FIGURE 24.1 The Pi Cobbler breakout box connected to a Raspberry Pi via a ribbon cable.The Pi Cobbler unit labels the breakout pins using the GPIO signal names, so you can easily identify
which pin is which signal. Once you plug the Pi Cobbler interface into the breadboard, you can wire
up your projects directly on the breadboard.
Watch Out!: Plugging in the Pi Cobbler Ribbon Cable
Be careful when connecting the Pi Cobbler ribbon cable to the GPIO interface on the
Raspberry Pi. In the model that I purchased, the ribbon cable points to the inside of the
Raspberry Pi circuit board (see Figure 24.1), not the outside, as you might assume.Connecting to the GPIO via the Gertboard
For more advanced Raspberry Pi experimenting, the Gertboard has it all. Created by Gert van Loo
and sold through various electronics distributors around the world, it’s a full circuit board of handy
components that plugs directly into the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins (see Figure 24.2). If you purchased a
case for your Raspberry Pi, you may have to remove the top of the case to plug in the Gertboard.