Welcome at petrockblock!
At petrockblock you can find various topics from the world of microelectronics, tinkering, software development, and other related topics. You find our popular Raspberry Pi add-on boards ControlBlock and the PowerBlock here.
This site is also the birth-place of RetroPie, the popular retro-gaming project for the Raspberry Pi. You can find articles about the original idea and articles of the first years of the project here.
Enjoy your stay on our sites!
Recent Posts on petrockblock
Tutorial: PowerBlock with RetroPie
This is a post as part of a tutorial series about getting to start with the PowerBlock with various images for the Raspberry Pi. In this tutorial we will learn how [...]
Our New Website Design and Shop
Just a short post here: As some of you might already have seen we have a new website design and shop on our site. […]
Tutorial: PowerBlock with Raspbian
This is a post as part of a tutorial series about getting to start with the PowerBlock with various images for the Raspberry Pi. In this tutorial we will learn how [...]
Quick Installation Script for the PowerBlock
Making the PowerBlock ready to go becomes even easier! The installation of the PowerBlock driver is now a one-liner. We summarised the installation steps that are needed for installing the PowerBlock [...]
Quick Installation Script for the ControlBlock
We realized that the installation of the ControlBlock driver could be simplified. Therefore, we created an installation script that does all the needed steps for compiling, installing the binary, and configuring the ControlBlock service for [...]
Update for the ControlBlock Driver with Many New Features
We just released an update for the driver of the ControlBlock! What does this mean for you? More functionalities! More specifically, the updates contain: 4-player support Multiple ControlBlocks can be stacked on top of each [...]
New Revision of the PowerBlock: Increased Flexibility
The PowerBlock is a small support shield for the Raspberry Pi that provides a power switch functionality. Recently, we have updated the design of the PowerBlock such that it now offers an even greater flexibility [...]
Python module for MCP23S17 for use with the Raspberry Pi
Some time ago I revised the hardware design of the ControlBlock and added test points for all major signals. The overall aim was to build a device for doing final system tests that are done [...]