The project glossary is a collection of vocabularies or phrases (the terms) captured from various models, reports and any other artifacts in the software project. Each term are defined with its meaning specific to the project domain. … understand the design artifacts. provide description to key terms and phrases.
[box type='custom' bg='#d9edf7′ color='#40454d']This Post Contains all the Necessary terms you have to know when you talk about Raspberry Pi or Arduino Projects. There is an Extended Version of this Glossary Which have more than 300 terms to Visit : Extended Dictionary[/box]
| Headings | Definations |
|---|---|
| A/mA | Ampere/Milliampere, the base unit of electrical current. Milliamps 1/1000 of an ampere, measures the Current. |
| Abstraction | Representing a concept by hiding unnecessary details, revealing only the details that are important |
| Active Sensor | Sends a signal and then detects changes in the environment based on the data returned, usually requires an external power source |
| Algorithm | A series of precise instructions to solve a problem |
| Analogue signal | A continuous variable signal |
| Assets | Items needed to create a project, such as images or 3D-printed parts |
| API | Application programming interface; a set of functions used when building Software. |
| Arm | A central processing unit that is designed for small devices |
| Arduino | a platform based on hardware and software that reads inputs (a finger on a button, a light on sensor) and activates an output (a motor, a light etc.) |
| Armv6 | The instruction set architecture used on the first Raspberry Pi (Pi 1) and the Pi Zero range. |
| Armv7 | The instruction set architecture used on the Raspberry Pi 2 range. |
| Armv8 | The instruction set architecture used on the Raspberry Pi 3 range; very similar to Armv7 in 32-bit mode. |
| Bare metal | Programming the Raspberry Pi without using an operating system. |
| Bash | the most popular shell choice used in most Linux distrobutions |
| BCM2835 | The RP's SoC multimedia processor, The SoC used on the Raspberry Pi 1, Compute Module 1, and Raspberry Pi Zero range |
| BCM2836 | The SoC used on the original Raspberry Pi 2 |
| BCM2837 | The SoC used on the Raspberry Pi 3, Compute Module 3, and Raspberry Pi 2 version 1.2 |
| BCM2711 | The SoC used on the Raspberry Pi 4B |
| BLE/BTLE | Bluetooth Low Energy, a low-power version of the Bluetooth wireless communications protocol. |
| Bonding agent | Adhesive for sticking components together (e.g. glue) |
| Bootloader | Software responsible for leading the Linux kernel. The most common is GRUB. |
| Breadboard | A reusable circuit board for prototyping electronic circuits |
| BT | Bluetooth, a short-range, low-bandwidth, wireless communication protocol often used for mobile devices. |
| Bus | a communication system that transfers info from between computers or inside between compoents of a computer includes all hardware like fibers, cables, communication protocols |
| CAD | Computer-aided design; allows precise 2D and 3D drawings and models of real-world objects to be designed on a computer |
| Circuit | A path along which current flows |
| CISC | -Complex instruction set computing |
| Closed source | -not open operating systems that dont let the user see insdide, EX |
| CODEC | Coder/Decoder, hardware or software blocks that encode and/or decode video or audio data. |
| Computational thinking | A set of mental skills that help to define a problem in such a way that a computer can solve it |
| Constructs | The basic elements of a computer program (e.g. if/else statements) |
| Console | a version of the terminal that is always avaliable, and the first thing you see on pi |
| Control flow | The order in which a computer executes instructions |
| Compute Module | A Pi variant aimed at commercial customers; uses a different form factor, facilitating use inside other products. |
| Communication protocol | Example: Internet Protocal (IP) a set a rules to send and recieve internet message |
| Computer program | collection of instructions to do a certain task usually executes it in a CPU or Central Processing Unit |
| Computer network/Data network | group of computer systems that are linked through communication channels to facilitate resource sharing |
| CSI | Camera Serial Interface, a hardware interface for connecting cameras to SoCs. |
| Desktop environment | software to make the GUI look pretty. GNOME and KDE are popular desktop envioemnets |
| Decomposition | Breaking a problem down into smaller, more manageable parts |
| Digital signal | A signal that is either on or off |
| Digital making | Creative projects requiring technical skill and understanding |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a network management protocol which dynamically assigns an IP address and other network configuration parameters to each device on a network. |
| Directoy | the linux term for what Windows calls folders where fiels are stored |
| DPI | Parallel Display Interface, an up to 24-bit parallel RGB interface via the Raspberry Pi's GPIO pins. |
| DSI | Display Serial Interface, a hardware interface for connecting LCD panels. |
| Debuging | the process of going through a program's code to locate and fix a problem or mistake. |
| Device Tree (DT) | A data structure for defining hardware. |
| Device Tree source (DTS) | A human-readable source file to be compiled into a DTB. |
| Device Tree blob (DTB) | A binary file containing a Device Tree; the result of compiling DTS files. |
| Desktop environment | software to make the GUI look pretty. GNOME and KDE are popular desktop envioemnets |
| Dt-Blob.bin | A binary file containing initial GPIO configuration that is read by the firmware at boot time; despite the name, this is not Device Tree blob (although it is compiled by the Device Tree tools). |
| DVI | Digital Visual Interface, a video interface for connecting a source device to a monitor or display; electrically compatible with HDMI, so a simple adapter can convert from one to the other (excluding audio, which DVI does not support). |
| BalenaEtcher | The tool we recommend for programming SD cards ready for use on our devices; available for Linux, Windows, and Mac. |
| Embedded or Nested | one piece of programming is contained within another. |
| Ethernet | standard way to connect computers on a network with a wire connection interface for connecting multiple devices likes computers, routers, and switches |
| EXT2/3/4 | THe EXTended file system, the most common file system used in Linux |
| Executable | a file that can be run as a program. Linux files must be marked exeutlable in order to run |
| Flat Cable Connectors | a type of ribbon cable that connects things inside a computer but can be used externally, usually connects disk drives to disk drive controllers |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions! |
| Firmware | A Software bundle that lets the system address the USB wireless adapter |
| File system | The wat a hard drive or other storage device is formatted so that its ready for storage |
| Flashing | installing an operating system |
| GNU | A free software project which provides many of the tools used in Linux distributions |
| GNOME | one of the most common Linux desktop envioemnt |
| GPIO | General Purpose Input/Output, the programmable pins on the Raspberry Pi. |
| GPU | Graphical Processing Unit, a hardware device for handling graphical (and related) tasks at high speed; on the Raspberry Pi range up to the Pi 3B+, this is called the VideoCore4 (VC4), and is built into the SoC. On the Pi 4, a newer and faster version called VideoCore6 (VC6) is used. |
| GRUB | the GRand Unified Bootloader, created by GNU and used to load the Linux kernel |
| HAT | Hardware Attached on Top, a specification for designing devices to attach to the Raspberry Pi. |
| Hardware | physical parts of a computer system |
| Hard Disc | storage device for information for programs that works by magnetics |
| HDMI | High-Definition Multimedia Interface, a standard interface for transmitting uncompressed video and compressed or uncompressed audio data from a source device to a display device. |
| HDCP | High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, an optional encryption mechanism used for HDMI or DVI transmission. |
| HVS | Hardware Video Scaler, a hardware block in the VC4 or VC6 GPU on all Raspberry Pi models that is used for manipulating and displaying bitmaps. |
| ISA | Instruction Set architecture |
| I2C/I2C/IIC | Inter-Integrated Circuit (pronounced I-squared-C), an electrical protocol used for attaching lower-speed peripheral ICs to processors and microcontrollers in short-distance, intra-board communication. |
| Interface | a shared connection between two things such a hardware device and a computer or a human and a computer |
| IEEE | computer society that puts out conferences and information and updates and stands for Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers |
| I2S | Inter-Integrated Circuit Sound, an electrical serial bus interface standard used for connecting digital audio devices together. |
| ISP | Imaging System Pipeline, a set of hardware (and sometimes software) stages that processes images from a camera into a high-quality result; the Raspberry Pi has a built-in hardware ISP that processes images captured from a camera attached to the CSI port. |
| Kernel | brain or core that provides basic services to the operating system |
| KDE | Antoehr popular Linux desktop envieomtn |
| LAN | Local Area Network, an Ethernet- or wireless-based communication network in a localised area, for example a house or office. |
| LED | Light-Emitting Diode, a semiconductor device that produces light using electricity. |
| Linux | The main operating system used on the Raspberry Pi; the particular customised distribution for the Raspberry Pi range is called Raspbian; third parties have also produced their own distributions. |
| Live CD | A linux distrobution provided as a CD or DVD which dosent require installation |
| MBps | megabytes per second, Measure of computer processor storage, Is equal to 2^20 bytes |
| Mbps | megabits per second, Measure of data transfer speed, One megabit is 1 million bits |
| Micro-controller | a small computer that has a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals |
| Micro SD card | removable memory card for storing information |
| MSD | Mass Storage Device (amongst other things), such as an SD card or hard disk drive. |
| MQTT - MQTT stands for MQ Telemetry Transport, a lightweight and simple machine-to-machine protocol often used for IoT devices; see the MQTT website. | |
| NAND - a NAND gate is a logic gate, specifically an inverted AND gate; can also refer to a type of flash memory that uses NAND logic. | |
| NIC | -network interface controller/card -A computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network |
| NOOBS - New Out of Box software, easy OS system image installation for the Raspberry Pi range; note | NOOBS is no longer developed by the Raspberry Pi team, see PINN instead. |
| OTP | One-Time Programmable, a type of memory that can only be programmed once, and retains the programmed data after power off; used for serial numbers etc. |
| Overlay | A boot-time or run-time patch to a Device Tree allowing a degree of configuration by the user |
| Operator | tells the computer what to do with inputs values and variables. (See inputs values and variables.) |
| Output | Data sent out by a program (e.g. sound from a speaker) |
| Parsed | to have been analysed |
| Passive sensor | Detects changes in the environment without actively sending out a signal (e.g. a PIR sensor) |
| Package manager | a oool for keeping track of an intstalling new software |
| Package | a collection of files required to rrun an applicaiton, typically handed by teh package manager |
| Partition | a section of a hard drive that is ready to have a file system applied to it for storage |
| Parrellism | In some computer languages it is possible to make the computer perform more than one task at the same time. |
| PCB | printed circuit board; a board connecting electronic components |
| Peripheral bus | a bus for things like printers and hard drives |
| Program | is a sequence of instructions (or algorithm) written in a language or code that a computer can understand and put into action. A computer will do exactly what it is told so a program must be accurate. |
| Programming language | name given to one of the many ways in which a computer can be given instructions in a program. Examples include C++, JavaScript, Logo, PHP, Python and Ruby. |
| Programming paradigm | A style or way of thinking about programming (e.g. object-oriented) |
| Protoboard | A board which allows you to add components to a prototype circuit by soldering or cutting strips |
| Pink Pony/Unicorn - | A feature request for a future Raspberry Pi model that is unlikely to happen. |
| Pi NoIR – | Official camera module without the usual infrared filter. |
| PXE – | Preboot Execution Environment. A method to get a device to boot via the network. |
| PINN - | A third-party development of the NOOBS system, often a better option than the official NOOBS. |
| PoE - | Power over Ethernet, a mechanism to power a device through its Ethernet connection; we produce a PoE HAT for the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. |
| Polyfuse - | A self-resetting electrical fuse used on some Pi models to protect against over-current; can take hours or even days to reset. |
| Porting | conferting software to make it suitable for diffrent processors -EX: x86 software to ARMv6 processor |
| Rendering | the processing of an outline image using color and shading to make it appear solid and three-dimensional. |
| Raspi-Config | A command line tool for configuring Raspbian's operating system features; see our official documentation. |
| raspivid, raspistill, raspiyuv, raspividyuv | a set of applications to run the Raspberry Pi Camera Module in various modes; see our official documentation. |
| Raspbian - | A Debian-based Linux distribution targeted at the entire Raspberry Pi range, regarded as the official operating system; the current version is based on Debian Buster, with the first release in June 2019; see the Wikipedia entry for further release details. |
| Raspberry Pi Desktop | A version of the LXDE desktop environment, specifically tailored to the Raspberry Pi (used to be called PIXEL). |
| RPF - | Raspberry Pi Foundation, the original, Uk-registered educational charity (1129409) that launched the Raspberry Pi. |
| RPT/RPF(T) - Raspberry Pi Trading, a wholely owned commercial subsidiary of the RPF which designs and develops all Raspberry Pi products, including magazines; all profits from the RPT go to the RPF for use in their educational programmes. | - Raspberry Pi Trading, a wholely owned commercial subsidiary of the RPF which designs and develops all Raspberry Pi products, including magazines; all profits from the RPT go to the RPF for use in their educational programmes. |
| Root | the main user accout in linux, equivalent to the Windows administrativor acount. Also called the superuser |
| rpi-update | A program you can run on a Raspberry Pi to download the very latest test firmware and Linux kernel; there is no guarantee that the latest version will work correctly, so you should only run rpi-update if recommended by a Raspberry Pi engineer. |
| Schematic | A diagram or plan representing a circuit |
| Selection | Choosing which code to execute based on a condition (if/else) |
| Sequencing | Executing lines of code one after another |
| Subroutine | A named set of instructions in a program (also referred to as a function/procedure) |
| Shell | a text based command prompt, loaded in a terminal used for human interaction, interpets inputs from a keybaord for example, is NOT on the kernel but uses the kernal |
| Sudo | a program that allows retrcted users to run a command as the root user |
| SoC | System on a Chip, an integrated circuit that comprises all components of a computer. |
| SPI | Serial Peripheral Interface bus, a synchronous serial communication interface specification used for short distance communication. |
| SSH | Secure Shell, a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network; see our official documentation or the Wikipedia article on SSH. |
| Terminal | a text-based command prompt in whcih the suer interacts with a shell program -a device that enables you to communicate with the computer |
| TLA | Three-letter abbreviation, almost the entire reason for this glossary. |
| TLS | Transport Layer Security, a cryptographic protocol used to supply security over a computer network, often used to secure other protocols such as MQTT. |
| TP1/TP2 | Test points. |
| UART | Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter, a protocol for asynchronous serial communication in which the data format and transmission speeds are configurable. |
| Upcycle | Using materials which otherwise would be thrown away in order to make something of value |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus, the main Raspberry Pi models have four USB sockets for connecting USB devices, for example mice or keyboards. |
| Variable | A named area in memory where data is stored |
| VC4, VC6 | The VideoCore4 or VideoCore6 GPU used on the Raspberry Pi; contains a large number of hardware blocks that handle graphics, cameras, display, CODECs, etc. |
| VNC | A graphical desktop sharing system that uses the Remote Frame Buffer protocol (RFB) to remotely control another computer |
| Volt (V) | SI-derived unit for electrical potential difference. |
| Watt | A measure of power often used when specifying power supplies. |
| X11 | The X Window system, a package that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) |
| 10Base-T | Twisted Pair Ethernet |
