Common Terminal Commands for your Raspberry Pi

Here is a quick list of the common terminal commands for the Raspberry Pi (RPi). If no one else uses this list, then I know that I will use it a lot. Here it goes:

• sudo raspi-config       This command is used to access a frequently visited set up screen for your RPi.
• sudo nano /boot/config.txt      This command is used to access and edit the boot configuration file of your RPi.
• sudo reboot      This command is used to reboot your RPi from the terminal window.
• /opt/vc/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp     This command is used to check your CPU temperature.
• cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_cur_freq     This command is used to check your current CPU frequency.
• vcgencmd get_config arm_freq      This command checks your current CPU frequency setting.

I will add more as I need and use them. I hope this helps.

How to Fix Raspberry Pi HDMi to DVI Issue

Hi All,

So I have been having some fun with my Raspberry Pi (RPi) lately. I've been doing a lot of hands-on learning with it which is exactly what it was designed for. My first real problem with my RPi was to get it to work on a DVI-D computer monitor. The RPi works great with a straight HDMI connection to my LCD TV but I don't think the family wants me hogging the only LCD TV we have in the house with my mini computer. I also got it to work on old RCA input tube TV's. I even got a little 7" LCD TFT screen from eBay to work with it although the resolution is pretty bad especially on the tube TV. My first extra purchase was a DVI-D to HDMI 3 foot cable. This would have hopefully converted my DVI-D signal from my DVI-D monitor (monitor must be DVI-D) to the HDMI input of the RPi. I got it for $3.88 from eBay with free shipping from Utah. When it arrived I was very excited for about 5 minutes until I realized it didn't work. I actually went to Walmart that night to look for a cheap HDMI TV so I could work on my RPi without squinting at an old TV screen. Since I'm on a tight budget I did not buy one. I went home and started doing more research on the HDMI to DVI-D thing and it looked like it have been an issue for lots of people. Luckily it was a really simple solution that I was able to fix by editing the config.txt file. Here are the commands I used to do this. I had to do this while using the RCA video outputs in a terminal window.

• sudo nano /boot/config.txt
• add the following line or remove block (hashtag, #): hdmi_force_hotplug=1

When you are done editing do the following:

• press control & x
• press y
• press enter

 When you exiting the editor, restart your RPi using the following command

• sudo reboot

Once my RPi rebooted, I removed the RCA input and plugged in the HDMI cable and to my joy it booted up to my 20" LCD PC monitor.

My latest project, the $35 Raspberry Pi, HDMI Capable Computer

I have an admission to make, for the last few years I have secretly becoming a computer geek! I got into building computers and messing around with Linux operating systems a while ago and lately I have been getting back into again. Most recently I came across this great piece of hardware, the Raspberry Pi (RPi), which is actually a computer with HDMI, Ethernet, USB, RCA, and Audio ports and more for only $35.00!! I was blown away at how small and affordable this board was so I had to have one. I just recently got mine in the mail along with a power supply and case for $55.00 shipped. Here are some pictures of it.

My Raspberry Pi from MCM Electronics

Raspberry Pi top view

Raspberry Pi with case

Raspberry Pi bottom view

I also bought heat sinks to go on the processors and a power transistor. I got the heat sinks shipped to me from a US vendor for only $7.99 with free shipping. The heat sinks also came with the thermal adhesive on it for easy mounting. Here are some pictures of the heat sinks installed.

Raspberry Pi with three aluminum heatsinks in case

In order for the RPi to run you need to load an image file to an SD card which acts as its hard drive. There are many to choose from that have many purposes. I wanted to try it out as a small PC so I found a copy of Bodhi Enlightenment that was written specially for the RPi. It is a super bare bones version of Linux that works right out of the starting gate for me. I need more time to set things up and add more cool items to my $35 computer. Well more like $60 computer when you add up all the little things that go into it. Here is a picture:

Bodhi Linux on my Raspberry Pi (RPi)

How to Recycle and Reuse a Southwest Courtyard Gate

We wanted to share our latest project for our house. We found an old and weathered Southwest style courtyard gate. It is made of nice thick pine but showed some signs of water damage and was falling apart. We took measurements on the gate and compared them to the opening in our wall. The gate was almost perfect in width but needed to be cut down in height. This worked out well because the water damage was at the bottom of the gate. We ended up cutting almost 6 inches off of the bottom of our southwest gate. We then used a rubber mallet to pound the tongue and groove features back together. When everything was in place I used a lot of wood glue and long screws to keep it from falling apart again. Next we chose a nice bright light blue paint, I believe it was a good quality outdoor latex paint. Now we had to mount the door to our stuccoed courtyard wall. I chose the correct thickness door jambs, I think they were just the cedar fence planks from Home Depot. I also used simple gate hinges from Home Depot to attach the door to the jamb and then mounted the hinge side jamb to the stucco wall using the new concrete anchors from Home Depot. The latch side of the gate required a double thickness door jamb so that the rabbits don't come in eat our plants and flowers. We were very happy with the results and now have a rabbit barrier for our front yard. Here are some before and after pictures.

Old Weathered Southwest Style Courtyard Gate

Renovated Southwest Courtyard Gate

DIY Solar Power Blogsite

Hi All, here is a great DIY Solar Power Website. It is just starting out but it has down to earth small system builds for the every day guy/gal. A small solar power system would be perfect to have on your houseboat, RV, or camper. Check it out at:

   solar-nm.com.

Perfect for your Homemade Houseboat

I placed a picture of a homemade houseboat on this blog about a year ago and I am surprised to see how much traffic that picture gets. Here is another look at that picture of the houseboat:

Homemade Houseboat

I imagine that the increase in popularity of houseboats could be due to the fact that people are looking for alternative places to live that don't cost you an arm and a leg. I found a great article on building your own solar panel assembly here on this site: http://solar-nm.blogspot.com/. They show you how they built a small stand alone solar panel system complete with small inverter for under $150. Check it out.

350 Chevy Blazer S10 Update

Here are some up to date Chevy S10 Blazer Pictures. I recently installed better tires on my 1994 Camaro aluminum wheels. They are taller tires just meant for pushing the truck around the garage while I am preparing the 350 for install. This winter has been too cold for my blood to go out and work on it. Enjoy the pictures.