What gets in the way of your Raspberry Pi project?

Tuning the WABAC machine ( refer to https://rockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com/wiki/WABAC_machine)  to Raspberry Pi 2, mine sat idle for quite awhile after power up, and eventually was turned into a retrogame system. The retrogame system is still serving that purpose for Raspberry Pi Jams and cold rainy days.  I didnt know what else to do with it. I wasnt familar with Raspbian, Linux, python, scratch, etc. 

A big thing that helped me moving forward with Raspberry Pi projects were Road Tests and Project 14 .   I certainly would have never attempted or been motivated enough to invest in high risk RPi projects ( like facial recognition) had I not had a deadline, my community reputation at stake, and some portion of hardware provided to help ease the investments of getting started.  There is a huge learning curve moving from controllers like Arduino to RPi. Seeing proven examples in the E14 community with code & HW help alot. 

Along that same thought process, the Arduino IDE has the Example Libraries included with the tool. Those examples are so convenient and critical for a successful kickoff when trying a new piece of application hardware. I'll save a copy of those examples and then modify them to get familiar with a device before integrating into my application. It becomes a piece of test code if the project stops working.

For Raspberry Pi, I need to surf the web for similar applications and advice. It's taken awhile, but I'm getting better at a basic feel for python. When starting a build, I then have to do a research project to try and find python libraries for the what I think I want to do.  I particularly find i2C difficult to deal, and need a library created specifically for each device.  

The free download Beginners Guides are fantastic for learning. You gotta surf and know what to look for to find them tho. https://www.dbooks.org/raspberry-pi-beginners-guide-191204773x/

To summarize, to do a RPi project takes alot of front end research, gathering of links, githubs, libraries, etc whereas with an Arduino, the IDE becomes my example guide, and it also has a fantastic coding reference guide, just one click away.   

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What help is needed:  One particular RPi project that I want to get started with is a switchable RC/autonomous car to use for inspiring others to build & code. 

This RC car was already hacked using an Arduino to interface the RC controls to the chassis steering and motor  , /challenges-projects/project14/radiocontrol/b/blog/posts/rc-toy-hack---rc-car-rescue-restore-recycle-retrofit.  I replaced the Arduino with a Raspberry Pi Pico. 

The next step for this RC car ( which I've been talking about for almost a year ) is replace the Arduino/Raspberry Pi Pico with a Raspberry Pi for selectable manual RC or autonomous control.  

I'm software-impaired. Each functional device in this build is a self contained research project to me. I'm both impatient to find published example solutions in lingo that I can understand and build from, but also get hung up if I don't understand the details. The project will involve camera(s), object detection, numerous i2C sensors, I2C motor driver, i2C servo driver, discrete sensors, discrete IO, multiple servos, { maybe even LIDAR from Summer of Sensors :-)  ??   }    

A super-fine helpful tool would be like an Arduino IDE example selection, where I could call up each device type with example code and application notes, applicable python libraries, etc.. all in one place. 

Tuning the WABAC machine ( refer to https://rockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com/wiki/WABAC_machine)  to Raspberry Pi 2, mine sat idle for quite awhile after power up, and eventually was turned into a retrogame system. The retrogame system is still serving that purpose for Raspberry Pi Jams and cold rainy days.  I didnt know what else to do with it. I wasnt familar with Raspbian, Linux, python, scratch, etc. 

A big thing that helped me moving forward with Raspberry Pi projects were Road Tests and Project 14 .   I certainly would have never attempted or been motivated enough to invest in high risk RPi projects ( like facial recognition) had I not had a deadline, my community reputation at stake, and some portion of hardware provided to help ease the investments of getting started.  There is a huge learning curve moving from controllers like Arduino to RPi. Seeing proven examples in the E14 community with code & HW help alot. 

Along that same thought process, the Arduino IDE has the Example Libraries included with the tool. Those examples are so convenient and critical for a successful kickoff when trying a new piece of application hardware. I'll save a copy of those examples and then modify them to get familiar with a device before integrating into my application. It becomes a piece of test code if the project stops working.

For Raspberry Pi, I need to surf the web for similar applications and advice. It's taken awhile, but I'm getting better at a basic feel for python. When starting a build, I then have to do a research project to try and find python libraries for the what I think I want to do.  I particularly find i2C difficult to deal, and need a library created specifically for each device.  

The free download Beginners Guides are fantastic for learning. You gotta surf and know what to look for to find them tho. https://www.dbooks.org/raspberry-pi-beginners-guide-191204773x/

To summarize, to do a RPi project takes alot of front end research, gathering of links, githubs, libraries, etc whereas with an Arduino, the IDE becomes my example guide, and it also has a fantastic coding reference guide, just one click away.   

================================================================================================================

What help is needed:  One particular RPi project that I want to get started with is a switchable RC/autonomous car to use for inspiring others to build & code. 

This RC car was already hacked using an Arduino to interface the RC controls to the chassis steering and motor  , /challenges-projects/project14/radiocontrol/b/blog/posts/rc-toy-hack---rc-car-rescue-restore-recycle-retrofit.  I replaced the Arduino with a Raspberry Pi Pico. 

The next step for this RC car ( which I've been talking about for almost a year ) is replace the Arduino/Raspberry Pi Pico with a Raspberry Pi for selectable manual RC or autonomous control.  

I'm software-impaired. Each functional device in this build is a self contained research project to me. I'm both impatient to find published example solutions in lingo that I can understand and build from, but also get hung up if I don't understand the details. The project will involve camera(s), object detection, numerous i2C sensors, I2C motor driver, i2C servo driver, discrete sensors, discrete IO, multiple servos, { maybe even LIDAR from Summer of Sensors :-)  ??   }    

A super-fine helpful tool would be like an Arduino IDE example selection, where I could call up each device type with example code and application notes, applicable python libraries, etc.. all in one place. 

This (Arduino Manager for Linux - Getting Started) has me intrigued, I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but I'll try it this weekend if I get some free time.