Interfacing with the Raspberry Pi (Coursera)

Interfacing with the Raspberry Pi (Coursera)

The Raspberry Pi uses a variety of input/output devices based on protocols such as HDMI, USB, and Ethernet to communicate with the outside world. In this class you will learn how to use these protocols with other external devices (sensors, motors, GPS, orientation, LCD screens etc.) to get your IoT device to interact with the real world.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Most physical devices use analog signals; however computer hardware is digital so in this class you will learn how these signals are converted back-and-forth and how this must be considered as you program your device. The basic design of a sensor-actuator system will also be covered. You will also learn how to build more sophisticated hardware systems using Raspberry Pi expansion boards to create fun and exciting IoT devices.
Course 5 of 6 in the An Introduction to Programming the Internet of Things (IOT) Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
This module presents the use of the Raspberry Pi to connect to the Internet, from a user perspective. The first way to use the Raspberry Pi as a networked device is to use it as a general-purpose computer rather than as a programmed IoT device. Using networking with a Raspberry Pi in this way is similar to using the network from any Linux machine, and we present its use in this module. We also present the standard Internet protocols that must be understood in order to develop network programs.

WEEK 2
This module introduces the networking socket interface that is used to transfer data across the network programmatically. An essential aspect of the Internet of Things is for your IoT device to send and receive data on the Internet, and the socket interface is key to enabling that. We describe how to use socket in Python to act as both a client and a server.

WEEK 3
This module focuses on how to have your Raspberry Pi interact with online services through the use of public APIs and SDKs. Many interesting and useful services are available in the cloud and this module describes how to write code that accesses those services. We define what an Application Programming Interface (API) is and what a Software Development Kit (SDK) is. We present some API examples and we show the use of the Twitter API in detail using the Twython package.

WEEK 4
In this module we show how to use the Raspberry Pi to interface with more complicated sensors and actuators. We explore the use of the Raspberry Pi camera module and the use of a servo. The Raspberry Pi camera module is used through the picamera library, which we describe. Servos are controlled by generating pulse width modulated signals and varying their pulse width using library functions.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Data Networks and the Internet - Bachelor's (Coursera) Coursera
Illinois Tech

Introduction to Data Networks and the Internet - Bachelor's (Coursera)

This course covers current and evolving data network technologies, protocols, network components, and the networks that use them, focusing on communication to and from the Internet and Local area networks. Course content includes Internet architecture, organization, and protocols including Ethernet, 802.11, routing, switching, OSI and TCP models, DNS, SNMP, DHCP, and more.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Learn JavaScript (Coursera) Coursera
Scrimba

Learn JavaScript (Coursera)

This is perhaps the most interactive JavaScript course ever recorded. It contains 140+ coding challenges, meaning that you will finally build that ever-so-important JavaScript muscle memory. You will solve the challenges directly in the browser thanks to Scrimba's interactive video technology, so there's not setup needed. Say goodbye to "tutorial hell" and get ready to start feeling your JavaScript superpowers grow exponentially.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Software, Programming, and Databases (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Introduction to Software, Programming, and Databases (Coursera)

There are many types of software and understanding software can be overwhelming. This course aims to help you understand more about the types of software and how to manage software from an information technology (IT) perspective. This course will help you understand the basics of software, cloud computing, web browsers, development and concepts of software, programming languages, and database basics.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Estructuras de datos de Python (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Estructuras de datos de Python (Coursera)

Este curso presentará las estructuras de datos básicas del lenguaje de programación Python. Veremos los conceptos básicos de la programación de procedimientos y exploraremos cómo podemos usar las estructuras de datos integrados de Python, como listas, diccionarios y tuplas, para realizar análisis de datos cada vez más complejos. Este curso abarcará los capítulos 6 a 10 del libro de texto “Python para todos”. Este curso cubre Python 3.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Comparing Genes, Proteins, and Genomes (Bioinformatics III) (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, San Diego

Comparing Genes, Proteins, and Genomes (Bioinformatics III) (Coursera)

Once we have sequenced genomes in the previous course, we would like to compare them to determine how species have evolved and what makes them different. In the first half of the course, we will compare two short biological sequences, such as genes (i.e., short sequences of DNA) or proteins. We will encounter a powerful algorithmic tool called dynamic programming that will help us determine the number of mutations that have separated the two genes/proteins.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Applied Text Mining in Python (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Applied Text Mining in Python (Coursera)

This course will introduce the learner to text mining and text manipulation basics. The course begins with an understanding of how text is handled by python, the structure of text both to the machine and to humans, and an overview of the nltk framework for manipulating text. The second week focuses on common manipulation needs, including regular expressions (searching for text), cleaning text, and preparing text for use by machine learning processes. The third week will apply basic natural language processing methods to text, and demonstrate how text classification is accomplished. The final week will explore more advanced methods for detecting the topics in documents and grouping them by similarity (topic modelling).

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Learn Imba (Coursera) Coursera
Scrimba

Learn Imba (Coursera)

In this class, you'll dive into Imba, the programming language used to build scrimba.com. Imba, a compile-to-JavaScript language, packs a punch with nifty features for whipping up web apps, including built-in tags and styles. We'll cover the ABCs of Imba syntax and work on creating a Dopamine Box app. By the finish line, you'll be armed with the skills to construct your very own web app UI using Imba.

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week
Technologies and platforms for Artificial Intelligence (Coursera) Coursera
Politecnico di Milano

Technologies and platforms for Artificial Intelligence (Coursera)

This course will address the hardware technologies for machine and deep learning (from the units of an Internet-of-Things system to a large-scale data centers) and will explore the families of machine and deep learning platforms (libraries and frameworks) for the design and development of smart applications and systems.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks