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Tagged: Raspberry Pi RSS

  • VennerCorp 13:09 on January 26, 2014 Permalink |
    Tags: , , , Raspberry Pi   

    How Do I Install A Camera on to My Raspberry PI?

    Looking at fitting a camera to your raspberry pi? Luckily it is actually quite simple to do. Just follow the Easy and straight forward instructions below to install your camera.

    Installing the cameraRaspberry PI

    Before installing the camera make sure you are not carrying a static charge by wearing a proper anti static bracelet or discharging yourself on a tap or radiator.

    Insert the ribbon cable into the socket located between the Ethernet port and the HDMI socket. Make sure the contacts are facing the HDMI port.

    The ribbon cable socket opens by pulling the tabs on the connector towards the Ethernet port, one you have inserted the cable close the socket and make sure the cable is firmly held in place.

    Update Raspian

    First you will need to update your copy of raspian to the latest version, to make sure all the applicable drivers and software are installed on your pi.

    Start your Pi and open a terminal window, now type the following commands to update your software.

    •  sudo apt-get update
    • sudo apt-get update upgrade

    Enable the Camera.

     Open the PI’s configuration screen by entering the following command;

    •  sudo raspi-config

    Select camera and move the tab to enable

    Click Finish and the restart your PI.

    Using the Pi’s software

    There are 2 applications that will help you use your camera, raspivid and raspistill. raspivid allows you to capture video and raspistill allows you to capture still  pictures.

    Both are command line applications.

    You can view all the extensions for raspivid or raspistill use the following commands;

    •  raspivid | less
    • raspistill | less

    Type “q” to quit.

    Below are some example extensions you can use when calling the applications.

    • Grab a still image.
      • raspistill -o filename.jpg
    • Grab a short 5 second video using the format h264.
      • raspivid -o video.h264
    • Grab a short 20 second video using the format h264.
      • raspivid -o video.h264 -t 20000

    Transmit your Video feed

    Type the following command into the terminal window on your PI.

    • raspivid -t 999999 -o – | nc [IP Address of the receiving device] 5001

    Insert the IP Address of the receiving device in to the area indicated above, get the IP by using the command ipconfig on the receiving device.

     

    Receive your Video feed

    Windows

    You will need 2 programs Mplayer and Netcat, grab them from from the 2 urls below;

    Open up your terminal window by the shortcut in your programs menu or by typing cmd into the run or search boxs

    Now Type in

    • [Path to netcat]\nc.exe -L -p 5001 | [Path to mplayer]\mplayer.exe -fps 31 -cache 1024 –

    Raspberry Pi

    Open up the terminal window on your PI and then type in the following commands;

    • mkfifo buffer
    • nc -p 5001 -l > buffer | /opt/vc/src/hello_pi/hello_video/hello_video.bin buffer

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     
  • VennerCorp 11:13 on August 4, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , Raspberry Pi   

    How Do I add an VC-1 license key to my Raspberry PI?

    Before purchasing your License from the raspberry pi shop you will need your Pi’s serial number.  This is quite simple to do.

    Get Your Raspberry PI Serial Number

    • Boot UP your PI.
    • Goto system > system info > network.
    • Note your serial number –  should be something like 000000000ffae29e.

    Once you have your Serial number go to http://www.raspberrypi.com/vc-1-license-key/ fill in the form and pay your money. 2-3 days later you will get an email with your new License code.

    How Do I add an VC-1 license key to my Raspberry PI?

    How Do I add an VC-1 license key to my Raspberry PI?

     

    In the email you will find a line similar to decode_WVC1=0x7654321 the  “0x7654321” is your License.

    Add your License to your OpenElec / XMBC Installation

    • Insert your SD card in to your PC or MAC etc.
    • Open up your SD card in your file viewer of choice.
    • Open config.txt.
    • Scroll down until you find # decode_WVC1=0x00000000.
    • Delete the #.
    • Change the 0x00000000 to your new license.
    • Click save.
    • POP the SD card back in your PI and reboot.

    Note – Some versions of XMBC have a field in their settings tab to allow you to input your license directly via the interface.

    That’s it your job is done.

    If you use multiple OS versions on multiple SD cards you will need to add the License to each.

    Test your License

    This process uses SSH, i would suggest you use a program called putty get it from http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

    Default SSH username and password on openelec is username = root and password = openelec

    Get your IP address from system > system info > network

    • SSH into your Pi.
    • Type “vcgencmd codec_enabled WVC1”  without quotes.

    You will then get either a WVC1=enabled or WVC1=disabled.

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

     
  • VennerCorp 19:19 on May 28, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , , Raspberry Pi   

    Videos Keep Locking up During Playback on OpenELEC?

    Below are some hopefully fairly simple instructions to fix this problem.

    Quite often this problem is caused by using  a DHCP IP address e.g. OpenELEC is automatically getting an IP address from your router / Access point.

    The fix for this is quite simply swapping to a fixed IP address.

    For instructions check out our post on setting up a Fixed IP address on OpenELEC

    Videos Keep Locking up During Playback on OpenELEC?

    Videos Keep Locking up During Playback on OpenELEC?

     

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on OpenELEC or the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

     

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

     

     

    If you would like help with your OpenELEC, Media Centre, Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

     
  • VennerCorp 20:05 on May 24, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , , Raspberry Pi   

    How do I Setup a fixed IP on OpenELEC on my Raspberry Pi?

    Setting up a Fixed IP address on OpenELEC on your Raspberry Pi is actually fairly straight forward, but you will need to get some information before we start.

    1. You will need your Subnet Mask.
    2. The IP address of you router.
    3. The IP address of your ISP’s DNS servers.
    4. The IP range of your router / Access points DHCP server.

      Raspberry PI

    How to get the above information.

    There are a few ways to get this information, but the simplest is either via logging into your router and getting the information or from your installation of OpenELEC before you setup a fixed IP.

    Via OpenELEC

    • The below assumes you are connecting to your router correctly via DHCP e.g. everything works.
    • Navigate to SYSTEM > Sytem Info.
    • Move down the menu to Network and note the following items
      • IP address:
      • Subnet Mask:
      • Gateway:
    • The DHCP range and DNS servers will still need to be sourced from your router.

    Via your Router

    The actual method will depend on your router, but generally speaking once you have logged into your router you will need to find the status tab. This should give you the information you need.

    DNS Servers

    Within the routers status tab you should see DNS 1 & DNS 2 labels with IP addresses next to them (see sample below) these are the DNS servers you will need for setting up the fixed IP Address.

    DHCP range

    Again the actual place to find this will depend on your router but generally you will find the DHCP settings under basic setup or network settings.

    On the right is the DHCP setup section on a linksys routerDHCP sample. the Starting IP Address is 192.168.1.100 and the max number of users is 50 that means the DHCP range is between 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.150.

    So any Fixed IP addresses will need to be higher or lower than that range, I would suggest using the IP’s between 192.168.1.49 and 192.168.1.99 for equipment requiring a fixed IP address.

    Setup Fixed IP

    1. Navigate to SYSTEM > OpenELEC.
      • If  you want to setup a fixed IP for the build-in network socket on your PI select Network 1.
      • If you want to setup a fixed IP for a secondary network interface i.e. a wireless dongle select  Network 2.
      • For instructions on setting up Wifi see our recent post here.
    2. In the selected Network tab,
      • Move down to Static IP address and press enter
      • now enter the information you got earlier.
        • Enter the Fixed IP address you would like the PI to use.
          • This should be outside of your Router / Access Points DHCP range.
        • Enter the Subnet mask
        • Enter the Gateway IP – this will be the IP address of your router.
        • Enter the DNS server 1
        • Enter the DNS server 2
      • Click Save.
    3. Reboot your pi.
    4. Go into SYSTEM > System Info > Network and check that the PI has connected to your router / access point and is connected to the internet.
    5. Thats it …….

     

    If it does not work check you setting and make sure you have rebooted your machine, if it still does not work you may need to use an external USB powered hub as your WiFi dongle may require more power than the Pi’s USB ports can supply.

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     
  • VennerCorp 12:05 on May 19, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , , Raspberry Pi   

    How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?

    Below are some basic and straightforward instructions to get Live TV set-up on your Media centre, computer or Raspberry PI in just a few minutes.

    How to setup Live TV on OpenELEC

    How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?

    The below instructions assume you have a media box, Raspberry PI or pc etc setup with OpenELEC Frodo or later and have a Linux compatible TV tuner card or usb stick connected.

    If you live in the UK and want HD freeview channels I would recommend  the USB plugin “PCTV NanoStick PCTV Systems DVB-T2 290e nanoStick HD TV Tuner” this is made by Pinnacle / Hauppauge (note – OpenELEC will recognise it as a Sony CSD282, but this is ok)

    Just follow the below guide to get it up and running;

    1. First you must install the Backend server – this is what controls the TV tuner card, grabs the channel etc ….
      • This add on needs to be installed from with in the XBMC Add-on Manager
      • Go to – Settings > Add-ons > Get add-ons > OpenELEC Mediacenter OS Add-ons > Services
      • Select tvheadend
      • Click Install
      • Reboot your machine.
    1. Second you need to install the front end
      • Go to – Settings > Live TV
      • Select Enabled.
      •  A small message box will appear telling you need to install at least one PVR Client
      •  Select OK.
      • Scroll down the list and select “tvheadend”
      • Click Enable.
      • Go back to the home screen
      • Reboot the machine.

       

    2. Last you need to setup your tuner card on the backend server – this is done via a web interface.
    • From within a web browser type in the following changing the “ipaddress” for the address of the device running OpenELEC  http://ipaddress:9981 e.g. http://192.168.1.2:9981
    • You are should now see the following interface.OpenElec Live TV
    • Go to > Configuration > DVB Inputs > TV Adaptors.
    • Select the drop down menu and choose your TV tuner.
      • Enable “Autodetect muxes” and “Idle scanning”
    • Click Save.
    • On the left you will see a button marked “Add DVB Network by location”. – Click it
      • Select your country
      • Select the Transmitter that is nearest for you.
      • Click ”Add DVB Network”.
      • Wait for “Muxes awaiting initial scan” to become 0
    • Click the “Map DVB services to channels” button.
    • Click on the “channel / DVB” button, you should see a list of all the channels your box has found.
      1. If there are no channels showing give it a few minutes to finish scanning.
      2. If there are still no channels showing check that you have selected the correct transmitter.
    • If some of the channels are missing you might need to add a Multiplex manually – for example the UK crystal palace transmitter is currently missing the HD multiplex, you have to add this manually.
      1. Go to > Configuration, DVB Inputs > Multiplexes
      2. Click “Add mux(es) manually”
      3. Enter the details of the missing mux.
      4. Enter the Frequency of the e.g. for the crystal palace HD multiplex enter 546000.
      5. Leave all the other options as Auto.
      6. Click add.

    Reboot the machine.

    That is it, your device should now be up and running if you go to to your home screen you should see a Live TV button –  go into this section to watch live tv or setup recordings.

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on OpenELEC or the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your OpenELEC, Media Centre, Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

     
    • matt 21:08 on April 17, 2014 Permalink

      What tv tuner did you use?

    • VennerCorp 21:09 on April 22, 2014 Permalink

      I would recommend a USB stick PCTV Systems DVB-T2 292e nanoStick HD TV Tuner its currently about £54 on amazon.
      Works very well and gives a great HD picture.

    • Andy 18:55 on June 10, 2014 Permalink

      Hi,
      You recommend the nanStick 290e at the beginning but then refer to the 292e which I’m lead to believe is a tripleStick and the Linux drivers are not in the current kernel as they are under development.

    • VennerCorp 20:51 on June 10, 2014 Permalink

      Yes, you are right, Amazon has updated their product listing.
      You need to get the 290E not the 292E, which as of writing is not supported on the current linux kernels.
      They are under development and should be available in Kernel 3.16 and greater or for separate download soon.

  • VennerCorp 15:23 on April 28, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , Raspberry Pi   

    How Do I Install Open Elec To My Raspberry PI?

    OpenELEC is an embedded version of the Open Source media center software XBMC that has been designed to run like any other set top box you connect to your TV like a DVD player or PVR.

    It is a great piece of software to get running on your PI, you will wonder how you ever lived with out it.

    Follow the below instruction to get Open Elec Running on your PI

    Wipe SD Card

    If you have  an SD card that has been used before you might have issues writing the OpenElec image file to it with out clearing out any partitions first, follow the instructions in out recent post below.

    How to wipe SD card before installing OS on raspberry PI

     

    Insert your SD card into your Pi and power up.

    That is it, Openelec should now be running on your PI.

    If you don’t get the green activity LED light flashing on your PI then it means there is an issue with the SD card or the image you have just written – try redoing it.

    Now your Pi is running you might want to do some of the following things.

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     
  • VennerCorp 18:36 on April 23, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , Raspberry Pi   

    How do i change the Skin on OpenElec for my Raspberry PI?

    Changing from the default Skin to a custom skin on your Raspberry Pi is actually fairly straight forward, just follow the instructions below.

    You should be aware that some skins are more resource intensive than others and as you are probably aware the PI is not designed to be particularly powerful, so you should if possible keep the skin as simple as possible.

    The Default skin is currently – Confluence.

    1. Plug in your leads and boot up your Pi.
    2. Navigate to SYSTEM > Settings > Appearance > Skin.Raspberry PI
    3. Highlight and select “skin” on the right hand pane.
    4. A window will appear showing all the currently installed Skins on your Box.
    5. Click Get “Get More”
    6. A new window will appear showing a list of all the skins currently available on the XMBC servers.
    7. Move up and down the list and you will see a small preview with a description and rating appear on the right hand side.
    8. Once you have found the New Skin you would like to try highlight it and press enter / click.
    9. A new window will appear with various options select install.
    10. It will drop you back to the original list of skins, but you will now see a download percentage counter “Downloading 20%” next to your new chosen skin.
    11. When it has finished you will see the  “Downloading 20%” become “enabled”.
    12. Drop back to the previous window or
          1. Navigate to SYSTEM > Settings > Appearance > Skin.
          2. Highlight and select “skin” on the right hand pane.
    13. You will now see your new skin next to “confluence” in the list – click on you new skin.
    14. A new window will pop up allowing you to customise it, i would suggest for now just leave it on the default settings until you get used to the new skin.

    That is it, your new skin has been changed.

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

     
  • VennerCorp 12:57 on April 21, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , Raspberry Pi,   

    How Do I Get F9 F10 F11 F12 On My RT-MWK01 Mini Keyboard?

    The below instructions are applicable to the RT-MWK01 mini keyboard otherwise know as;

    • 2.4GHz Ultra Mini Wireless Keyboard With Touchpad Presenter ComboRT-MWK01 Mini Keyboard.
    • Rii Mini.
    • Wireless Mini Keyboard.
    • This keyboard is also sold under various other different names on amazon.

    It is actually very simple to get the extra missing function keys, you just need to use the blue FN (Function) key and then one of the numeric digit keys. e.g. if you wanted F9 you would press FN + 1.

    • F9 = FN key + 1
    • F10 = FN key + 2
    • F11 = FN key + 3RT-MWK01 Mini Keyboard Help
    • F12 = FN key + 4

    Remember you must hold down the FN (Function) button while pressing the number digit.

     

    If you would like to Buy a RT-MWK01 Mini Keyboard or Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

     

    If you would like help with your computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     
  • VennerCorp 12:25 on April 21, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , Raspberry Pi   

    How Do I add an MPEG-2 license key to my Raspberry PI?

    Before purchasing your License from the raspberry pi shop you will need your Pi’s serial number.  This is quite simple to do.

    Get Your Raspberry PI Serial Number

    • Boot UP your PI.
    • Goto system > system info > network.
    • Note your serial number –  should be something like 000000000ffae29e.

    Once you have your Serial number go to http://www.raspberrypi.com/mpeg-2-license-key/ fill in the form and pay your money. 2-3 days later you will get an email with your new License code.

    Raspberry PI

    In the email you will find a line similar to decode_MPEG2=0x7654321 the  “0x7654321” is your License.

    Add your License to your OpenElec / XMBC Installation

    • Insert your SD card in to your PC or MAC etc.
    • Open up your SD card in your file viewer of choice.
    • Open config.txt.
    • Scroll down until you find # decode_MPG2=0x00000000.
    • Delete the #.
    • Change the 0x00000000 to your new license.
    • Click save.
    • POP the SD card back in your PI and reboot.

    Note – Some versions of XMBC have a field in their settings tab to allow you to input your license directly via the interface.

    That’s it your job is done.

    If you use multiple OS versions on multiple SD cards you will need to add the License to each.

    Test your License

    This process uses SSH, i would suggest you use a program called putty get it from http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

    Default SSH username and password on openelec is username = root and password = openelec

    Get your IP address from system > system info > network

    • SSH into your Pi.
    • Type “vcgencmd codec_enabled MPG2”  without quotes.

    You will then get either a MPG2=enabled or MPG2=disabled.

     

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

     
  • VennerCorp 18:52 on April 17, 2013 Permalink |
    Tags: , , Raspberry Pi   

    How Do I Install Addons to Open Elec on My Raspberry PI? 

    How Do I Install Addons to OpenElec on My Raspberry PI?

    There are some really good addons available for Openelec  visit http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Category:All_add-ons to look at all the standard addons that are available directly from within openelec.

    Follow the below instruction to put the addons on to your raspberry PI

    Your Pi must be able to connect to the internet in order to install the standard addons as they are pulled / downloaded directly.

    Install Standard Addons

    • Power up your PIRaspberry PI.
    • Navigate to  > Videos  > Video Addon.
    • Scroll down and find “Get More…”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • A list will appear, scroll or or down to find the add on you would like to install.
    • Highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • Find “..”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • A new window will appear giving you a bit more info on the Addon.
    • Find the install button highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • It will drop you back to the previous list, you will see a download % counter appear next to your chosen Addon.
    • When it has finished you will see the Download % turn to “enabled”.
    • That is it, the Addon is now installed.
    • You can find the your new Addon in Videos  > Video Add-ons.

    The above will work for any Addon, just change the Video for music, program etc.

     Add third party Add-ons.

    • Search the internet for your desired addon e.g. BBC Iplayer.
    • Download the addons Zip file e.g.  iPlayer-v2.4.17.zip
    • Save / Copy your ZIP file to a USB stick.
    • Connect your USB stick to a spare USB port.
    • Power up your PI.
    • Navigate to  > Videos  > Video Add-ons.
    • Scroll down and find “Get More…”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • Find “..”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • Find “..”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • Find “Install from Zip File”  highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • A new window will pop up – Find your USB stick  highlight it and press enter / left click.
      • If you can’t see your USB stick, pop it out and the pop it back in again.
    • Navigate to your Addons ZIP file, highlight it and press enter / left click.
    • You will now be dropped back to the “install from zip file” menu, wait a few seconds and an alert notice will pop up telling you your new Addon has been installed.
    • You can find the your new Addon in Videos  > Video Add-ons.
      • If the Addon is not visible then exit the menu wait a few minutes and go back in, if it is still not visible after 5 minutes, you might need to reboot your PI.

    The above will work for any Addon, just change the Video for music, program etc.

    For more Tutorials and Hints & Tips on the Raspberry PI check out our Raspberry PI Blog Section

    If you would like to Buy a Raspberry PI, its accessories or software check out our –

    If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.

     

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