Tim Cox - Raspberry Pi Cookbook for Python Programmers

Tim Cox lives in England with his wife and two young daughters and works as a software engineer. His passion for programming can be traced back to one Christmas in the mid 1980s when he received a Sinclair Spectrum 48k+ home computer (a joint present with his two elder brothers). By typing out and modifying BASIC programs, while dreaming about building robots, an interest in computers and electronics was sparked, which has never faded. This interest saw him through university, where he earned a BEng in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and into a career in developing embedded software for a wide range of applications, for automotive, aerospace, and the oil industry, among others.

Keen to support the vision behind the Raspberry Pi, reignite engineering in schools, and encourage a new generation of engineers, Tim co-founded the MagPi magazine. Thanks to the dedication and time of the volunteers who contribute to it every month, it continues to have monthly issues and attract an ever-increasing number of readers (and writers) worldwide. Through his site PiHardware.com, Tim produces electronic kits and helps people learn about the Raspberry Pi and hardware interfacing; each of them is supported with detailed instructions and tutorials to help novices build the knowledge and skills for their projects.

This is Tim's first ever book; it mirrors his own experience of discovering the Raspberry Pi and showcasing its fantastic abilities.

Writing a book about the Raspberry Pi wouldn't have been possible without the creation itself, so thanks to the Raspberry Pi foundation for their hard work (and good humor) in making it a huge success. The Raspberry Pi community consists of an excellent group of exceptionally helpful people from all over the world, and it has been a pleasure to be involved with it from the start. In particular, I would like to thank The MagPi team that has supported me by reviewing the chapters and helping me achieve the best possible standard. Also thanks to the Pi3D team who worked hard to get their library running with Python 3 for the book.

Thanks to my family, particularly my wife Kirsty, who has supported me every step of the way and daily suffered my obsession with the Raspberry Pi. The excitement my daughters, Phoebe and Amelia, have as they discover new things inspires me to share and teach as much as I can.

Colin Deady started his career in IT in the late 1990s when he discovered software testing. By now he had already fallen in love with computers, thanks to his parents buying him and his brother ZX81 and ZX Spectrum+ home computers in the 1980s. He graduated to the Amiga 1200 in the early 1990s and spent countless hours learning the insides of the operating system. Now with 14 years' experience in testing, he works as a test manager with an emphasis on test automation and extolls the virtues of Agile using Kanban and behavior-driven development to great effect. (Test early, test often; fix early, fix often.)

In his spare time, Colin is part of the editorial team for The MagPi (www.themagpi.com), a community-written magazine for the Raspberry Pi. With several published articles and having reviewed and edited many more, he has built up extensive knowledge of this tiny platform. He can also be found jointly running The MagPi stand at regular Bristol DigiMakers events in the UK, demonstrating projects such as a remote control robot arm, a roverbot, and LED display boards, all of which he has programmed in Python.

He currently runs a blog related to the Raspberry Pi at www.rasptut.co.uk.

Ian McAlpine was first introduced to computers with his school's Research Machines RML-380Z and his Physics teacher's Compukit UK101 microcomputer. This was followed by a Sinclair ZX81 home computer and then a BBC Micro Model A microcomputer, which he still has to this day. His interest in computers resulted in him acquiring an MEng in Electronic Systems Engineering from Aston University and an MSc in Information Technology from the University of Liverpool. Ian currently works as a senior product owner at SAP Canada.

Being introduced to the Raspberry Pi not only rekindled his desire to "tinker", but also provided him with an opportunity to give back to the community. Consequently, Ian is a very active member of the editorial team for The MagPi, a monthly magazine for the Raspberry Pi, which you can read online or download for free from www.themagpi.com.

I would like to thank my darling wife, Louise, and my awesome kids, Emily and Molly, for their patience and support.