Raspberry Pi
Getting Started Guide
RS Components
Vsn 1.0 3
/2012
R
aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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1.
R
aspberry
Pi Basic
Hardware
Setup
1.1.
Extra
Hardware You Will Need
The
Raspberry Pi board contains a
processor and graphics
chip, program memory (RAM) and
various interfac
es and connector
s for
exte
rnal devices. Some of these devices
are
essential, others
are optional. RPi operates in the same way as a standard PC, requiring
a keyboard for command
entry, a displa
y unit and a power supply.
It
also requires ‘mass
-
storage’,
but a hard disk dr
ive of the type found in a
typical
PC is not really in
keeping with the miniature size of RPi. Instead we will use a
n SD
Flash memory card normally used
in digital cameras, configured in such a way to ‘look like’ a hard drive to RPi’s processor.
RPi will
‘
boot’ (load the Operating System
into RAM
) from this card in the same way as a PC ‘boots up’ into
Windows from its hard disk.
The following are
essential
to get started
:
SD c
ard
containing Linux Operating system
USB keyboard
TV or monitor
(with HDMI, DVI
, Composite or SCART input)
Power s
upply
(see Section 1.6 below)
Video cable to suit the TV or monitor used
Recommended optional
extras include:
USB mouse
Internet connection, Model A or B: USB WiFi adaptor
Internet connection, Model B only: LAN (Etherne
t) cable
Powered USB h
ub
Case
1.2.
Connecting
Everything
Together
1.
Plug the preloaded SD Card into the
R
Pi.
2.
Plug the USB keyboard and mouse into the
RPi, perhaps via a USB h
ub. Connect the
Hub
to power, if necessary.
3.
Plug a
video cable into the screen (TV
or m
onitor
) and into the
R
Pi.
4.
Plug your extras into the
R
Pi (USB WiFi, Ethernet cable,
external
hard drive etc.). This is
where
you may really need a USB h
ub.
5.
Ensure that your USB h
ub (if any) and screen are working.
6.
Plug the power supply
into the main
s
socket
.
7.
With your scree
n on, plug the power supply
into the
R
Pi
microUSB socket
.
8.
The
R
Pi should boot up and display messages on the screen.
It is always recom
mended to connect the MicroUSB p
ow
er to the unit last (while most
connections
can be made live, it is b
est practice to connect
items such as displays
with the power turned off).
The RPi may take a long time to boot when powered
-
on for the first time, so be patient!
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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1.3.
Operating System SD Card
As the RPi has no internal
mass
storage or built
-
in oper
ating system
it requires an SD c
ard
preloaded with a version of the Linux Operating System
.
You can create your own preloaded card using any suitable SD card
(4G
B
ytes or above)
you
have
to hand
.
We suggest you u
se a new blank card to avoid arguments over lost picture
s.
Preloaded SD cards will be available from the RPi Shop.
1.4.
Keyboard & Mouse
Most standard USB keyboards and mice will work with the RPi. Wireless keyboard/mice
should also
function, and only require a
single USB port for
an RF dongle. In order to use a
Bluet
ooth keyboard
or mouse you will need
a Bluetooth
USB
dongle, which aga
in uses
a
single port.
Remember that the Model A has a single USB port and the Mo
del B
has two (typically a
keyboard
and mouse
will use a USB port each).
1.5.
Display
There are two main connection options for the RPi display,
HDMI
(High Definition)
and
Composite
(Standard D
efinition).
HD TVs and
many
LCD m
onitors can be connected using a full
-
size 'male' HDMI
cable, and
with an inex
pensive adaptor if DVI is used. HDMI versions 1.3 and 1.4 are
supported
and a
version 1.4 cable is recommended. The RPi outputs audio and video
via HMDI, but does not
support HDMI input.
Older TVs can be connected using Composite
video
(a yellow
-
to
-
yellow
RCA
ca
ble) or via
SCART (using a Composite
video
to SCART adaptor).
Both
PAL and NTSC
format
TVs are
supported.
When using
a
composite video
connection
, audio is a
vailable from the
3.5mm jack
socket, and
can
be
sent to your TV,
headphones
or
an am
plifier. To send audio
to
your TV,
you will nee
d a cable
which adapts from 3.5mm to double (red and white) RCA connectors.
Note: Th
ere is no
analogue
VGA output available. This is
the connection required by many
computer monitors, apart
from the
lat
est ones.
If you have a monitor
with
only
a D
-
shape
d
plug containing 15 pins
, then it is unsuitable.
1.6.
Power Supply
The unit is powered via the
microUSB connector
(only
the power pins are connected,
so
it will not
transfer data over this connection). A standard mo
dern phone charger with a micro
USB connect
or
will do,
providing it can supply
at l
east
700mA at
+
5Vdc
. Check your power
supply's ratings
carefully. Suitable mains adaptors will be available from the RPi Shop and
are recommended if you
are
unsure what to use.
Note:
The
individ
ual
USB ports on a powe
red hub or a PC are usually r
ated to provide
500mA
maximum. If you wi
sh to use either of these as a power source
then you will need a special
cable which plugs into two ports providing a combined current capability of 1000mA.
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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1.7.
Cables
Yo
u will need one or more
cables
to connect
up your RPi system
.
Video cable
alternatives
:
o
HDMI
-
A cable
o
HDMI
-
A cable + DVI adapter
o
Composite
video
cable
o
Composite
video
cable +
SCART adaptor
Audio cable (not needed if you use the HDMI
video
connection to a TV)
Ethernet/LAN c
able
(Model B
only
)
1.8.
Additional Peripherals
You may decide you want to use various other devic
es with your RPi, such as Flash
Dri
ves/Portable
Hard Drives, Speakers etc.
1.8.1.
Internet Connectivity
This may be
via
an Ethernet/LAN cable (standard RJ45 connector) or a USB WiFi adaptor.
The RPi
Model B
E
thernet port is auto
-
sensing which means that it may be connected to a router or directly
to
another computer (without the need for a crossover cable).
1.8.2.
USB h
ub
In order to connect additional devices to the RPi, you may
want to obtain a USB h
ub, which
will
allow multiple devices to be used.
It is recommended that a
powered
hub is used
-
this wil
l prov
ide any additional power to the
devices without affecting the RPi itself.
A USB
2.0
model is recommended. USB
1.1 is fine
for keyboards and mice, but may
not be fast
enough for other accessories.
1.8.3.
Case
Since the RPi is supplied without a case, it wi
ll be important t
o ensure that you do not use it
in
places where it will come into contact with conductive me
tal or liquids, unless suitably
protected.
1.8.4.
Expansion & Low
-
Level Peripherals
If yo
u plan on making use of the low
-
level interfaces availa
ble on t
he RPi, then ensure you
have
a
suitable plug
for the GPIO
header pins
.
Also if you have a particular low
-
level project in mind, the
n ensure you design
-
in suitable
protection
circuits to keep your RPi safe.
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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2.
R
aspberry
Pi Advanced Setup
(Geeks only)
2.1.
Findi
ng hardware and setting up
You'll need a preloaded SD card, USB keyboa
rd, TV/Monitor (with HDMI/ DVI/
Composite/SCART
input), and power supply (USB charger or a USB port from a powered USB Hub or
another
computer).
You'll likely also want a USB mouse, a
case, and a USB
h
ub (a necessity for Model A).
A
powered USB h
ub will reduce the demand on the RPi. To connect to the Internet, you'll need
either an Ethernet/LAN cable (Model B) or a USB WiFi adaptor (either model).
When setting up, it is advisable to c
onnect the power after everything else is ready.
2.2.
Serial connection
The Serial Port is a simple and uncomplicated method
to connect to the R
Pi. The
communication
depends on byte wise data transmission, is
easy to setup and is generally
available even befo
re
boot time.
2.2.1.
First interaction with the board
Connect the serial cable t
o the COM port in the R
Pi, a
nd connect the other end to
the COM port or
USB Serial Adapter in the computer.
2.2.2.
Serial Parameters
The following parameters are ne
eded to connect to the
RPi
. All parameters
except
Port_Name
and
Speed
are default values and may not need to be set.
Port_Name
: Linux automatically assigns different names for different types of
serial connectors.
Choose your option:
Standard Serial Port: ttyS0 ... ttySn
USB
Serial Port Adapter: ttyUSB0 ... ttyUSBn
Speed: 115200
Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
Flow Control: None
The Serial Port is generally usable by the users in the group
dialout
. To add oneself to
the group
dialout
the the following command needs to be ex
ecuted
with
root
privileges:
$useradd
-
G {dialout} your_name
2.2.3.
Super Easy Way u
sing GNU Screen
Enter the command below into a terminal window
screen Port_Name 115200
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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2.2.4.
Super Easy Way u
sing Minicom
Run minicom with the following parameters:
minicom
-
b 115
200
-
o
-
D Port_Name
2.2.5.
GUI method with GtkTerm
Start
GtkTerm
, select Configuration
-
>Port and enter the values above in the labelled
fields.
2.2.6.
Windows Users
Windows 7 or Vista u
sers must download putty or a comparable terminal
program. Users of XP and
below
can choose between using
putty
and
Hyperterminal.
2.2.7.
First Dialog
If you get the prompt below, you are connected to the Raspberry Pi shell!
prompt> #
First command you might want try is "help":
prompt> # help
If you get some output, you are correctly co
nnected to the Raspberry Pi!
Congratulations!
2.3.
SD card setup
Now we want to in
stall a
GNU/
Linux distro on an SD card and make
space
for our stuff. You can
use either an SD or SDHC car
d. In the latter case of course
take care
that your PC card reader also
supports SDHC. Be aware that you are not dealing with an x86
processor, but instead a completely
different architecture called ARM, so don't forget to
install the
ARM port for the distro you are
planning to use.
2.3.1.
Formatting the SD card via the mkcard.txt s
cript
1.
Download
mkcard.txt
.
2.
$ chmod +x mkcard.txt
3.
$ ./mkcard.txt /dev/sd
x
, where
x
is the letter of the card. You can find this by inserting
your
card
and then running dmesg | tail.
You should see the messages about the
device being mounted in the log. M
ine mounts as
sdc
.
Once run, your card should be formatted.
2.3.2.
Formatting the SD card via fdisk "Expert mode"
First, lets clear the partition table:
======================================
==========
=======
====================
$ sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
Command
(m for help): o
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only,
until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous
content won't be recoverable.
Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 4 will be corrected by
w(r
ite)
=========================
=======
========================================
===
Print card info:
===========================================
=====
=======
====================
Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/sdb: 128 MB, 128450560 bytes
....
========
===========================
=======
==
===============================
Make a n
ote
of the
card si
ze in bytes. You will need it later
.
Then go into "Expert mode":
===========================================
=
=======
========================
Command (m for hel
p): x
===========================================
===
=======
======================
Now we want to set the geometry to 255 heads, 63 sect
ors and calculate the number of
cylinders
required for the particular SD/MMC card:
===================================
====
=====================
=======
========
Expert command (m for help): h
Number of heads (1
-
256, default 4): 255
Expert command (m for help): s
Number of sectors (1
-
63, default 62): 63
Warning: setting sector offset for DOS compatiblity
=================
===========================
=======
========================
NOTE: Be especially careful in the next step. First calcu
late the number of cylinders as
follows:
C = B / 255 / 63 / 512
where
B = Card size in bytes (
The number you wrote down earlier.)
C = Nu
mber of cylinders
When you get the number,
round it DOWN. Thus, if you got
C =
1
08.8 you'll be using 108
cylinders.
=================================================================
=======
===
Expert command (m for help): c
Number of cylinders (1
-
1048576
, default 1011): 15
======================================================
=======
=============
=
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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In this case
a
128MB card is used (reported as 128450560 bytes by
fdisk
above), thus
128450560 / 255 / 63 / 512 = 15.6 rounded
down to 15 cylinders. T
here are
255
heads, 63 sectors,
512 bytes per sector.
So far so good, now we
want to create two partitions: o
ne
for the boot image, one for our
distro.
Create the FAT32 partition for booting and transferr
ing files from Windows. Mark it
as bootable.
=============
======================================================
=======
=
Expert command (m for help): r
Command (m for help): n
Command action
e extended
p primary partition (1
-
4)
p
Partition number (1
-
4): 1
First cylinder (1
-
245, default 1): (press Enter)
Using de
fault value 1
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1
-
245, default 245): +50
Command (m for help): t
Selected partition 1
Hex code (type L to list codes): c
Changed system type of partition 1 to c (W95 FAT32 (LBA))
Command (m for help): a
Partition
number (1
-
4): 1
============================================================
=======
========
Create the Linux partition for the root file system.
==================================================================
=======
==
Command (m for help): n
Comman
d action
e extended
p primary partition (1
-
4)
p
Partition number (1
-
4): 2
First cylinder (52
-
245, default 52): (press Enter)
Using default value 52
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (52
-
245, default 245):(press
Enter)
Using default value 245
====
=================================================
=======
===============
Print and save the new partition records.
===========================================================
=======
=========
Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/sdc: 2021 MB, 2021654528 byt
es
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 245 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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Device Boot
Start
End
Blocks
Id
System
/dev/sdc1 *
1
51
409626
c
W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sdc2
52
245
1558305
83
Linux
Command (m for help): w
The partit
ion table has been altered!
Calling ioctl() to re
-
read partition table.
WARNING: Re
-
reading the partition table failed with error 16: Device or
resource busy. The kernel still uses the old table. The new table will be
used at the next reboot.
WARNING: If
you have created or modified any DOS 6.x partitions, please see
the fdisk manual page for additional information.
Syncing disks.
===========================================================
=======
=========
Now we've got both partitions, next step is forma
tting them.
NOTE
: If the partition
s (/dev/sdc1 and /dev/sdc2) do
not exis
t, you should unplug the card
and plug
it back in. Linux will now be able to detect the new partitions.
===========================================================================
$
sudo mkfs.msdos
-
F 32 /dev/sdc1
-
n LABEL
mkfs.msdos 2.11 (12 Mar 2005)
$ sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdc2
mke2fs 1.40
-
WIP (14
-
Nov
-
2006)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
195072 inodes, 389576 blocks
19478 blocks
(5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=402653184
12 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
16256 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912
W
riting inode tables: done
Creating journal (8192 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information:
===========================================================================
All done!
NOTE
: For convenience, you can add the
-
L op
tion to the
mkfs.ext3
command to assign a
volume
label to the new ext3 filesystem. If you do that,
the new (automatic) mount point
under /media when
you insert that SD card into some Linux hosts will be based on that label.
If there's no label, the new mou
nt point will most likely be
a long hstring, so assigning a
label makes
manual mounting on the host more convenient.
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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2.4.
Setting up the boot partition
The boot partition must contain:
bootcode.bin : 2nd stage bootloader, starts with SDRAM disabled
loader.
bin : 3rd stage bootloader, starts with SDRAM enabled
start.elf: The GPU binary firmware image, provided by the foundation.
kernel.img: The OS kernel to load on the ARM processor. Normally this is Linux
-
see
instructions for compiling a kernel.
cmdline.txt
: Paramete
rs passed to the kernel on boot.
Optional files:
config.txt: A configuration file read by the GPU. Use this to override set the video
mode, alter
system clock speeds, voltages, etc.
vlls directory: Additi
onal GPU code, e.g. extra CODEC
s. Not pr
esent in the initial
release.
2.5.
Ad
ditional files supplied by RPi F
oundation
These files are also present o
n the SD cards supplied by the F
oundation.
Additional kernels. Rename over kernel.img to use them (
ensure you have a backup of the
original
kernel.im
g first!):
kernel_emergency.img : kernel with busybox rootfs. You can use this to repair the
main
L
inux
partition using e2fsck if the L
inux partition gets corrupted.
Additional GPU firmware images, rename over start.elf to use them:
arm128_start.elf : 1
28M
B
ARM, 128M
B
GPU split (use this for heavy 3D work,
possibly also
required for some video decoding)
arm192_start.elf : 192M
B
ARM, 64M
B
GPU split (this is the default)
arm224_start.elf : 224M
B
ARM, 32M
B
GPU split (use this for Linux only with no 3D or
vi
deo
processing. It’s enough for the 1080p frame buffer, but not much else)
2.6.
Writing the image to the SDcard and
booting GNU/Linux
The easiest way to do this is to use PiCard. It even saves
you from some hassles explained
above.
You will need your
SD card
+ reader and a Linux PC
to use PiCard. After that, just
plug the card into
your Rpi.
2.7.
Wire up your Raspberry Pi and power it up
As explained in Section
1
2.8.
SD Card Cloning/Backup
Note: Update these instructions if required once they've been tried
.
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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From wi
ndows you can copy the full SD c
ard by using
Win32DiskImager. Alternatively,
you can use
the following instructions;
Note:
Many built
-
in SD card readers do no
t work, so if you have problems
use an external SD
-
USB
adapter for this.
2.9.
Required Software Setup
D
ownload a windows utility
dd.exe
from
http://www.chrysocome.net/dd
R
ename it
:
windd.exe
(This executable can to write to your hard
disk so exercise caution using it!)
M
ake a copy named
:
dd
-
removable.exe
(T
hat executable refuses to write to your hard disk as it is named dd
-
removable As long
as you use
dd
-
removable.exe you
cannot lose your hard disk)
Connect an SD card to the computer
R
un
:
"dd
-
removable
–
list"
Should give something like this:
rawwrite dd f
or windows version 0.6beta3.
Written by John Newbigin <jn@it.swin.edu.au>
This program is covered by terms of the GPL Version 2.
NT Block Device Objects
\
\
?
\
Device
\
Harddisk1
\
Partition0
link to
\
\
?
\
Device
\
Harddisk1
\
DR8
Removable media other than floppy. Bl
ock size = 512
size is 4075290624 bytes
This "
\
\
?
\
Device
\
Harddisk1
\
Partition0" is the part you need.
2.10.
R
eading an image from the SD Card
BEWARE: DO THIS WRONG A
ND YOU MIGHT CORRUPT YOUR HARD DISK!
Obviously, you can NOT use 'dd
-
removable' to read an image
as that executable refuses to
write to your hard disk (so extra care is required here as you use 'windd').
To
read
an SD
-
card image from the SD
-
card use:
windd bs=1M if=
\
\
?
\
Device
\
Harddisk1
\
Partition0 of=THE_IMAGE_READ
–
size
Your disk name ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2.11.
Copying an image to the SD Card
BEWARE: DO THIS WRONG A
ND YOU MIGHT CORRUPT YOUR HARD DISK!
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aspberry Pi Getting Started Guide
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To
copy
an image named "THEIMAGE" to the SD
-
card do this:
dd
-
removable bs=1M if=THEIMAGE of=
\
\
?
\
Device
\
Harddisk1
\
Partition0
Your disk name ^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2.12.
Software Development/Proving
A supported platform for the Raspberry is Qt , which is al
ready being worked on. C/C++ is
supported through a gcc cross
-
compiling tool chain.
After compiling, using QEMU and a Linux VM would be
one
way of testing your apps. This
also
works on Windows. Search the forum for the read
ymade ARM images. The choice of
programming
languages
, IDEs and other tools on
the R
Pi is only determined by:
The o
perating system compatibility (
at the moment the sp
ecific Linux distro used)
The status of the respective ARM package repositories and their binary compatibility
The possibility to build other softwa
re + its dependencies fo
r the R
Pi from sources.
For more guides and projects involving the Raspberry Pi, s
ee RPi Projects
http://elinux.org/RPi_Projects