Gadget Recommendations

Gadgets are necessities to most IT professionals, especially for people who like to build things and communicate with the world wide web in front of a laptop or desktop. This category is for collating my thoughts on some of the gadgets that I enjoyed using in my daily life.

Why get a Raspberry Pi?

If you are in the computer technology industry, then you most probably have heard about the Raspberry Pi.

When a Raspberry Pi was first launched in 2012, there were limited USD 35 alternatives for Raspberry Pi. Therefore, buying a Raspberry Pi is a no-brainer to get started with Internet of things (IoT) projects. A Raspberry Pi would be an affordable ticket to the world of IoT.

However, as newer single board computers get into the market, it becomes harder to make a buying decision. Especially if you habitually practice delay gratification, you may face quite a bit of procrastination in getting a Raspberry Pi.

So why should you get a Raspberry Pi?

In case you are deciding whether to buy a Raspberry Pi, here are some reasons for you to get one.

Why get a Wio Terminal for your next IoT project?

If you have 30 USD and is looking for a microcontroller, then you will want to consider the Wio Terminal.

Since Seeed Studio had kindly sent me one for free, I got to picture my 30 bucks alongside the box:

Wio Terminal front of box with 30 USD

Although 30 bucks is not a lot of money, it is good to know what the Wio Terminal is capable of before buying. When we do so, we can prevent adding on to that electronics stockpile which is collecting dust in the house.

Given these points., let’s look at why you will want get a Wio Terminal for your next IoT project.

How to setup the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen with your Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

As I have noted in my review on the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the Pi 4B came with substantial upgrades.

Since it has faster (and more) RAM along with better graphics processing capabilities, the Pi 4B is well suited for multimedia deployments.

Given that, you may want to add the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen to your Pi 4B so that you can use it to build a kiosk.

If that’s the case, read on to see how to setup the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen with your Raspberry Pi 4B.

Cool your Raspberry Pi 4 with the ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan

As I had mentioned in why my computer restarted itself when I play League of Legends, excess heat can cause a computer to behave abnormally.

So how will your Raspberry Pi 4 Model B deal with rising heat? In case there is a spike in operating temperature, Raspberry Pi 4 will slow your CPU down significantly. When that happens, you will not be able to enjoy 4K videos on your Raspberry Pi 4 anymore.

After I did a review on the Raspberry Pi 4, I had been contemplating whether to get a cooler fan for my Raspberry Pi 4. In the midst of delayed gratification, Seeed Studio asked if I am willing to do a review on their Ice Tower Cooler. Since I wanted a cooling fan for my Pi 4, I agreed to have a look at the Ice Tower Cooler.

Given that, this post contains some points for your reference if you are pondering whether to get the ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan for to cool your Raspberry Pi 4.

How to capture images in the dark with the Raspberry Pi Infrared Camera Module from Seeed Studio

When I wanted to keep tabs on my corridor, I built a Raspberry Pi Zero W surveillance camera with MotionEye and Raspbian Lite.

After a while, I make my Raspberry Pi Zero W see an ultra-wide view by using one of the Fish Eye lens from a Camera Lens kits that I received as a gift.

Since then, I am able to have a wide angle view of my corridor as long as I have a browser with an Internet connection.

However, the same setup will not work for checking on my plants in the kitchen. If I am to snap some pictures after my LED growth lights are switched off, I will definitely get pitch black images.

So what kind of camera should my plant surveillance setup use? In order to capture images in the dark, I should look for a camera without the Infrared Filter – a NoIR Camera.

With this in mind, I head over to Seeed Studio and got myself the Raspberry Pi Infrared Camera Module.

Since Seeed Studio had provided me with a voucher for this purchase, I am able to minimize the cost of producing this article.

Thank you Seeed Studio!

Given that, let’s see how we can capture images in the dark with the Raspberry Pi Infrared Camera Module.

Why buy the Raspberry Pi Zero W?

When you have seen the Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB ram, you may wonder why should we even be bothered with the earlier versions.

If you have been following Seeed Studio, you may have heard that they had included Raspberry Pi Zero W in their product catalogue.

I welcome this move from Seeed Studio with open arms.

Since I live in Singapore, I will be able to shave hefty shipping costs getting the Pi Zero W from Seeed Studio instead of vendors from the west. If you are staying in countries that are nearer to Guangzhou, then the real cost of your Pi Zero W will be much closer to the 10 USD price tag.

But why buy the Raspberry Pi Zero W?

In case you are thinking of whether to trade 10-ish bucks for one, here are some reasons why you should have a look at the Raspberry Pi Zero W for your next Raspberry Pi project.

A review of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B from a not-so-early adopter

When a single board computer has 4GB of RAM, you can use it as a capable IoT gateway or desktop computing. In addition to that, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B maintains the same dimensions as its credit card sized predecessor, the Pi 3B+.

Although there are several single board computers which provided 4GB of ram, they are priced more than the US$55 price tag. Given that, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model 4 with 4GB of ram is a very attractive offering.

Raspberry Pi 4 Computer Model B 4GB edition in box

In case you are wondering whether you should buy the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, read on for more perspectives.