My 13 year old has asked for one as a pressie and I need to find out exactly what kit to get and how it integrates with the laptop and iPad etc.

He has quite a flair for this sort of thing and has been doing some programming at school and now at home using (IIRC Python) on the laptop.

Get a Pi3 – it has bluetooth and wifi in-built.

You can get starter kits with an SD card, keyboard, mouse, power supply and hdmi cable bundled in for about £40 (haven’t looked for a while, maybe more, maybe less).

You will need a telly/monitor if you don’t want to only interact with it via a terminal.

It will run whatever flavour of linux you put on it – won’t necessarily connect to your laptop or ipad – it’s a standalone computer if you want it to be.

It’s basically just a tiny computer: power via a USB charger, plug in a USB keyboard and mouse, plug it into a monitor/TV using HDMI, and use ethernet or wifi to get to the internet (IIRC the newer ones have wifi, older ones will need USB wifi sticks).

It comes with a fairly customised Linux instead of Windows, and all the Python stuff you could ever need out of the box.

It won’t really integrate with a laptop or iPad as it’s not an add on for any of those, it’s a proper computer.

They don’t come with a case so I do recommend buying a little case for it.

Depends what he wants to do with it.

In essence he will need a Pi, an SD card, a powersupply (phone style but beware some very small phone chargers don’t have enough juice), a keyboard, a mouse, and probably an HDMI cable to connect to your TV. He’ll want it connected to your home network so I think that means either a USB WiFi device [unless latest has that on board now?] or a Cat5 cable into the back of your router. He’ll want a case for it but they can be built from Lego. You can buy all this as a starter kit.

It is possible to use a Pi without all of that, by controlling it remotely from your laptop, but to configure it for that he probably needs at least temporary access to the above.

Its probably easiest to ask him! He may want to do electronics stuff with it, in which case he will want extra bits n bobs for that. In act if he doesn’t want to do something more that basic programming then its probably pointless if he is already using Python on your laptop.

If you head over to Pimeroni their starter kit is really good and is currently £10 off for Cyber Monday

It comes with sd card pre-loaded with an operating system and everything else needed to get going except a monitor/tv!

https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/raspberry-pi/products/raspberry-pi-3-starter-kit

Came here to recommend Pimoroni – they are very good

(I am biased – good mate and his missus work there and it was founded by their mates).

One thing to add to that ^^ is that there’s two cases listed there. The standard one encloses the Pi, the “Coupé” exposes the GPIO pins. The GPIO is what you use to connect it to other gadgets, so if he’s interested in playing with electronics (and what 13yo doesn’t like flashing lights?) you’ll need the Coupé. And if he isn’t, TBH there’s probably little point in getting a Pi over sticking with the laptop.

https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/raspberry-pi/products/raspberry-pi-beginners-kit

Thanks all so quickly!

The laptop is more the family one so if this will connect up to his Xbox HDMI monitor and he can use it in his bedroom freeing up the laptop then it’s a win win.

Yes, he is a bit of a mini Colin Furze and very inventive indeed.

So if getting a kit I need a minimum of:

RPi 3
Case
Power supply
SD card
Keyboard
Mouse
HDMI cable

And?

USB cable?
Ethernet cable?

What about extra kit mentioned for other practical projects?

https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/

great resources

the camjam edukit3 robot kit is great value for money and a good starter project

also point him at minecraft pi, he can code in python into it

somebody is about to offer free pi based IoT hosting as well

finally SMSPi for projects that text to you for free

OP what does he want it for ? Normal use is to connect to a tv to use it as a streaming device and it can run things like Kodi which will allow him to stream movies etc. He can run Kodi on his laptop too and connect it to the tv. Now if he wants the Pi as a tech hobby to play with installing software etc then there is that educational/hobby benefit.

EDiT just noticed it’s a family laptop so yes the Pi will add something.

Glad I wandered in here.. Have got a couple of Pi’s already but hadn’t come across the Pimeroni site..
Ordered a little something extra for the boys.. Pi3, Minecraft kit and Adventures in Minecraft book.. They are both mad on Minecraft and eldest(10) is really getting into learning how to code command blocks and design mods so I’ll be a popular Dad come xmas morning..
Thanks..

Will have to remember to show them how to setup a MinecraftPE server on it too so that all their friends can bring various tablets round and they can all play together..

Normal use is to connect to a tv to use it as a streaming device

It’s not often you’re right, but you’re wrong this time. That’s one use. There’s no such thing as “normal” use, that’s kind of the point.

USB cable?
Ethernet cable?

What about extra kit mentioned for other practical projects?

You shouldn’t need either of those (Pi3 has Wi-Fi built in).

Extra kit, there’s a shedload of different things at a variety of price points. Hard to know where to start with suggestions really, depends what he wants to do with it. I got a breadboard and a handful of basic electronic components with mine cos I’m a cheapskate, but you can get project boards and mini displays, robotics kits, all sorts.

What about extra kit mentioned for other practical projects?

Breadboard, some jumper cables, some LEDs, some buttons, maybe an explorer hat.

Explorer HAT Pro

Oh, I know what I’d have needed if I were 13 and had a Pi. Something to stop me frying the GPIO inside of ten minutes.

(Actually, 40-odd year old me could probably do with that…)

Oh, I know what I’d have needed if I were 13 and had a Pi. Something to stop me frying the GPIO inside of ten minutes.

(Actually, 40-odd year old me could probably do with that…)

RasPiO Breakout Pro

That’s why I suggested the Explorer Hat Cougar – 5v tolerant input/output and H-bridge motor drivers.

(Though the Rasp.io also looks good)

How about this kit?:

https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/raspberry-pi/products/raspberry-pi-beginners-kit

As for projects – anything like robotics, drones, alarms, vending machines (he made a cardboard one!), minecraft, gaming – please suggest something as I get lost once I start trawling the RPi vendors…

Some ‘everything you need’ project kits would be great as family Xmas pressie add ons…

Pimoroni also have The Official Raspberry Pi Projects book in their Black Friday sale (£8 usually £13)

https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/special-offers/products/the-official-raspberry-pi-projects-book

There are loads of mini projects you can do with Pi’s. One of the developers at work is attempting to manage his allotment with the use one one, loads of sensors to detect ground moisture, humidity in the greenhouse, light levels and switching on external lights if needed. It takes care of the automatic watering.

Another one turned his into a baby monitor and streams it to his phone, also has room thermometer attached.

My others halves brother works at the fake CERN in switzerland, they have who knows how many pinned up to the walls as seismic sensors. He even turned his into a GIF creator for the wedding photo booth.

That reminds me…

I have a WaveShare SpotPear 4″ RPi LCD that I was given a while back and haven’t had the opportunity to investigate. Can’t tell you much about it, but if someone can find a home for it, I’m happy to pass it on if you cover postage.

Ooh. I’ll take that off your hands if no-one else wants it.

maxb – Member
My 13 year old has asked for one as a pressie and I need to find out exactly what kit to get and how it integrates with the laptop and iPad etc….

Pi3, case, subscription to MagPi, and give him a decent budget for add ons for projects.

As for connectivity with laptops and iPads etc, leave that to his ingenuity. Expect digital mayhem… 🙂

subscription to MagPi

If you like, but the PDF version is free.

Well not really integrate, but if you’re doing electronics stuff with it rather than things on screen then you can just control it from a terminal on the laptop and so not bother with keyboard, mouse, screen. Which is what I do with most of mine (there’s one plugged into the TV though). I’d still suggest getting all of that lot though, as you have versatility – that and Scratch on RPi now has the ability to do fun stuff with the GPIO pins, so you can control electronics in a very simple way using the on screen interface.

As Cougar and Graham mention up there, if he does want to control electronics from it (which IMHO is where it has an advantage over a laptop, hence the only real point of one) then an interface board is pretty much an essential. I’ve not yet blown one up despite hacking the interface in ways you’re not supposed to, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have lasted more than an hour if given access directly to the pins when 13. I’m looking at putting something together for them for out local primary school interfacing stuff with Scratch, and realistically an interface board is a requirement there.

Cougar, YGM.

Thanks again all. Ordered a complete kit from Pomoroni and the Camjam robot kit for starters.

Interesting post this, it’s always useful to see guidance on this subject as I keep thinking I should get my own kids into this tech, if nothing else to be comfortable around coding.
Then I read this and I glaze over.
It’s just gobbledegook to me……!