Setting up Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+

[MargoBowerman]

Hello,
I forgot I had purchased this kit and now when I'm trying set it up, it is not being recognized on my HP laptop. I have the red and green LED lights on but I can't find anything on my computer. Is there anything I can do?

[bfinio]

Hi - to clarify, did you purchase a Science Buddies Raspberry Pi kit? Our kit (and these forums) are intended for K-12 students doing science projects. If you bought a kit from another vendor, you should contact them or use the official Raspberry Pi forums for support.

However, the very quick answer to your question - to use a Raspberry Pi you do not connect it to another computer. It is its *own* computer and you need to connect a keyboard, mouse, screen, and power supply to use it. We have a setup video on this page showing a newer model (the 3B+) but the process for older models is similar: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... spberry-pi

Note that this is in contrast to an Arduino, which must be plugged into a regular computer in order to program it, in case that's what you were expecting: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... an-arduino

[MargoBowerman]

Yes, this is a Science Buddies Raspberry Pi kit. And I would like to use it with K-12 youth but of course I need to understand how it works so that I can conceptualize how I wiull use it with those youth.

Does your answer mean that it will not work if I try to access through a laptop computer? (because it doesn't) I did go through your instructions but do not have a separate monitor or keyboard nor will the youth I work with.

[bfinio]

Hi - it is technically possible to access a Raspberry Pi remotely from another computer, but this process is complicated and we do not have our own tutorial for it. You would need to read the documentation on the Raspberry Pi website here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentati ... ccess.html. We do not really recommend this approach and cannot provide support for it. It can be difficult to set up if you have no prior experience with Raspberry Pi or Linux. For K-12 purposes the Raspberry Pi really works best as a standalone computer with its own screen.

If you can tell us a little more about your goals and the environment where you'll be working with the kids (e.g. are they following along at home, is it an afterschool program, are there other computers/laptops etc available, is there just one shared computer for the whole class), we can help point you toward Science Buddies resources that may make more sense for the resources you have available.