Charts
A continuation of Pi Pico SD Card. With the addition of humidity and barometric pressure and more fun with the charting. Deid’s presentation notes are here.
Sat. May 24, 2025 – Charts
Sat Apr 26, 2025 – Explore Python Virtual Environments on the Raspberry Pi
Discover Virtual Environments in Python, and how to manage them. Additionally, we will cover variable typing, and how it makes your code more readable.
Where: Quality Foods, View Royal, 27 Helmcken Rd #110
When: 9:30-10a Beverages & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi)
NOTE: The online server is only available during meeting times, so if you click on the link below and it doesn’t work then there is no meeting and this is normal.
Join Us Online here:
Sat May 11 2024 – Raspberry Pi Foundation Visit Report
In this session, we’ll get to hear and see Lynn’s trip to Raspberry Pi Central, where it all happens.
We are back at Quality Foods, View Royal, 27 Helmcken Rd #110
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Sat. Apr 27 2024 – Pi Picture Frame
In this session, we’ll get to see not one but two implementations of a Photo Frame running on a Raspberry Pi.
Don’s presentation files are here: Robert’s .pdf file follows.
We are back at Quality Foods, View Royal, 27 Helmcken Rd #110
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Sat Mar 9 2024 – Running AI at home on a Raspberry Pi
Craigs presentation notes are here. http://www.makikiweb.com/Pi/ai_on_the_pi.html
8:45-9:00a Coffee & Conversation
9:00a Presentation
PLEASE NOTE: earlier time for this meeting. There is another group who will be using the room at 10:45a.
AI is not just for the big guys any longer. It is possible to run an Artificial Intelligence program on your Pi 4 or Pi 5. In this presentation, we’ll learn about how to run an several AI models on the Pi, the advantages and disadvantages of each.
We’ll open the floor to ask the AI questions (via a web interface on the local network), so bring a laptop, all over IPv6!
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Sat, Feb 24, 2024 – OrangePi
Learn about capable alternatives to the Raspberry Pi. One being the Orange Pi, which has a similar line up, including the Orange Pi 5 Pro.
We are back at Quality Foods, View Royal, 27 Helmcken Rd #110
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Sat Jan 27 2024 – heat sinks and pi irrigation controller.
An application of Blue Board in calculating heat sink cooling capability, measured in Watts
By measuring the interior chip temperature over a few seconds of a chip cooled by a heat sink, you can calculate the watts dissipated by the heat sink. The DS18B20 measures temperatures up to 125℃ at the interior of the chip.
This is a useful measurement If you are making your own heat sinks out of copper tubes or folded aluminum sheathing, You can also compare the effectiveness of different heat sink compounds this way.
The presentation is at this bookmark in a longer presentation on how to set up a Raspberry Pi Pico as a Blue Board learning tool. Blue Boards are available for free from George at 250-893-7423
Sat.Nov 25, 2023 – Running Alpine Linux (with XFCE) on the Pi
Naturally, you can run PiOS on your Raspberry Pi, but are there other options, which have a full GUI (XFCE). Turns out, you can run Alpine Linux with full GUI on the Pi. A lighter-weight distro, which also doesn’t require systems.
Craig’s presentation notes are here: http://www.makikiweb.com/Pi/alpine_linux_installing_gui.html
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Nov 11 2023 – Intro to NextCloud on a Pi
Why just run your own video conferencing server, when you can simultaneously run that AND mail, calendaring, contacts, calls, IM, file sharing, remote backup, and a web-based office suite, all in one intimidating package. Get your own thrift-store Google G Suite going with the open source Nextcloud platform on a tiny Raspberry Pi! Great for the privacy-conscious, the independent, and masochists. We’ll do it the hard way and make configuring Jitsi look like recess at kindergarten (and then do it the easy way). Warning: the hard way will race through dependencies including Apache, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB and openSSL, so expect some mild suffering.
Richard’s Blog here:
Actual process including configuring a web server and database and installing from a source tarball:
https://tech.kosmokaryote.org/2023/11/technology-nextcloud-on-raspberry-pi_22.html –
here are the pdfs
and here
Much briefer post using nextcloudpi via docker from my notes, as originally demoed:
https://tech.kosmokaryote.org/2023/11/technology-nextcloud-on-raspberry-pi.html
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Join Us Online here:
Sat, May 13, 2023 – Projects Day
We will be having a discussion about Projects that we are working on, but haven’t shared with the group. These can be projects that are successful or ones that just didn’t work out and have been abandoned. We’ll enjoy hearing about other’s projects, and perhaps even offer to help.
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Small Boardroom @ Quality Foods, 27 Helmcken Rd #110 · View Royal
Join Us Online here:
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Thu. Apr. 27, 2023 – NetSIG: LXD Installing Pi-Hole in a Linux Container
NetSIG is a Special Interest Group focused on computer networking. Building networks for Today and Tomorrow!
Last month we did the InstallFest for Linux Containers (LXD). This month, we’ll install a popular application, Pi-Hole, in a container on YOUR Pi. With Linux Containers, there’s no need to dedicate a Pi to Apps like Pi-Hole.
This month, BRING YOUR PI, and the LXD 32 GB SD Card, and we’ll do a Linux Containers App installation on your Pi. Also bring a method to SSH to your Pi (e.g. laptop or screen + keyboard).
We will be meeting in-person at Quality Foods (small boardroom upstairs), bring a laptop and have Wireshark installed. This will be hands on. PLEASE BRING an ETHERNET dongle/port as we will be ssh-ing into your Pi, and configuring Linux Containers.
Afterword, we will go out for a beer/coffee.
This is a Hybrid meeting (in-person and on Jitsi).
Small Boardroom @ Quality Foods, 27 Helmcken Rd #110 · View Royal
Join Us Online here:
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Sat. Nov 12, 2022 – BASIC on the Pi Pico
Move over Micropython, Deid has BASIC running on a Pi Pico, and he is going to show us how he did it.
We will be holding a Hybrid meeting (in-person & Jitsi).
Quality Foods View Royal
27 Helmcken Rd #110 · Victoria, BC
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Deid’s presentation notes are here: http://deid.ca/pi/piPicoBasic/
Sat., June 11, 2022 – Marine GPS on a Pi
Dave will share his work in running Marine Navigation on a Pi including:
- hardware requirements
- how the zero could be used, but there are drawbacks
- I was unable to get a pi 4
- at George’s suggestion, I decided to go with the pi 400
- hardware modifications to integrate the GPS unit within the pi 400 case
- introduction to and a brief overview of the OpenCPN Chart Plotter Navigation software
- some ideas I have to make a more “system-critical” GPS solution (will implement if I have time)
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation (virtual)
10a Presentation
QCollege has welcomed us back to meet in-person. We thank them for their support.
Virtual…
Sat 25 Sep 2021 – Intro to Pi and Others Discussion
Intro to Pi & Others Discussion. We will review the course materials, and discuss improvements, and getting the word out.
Intro to Pi & Others is a four part series with each session building on the previous sessions, where Pi basics of software and hardware will be explored.
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM PDT
Sat. April 24 2021 – Displays
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM PST
Lynn will share with us the many Display options available for embedded systems.
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentations
Jitsi Virtual Meeting
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Please contact markg@vicpimakers.ca if you are having trouble connecting to the meeting server.
Get Lynn’s presentation here.
Sat. Feb 13, 2021 – Intro to Pi
Deid will give the Introduction to Pi presentation he gave to the OPCUG (Ottawa PC Users Group) last fall. It will be chock full of ideas for that Pi you have just laying around, or stuff in a drawer.
See presentation here: http://drsol.com/~deid/pi/piIntro/index.html
This will be a virtual Jitsi meeting.
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Sat. Nov. 28, 2020 – ESP32 Camera (Hybrid)
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
The ESP32 can do Video! Learn more about how to use the ESP32 Camera.
Presentation Notes here: http://drsol.com/~deid/pi/esp32cam/index.html
And Jim’s Challenge #3.
This will be a virtual meeting on Jitsi.
Sat. Oct. 24, 2020 Intro to Scratch (language)
9:30-10a Cocktails & Conversation
10a Presentation
Introduction to Scratch. Scratch is a block-based visual programming language.
See Eileen’s presentation .pdf here.
And Jim will introduce Programming Challenge 2. Download the challenge here.
Be sure to HAVE a LAPTOP, as these are hands on sessions.
QCollege has graciously offered to use their campus for our fall meetings. This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person & on Jitsi). Seating is limited, please indicate if you intend to attend in person (post to the event on meetup here).
QCollege
Suite 303 771 Vernon Ave · Victoria, BC
Sat. May 9, 2020 – PI Hardening (Virtual Meeting)
Learn how to harden your Pi
We’ll be conducting this meeting virtually using Jitsi
https://meet.vinnythegeek.ca/vicpimakers
Spring 2020 Learning Sessions
Sat. Feb 8, 2020 – Stomping Out Ads
Sure you can run an ad blocker on your device, but only your device benefits.
In this talk, we’ll compare PiHole, a popular ad blocker for the Pi with adblock for OpenWrt, and the benefits of doing so.
Saturday, February 8, 2020
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Q-CollegeSuite 303 771 Vernon Ave · Victoria, BC
Sat. Dec. 14th – Building a Seismometer
A Raspberry Pi Shake and Boom is just one way to watch the earth move under your feet. See how Cody and Eileen found the Rpi Shake and Boom and more.
10:00am
Q-College,
Suite 303 – 771 Vernon Ave, Victoria
Intro to Pi and Others: Part 4
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Q-College
Suite 303 771 Vernon Ave · Victoria, BC
Intro to Pi & Others is a 4 part series of short monthly sessions to help get you up and running with your Pi or Other (embedded device). It is a structured hour-long session where you can ask questions.
Please bring in your Pi, HDMI cable, and power supply. All other equipment will be provided.
This is a four-part series with each session building on the previous sessions, where Pi basics of software and hardware will be explored. Read More
Intro to Pi & Others Part 3
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Q-College
Suite 303 771 Vernon Ave · Victoria, BC
Intro to Pi & Others is a 4 part series of short monthly sessions to help get you up and running with your Pi or Other (embedded device). It is a structured hour-long session where you can ask questions.
Please bring in your Pi, HDMI cable, and power supply. All other equipment will be provided.
This is a four-part series with each session building on the previous sessions, where Pi basics of software and hardware will be explored. Read More