Use a Raspberry Pi plus a temperature sensor to talk to a PS Vita Display
Show the Outside Temperature
© Lead Image © Hermin Utomo, 123RF.com
Lua is an interesting Python alternative for small embedded machines that are not sufficiently powerful to run Python scripts. Create Lua socket client/server scripts to send outside temperatures between a Pi and a PS Vita display.
The Lua programming language [1] is often viewed as mainly a video game scripting language, because many popular games such as Angry Birds, Roblox, and World of Warcraft use it. But Lua scripts run extremely fast, making Lua a good option for many small embedded systems where Python isn't supported or may have performance issues.
In this article, I'll introduce Lua by letting it fight Python in a simple performance test that compares startup times. Next, I'll look at some good application fits for Lua, and I'll finish with a small home project that uses a Raspberry Pi Zero W that sends weather data to a PlayStation (PS) Vita handheld gaming console.
Before jumping into a Lua solution, it's important to consider the pros and cons. On the positive side, systems like laptops and Raspberry Pis can have Lua initial call-ups 10 times faster than with Python. For very low-end systems with memory constraints, you may see Lua starting more than 30 times faster than Python. On the negative side, Lua doesn't have the vast libraries, documentation, or user support that is available for Python. For small embedded systems that only require base functionality Lua can be a good fit. However, for large or complex coding projects Python will typically be the better choice.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.