The future may look a little bleak at times. Predictions of a global catastrophe caused by climate change or nuclear war are commonplace. Oil and water shortages are predicted to become more of a problem over time.

Even ignoring this crowd of elephants in the room, the prospect of continued threats from terrorism, economic collapse, or even the birth of true artificial intelligence. can leave one feeling somewhat overwhelmed. Not to mention the zombies

What can you do against these looming monoliths of an unknown future?

1. Get ready!

This article will cover a few simple ways a Raspberry Pi or similar microcontroller can help you survive the apocalypse.

Too dramatic? Absolutely understandable, but these ideas are also useful to know regardless of your opinion of what should happen. All of the following are ideal for remote locations or for projects in countries where the infrastructure is not as reliable.

If you are new to Raspberry Pi, this guide is should be a great primer for beginners.

The first thing to determine when drawing up a preparation plan is what will be important in a survival situation. Today we will focus on:

  • Power
  • water
  • food
  • Light coloured
  • Safety
  • The quality of life

All of these things are either directly related to technology created in the future, or fed back into systems that will help you stay on top of any long-term survival situation.

2. Power

Having a stable long-term energy source that is renewable is essential to everything else on this list. Not only will you rely on it for lighting and any other survival technology, but it will power your Pi, and therefore one of your survival assets.

Battery

There can never be enough batteries.

A good sustainable alternative power source is a great thing to have no matter what your current situation is. Even in far less catastrophic circumstances, like a power outage in your area, being able to turn on some lights, play a few tunes, and maybe even have a retro gaming tournament waiting for it is a real bonus.

There are two types of batteries to consider here. Smaller power packs that can be operated remotely and a larger battery pack for charging and mass storage.

For the first, there is already a huge selection of options. Modern mobile phones and tablets consume more energy than ever before. As we mentioned earlier, Pokemon Go is solely responsible for the many people who buy handheld devices. and our recommended RAVPower box still looks like the best bang for your buck in terms of a strong and durable 5V PSU.

Another path you can go down is to buy a solar bank. These battery banks have the advantage of having a solar panel built into them so they can recharge over time. Unfortunately, none of these chargers are efficient enough to provide unlimited power under load, as even under ideal lighting conditions, charge times are slow.

Despite this, a reliable, weatherproof and shockproof power supply is a big advantage. At the time of this writing, this battery combines a 12,000 mAh capacity with its own solar charging and rugged housing.

If the Sun is still there, use it!

User Instructables koff1979 created the solar battery 12V for my Raspberry Pi using simple parts.

The advantage of the setup above is that it can be used to charge any 5V batteries you have. Constantly charging several batteries of different types is the key to not being left in the dark.

While this setup will likely keep your Pi running, it might be worth spending on something more if you have the space. User Instructables Jonathanrjpereira built a bigger 12v solar power system and documented how you can do it.

6 Ways Raspberry Pi Can Help You Prepare for Apocalypse 670 Solar Rooftop
Image courtesy of Jonathanrjpereira via Instructables

To take it one step further, you can use the power of the wind. John Showick put together a great in-depth article on running your Raspberry Pi on both solar and wind power, running various tests to get the optimal setup, including confusing pedestrians with your car to test power generation!

6 Ways Raspberry Pi Can Help You Prepare for the Apocalypse 670 Automotive Wind Turbine
Image Credit: John C. Showic via Raspberry Pi Geek

Pedal to the floor

But what if the sun doesn’t shine? What if it’s night, the weather is still and you need power? Then you need to work for it! Pedal power is another way to generate power in all situations, and the Adafruit K-Tor pedal generator is a portable and compact solution. It can power devices directly or charge 12V batteries, though you’ll have to pedal a lot to do so. Given that it’s likely that being fit and healthy is very important for survival, this idea seems like a good idea to get in sooner rather than later!

6 Ways Raspberry Pi Can Help You Prepare for Apocalypse 670
Image Credit: Adafruit

3. Water

Next on our list of essentials is water. Unfortunately, there is no way in the world for a Raspberry Pi to produce water for you, but it can help with supply monitoring.

Management Keith Hecker describes how to control the water level using an ultrasonic distance sensor.

6 ways Raspberry Pi can help you prepare for Apocalypse sensoronpump4 670
Photo Credit: Keith Hecker

While this setting is for sending reports to a web server, the same code can be easily modified to sound an alarm or turn on an LED when the water level falls below a certain level.

Likewise, the folks at Adafruit have used a flow valve to determine how much liquid is coming out of the keg beer in this case, although that might be the perfect way to keep track of all the important beers you’ve put aside. when you really need it the most.

4. Food

Another point to consider after a major event is how to feed yourself. No matter how much food is buffered, the long-term plan is always to create sustainable ways to grow your own food.

The Raspberry Pi is a great automation tool, and Chris Hunnam used him to great effect to create a monitoring system to counter his accidents.

6 Ways Raspberry Pi Can Help You Get Ready to Monitor the Chili Apocalypse 670
Image credit: Chris Hannam

This level of automation goes a long way in making sure whatever you grow gets what it needs, and with a bit of tweaking can be designed to notify you of thirsty plants before you lose your future lunch!

In a different but at the same time cool Approach User Instructables darkstar1 created a standalone Raspberry Pi aeroponics system that uses pond fog to prevent plants from getting wet.

6 ways the Raspberry Pi can help you prepare for the aeroponics 670 pi apocalypse
Image Credit: darkstar1 via Instructables

Cooking something like this along with a plant-based nutrient is a great way to ensure growth just about anywhere. Aeroponic setups require less water than many other setups, and this DIY version is the perfect small, inexpensive project.

5. Light

We already know that LED lamps provide excellent lighting for much less energy, but what other options are there if the power goes out? Aside from the obvious things like lit torches and candles, what other DIY options are there?

Using a solar installation with a 60Ah battery similar to the one mentioned earlier, you can power a 5m 12V 2A LED strip for about 30 hours. Of course, there won’t be much need to turn on the lights during the daytime — and that’s something you can automate with your Pi.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has a great guide to Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) and the simple circuit they describe will give a value based on the amount of light the LDR receives. While the manual only talks about how to get the value read from the LDR, you can easily go a little further and use that value to turn on the lights in the dark.

6 Ways Your Raspberry Pi Can Help You Prepare for the Apocalypse ldr e1487874645537
Image Credit: raspberrypi.org

The trigger will be a simple relay circuit connected to the same Raspberry Pi. To learn how to set up the relay side of this circuit, check out our guide. .

6. Security

Whatever the future holds, home security is paramount. Whether the outside world is falling apart or not, we all like to feel safe in our homes. Millions are spent every year on home security systems. despite concerns about the weaknesses of modern security systems, systems may fall into the dirt.

There are many options for home security systems DIY home security system but for a simple low power solution that is difficult to use, a reed switch is perfect.

Reed switches are magnetically activated switches that change state as soon as their magnet is removed. They are cheap, very low power, and can be installed on any door, window, or even a flap in case you’re concerned about particularly small intruders.

While our article on the door-activated switch, was made for fun, exactly the same principle can be used to create a reliable low-power alarm system for entry points to your home.

Even if you’ve locked all your doors and windows, there may be places you just don’t want other people to be in at certain times. This is where motion sensors can appear. Once again, there are many professional units on the market, but if you need something low-powered and cheap, you can create yourself, then the circuit from this project perfect. This article is a bit of good-natured Halloween prank, but the principles in it are an easy and sure way to make sure someone or something is sneaking up on you.

Live up!

If you’re really into a post-world scenario, or just trying to make small standalone projects for a more off-the-wall lifestyle, you need the little things in life to keep you moving forward.

For those who can relax and watch one of your favorite shows or maybe you prefer to play retro style games ?

However, some of you may be a little more focused and want to keep improving your knowledge no matter the situation. There are many great resources both online and offline for people who want to learn more. about their Pi. For more programming, it’s worth it now for Python tutorials (or since you can equally install node.js on the Pi, why not Javascript?).

Make it yours

Some of these ideas might seem a bit far-fetched if things go wrong, but DIY technology that you understand and can fix should be central to your preparations. These examples only cover a few basics and scenarios, but your imagination really is the limit. Taking hobby projects and ideas and turning them into useful life-enhancing devices is a wonderful feeling, whether it’s in the sense of preparation or not.

As with many things in life, if you understand how to automate small things, you will have more time to devote to bigger things. Whether they consist of repelling the raiders in the post world Mad Max situations, or just use offline solutions in your daily life to reduce your carbon footprint, so it’s worth exploring these projects and expanding your practical understanding of the technologies involved.

Learning is fun and practical. Be safe out there people.

Did you have any plans for a post-apocalyptic world? Are you a practical post-world inventor or do you specialize in Zombie Ballistas? Let us know about your Raspberry Pi Apocalypse plans and inventions in the comment section below!

Image credit: Vyacheslav Rashevsky via Shutterstock.com

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