Mobile Raspberry Pi Setup with iPad Pro - Coding, Productivity & More

[@tech_craft]

See the VSCode setup video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2K8l5R9npV5ps0

[@brianradwanski6544]

I can confirm this works just fine on iPad Air 4 with usbc. Been using RPI4 8G with Ubuntu for awhile now.

[@tech_craft]

Excellent. I'm going to make this the pinned comment.

[@brianradwanski6544]

rob have you tried XRDP? Microsoft’s rDesktop client is actually pretty good. Performance is very good over the virtual connection. All the gestures just work.

[@tech_craft]

I haven't, but I certainly will. Always on the look out for other options there. Thanks for the heads up.

[@OddWoz]

Thank Bob.

[@59Goku]

Will this works with the normal iPad with Lightning Port?

[@qyxlogo3805]

So you basically made your self a better MacBook experience wise. You combine the usability and portability of your iPad + the full Linux system your pi is giving you instead of using the Unix/BSD like MacOS. Very clever. I like it.

[@fernandojsantos09]

This video is so mind blowing.... I've never imagined to have a development environment like this.... Awesome.

[@alanjrobertson]

Ooh, tmux and mosh tutorial sounds fantastic 👌A syncthing video also sounds like a really good idea 👍👍

[@apennisi]

Yes, I totally agree! Please share your tmux and mosh config :) I find your videos very useful!

[@rhb03]

Thanks! What an outstanding video. 👍👍

[@zed9zed]

This video was great! Just about everything you said, "I could make another video about ..." was something I would also want to see! Choosing the right tools and knowing how to configure them (and then how to use them effectively) is a big challenge which takes a lot of time - with no guarantee that the user successfully gets everything working. Since you clearly have figured this out for many tools, you could produce a lecture series on each tool, how to set it up, and how to use it effectively.

[@tech_craft]

Thanks for your kind words. I'm looking forward to filming more on thet topics from this video.

[@JackyTran]

Great addition to the original video. I can’t wait for the VSCode server video you have!

[@pradomuzik]

Great video and idea. And I must say that I never thought I’d see “love my iPad” and “I use eMacs” coming out of the same person :)

[@b4r3sGT]

I think Emacs tutorials should be in the list of video. Thanks for the video!

[@halemmor]

The latest version of Blink actually has code server built in, so no need to go the browser route anymore. Love this setup!

[@tech_craft]

I’ve been playing with that a little. Definitely a good option for Blink users even if it is still a little messy to get going

[@halemmor]

@@tech_craft yeah, for me it was worth the effort. Currently don’t have the pi setup; using an old Mac mini running ubuntu accessing over Wi-Fi/tailscale.. but I’d love to move to the pi over usb-c (and the expensive magic keyboard 😩)

[@martinbower2915]

welcome back, I recommended your pi/ipiad videos to some colleagues before covid kicked off, then we all stopped travelling ! definitely interested in a syncthings review, that'd be excellent.

[@heathbarpunch]

I've been using a raspberry pi 4 with an iPad air 4 since shortly after your first video on this topic that made me aware of Ben Hardill's work. I have no issues to report. - Power works fine - Data connection works fine (which makes total sense since it's only fast ethernet). - I'm using an anker 13 - in - 1 hub with an anker Nano II 65W charger, I use the same cable you do to the pi and I use a 6' 100w pd emarked cable to the charger. - I use XRDP instead for remote desktop since I honestly think microsoft has the most polished remote desktop client for iOS in terms of a unified touch experience across all remote servers.

[@smoocher]

I feel like this video is about to blow my mind. I was debating trying to get a Remote Desktop connection with a remote machine, but if I can do that with one of my PIs instead, that's all the better.

[@KingZero69]

evil mode master race 😏... really looking forward to these upcoming ipad/rpi vids...

[@etiennesafa9710]

This video is answering SO MANY of those questions that came up recently to me, thanks a lot!! This is really interesting as it bings up a specific but tremendously versatile use case for the pi while adding a nice insight regarding mobility. This, but it gives me also several clues to issues that I have like "self-syncing" solutions (I already tried out nextcloud but I'll definitely try syncthing). Thanks!! Oh and I'd love to get more informations about syncthings ^^

[@tech_craft]

I'm looking forward to sharing more about Syncthing. I'm on a bit of a self-serve, data privacy/sovereignty kick at the moment and Syncthing is a big part of that.

[@UnderTheNorthStar]

Absolutely excellent overview. Thank you for putting all this together.

[@millerjimd]

My 8GB RPi has been decent in this configuration, but it doesn't quite cut it for my day-to-day development work in Scala. Compilation times are too slow for comfort even on my preferred setup of NeoVim and related LSP plugins. That's really the best case for streamlining JVM development, but I still need a bit better CPU horsepower. I definitely love the iPad Pro w/magic keyboard coupled with USB-C OTG though. Great for simpler workflows and basic desktop interactions via a VNC client like Jump Desktop too.

[@tech_craft]

Scala is definitely a stretch for the Pi. You could offload to a Linux/Mac desktop running Code Server for a bit more power. I’ve been using Tailscale as a solution for easy access back to a machine running at home.

[@salman-11924]

You're such a brilliant man with a creative approach and you present it perfectly! Thank you.

[@JohnDavidClark]

Happy to see you back! I love your content and perspective on tech!

[@dionmaring1901]

I would like to see a setup video with the PI and VSC, because I have a few problems with extensions (Java). Edit: Im using the iPad and Code-Server on the PI

[@alwaysOnAutopilot]

I can’t believe I didn’t know or try this before; I literally attached a display, hub and battery to my Pi just so I can use it on the go

[@Timbobs]

Huzzah! A new rabbithole to dive into 😊 I was mainly looking for a way to program arduino’s and such from an iPad. This looks like the way to go!

[@jhonyortiz5]

Just fyi, miniforge is the open source version of miniconda. Mainly, it's preconfigured to use their repos instead of the anaconda repos. You can use both if you want to have more software availability but miniforge has more availability overall. They also have side projects such as micromamba and mamba. They tend to be unreliable in that many other software won't check for those. EDIT: Also, there were some limits imposed by anaconda on the use of their repos so long term it may be better to use miniforge.

[@marekschneider6525]

About that suspension problem: If you mind paying monthly for a cross-platform ssh-client you can opt for Termius. It syncs SSH keys and hosts between all your devices. On the iPad is has a mode showing itself as a navigation app to iPadOS. This prevents it from disconnecting in the background. Lovely when working across multiple devices. Oh, and it also has a free version...

[@tech_craft]

A great point. Both Blink and Shellfish have that feature too. I run Mosh for the connection recovery too which the geo-hack doesn't give you. And I have an (ir?)rational fear of giving apps access to geo!

[@ahrampark5150]

I just watched your videos on Pi and iPad combo a couple of days ago. Now you just have released another awesome super informative video on the same topic!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@jonathaneberlein5650]

Unfortunately rpi4 is hard to get a hold of without paying the increased price. I would love to do this.

[@MrPiticoq]

Thanks for this overview. I discovered a couple of new tools I didn't know existed. I also like a lot the way you've organised your workflows. I'll definitely copy a few things. Great video and content !👍

[@sammy-qd1oi]

Fantastic video! Would love to see a video about how you use synching especially to replace iCloud services

[@tech_craft]

For sure. Syncthing is great. I started working on a video for it a while back, but I wanted to wait for a couple of months of real usage to make sure I fully understood all the trade offs.

[@sammy-qd1oi]

@@tech_craft awesome i love the due diligence. Thank you for all the amazing content!

[@mmf-d7i]

Have you tried using a compute module instead of a full pi? Seems like you could get the package so small that you could just stick it on the back of the ipad.

[@bot5am]

Learnt so many new, incredible things at once, from this video. Cheers, mate.

[@gutv]

Looking forward for the vscode integration tutorial. Thank you!

[@manwe_sulimo]

Yeees! Syncthing! Been using it for 4 years, it’s awesome!

[@Ray-vw4cn]

Great video, no wasted time and several interesting items…

[@Belgarathe]

Very impressed with what you have created. It's a great way to play around with Linux environment for noobies like me. Ie swap microsd cards. I love your solution for how to code on iPad. Most other solutions usually require wifi which isn't great especially with being mobile. I also discovered mosh as a solution with disconnection. Though with mine I went with the desktop apple keyboard magic keyboard.(you get extra row of function keys compared to iPad magic keyboard). With this configuration I can use the iPad in portrait mode which is handy if I want to see more lines of code. You have brought inspiration and look forward to more discussion with you on these set up .

[@IAmNumber4000]

You can run code-server as a progressive web app on the iPad! Code-server has PWA functionality for iOS. Just click "Share", then "Add to home screen". It will get rid of the web browser bar at the top and makes code-server look like a native VSCode app. You can also find and replace the default PWA icons in the code-server files, and use a custom VSCode app icon.

[@tech_craft]

14:03 if you want to see this in action

[@IAmNumber4000]

@@tech_craft Ah, I missed that bit.

[@tech_craft]

No worries! It's kind of you to take the time to explain it!

[@curdoflemon1249]

Good to have you back

[@googes061]

Another awesome video. Loved your earlier iPad / RPI videos - would really appreciate an updated setup video to get the USB C config working.

[@henryolson9732]

Great video and very glad to see you back. I look forward to the follow-on videos you've hinted at. I was inspired by your original video on gadget mode to experiment with the PI4 as a compute accessory for my iPad and I was delighted with the result. Your viewers might be interested in another hardware option based on the CM4 using a piunora carrier board. This works well for me with 8Gb RAM and 500Gb storage on an M.2 B-Key in a package 3 x 2.25 x 1 in. - small enough to velcro to the back of the magic keyboard.

[@tech_craft]

Such a great idea. I really want to try a CM4, sadly I have been unable to get one for months. As soon as they are available again in the UK, I plan to put a few different configurations together.

[@henryolson9732]

@@tech_craft Yeah, I definitely had a bit of luck to get my hands on a higher-end CM4. When they become more available, it seems to me that there might be a good kickstarter opportunity to create a built to purpose carrier board and case for this application. Could be smaller and more capable.

[@andreysadovykh2561]

Thank you for these instructibles. Happy, your videos are back. Personally I ended with RDP setup, but your videos are quite inspiring.

[@mannkeithc]

Great video. I agree Pi 4 makes an USB-C gadget for the iPad Pro. I have been using the official Pi 4 case with fan. It is only marginally bigger than an external ssd. I enable "geo track" within Blink before making my SSH connection to the Pi and this keeps the session alive, although I doubt this would survive a Blink app software update.

[@tomslayton2319]

Can I use a pi 5 in the same way? \

[@High_theme]

can you do update on new ways to connect to The Rosebery pi

[@12121-u]

I don't know has any one mentioned it already but I must say coffee machine on 00:21 is a beast! Bet shots it makes are great)

[@tech_craft]

It's the Sage Barista Express. Even for a novice coffee maker like me it does produce a very smooth shot.

[@rio-kt7ut]

I use my iPad a lot at work and I can’t believe I didn’t think to do this! Would be so handy

[@MikeMaheu]

Glad to see you back man. Had no idea we were Emacs brothers all this time. Hope all is well.

[@tech_craft]

All is great. I'm very glad to be back!

[@MercStrider]

Would the Pi be able to handle Blender for just simple poly modelling operations, i.e. no rendering or anything heavy?

[@bombapiotr]

I think you could add a chunky capacitor to 5V pin header to get rid of the problem with power.

[@YeetusDeletus68]

Any plans to do a video about a setup with the Pi5?

[@NinjaArt99]

I'm assuming i'm missing something, but if you're just SSH'ing to the Pi, then isn't the only thing the iPad is doing, is providing power to the Pi? Forgive me if I've missed something, i'm still new to this.

[@shubhambiswas8627]

Sir, Can I use samsung Tab A7 with raspberry pi 4? Please help me

[@tech_craft]

I don’t know if the USB-C connection option will work, but the WiFI option definitely does.

[@RadekOnSD]

Hello, can we do same with windows arm on PI? Power it and connect to from ipad? Thx !!

[@dawill5217]

First time seeing your channel and I'm impressed with your entire setup but I'm really looking forward to hearing more about syncthing.

[@philippmb]

does anyone know a usb-c adapter to run between the ipad and the Pi, so i can power both the ipad and the PI with a external power supply?

[@jimmyscott5144]

I'd recommend trying out docker on the pi so you can do all that and start the containers when you need them using portainer or something like that

[@gadget5129]

Excellent information. And very well executed and documented. Well done.

[@jimbob7424]

Now this is great. I want the ipad to fully replace all my laptop or desktop requirements. My only worry is, will VNC be fluid enough for an app on the pi such as pinegrow Web development

[@tech_craft]

I think the VNC is enough for intermittent work, but I wouldn't use it for daily work. I'm more inclined to use the terminal.

[@marcin4755]

could you make a video on how emacs (vanilla and doom) works in ish on iPad pro?

[@PaulShadwell]

Can't wait for all the tutorials mentioned here.

[@LaHoraMaker]

Soooo... all this effort makes sense now! Once you start using orgmode is so hard to move to any other tool and don't feel it like a clumpsy substitute! There are so many ideas to try here! I would start checking this combination with the RPi 400 for a double keyboard setup :D

[@tech_craft]

I've been playing around the RPi400 and portable touchscreen for a nice org-mode experience. The main issue is which of the thousands of different components to choose from!

[@gptty]

Great solution and so comprehensive review

[@ro-ce8vg]

being introduced to syncthing may be a lifesaver for me. ive been using OneDrive but hating it to sync text files used in obsidian across pcs but syncthing looks like it could be better, ill have to try it

[@u1f98a]

I've toyed around with using my iPad as a workstation, but isntead of using a Raspberry Pi I just jailbroke the thing and installed ssh, git & other tools. Sadly not that many tools are available in this setup so no vscode, etc, but at least I can compile a jailbreak tweak for the iPad, on the iPad! The major deal breaker for me was the killing of background processes. I'd be working on something in Safari, go to another tab to look something up, and go back to the other tab and all my work has been lost. Thganks for the tip of -Blink- (sadly iOS 15 only) & Mosh though!

[@Oscar-ni3fx]

I would love a video on Syncthing

[@DesktopChronicles]

Great content! Glad you are back, keep up the good work!

[@sbdavid123]

Could this also be done with an Odroid?

[@thepreparedinfluencer2610]

I am completely lost…. I think I’ve managed to write the desktop version of pi onto the sd card but that’s it. I need help!

[@alabrrmrbmmr]

Only finished the into and as a person who has traded in their iphone for an ipad pro m1... I'm already psyched!

[@AndersJackson]

You can use Emacs, Org-mode and Babel to run python, or any language, on your Org-mode document. So you don't need Jupyter. And as Org-mode, you can export the result to HTML, PDF/LaTeX, OpenOffice etc. There are even some universities that uses Org-mode to create and publish their thesises.

[@tech_craft]

I use org-mode for literate programming, as well as for agenda/notes etc. The issue I have using it in place of Jupyter is the dodgy visualisation support when running EMacs in the terminal.

[@thomasfowler196]

Sync thing video please

[@elyselapalme7040]

with code-server and matplotlib, can you see graphs? If not, is it possible or is there any workaround?

[@conorarmstrong]

Does the lack of an escape key on the Magic Keyboard cause much bother? How do you work around this? I often use vi and using escape to switch to command mode is pretty vital.

[@johnstogner6397]

Love it. And for sure hoping to see all of the videos you are considering.

[@kevinhughes9801]

Good stuff wud like to see mre on syncthing plz

[@sMadaras]

I use the same setup with RPi zero 2W what is more handy than RPi 4. Smaller size, lower consumption and runs the VSCode server too.

[@GabrieleAdamo_gasp]

Hi, thank you so much for your videos about ipad and rpi4. I've bought the aluminum case you're using here, but I'cat manage to insert the dsi flat cable of the 7" display. Have you ever tried with this case?

[@TroyFletcherKeyboards]

If you're not using any of the connectors besides the USB type C, have you considered converting it to a Diet Pi and giving it a custom case? It would be super slim and fit on the ipad better.

[@tech_craft]

Once I can get hold of parts I want to try a few variations. One with Diet Pi and one with a CM4 in a few different carrier boards. I'd quite like to have something that can reproducethe SD card ingest behaviour of something like the GNARBOX.

[@TroyFletcherKeyboards]

@@tech_craft Check out the low profile Geekworm heatsink case. It would look nice on a dietpi, or if you're handy with a soldering iron, you can put a single female USB in place of the double stack female USB. I look forward to future videos about this work... space? style? mode? Not sure, but it's interesting.

[@mandychan1019]

I have installed TigerVNC, setup ssh, setup tigervnc password, however i couldn’t access from jump desktop (controlling from my iPad). Saying VNC Server Error, no configured security type is supported by 3.3 vnc viewer. Could you help?

[@murraydelk9400]

This stuff is why I started following you! I’m still waiting to be able to invest in an iPad Pro but I’ve been in love with the iPad & rpi combo since the original iPad Pro with usb-c was released. You’ve showed quite a few nice tools for the iPad before but have you ever found a charger that can double as a USB hub?

[@tech_craft]

I did have success with the first Zendure 2-in-1 when I reviewed it for their Kickstarter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aITWfXmOiqd-jpY. Since getting the Magic Keyboard I find I need this option less because of the extra port that setup gives you by default.

[@aresyt5817]

Can I do it same for Android tab

[@ThrivingInLife]

I would Love to see your setup use cases for EMACS on the pi. Or just an EMACS video in general. I've been a big fan of David Wilson's Videos, but it is always good to have more in that space so we get different points of views to make things easier. i.e. David's videos are great! But extremely intense and hardcore for customization. Your presentation style is very pleasant and great for casual viewing, listening in the background, or rewatching to see things we might have missed. Thanks for the great content man, I'm happy I found your channel! 🍻

[@tech_craft]

Thanks for the kind words. Derek Taylor over on the DistroTube channel has some excellent Emacs videos focussed on using Doom Emacs. I stopped chasing the ultimate customisation of Emacs a while ago and just switched to Doom to get a decent setup out of the box.

[@ThrivingInLife]

@@tech_craft It looks more and more I may be doing the same thing. Spending all day making sure my LSP mode is configured properly is not my idea of fun lol. Yeah, I've seen Derek. Definitely different and more overview. Your channel seems more casual and easy to digest. =)

[@6little6fang6]

THIS IS AMAZING, i would also love to see the Syncthing video.

[@Zedris]

how did you set this all up? can we get a video on that?

[@tech_craft]

I'm making videos for all the separate parts to go into detail. Part 1 will land on Sunday discussing the VScode setup.

[@kamruz360]

Hi great video 😀 - could you post a step-by-step tutorial for novice Pi fan of your setup, thank you.

[@patryk888888]

So to be clear if you’re offline you can not use that blink folder using the usb c ?

[@tech_craft]

You can always connect to the pi from the ipad over USB-C regardless of online status

[@patryk888888]

@@tech_craft Yes I’m able to connect when offline but when I’m not connected to any network the blink folder in files app doesn’t allow me to send files between raspberry and ipad. Can you ?

[@dennisvanmierlo]

Your videos are great and very informative. I bought my iPad Pro with the intention to use it as my main computer. I like your creative solution very much. But even with your suggested creative solution, I still see an M1 laptop as the best solution when everything considered. More option, total price, cpu power, portability, available software, etc. Lot’s of greetings, Dennis 🇳🇱

[@tech_craft]

I wish the MacBooks had a touchscreen and had support for running many more iOS apps. I'm really hopeful we'll some convergence, but not at the expense of flexibility in the MBP.

[@danielhiller2350]

Besides the Apple Magic Keyboard, is there any other way to charge the iPad Pro and connect it to the Raspberry Pi at the same time?

[@tech_craft]

I had some success using a variety of USB-C hubs. Most of mine are around two years old now so no longer selling, but it’s worth exploring.

[@prashanthb17]

Can you please share how to select the right raspberry pi for different use cases

[@tech_craft]

For the iPad setup via USB-C, you'll almost certainly want either a 4GB or 8GB Pi 4. Lower RAM boards are not often (if ever?) rev 1.2. This might change when the next big batch of stock arrives, but I think 4GB is a good minimum for this setup. For other Pi uses cases like network servers, I think the 2GB Pi 4 is also fine. It will somewhat be driven by pricing in your country. In some places the the difference betwen 1/2/4 is small enough to make 4GB a sensible base model.

[@prashanthb17]

@@tech_craft thank you

[@Frankie_Freedom]

I don't use iPad but awesome setup and great ideas. This is cool, because tablets usually have a way better battery life than most standard laptops.

[@hitslikeblackm7307]

Hey, Thank you for the video. I hade used the combination of RPI and IPad for a long time. But at some point the Ipad prioritise the RPI connection over wifi while trying to reach some websites. Have anyone fund and workaround on how to be able to connect to the Pi and still be connected to the internet bz wifi on the IPad?

[@tech_craft]

Interesting - that has never happened to me. Are you using the USB-C connection or connecting over WiFi?

[@hitslikeblackm7307]

I was using the USB C connection till the error first occurred. After this happened i switched to a wireless connection and only powered the pi by USB.

[@afriendofafriend223]

What's that bit on the bottom of your shell that displays RAM and CPU and clock?

[@tech_craft]

That's the status bar from tmux. I have a video on that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eF6UqHqtq7qqo5o

[@vanderfleet-martin]

Any suggestion on how to power both the pi and iPad without using a Magic Keyboard?

[@tech_craft]

Before I used the Magic Keyboard, I had a few different USB-C hubs some of which had an extra USB-C port on them that would power the Pi. Most of those are so old they are no longer for sale but this is an avenue worth exploring.

[@asishreddy7729]

Sir, I am super interested in how you managed to replace iCloud, especially if it can do ios backups locally. Would you mind making a video on that perhaps, or link it to me if it already exists? Thanks in advance !

[@Lp-ze1tg]

This would be a great combination for learning to code on the road.

[@tanbirsohail]

The new M1 macbook air (or the upcoming MacBook air ) would be the perfect device for you. Use a dev environment on docker for anything specific to linux. Also use the iPad as a second screen. I run a dual monitor workstation at home. So when I am on the go, I use my iPad along with my M1 MBP. Works pretty well.

[@tech_craft]

This will sound ridiculous but I have two M1 MBAs at home. I got one when it first came out and I use it for video editing. I also got given one for work which is compulsory use. If I'm travelling for work, I'll usually carry the work laptop and my personal iPad for my own work.

[@last_lantern]

Why not just docker for Mac?

[@tech_craft]

Because it doesn't run on iPad. 😀 More seriously, this setup came from an iPad-only background, so the lack of Mac is intentional. Regarding Docker for Mac, certainly usable if you want real Linux on Mac, but honestly, I think it's a pretty frustrating execution of containers and it's brutal on battery life.

[@bcpreece]

I am looking forward to your add-on video for setting up code-server on the RPI4. I have been unsuccessful setting that up so far with the tutorials I have found on the internet so far. I am assuming this is user error based off of how old some of these tutorials are.

[@tech_craft]

It’s a bit of a messy project. I think a big part of the issue is the need for a specific version of NodeJS that isn’t available on the Pi by default. Hoping to find the time to shoot the tutorial this week.

[@b3n.c77]

Hi Rob, I’ve been slowly working my way through your videos getting a RPi4 8g set-up with a 3rd gen iPad 12.9”. Thanks for the brilliant videos and content, it’s helped me massively on my journey. I’m struggling with the previewing html in code-server though. I’ve got it all set-up but when trying extensions such as live server or live preview I’m not having much luck. Is there any additional configuration needed? I’ve put the comment against this video instead of the code-server vid as you mention 11ty and you are doing exactly what i want to do in the little clip you use towards the end. Can any details be shared on hoy to setup 11ty as well?

[@vincebartle]

Do you get access to mic and speaker from the ipad with this? I.e. does the soundcard access transfer, too?

[@tech_craft]

Sadly not, this is just a network and power connection.

[@DavidJohnson-zv5ir]

Great video! I used your previous video on this to get set up with the Pi running Kali Linux. Now I have a mobile setup for learning white-hat hacking. Looking forward to the other videos in this series.

[@DoctorAtomTNT]

I tried but failed miserably, any advises?