Well I've finally used my first GPIO pins!

Powering and controlling a relay. Click! Click! Once I've bought a new soldering iron (can't find my old one :C ) I'll hook that up to my camera and I'll be able to turn it on and off on demand (hopefully). 

Well, it's more for turning the camera on when it crashes and turns off. Using a Canon Ixus 220 HS I got off eBay with a broken screen as a high quality webcam. Camera running CHDK, RPi talking to the camera with chdk-ptp.

I've also ordered a PIR sensor. Don't want to totally copy Mikee but it might end up on my balcony pointing at some bird seed :$

Woo, actually doing something with it. Mines still a XBMC, it does need an update though.

My other one is in a box with a webcam hanging off my balcony.

Local perv huh? (YJ)

I wish :(

Relay works great.

Took me ages to manage to get some wires soldered to the existing on/off switch on the camera without melting everything.

Camera dies
Click Click
Camera back on

That's what I keep going back to with mine as well.

I was thinking about trying it to host my blog and beehive install, but it's not fast enough.  I even went with nginx. I suspect it's mysql causing the slowness.

But in the end I think it's going back to Raspbmc!

I didn't get on with Raspmc, I preferred openelec build, looks like they have an offical build out now I will have to install it soon.

I don't think I could ever get used to XBMC on the RPi after using reasonably decent spec HTPCs.

It's not terrible.  The menus are laggy sometimes, but it plays 1080p files fine.

I second this post!

It's the laggy menus which get me annoyed. I've still not checked how good it is at deinterlacing. I use my HTPCs mainly for Live TV so that's essential.

Gotcha

I now have a motion sensor working nicely and a temperature sensor arrived today which works great too. Seems the little corner of the room my RPi is sitting is a bit cold right now...11C!

With a combination of the relay, camera and motion sensor I can take photos whenever motion is detected.

One day I'll use a combination of the temp sensor(s) and relay to turn on/off central heating. Seems quite a few people have done similar projects.

Motion sensor - £1.38
Temperature sensor - £2.11
Mini breadboard - £0.99
40 jumper cables - £1.75
Relay - £1.06

I like these cheap bits.

Great idea. Make it user controllable, maybe via a dial interface for ease of use.

You could make it wall mountable too.

And call it a thermostat.

:P

....then make it web accessible!

I think Apple has a patent on that, so he better be careful!

I want to start messing with Arduino, have you messed with them at all? Can you tie them into a system using the Pi for home automation things?

Not touched any Arduino stuff but may do in the future. The RPi is currently enough for me on the tinkering front at the moment.

I'm just about to pay for this.  Should get me started!