The Raspberry Pi has dominated the maker scene for many years. Freely accessible I O pins have
made it one of the most popular processor boards of all time. However the classic Raspberry Pi
has no analog inputs. Direct measurement of analog values is therefore not possible.
Consequently photodiodes NTCs Hall sensors etc. cannot be read directly. In addition the
pins are connected directly to the exposed contacts i.e. without a driver or protection
circuit. This can quickly destroy the central controller and thus the entire Raspberry Pi.
These problems can be elegantly solved with the Pico. As a front-end it can easily handle a
wide range of measurement tasks. In addition the Pico is much cheaper than a classic Raspberry
Pi 4 or 5. If a faulty circuit leads to the destruction of the Pico this is relatively easy to
handle. This makes the combination of a classic Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and the Pico an ideal pair.
The book introduces the broad and highly topical field of modern controller technology using
the combined force of a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and a Raspberry Pi Pico. In addition to a detailed
introduction to the operation and functionality of the controller boards themselves the book
also focuses on data acquisition and processing with digital processors. Especially the
combination of both systems offers a wide range of interesting possibilities. Some practical
projects from the contents: USB between Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and Pico I²C Communication and Pico
as an I²C device Voltmeter and Computer Thermometer Pico W as a Web Server and WLAN Scanner
Frequency Meters and Generators OLED Displays on Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and Pico Energy Saving
Monitor Which Astronauts are in Orbit? Mini Monitor for Current Bitcoin Exchange Rate The
programs from this book can be downloaded free of charge from the Elektor website
www.elektor.com 20828.
