{"id":2922,"date":"2018-02-02T01:21:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T01:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/notsealed.com\/?p=2922"},"modified":"2023-07-21T02:30:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T02:30:46","slug":"build-raspberry-pi-computer-kit-for-kids-full-piper-minecraft-pc-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/build-raspberry-pi-computer-kit-for-kids-full-piper-minecraft-pc-review.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Raspberry Pi Computer Kit for Kids | Full Piper Minecraft PC Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Piper Computer Kit is an award-winning computer building kit designed with teaching children about building computers and playing with simple electronics. I was looking for a raspberry pi stem kit for my kids and came across\u00a0<\/span>Piper’s wooden computer.<\/p>\n

A quick history on Piper, they started their mission to empower future inventors\u00a0by putting their kit up\u00a0on\u00a0Kickstarter.<\/a>\u00a0It successfully raised approximately $280,000 with the support of 1,375 backers. This overwhelming amount of support has helped founders Mark\u00a0Pavlyukovskyy, Shree Bose, and Joel Sadler\u00a0promotes\u00a0STEM education in a fun and engaging way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Piper follows the path previously taken by Lego robotics: they employ a child\u2019s\u00a0plaything\u00a0and use it to become an instrument of learning.\u00a0In the case of Piper, they use Minecraft to help kids learn about code and easy electronics.<\/p>\n

Each child\u2019s Piper experience is a unique one,\u00a0making every reassembly or coding mission an adventure of fun and learning. Whether you\u2019re adding hardware or software,\u00a0finishing\u00a0or creating challenges, the Piper Computer Kit presents an opportunity for your child to learn.\u00a0What’s great is once your child has completed the design and finished the game you can remove the components and let another child build the\u00a0raspberry pi 3 computer kit and start Minecraft from the beginning. This is amazing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Build<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t just take the cake from me; after all, I\u2019m just an average consumer with great admiration for what Piper does. Take it from the likes of Steve Wozniak\u2014one of the innovators who created Apple\u2014who\u00a0says\u00a0\u201cI love Piper because it represents what enabled me to do all the great technology things in my life\u201d.<\/em> Or the nine awards its gathered for three years since its production.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is my detailed review\u00a0of\u00a0what Piper\u00a0has\u00a0to offer and my two cents on it. Hopefully, it will help you decide if it\u2019s a great fit for your child (or if you want one yourself!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our Piper Wooden Computer Build Experience<\/h2>\n

Helping my 13-year-old boy build this\u00a0raspberry pi computer kit was a great bonding experience. While I guided him from time to time, he basically was able to complete the whole Piper computer kit build in under an hour. It’s a very similar experience much like\u00a0building a basic home PC<\/a> but on a more miniature scale.<\/p>\n

We found it best to clear the kitchen table and fold out the Piper blueprints, it actually nearly covered the whole table.<\/p>\n

I like the way Piper makes you build modules in steps. First the Storage box, then the base and folding lid. Next, comes the screen and Raspberry pie board. Connecting them all together is a simple plug and play system.<\/p>\n

I really like the quality brass bolts and nuts, it really makes this Minecraft kids computer kit look like a quality piece of display furniture. So let’s check out each module part in detail.<\/p>\n

Build the Piper Controller Box First<\/h3>\n

\"Piper<\/p>\n

The easy way to build your Piper Minecraft Computer is to just follow the blueprints in order. Start with the controller box. No glue is required. The brass bolts will hold most pieces together firmly.<\/p>\n

This is where the push buttons will be installed. It’s the hand controller for moving your character around the Minecraft game. During the game, you will be shown where to install the wires and push buttons.<\/p>\n

Piper Storage Chest<\/h3>\n

\"raspberry<\/p>\n

Building the piper storage chest is next. This is a very easy box to make which has a see-through lid. This is the box where you will store all the leftover pieces, cables, wires, and the retractable mouse.<\/p>\n

It’s a nice idea since there are many small pieces that are not required in the beginning. These get added on as your child progresses through the\u00a0Minecraft game.<\/p>\n

Screen and cables.<\/h3>\n

\"build<\/p>\n

Next is to mount the display screen onto the wood backing and install the cables. The screen is powered by a USB cable and receives its signal from an HDMI cable. Be sure not to damage the delicate brown display ribbon cable.<\/p>\n

The LCD screen is actually a high-quality 7 inch 800×480 pixels display that provides a very crisp image.<\/p>\n

Piper Base Assembly<\/h3>\n

\"Piper<\/p>\n

The wooden base assembly was the hardest part to build and may require the help of another pair of hands. As you can see there are a lot of brass bolts and hinges to install. A nice touch was the laser engraving of the location of all of the components inside of the box.<\/p>\n

A small Philips screwdriver is supplied so you don’t need any other tools to make up this computer kit.<\/p>\n

Screen Assembly<\/h3>\n

\"build<\/p>\n

The Piper screen assembly is in step 5. There are a few parts to this so follow them closely. Make sure to have most of the green cables sticking out as far as they go. These will plug into the power bank as well as the Raspberry Pi. So the more room to play the better.<\/p>\n

Once the screen is installed its time to plug in the Raspberry Pi, all the cables, and the mouse. Double-check all of your connections and fully charge up the power bank.<\/p>\n

Its now time to turn on the Piper\u00a0raspberry pi computer kit and watch the bootup process. This should only take a few seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations you have now built one of the\u00a0best computer kits for kids.<\/p>\n

Updating the Piper Raspberry Pi Stem kit<\/span><\/h2>\n

As this Piper wooden computer kit uses LINUX as its operating system its best to connect it to the internet to do updates and level upgrades.<\/p>\n

Activating the WiFi in the Linux menu is easy.\u00a0Click the network item in the top right-hand corner. This will let you connect to a WiFi network. To input, the SSID password, use a USB keyboard and plug it into a spare USB slot on the Raspberry Pi.<\/p>\n

Once connected to your network run the Piper Minecraft game again and select install updates. Make sure to have a full battery or plug in the power bank to a micro USB phone charger. If you run out of power while an update is being run there is a possibility of corrupted game files<\/p>\n

This will update the game for stability and extra levels. The update will happen automatically next time you run Minecraft, which will take around 5 minutes depending on the speed of your internet connection.<\/p>\n

If you don’t have WiFi you can always use an ethernet cable connected directly to your router and plugged into the Raspberry Pi.<\/p>\n

It was nice to be able to explore the Linux operating system and see that the Raspberry Pi 3 is fast enough to do web browsing and play youtube videos. This means you have a fully functioning PC that even comes with some free Word and Excell<\/strong><\/em> processing programs.<\/p>\n

Piper Computer Kit Review for Kids –\u00a0<\/span>Pros & Cons\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Pros<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • A complete kit for children<\/b>\u00a0and adults alike<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This Piper children’s computer kit has all the software and hardware needed for the basics of learning how a basic computer works. Children get to learn the hardware aspect by assembling Piper, and soon learn the software aspect when they boot it up and take on the missions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Complete customizable<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      This amazing\u00a0build-your-own computer kit<\/span> can\u00a0be assembled and disassembled multiple times. This makes it a great gift to be shared by siblings, or for experimentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Great customer service<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Piper\u2019s customer service actively engages with customers, helping them continue to upgrade their experience and challenge them.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Some children, after completing all the Piper missions, can experiment with their Pipers to turn them into Amazon\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Alexas and Echos just by adding a USB microphone. O<\/span><\/span>thers customize their Pipers into more advanced versions.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n