AutoRemote and Linux

I successfully paired Raspberry Pi with two android devices via AutoRemote.

I used the instructions here http://joaoapps.com/autoremote/linux/ but was getting an invalid key error. This is because I was trying to use the personal url rather than the personal key. The difference is explained here: http://joaoapps.com/autoremote/personal/ .

I set these connections up using the internal IP but will try to add registrations using a public IP so I can control from anywhere. I'll need to set up port fowarding in my router. I'll also need to come up with the best way to always know my home public IP.

I also successfully sent commands from my phone to the RPi.

• sudo halt
• aplay [filepath]

Playing Audio on Rasperry Pi

I successfully played an audio file (.wav) out the headphone jack using the command:

aplay [name of file]

I also tried to adjust the volume using amixer but it didn't seem to make a difference. I'll need to play with that some more.

Transfer Files from Windows to Raspberry Pi

I wanted to transfer a .wav file from my windows machine to the raspberry pi.

I found this blog post and successfully used WinSCP.

http://www.neil-black.co.uk/transfer-files-across-your-network-from-windows-to-a-raspberry-pi#.Upaw-sTUBiI

Use the SCP protocol rather than FTP or SFTP.

apt-get update vs upgrade

Today I learned the difference between
apt-get update 
and
apt-get upgrade

http://askubuntu.com/questions/94102/what-is-the-difference-between-apt-get-update-and-upgrade

both require
sudo

Bootable USB Drive for Linux Install

Today I learned about and used the Universal USB Installer software to prepare a bootable USD thumb drive with an Ubuntu image. I then installed Ubuntu on an old Dell Mini Inspiron 910 netbook.

 http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/

Linux installs are so much easier now. I remember installing linux 15 years ago and it was not for the faint-at-heart.

EventGhost

Just installed EventGhost. I've been starting to investigate how to use EventGhost, AutoRemote, and Tasker to control the PC from an Android device.

More to come.



Resources:

• http://www.pocketables.com/2013/06/getting-started-with-eventghost-autoremote-and-tasker.html
• http://joaoapps.com/autoremote/eventghost/

Eject USB Drive - Error and Fix

Earlier today, I successfully used a USB drive in my raspberry pi but when I went to eject the drive by right clicking on the drive in the file manager (via the desktop), I got an error message: "Error starting job: Failed to execute child process "eject". No such file."

Found this thread: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=18364

Installed "eject" using the command line:

sudo apt-get install eject

Works now.

Rasp Pi: USB Thumbdrive

First time trying a USB thumb drive in the raspberry pi. After plugging it in, I remoted in (RDP) and it was already mounted as a drive in the file system. I didn't need to do anything.

I need to test whether it would have been mounted if I only remoted in via terminal (SSH). Was it the x interface that mounted it or the plugging in of the drive at the OS level that mounted it?



Resources:

• http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-add-usb-storage-to-the-raspberry-pi/

Shutting Down the Raspberry Pi

Two options for shutting down the raspberry pi from the command line:

sudo shutdown -h now

or

sudo halt

AutoRemote, AutoLocation, AutoVoice

I have purchased and started playing with three plug in apps for Tasker created by João Dias.

• AutoVoice
• AutoRemote
• AutoLocation

Info on these plugins can be found here.

Connect Digital Camera to Raspberry Pi

I tried to connect an older digital camera, the Cannon Powershot Elph SD1000, to the raspberry pi and use it to take pictures remotely.

I installed gphoto2.

After a number of attempts, I saw that while accessing files on the SD1000 is possible, taking photos is not.

We have a couple of other old digital cameras around, I'll try those when I get the chance.

startx

From the command line, use 

startx 

to launch the desktop GUI.

(Raspian Wheezy OS)

New Raspberry Pi

I received my new raspberry pi as a birthday present.

I ordered the Raspberry Pi Model B Board with 8GB O/S Card from MCM Electronics for just under $40.

I already had a 1 amp, 5 volt micro USB charger from an old cell phone. While the minimum is 700 milliamps, everyone recommends at least 1 amp.

I connected it to our home network via ethernet. A wireless adapter is on the wishlist.

I didn't have an HDMI tv close to a network drop so I used the analog port to connect to an old tv. At first, no video appeared but then I needed to press 4 at startup so that the pi would output to analog NTSC.

I borrowed a USB mouse and keyboard from another computer in order to get things setup.

Everything working great so far.

Sleep Data - Getting Started

Occasionally, I have trouble sleeping. The most common issue is waking up in the middle of the night, typically around 2am, and having trouble getting back to sleep.

There are lots of variables that could impact my sleep and rather than just guessing, I wanted to start collecting my actual sleep times and other events that could impact sleep. Then I can look for potential causal relationships.

I've been using Tasker on my Android phone to collect sleep data. When I turn the phone face down, it sets that time to a variable. Then when the phone is picked up (and it's been more than 1/2 hour), a dialog asked why I woke up. Then it records the date, time, duration, and reason to a new line in a csv file on the phone. That file is synced once a day to my Google Drive so I can work further with it.

I also have a Tasker dialog that allows me to collect events that could affect sleep such as caffine, stress, nap, etc. That records the date, time, and reason to another csv file.

I've started to learn how to use R, a statistics programming language/environment, to analyze the data but still very early in that process. Specifically, I've been using R Studio.