preparing a Raspberry Pi with a Windows computer

[mellowtigger]

Experimenting with a Raspberry Pi reminds me of bygone days playing with a Science Fair project kit from Radio Shack. They're cheap, and they're fun. They only cost about $35 for the base Pi, but you'll need 2X or 3X that amount to actually get it working.

These prerequisites are the hard part; actually doing the setup is very quick and easy! 

This post explains all of the prerequisites that you need to prepare your Pi with minimal accessories, assuming you are working from an existing Windows computer with an empty USB port. I will explain in a subsequent post how to actually perform the setup. 

You start by budgeting an extra $40 for this mandatory hardware and free software:

Item	Price	Description
SD memory card	about $6	4GB or larger preferred.
micro-USB to USB cable	about $10	Buy micro-USB not mini-USB!  It powers your Pi from your other computer's USB port, so buy appropriate cord length for where you will be placing your Pi.
ethernet cable	about $8	I use cat-5e, but I think cat-5 and cat-6 are also fine.  Make sure it too is an appropriate cord length for your Pi's location.
plastic case	about $10	I don't care for the one I bought, so I have no recommendation here.
operating system	free	I use the recommended Raspbian linux image.
Win32DiskImager	free	I use this recommended program to write the Raspbian image file to the SD memory card.
secure shell telnet	free	I use this Putty.exe.

Right-click the Win32DiskImager.zip file and choose to Extract All to some directory of your choosing.  If you don't see an Extract All option, then your computer also needs a program that will allow it to UnZip that file.  I recommend the free program 7zip.

You're almost ready to begin working.  Unfortunately, you may need some additional hardware.  This configuration is where you may run into more expenses, depending on the setup you already have for your home computer.  You may need two additional items if you don't already own them.

Item	Price	Description
SD card reader	about $20	It's mandatory that you be able to access the SD memory card on your Windows computer.  If your computer lacks a card reader, then you must purchase one (internal or external). You'll need the card reader only once during setup, though, so it's an extravagant expense unless you also use the card reader to transfer photographs from a camera.  It's nice to have one available.
1 small router 1 ethernet cable	about $35 about $8	It's mandatory that you have a free ethernet port on your cablemodem (or router) near your computer.  If your original router has no spare ethernet port, then you must purchase 1 small router (a switch or hub with 4 or 5 ports) and 1 extra ethernet cable. It will act as a small "junction box" for your network, allowing both your main computer and your Pi to use the same network connection.  You'll disconnect your main computer's ethernet cable, then put the new router there.  You'll connect both your main computer and your Pi to that new router, effectively putting a Y-junction in your network link.

You also need to know the ip address for your Raspberry Pi.  You have two options.

The automatic solution is to let the network assign the address for you.  Unfortunately, this method also means that you have to inquire for the address when you want to connect to your Pi. To query network addresses, you need to install free internet scanner software on your computer.  I recommend the free program Advanced IP Scanner.  You will need to run the scan whenever your Pi gets a new temporary ip address, so you know the address to which you connect. It will take a minute (or 2 or 3) for it to scan your local network.  Sort the results by Manufacturer name, and look for the one labeled "Raspberry Pi Foundation".  That's the computer address that you'll need to know later.

The manual solution is to assign a permanent network address to your Pi before you even start.  I prefer this solution, and I used it in my setup. You can easily "guess" a useful ip address by looking at the address used by your current computer. Use the Start button (or Start / Run on older Windows computers) to get the empty box where you can type in a program name. Type in "cmd" and press Enter. You will get an old MS-DOS black box on your window. Enter this command "ipconfig" and press Enter. You're looking for 3 sets of numbers. Write them down. IPv4 Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway Your computer's IPv4 address is probably something like "192.168.0.100". Pick a new number for the last segment, such as "192.168.0.200". The number must be less than 256, but it can be anything that your network doesn't already need. You can test it out now by using that same black box to type in this command: "ping 192.168.0.200". It should say "Destination host unreachable". If it shows you something about bytes and time or "Request timed out" instead, then pick a different number. You need a network address that is unused. Type "exit" and Enter to close the MS-DOS box.

Now you have all of the hardware and software you need to setup your Raspberry Pi "headless", which means without its own attached monitor, keyboard, or mouse.  You'll be doing it from your existing Windows computer instead.  Stay tuned for the next blog post.