger Maker Faires. They operate on the same basic premise and have the same types of events; there’s just less of them. If you live in a major U.S. city, there’s probably a Mini Maker Faire near you. Go to makerfaire.com/map to find your closest faire.
The Raspberry Pi tends to be a big feature at these events. The very idea of the Raspberry Pi–an inexpensive, open-source computer designed for prototyping–is in line with what the Maker Faire is all about. If you go to one, you’ll see many Raspberry Pi–inspired projects, demos, and workshops. If you get the chance, they’re well worth attending and often a lot of fun. Plus, you’ll probably meet some other Raspberry Pi hobbyists while you’re there.
Aside from the faires, Maker Media also hosts MakerCon, a convention with a focus on engineering; Maker Camp, a summer camp for kids that’s all about DIYing; and the Hardware Innovation Workshop, a workshop that focuses on the tools needed to manufacture your projects.
MAKE Magazine
The Maker Faires are awesome and a lot of fun to attend, but MAKE magazine and its website are where you’ll find most of the Raspberry Pi community involvement.
The magazine’s website, makezine.com, is host to a blog and a large projects page that are both great for inspiration on projects. The MAKE projects page isn’t nearly as big as Instructables, but it tends to be a bit more focused and better written. The projects are similar, and the Raspberry Pi shows up regularly. Browse the projects at makezine.com/projects.
The printed version of MAKE magazine is also an excellent resource for tutorials, and the Raspberry Pi is often the focus of projects in the magazine. If you’re interested in learning more about DIY electronics beyond the Raspberry Pi, MAKE is the best place to start.
Getting Involved
Makezine.com isn’t nearly as open as Instructables, but you can participate in the community pretty easily.
If you’re interested in contributing to the magazine or its guides, you can do so by filling out a simple form at makezine.com/contribute. If you want to take a look at some of the Raspberry Pi projects that have been featured in the past, you can do so at makezine.com/category/electronics/raspberry-pi/?post_type=projects.
But getting involved isn’t just about making projects with your Raspberry Pi. It’s also about showing up to events. If you have a Maker Faire or Mini Maker Faire in your city, there’s a really good chance they need volunteers. Giving your time not only gets you into the event for free, it also puts you in touch with other DIYers like you. This is a great way to meet other Raspberry Pi enthusiasts.
There’s no dedicated landing page for volunteers, but each city has its own Maker Faire page. When you find yours, you’ll usually find a section about volunteers. Just fill out the form, and you’ll hear back from someone about whether or not you can join in the fun. It’s a rewarding experience and well worth your time. Plus, you usually get a cool shirt.
Hackerspaces
Unless you’re already involved in the DIY community, you’ve probably never heard of a hackerspace before. Hackerspaces are community workspaces where DIYers can get together and work on projects together, use equipment, and host workshops. They exist in most major cities and typically require a monthly fee.
You can think of a hackerspace as a community center for DIYers. They’re typically in large buildings or warehouses, and inside is usually a DIYer’s dream. You’ll find tons of expensive equipment like 3D printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters along with large tables to work on whatever you want. It’s basically a public garage where you can work on your projects with other likeminded people.
In addition to being loaded with tools, hackerspaces often have training classes, workshops, and community events where you can meet other members. They’re usually very inclusive, welcome newcomers and experts alike, and thrive on a culture of sharing knowledge and tools.
Hackerspaces tend to be most prevalent in larger cities, partially because there are simply more people there, but also because many of the people who live in cities don’t have access to a garage in which to work. Hackerspaces provide the space and freedom to work on your project when you don’t have your own space.
They’re also about community. If you join a hackerspace, you’re immediately part of a community of likeminded people who are also making things. This is great for friendships and collaborations. Remember earlier in this book when I discussed building things like arcade cabinets and 3D molds? That’s the kind of stuff you can do at a hackerspace. If you don’t have the skills to do it yourself, you can find someone else who can and collaborate with that person. You can share your newfound knowledge of the Raspberry Pi and learn something new about woodworking or whatever else.
With respect to the Raspberry Pi, most hackerspaces are well versed in using the little computer and should have plenty of resources for you. They probably also have some classes you can take to extend your experience a little further. If nothing else, you can always volunteer your skills.
Finding a Hackerspace Near You
If you’ve never heard of a hackerspace, trying to find one probably sounds like some type of crazy underground research project. Thankfully, it’s a lot easier than that.
You’ll find a worldwide list of hackerspaces at hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces. Just search for your city, and you’ll find any hackerspaces near you.
You also could search online for “hackerspaces yourcity” to see if any others come up. It’s really that simple.
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If you don’t have a hackerspace in your own town or close by, Adafruit has a great guide for starting one yourself at adafruit.com/blog/2012/11/12/how-to-start-a-hackerspace.
Once you find a hackerspace you’re interested in, you need to join before you can participate. Typically, you’ll find a website listing on hackerspaces.org that tells you about the process.
In most cases, joining depends on what you need and want. Most hackerspaces offer a variety of membership packages at different rates. For example, Metrix in Seattle has a bottomless toolbox walk-in rate for $5 an hour and a soldering room for $15 an hour. It also has a basic membership for $50 a month that includes discounts on the toolbox, soldering room, textiles machines, and more.
It’s not just monthly memberships and subscriptions, though. Most hackerspaces also have classes and workshops you can take priced at a set rate.
Joining is just as easy as joining any club. The website will likely tell you what you need to do, you’ll pay a fee, and you’ll be all set. Oftentimes, you’ll need to go through a quick class to learn about the equipment in the space so you don’t mess up anything, but it’s pretty much a free-for-all after that.
The Least You Need to Know
- After you’re finished with all the projects in this book, you can find lots more online.
- A massive community of other Raspberry Pi hobbyists are out there to help you with your own projects.
- Sharing projects online is easy with sites like Instructables.
- Getting involved with your local community through hackerspaces is a great way to learn more about the Raspberry Pi and meet likeminded people.