The Raspberry Pi makes an ideal match for the Internet of Things. But to put it to good use in IoT you need two areas of expertise, electronics and programming and because of the way hardware and software engineering tend to occupy separate niches, you may need help with combining the two which is what this book sets out to do.
Python is an excellent language for learning about physical computing. It might not be as fast as C, but it is much easier to use for complex data processing. One reason for Python's popularity is its wealth of supporting libraries and there are several for interfacing hardware. The GPIO Zero library is the official way to use Python with the GPIO and other devices and this book looks at how to use it to interface to fundamental IoT devices - from LEDs and buzzers to servos and stepper motors and several off-the-shelf Raspberry Pi add-ons.
This revised second edition had been expanded to cover all the current Raspberry Pis including the latest, the Pi 5, and the Pi Zero 2W which, with its WiFi capability and being a quad-core device, is an ideal device for IoT projects. It has also been updated to cover the latest version of the GPIO Zero library, which is both the library recommended by Raspberry Pi and the only one that works with the Pi 5.
The emphasis in this book is about using and understanding the hardware and GPIO Zero. It not only shows you how to "follow the beaten track", but how to create your own tracks. While it isn't a project book, many of the code examples described are part way to projects and all of the devices and techniques described can be used to create practical projects. Similarly while it doesn't teach you the whole of Python, it does bring you up to speed in the aspects of the language needed for interfacing with hardware.
Harry Fairhead has worked with microprocessors, and electronics in general, for many years and is an enthusiastic proponent of the IoT. He is the author of Raspberry Pi IoT in C, which has recently been republished in its third edition, and Raspberry Pi IoT in C Using Linux Drivers, now in its second edition.
Mike James is the co-author Raspberry Pi IoT in Python Using Linux Drivers, Second Edition. He is also the author of the Programmer's Python: Something Completely Different series of books.
