Scratch 3 was released in January 2019, and the Raspberry Pi and Scratch teams have been working hard to develop a desktop version for the Raspbian system.
Compared to previous versions, the new Scratch interface and features have significantly improved. However, these improvements require higher hardware specifications and more advanced systems to support.
With the performance upgrade of Raspberry Pi 4 and the release of Raspbian Buster, the block programming tool Scratch 3, loved by beginners, can finally run on Raspberry Pi.
Which Raspberry Pi can install Scratch 3?
In theory, the 1GB memory Raspberry Pi 3B can run it.
However, the Raspberry Pi official recommends a Raspberry Pi 4B with 2GB or more memory, otherwise your Scratch 3 may have issues due to insufficient memory.
Note that Scratch 3 can only be installed on Raspbian Buster and later versions; do not attempt to use older systems.
If you have not upgraded to Raspbian Buster, it is recommended to install a new Buster version on the SD card instead of upgrading the current Raspbian Stretch.
If you are already using Raspbian Buster but are unsure if you are running the latest version, please execute:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install scratch3
Or go to the menu on the desktop, then Preferences > Recommended Software, select Scratch 3 and click OK.
What special applications does Scratch 3 have on Raspberry Pi?
Scratch 3 provides new extensions for Raspbian, allowing you to control GPIO pins and Sense HAT with Scratch code.
GPIO Extension
The GPIO extension appeared in the Scratch 2 era, and it has been enhanced here to make it easier for you to connect and control entire electronic devices.
Simple Electronics Extension
If you want to add some simple electronic modules, such as LEDs or button controllers used in games. You may find that the new Simple Electronics extension is easier to use than the GPIO extension.
The Simple Electronics extension is very beginner-friendly and can also interact with Raspberry Pi GPIO pins.
In this example, the LED connected to pin 17 is controlled by the button between pin 2 and GND.
Sense HAT Extension
The Sense HAT extension has been improved to support new features of Scratch 3, and many new blocks have been introduced to facilitate:
Detecting device tilt, shake, and direction
Using a joystick
Measuring temperature, pressure, and humidity
Displaying text, characters, and patterns on the LED matrix
Micro:bit and LEGO Extensions
The Micro:bit and LEGO extensions have been available on the Windows and Mac versions of Scratch 3 Desktop. This is because both systems support the Scratch Link Bluetooth communication software. Currently, Linux systems like Raspbian do not support it.
The Scratch Link version for Raspbian is part of our plans, but so far we do not have an official release date. Everyone may have to wait a while.
Gratitude
For a long time, the Scratch and Raspberry Pi teams have had a common goal of running Scratch 3 on Raspberry Pi. It is amazing to see its release today!
Special thanks to Raspberry Pi engineer Simon Long for building and packaging Scratch 3, and thanks to the Scratch team for their support.
Source:Raspberrypi.org
Author:Martin O’Hanlon
Translator:Wang Wenwen, former chief editor of 51CTO Security Channel, Redhat Certified Engineer, Huawei HCIP-IoT Certified Engineer.
