Day Three: Intro to Robotics with 42 Electronics

Today is the third day of my stretch goal project for this quarter. If you want to start from the beginning, see Day One.

I started using the raspberry pi and python today. I was having a pretty good time, so I completed all the lessons. I’m ahead of schedule!

I still don’t have a robot, but that’s because this project is just an introduction. It’s the first of four kits. I’ll probably buy the other kits and complete them as stretch goal projects throughout the year. I didn’t learn quite enough to feel comfortable with building a robot on my own yet.

I did learn a few things today though. Many years ago, I learned how to use vi as my command line text editor. I’ve been using it ever since. I briefly learned how to use nano today. Interesting! I’ll probably stick with vi when possible in the future, since that’s what I’m used to. The text editor debate is so old that I have nothing new to add. I also learned how to use Thonny as an IDE today. I’ve used the built-in Idle IDE for python 2 in the past, but Thonny has such nice syntax checking and error messaging for python 3 that maybe I’ll start recommending it for python newbies. It’s really simple and possibly doesn’t have any exciting features, but I didn’t check.

Overall, this project was really practical and useful. I’m not a programmer or a roboticist. I’m a technical writer. I’ve read various books and taken a variety of classes trying to learn python and get it to stick. It’s true that if you don’t use it, you lose it. I don’t use it very often, so I need refreshers now and then. My favorite part of this kit was that the examples were so useful. I’ve always hated it in the past when python classes made me build an interest calculator. I have zero interest in interest. It was a refreshing change of pace to program some pins to turn on some lights (for example).

The following pics are of my lights turning on and off in a loop: