So I figured I’d start playing around with micro-controllers again (ok, never really played around so much as took classes in college).  Anyway, my old HC12 micro-controller is stuck in storage, and it’s not supported anymore (it was old before I graduated college).  I decided that I would try-out the new Raspberry Pi since I found it in stock a couple months ago.  It’s a nifty little computer, but not really a micro-controller.  It lacks real-time support (from the “default” Linux-based OS) and even sub-millisecond control (which sucks for sensors and whatnot).  I then decided I should pair the Pi with an Arduino, a true real-time micro-controller.  Anyway, I plan to hook up some stuff around my house to the Arduino, and then control the Arduino over the internet via the Pi.  The only real reason for the Pi in this scenario is to avoid the high power-consumption of a regular PC.

Soo… I’ve been playing around with both devices and the various ICs and electrical components I have left over from college.  Bought myself some relays, etc.. so I can control things like lamps.  Uploaded my code to my SVN server for two reasons, backup, and the ability to move it easily between my PC and the Pi (since I can program the Arduino directly from the Pi, I can avoid my computer when desirable). Nothing exciting yet, I wired up a couple 7-segment displays to an I2C 16-port expander, got a Ping))) sensor measuring distance, and wired up a 4-button debounced switch panel, so now I just got to think of something to do with all this stuff.