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Last month I bought a Raspberry Pi, but have since only gotten round to firing it up once or twice with Raspbian. My main goal is really experimenting with it as a micro-controller, for whatever I may be inspired into while playing around.
I want to set up a 'lab' board, with mounting spaces for the Pi itself, a few breadboards, breakouts, and whatnot. Right now, it's too early for drilling mounting holes on a metal sheet, as I don't know how I will want to arrange the various components on the lab board for any particular session.
So, my idea for a first off lab board, until I have reached a commonly used layout, is to cover a metal sheet entirely in Velcro, then stick the opposite Velcro to the bottoms of breadboards etc. and mount the Pi on a Velcro coated plate. The metal plate can then also be grounded to mains earth and provide a connection for an earthing wrist strap, something where I get heart palpitations handling the Pi without one.
What do other CPians think about that setup? If you have a Pi and do similar work with it, how is yours set up, w.r.t. mounting etc. Discussions of OS setup and similar topics are strictly discouraged.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. - Liber Al vel Legis, I:40, Aleister Crowely
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[note, I'm not affiliated with Sparkfun]
The Sparkfun Inventor's Kit https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12060[^] (you may need to zoom it/go for a detail view) comes with a nice 'tray', shown in black at the back of the main picture - in one half sits the (in this case) Arduino Uno, in the other half you use double sided tape to stick down the breadboard - so, it sounds like you're doing something similar - except I'd use a non conductive substrate, maybe a piece of MDF rather than a metal plate - your comment about the earth/wrist strap is noted, but Im a bit wary of so much conductive material ...
If I was going to start with MDF (for example), I'd probably lay out a spot for the MCU, wether thats Arduino, Raspberry Pi etc, a spot for the breadboard(s), a tray for components, a light if not coming from the bench, and maybe a strip of metal forming a 'bus', to which I'd ground the breadboard, wriststrap. If I were using external power via a plugpack, I'd have two connectors for that, the -ve end also going to the ground 'bus'- your idea about grounding to a mains earth is good ..
ok, maybe you mount a 240VAC (or 'whatever suits for your geographical location') socket on the far end of your work bench/tray, and the earth from that goes to your ground bus
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Thanks for the MDF suggestion. I had similar oard in mind to start with, but for some flippant reason the bulk put me off. Having rethought it, that was just silly.
What you describe in your 2nd to last paragraph, about starting with the MDF, sounds like my next step. For now I won't have any specific layout for any components, until I see what is most comfortable, hence the velcro, but otherwise a very similar setup to what I want, thanks.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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Garth J Lancaster wrote: except I'd use a non conductive substrate, maybe a piece of MDF rather than a metal plate - your comment about the earth/wrist strap is noted, but Im a bit wary of so much conductive material ...
I agree on the non-conductive, but I have seen an Ikea kitchen cutting board as his backplate for a similar application. And it has a built in handle to carry it. I liked the idea enough to use it...although I had to replace the kitchen cutting board I borrowed. 
Ken
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Raspberry Pi is a full computer packed in a small board and not a micro-controller kit...If you looking for a true micro-controller look to the Arduino direction...
In any case I would suggest to use shields to connect different extension boards to either of them and the breadboard only for externals, like motors, leds, switches and so on...
I too recommend SparkFun - I found them a good resource...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I'm not looking for a micro-controller kit, only to do some experiments using the Pi as one. I will want to also conduct other experiments with the Pi as an embedded processor.
For micro-controller type stuff, I have my eye on the promising looking CodeBug[^].
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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I've been using my old Wish board (breadbord) with my Raspberry Pi, but since there was nothing to mount the pi to it was a bit flimsy.
I'd definitely go for something where the breadboard(s) and the Pi are rigidly coupled. A couple of weeks ago I saw something on Dave's EEVBlog that looked like just what you are after. It was in the mailbag segment of his blog (on youtube), but I'm not sure if it was a general contraption or for some specific mini computer. If you aren't alreday a fan and/or subscriber of Dave it's good idea to have squizz!
Cheers!
[Edit]
Youtube EEVblog[^]
EEVBlog Website[^]
[/Edit]
"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability!"
Ron White, Comedian
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I traded my neighbor some stuff for one of the new RPi's and mounted mine on a piece of PVC sheet plastic, with rubber stick on feet on the underside and have my bread board on another piece of the same plastic that is set up with connectors for power supply and a few other things. Kinda hard to explain but it works very well.
I've been working with mine for a month or so now, learning Python, Tkinter and some other libraries and have been meaning to write an article, maybe it would be a good time.
New version: WinHeist Version Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye-
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Yes, I especially agree on your last sentence, where the Pi will be a solid poke in the ribs for me to learn Python. Yes, I have Windows 10 IoT, and so can code for the Pi in C#, but Python is nice and universal, and I can use them on Linux or Windows Pi.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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Don't have Windows 10 so can't comment on IoT but Linux is a good system, not Real time system but provides a lot of functionality and very configurable. I put off learning Python but glad I'm taking the time to learn it.
You might want to upgrade your system from Raspian to Jesse if you haven't already. It's has some nice enhancements.
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get upgrade
$ sudo rpi-update
New version: WinHeist Version Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye-
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Thanks, I think I'll get Jesse this weekend.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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It takes 10-15 minutes to do the upgrade.
Also, forgot to put in last post some apps you might be interested in getting;
conky - very nice HUD that displays system info.
geany - very nice editor/IDE sort of
iceweaasel - Firefox for Linux, a little slow but worth it.
Good luck!
New version: WinHeist Version Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye-
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If you build a clock, you'll get invited to the White House.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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Cheating, lying, stealing, murdering, sociopath friends...
Just finished The Sopranos[^].
It's really good if you like that sort of thing 
Now what will I do with my life next...?
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Sander Rossel wrote: Now what will I do with my life next...?
Try having one?
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That's crazy talk 
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Breaking Bad!
That's what I was going to say!
Life is too shor
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Oooh, that reminds me, I still have one season of Breaking Bad left to watch. I was at a loose end after Penny Dreadful 2 (and my heart still wonders, lost, in hell until Ms. Ives returns to my screen), and Hannibal, but I'm stretching Hannibal out. It's got something I don't want to gloss over all in one weekend.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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Breading Back
You have just been Sharapova'd.
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Brokeback ... mmhh no wait...
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Might give that a try.
It seems people here agree with you.
A friend recommended it too.
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Nice.
I plowed through The Sopranos in about 5 weeks. It's one of the very few series I'd watch again from the beginning.
And I agree with some of the other posts - Breaking Bad next, if you haven't seen it already.
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