CS 350 – Raspberry Pi Repository

Warning

This repository is for exploration and demonstration purposes only. It is not intended for course faculty or student use.

Prerequisites

Before you use this repository, complete these tasks:

1. Assemble your Raspberry Pi.
2. Create the bootable microSD card.
3. Power on your Raspberry Pi.
4. Connect your Raspberry Pi to the same network as your main computer (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

Getting Started

Follow these steps from a terminal window on your main computer. First, you will connect to your Raspberry Pi using Secure Shell (SSH). SSH lets you use your Raspberry Pi command line from another computer on the same network. After you connect, the setup commands will run directly on the Raspberry Pi.

1. Connect to your Raspberry Pi

Open a terminal on your main computer and run the command below. If you have not changed the default settings, copy the following command and paste it into your terminal. If you changed the example username or hostname, replace stu with your username and rpi with your hostname, and type the command accordingly:

ssh-keygen -R rpi
ssh-keygen -R rpi.local
ssh stu@rpi

If this is your first time connecting to the Raspberry Pi, you may be asked to accept the Raspberry Pi SSH host key. Type yes to accept and continue. The host key helps your computer recognize that it is connecting to the same Raspberry Pi in the future.

You will then be prompted to enter the password for your Raspberry Pi user account. The cursor will not move as you type the password. After you enter the password, press Enter to continue. If the username, hostname, or password are incorrect, you will see an error message and will need to try again.

Note. Use the hostname, username, and password values you set in Raspberry Pi Imager when you created the bootable microSD card. If you do not have this information, open the Raspberry Pi Imager and follow the instructions to get to the Customization section. It should have saved your settings. If not, you will need to run the imager again on your microSD card. Be sure to note the hostname, username, and password for future use.

2. Download the repository files and run setup

After you connect to your Raspberry Pi and have a prompt that looks like stu@rpi:~$, copy all the commands below to your clipboard--just click the Copy button on the right for the code block below. Then, paste the following commands into the Raspberry Pi terminal prompt.

These commands will install Git, temporarily download the latest project dependencies, and execute the automated setup environment configuration utility. Be patient, as this process may take several minutes to complete. You will be prompted to enter your Raspberry Pi password during the process.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git
git clone https://github.com/GC-STEM/cs350-rpi.git /tmp/cs350-rpi
chmod +x /tmp/cs350-rpi/scripts/setup_rpi.sh
/tmp/cs350-rpi/scripts/setup_rpi.sh

3. Reboot and reconnect

When the script finishes, you will see a message that says Setup complete!. Press 1 to reboot your Raspberry Pi. Be patient. Rebooting will take a few moments for the system to restart. Wait for the green light on your RPi to stop flashing constantly. Then, reconnect to your Raspberry Pi using the SSH command below. If you changed the example username or hostname, replace stu with your username and rpi with your hostname, and type the command accordingly:

ssh stu@rpi

If you see a message similar to ssh: Could not resolve hostname <hostname>: No such host is known, just wait a few minutes and try the ssh command again. Pro tip: Press the up arrow key to quickly repeat the previous command.

4. Verify your environment

Enter the following command in your SSH terminal to run the verification script. This script will check that your Raspberry Pi environment meets the course requirements. When prompted, type y to run the checks. If any issues are found, the script will notify you.

./scripts/verify_rpi.sh

If the verification script completes successfully, enter the following commands to view the directory structure. You should see these sub-directories and files, albeit without the comments, as shown below:

cd ~
tree -L 2

~/                        # User home directory on your Raspberry Pi
│
├── cs350/                # Course materials for CS 350
│   ├── m1/               # Module 1 | Assignment: Prepare Your Raspberry Pi
│   ├── m2/               # Module 2 | Milestone 1: PWM Lab
│   ├── m3/               # Module 3 | Milestone 2: UART Lab
│   ├── m4/               # Module 4 | Assignment: Wiring the LCD
│   ├── m5/               # Module 5 | Milestone 3: Button Input Lab
│   ├── m6/               # Module 6 | Assignment: Add Sensor
│   ├── m7/               # Module 7 | Final Project: Thermostat Lab
│   ├── config.json       # Configuration file for your RPi environment
│   └── requirements.txt  # Course Python dependencies (do not modify this file)
│
├── rpilib/               # Reusable Python library for RPi projects
│   ├── comms/            # Package for communication helper modules
│   │   ├── i2c.py        # Module for I2C communication
│   │   ├── spi.py        # Module for SPI communication
│   │   └── uart.py       # Module for UART communication
│   ├── config.py         # Module for shared default settings and constants
│   ├── displays/         # Package for display device helper modules
│   │   └── char_lcd.py   # Module for character LCD display
│   ├── gpio/             # Package for GPIO helper modules
│   │   ├── buttons.py    # Module for button input
│   │   ├── leds.py       # Module for LED control
│   │   └── pwm.py        # Module for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control
│   ├── __init__.py       # Initialize the main rpilib package
│   ├── sensors/          # Package for sensor device helper modules
│   │   └── aht20.py      # Module for AHT20 sensor
│   ├── testing/          # Package for testing that does not require hardware
│   └── timing.py         # Module for shared timing values and timing helpers
│
└── scripts/              # Reusable Raspberry Pi shell scripts
    ├── detect_rpi.sh     # Detect your Raspberry Pi environment
    ├── setup_rpi.sh      # Set up your Raspberry Pi environment
    ├── smoke_rpi.sh      # Run smoke tests on Raspberry Pi
    ├── update_rpi.sh     # Update your Raspberry Pi environment
    └── verify_rpi.sh     # Verify your RPi environment meets course requirements

Note. This repository and your RPi home directory include hidden files and directories not listed in this directory structure. These files support maintenance, documentation, testing, or automatic virtual environment activation. Do not modify those hidden assets. Focus your coding tasks inside the ~/cs350/ course directory listed above.

Troubleshooting

{{TODO: Add more troubleshooting items as they arise during testing.}}

Issue	Potential Cause	Resolution
ssh: Could not resolve hostname rpi.local	Network mismatch or Pi is booting.	Ensure your main computer and Raspberry Pi are on the exact same Wi-Fi/local network. Wait 60 seconds and try again.
Warning: Existing course folders were found	Re-running the script mid-semester.	Choose Option 2 if you want to fix your tools or virtual environment without overwriting your programming assignments.
requirements.txt not found locally	Broken file transfer state.	The script will automatically pull a secure fallback file straight from GitHub. Let the script continue running.

AI Acknowledgment

This repository structure, including its automated environment deployment scripts, was developed and tested using a combination of foundational course architectures and generative AI assistance to maximize system reliability, provide defensive file-backup checkpoints, and establish strict classroom reproducibility standards.