Hackers are buzzing with ideas from Pi-powered arcade machines and drones to the home automation and low-cost tablets. 10 coolest uses for the Raspberry Pi article tells that TechRepublic has delved into the Raspbery Pi’s developer forums, and here’s our round-up of the best ideas so far, ranging from the eminently achievable to the massively ambitious. You can use your Raspberry Pi for example as media streamer, arcade machine, tablet computer, robot controller and home automation controller. Rasberry Pi homepage offers also some more interesting projects like Retro games and a retro joystick.
1,687 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
TinyPilot Turns a Raspberry Pi Into a Low-Cost HDMI IP KVM for Browser-Based Headless Server Access
Deployable via Ansible, TinyPilot turns any Raspberry Pi with a low-cost USB HDMI capture dongle into a low-latency IP KVM.
https://www.hackster.io/news/tinypilot-turns-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-low-cost-hdmi-ip-kvm-for-browser-based-headless-server-access-55690c660662
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maker KreAch3r Upgrades a 2004 Mazda 6 with an OpenAuto Pro-Powered Raspberry Pi Computer System
OpenAuto Pro-driven Raspberry Pi-powered in-car computer system offers a considerable upgrade for this 2004 vintage vehicle.
https://www.hackster.io/news/maker-kreach3r-upgrades-a-2004-mazda-6-with-an-openauto-pro-powered-raspberry-pi-computer-system-4ead1395fde2
Tomi Engdahl says:
Petritek’s Optio Is a Raspberry Pi-Powered Robot Arm Built to Handle Radioactive Sources
https://www.hackster.io/news/petritek-s-optio-is-a-raspberry-pi-powered-robot-arm-built-to-handle-radioactive-sources-3ee641edcd1b
Originally built to move radiation sources around safely, the camera-equipped Optio is crowdfunding now for kit and fully-assembled models.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-raspberry-pi-weather-station-displays-the-forecast-in-beautiful-ascii-art-e8745ee654ff
Tomi Engdahl says:
Keeping Your Garage Secure Using a Raspberry Pi
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/iot/keeping-your-garage-secure-with-raspberry-pi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/learning-at-home-with-the-raspberry-pi-foundation/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alfredo Sequeida’s Karen Is a Raspberry Pi-Powered Alexa Assistant Built From Thrift Store Speakers
With an aim to build a custom Alexa-connected Python-powered voice assistant, Sequeida’s Karen is well on the way to its goal.
https://www.hackster.io/news/alfredo-sequeida-s-karen-is-a-raspberry-pi-powered-alexa-assistant-built-from-thrift-store-speakers-813afdcd960c
Tomi Engdahl says:
Curriedbuffalo’s Remote Sensor pHAT Turns a Raspberry Pi Zero Into an IoT Remote Monitoring Station
Add-on board includes PicoBlade connectors for external sensor boards, four analog inputs, GPIO, and even a software-controlled fan.
https://www.hackster.io/news/curriedbuffalo-s-remote-sensor-phat-turns-a-raspberry-pi-zero-into-an-iot-remote-monitoring-station-86845f7b8d19
Tomi Engdahl says:
BurgessWorld’s Level-Shifting HAT Lets Your Raspberry Pi Talk 1.8V, 3.3V, and 5V — Simultaneously
Second revision of the design adds some nice new features, including 1.8V I2C support and dedicated bi-directional level-shifting circuitry.
https://www.hackster.io/news/burgessworld-s-level-shifting-hat-lets-your-raspberry-pi-talk-1-8v-3-3v-and-5v-simultaneously-e02e778cf2bc
This HAT allows your Raspberry Pi to communicate with other devices at 1.8V, 3.3V, or 5V levels. Can be used to connect to sensors, other microprocessors, communications lines, etc.,” Burgess explains. “[It] provides bi-directional and uni-directional automatic level-shifting for SPI, UART/Serial (including RTS/CTS signals), and I2C connections. Output voltage-level can be set per-protocol. For example, you can communicate with an Arduino at 5V, an I2C sensor at 1.8V, and an SPI device at 3.3v, all at the same time.”
Translation hardware supports signal speeds up to 20MHz, limited only by protocol and target device limitations,” Burgess adds. “Selected output voltage plus ground connections available at I2C and SPI headers to allow you to power external sensors directly from the HAT. RTS/CTS signals available on the Serial header to allow for communicating with a wide-range of devices.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Raspberry Pi DJ Setup Is Beyond Groovy
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-dj-project
Looking for a Pi project to show off at your next party? Make it the star of the show like Fayaaz Ahmed did with his awesome Raspberry Pi DJ project!
The whole operation is controlled by a Raspberry Pi model 4 with 4GB of RAM. According to Ahmed, a little overclocking was necessary to get the performance quality just right.
The Raspberry Pi is used in place of something more conventional like a laptop. Music can be just as easily loaded with a flash drive or beforehand on the Pi’s SD card. The Pi interfaces with a controller board and displays details on a custom screen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Learn Bitcoin, Robotics & IoT With Raspberry Pi For Only $34
https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/learn-bitcoin-robotics-iot-with-raspberry-pi-for-only-34/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mike P.’s Raspberry Pi HAT for Makers Aims at Simplifying JTAG, SWD, UART, I2C, and SPI Connectivity
https://www.hackster.io/news/mike-p-s-raspberry-pi-hat-for-makers-aims-at-simplifying-jtag-swd-uart-i2c-and-spi-connectivity-e877677d3879
Designed to prevent wiring mishaps, the compact HAT comes complete with a user-programmable RGB LED for status reporting.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://github.com/mikepdiy/Raspberry-PI-Maker-Toolkit
Tomi Engdahl says:
Upgrading a 2002 in-dash navigation system with a Raspberry Pi and the ESP32.
https://hackaday.com/2021/02/05/raspberry-pi-takes-over-volvos-integrated-lcd/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Novel Micro Desktop Display For Your Raspberry Pi
https://hackaday.com/2020/12/31/a-novel-micro-desktop-display-for-your-raspberry-pi/
Along comes [igbit] with a solution in the form of a little SPI display with a different approach to displaying a desktop. Instead of displaying a matchbox-sized desktop over the whole screen it divides into two halves. At the top is a representation of the desktop, while below it is a close-up on the area around the mouse pointer.
https://github.com/igbit/micro-displays
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.instructables.com/Super-fast-DIY-Slide-Scanner/
Tomi Engdahl says:
HEAVY RASPBERRY PI USER? KEEP AN HDMI-TO-USB CAPTURE DEVICE AROUND
https://hackaday.com/2020/12/21/heavy-raspberry-pi-user-keep-an-hdmi-to-usb-capture-device-around/
Tomi Engdahl says:
SwitchDoc Labs Launches Solar-Powered, Wireless Raspberry Pi EMI Lightning and Air Quality Sensors
https://www.hackster.io/news/switchdoc-labs-launches-solar-powered-wireless-raspberry-pi-emi-lightning-and-air-quality-sensors-4b580965fcf1
Designed around a 3D-printed case, solar panel, and 433MHz transmitter, these wireless sensors connect to a low-cost SDR on a Raspberry Pi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Long-Range Walkie-Talkies using a Raspberry Pi Zero (including Clubhouse Clone)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qIMWn8uyY
Today, we will build Walkie-Talkies with an enormous range using a Raspberry Pi Zero. Cool stuff! Let’s start and build one or two of them. BTW: They can also connect to smartphones and PCs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
PiThermalCam, a Raspberry Pi Thermal Camera
Tom Shaffner built a budget-friendly thermal camera using a Raspberry Pi 4 and an MLX90640 breakout board.
https://www.hackster.io/news/pithermalcam-a-raspberry-pi-thermal-camera-1457997a3d83
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/10/playing-youtube-videos-at-incredibly-low-resolution-on-leds/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/08/laser-zap-that-mosquito/
Tomi Engdahl says:
StreamPi: The Raspberry Pi Stream Deck App for Online Gamers
By Ash Puckett 6 days ago
Custom functions at the press of a button!
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-stream-deck
Tomi Engdahl says:
River’s Educational Channel Controls an RF Fan and Light By “Abusing” the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO Pins
Using the rpitx software, River’s Raspberry Pi now controls his home’s lights and fans — and with only a low-pass filter and antenna.
https://www.hackster.io/news/river-s-educational-channel-controls-an-rf-fan-and-light-by-abusing-the-raspberry-pi-s-gpio-pins-910b452573e5
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/raspberry-pi-cosmic-ray-detector/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brian Chan’s Raspberry Pi Car Dashboard Pulls, Plots ODB-II Data and Offers a Dashcam Extension, Too
https://www.hackster.io/news/brian-chan-s-raspberry-pi-car-dashboard-pulls-plots-odb-ii-data-and-offers-a-dashcam-extension-too-da4854e0d9f2
Linking to the car’s systems via a USB ODB-II cable, and with an optional dashcam extension, this compact computer is a big upgrade.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi LAN Speed Testing Appliance – OpenSpeedTest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-rfC84xdOE
We love Raspberry Pi projects! In this video, I demonstrate how to create a couple of different OpenSpeedTest Servers. First, we set up OpenSpeedTest in Docker on my Synology NAS. Next, we install OpenSpeedTest in Docker on the Raspberry Pi. This is a super easy project, and very handy to have in your tool bag when troubleshooting clients!
https://crosstalksolutions.com/raspberry-pi-lan-speed-test/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The DIY Super Smart Chessboard Lets You Play Online Against an Opponent or a Raspberry Pi
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-diy-super-smart-chessboard-lets-you-play-online-against-an-opponent-or-a-raspberry-pi-7559487e3544
See how Lewis from DIY Machines built this smart chessboard that allows for both remote and local play.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/a-raspberry-pi-tablet-with-a-dsi-screen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/30/a-floppy-controller-for-the-raspberry-pi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/165519-open-source-air-defense
Tomi Engdahl says:
A small, plug-and-play Linux computer — with Raspberry Pi (Project POCKIT)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Ui-y8ajJ0
This video shows POCKIT + a tiny bit of Raspberry Pi, to put together a rearrangeable Linux PC.
A brief teardown of modular electronic blocks (Project POCKIT)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d32ViJT7o8&t=0s
This video presents a short internal view of a typical Pockit block. Both the electronics and mechanical details are shown.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/06/raspberry-pi-spigot-puts-digits-of-pi-on-tap/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/06/fan-tastic-misuse-of-raspberry-pi-gpio/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Wireless Endoscope Designed Around the Raspberry Pi
Researchers have created a low-cost, Raspberry Pi Zero-based wireless endoscope camera.
https://www.hackster.io/news/new-wireless-endoscope-designed-around-the-raspberry-pi-bcb9a916a8da
Tomi Engdahl says:
Generate RF-Modulated Video with the PiMod Zero
Bring a vintage video format to a modern Pi Zero with this pHAT.
https://www.hackster.io/news/generate-rf-modulated-video-with-the-pimod-zero-17092439453e
Tomi Engdahl says:
Build an Off Grid Wikipedia with #RaspberryPi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63x2TXm0s8
We all rely on the internet as a reference library. In those cases when you do not have access to the internet, it’s pretty difficult to access the information you need. What if you could build a device that had the entirety of Wikipedia on it and you could connect to it with your phone no matter where you are? Let me show you my implementation of the Free and Open Source project
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embedded machine learning on Raspberry Pi just became even more accessible thanks to Edge Impulse.
Behold! Edge Impulse and TinyML on Raspberry Pi
https://www.hackster.io/news/behold-edge-impulse-and-tinyml-on-raspberry-pi-c3b786fa69b6
Embedded machine learning on Raspberry Pi just became even more accessible thanks to Edge Impulse.
Today we are excited to announce our foray into embedded Linux with official support for the Raspberry Pi 4!
Now, users of Edge Impulse can select the right processor class for their embedded machine learning applications. Leverage our existing best-in-class support for low-power MCUs or venture into processor classes that run embedded Linux if highest performance is the objective.
For audio applications, plug a standard USB microphone into one of the available USB slots on the Pi. For sensor fusion, the 40-pin GPIO header on the Pi can be employed to connect to your favorite sensors as well.
SDKs for Python, Node.js, Go, and C++ are provided so you can easily build your own custom apps for inferencing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/15/tightly-packed-raspberry-pi-tricorder-impresses/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The World’s Smallest NVMe RAID Array
Jeff Geerling’s array uses a trio of Western Digital PC SN520 512 Gb M.2 2230 drives and a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-world-s-smallest-nvme-raid-array-d68dc43bb83a
Tomi Engdahl says:
Generate RF-Modulated Video with the PiMod Zero
Bring a vintage video format to a modern Pi Zero with this pHAT.
https://www.hackster.io/news/generate-rf-modulated-video-with-the-pimod-zero-17092439453e
https://github.com/isotope-engineering/PiMod-Zero
Tomi Engdahl says:
Old consumer electronics can be surprisingly hackable, such as this analog TV we upgraded with a Raspberry Pi Zero
Hack an Analog TV Into a Geek TV
https://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/audiovideo/hack-an-analog-tv-into-a-geek-tv
Like vinyl and cassette tapes, cathode ray tubes are experiencing a comeback in some circles. Retrogamers want to experience old titles on the fuzzy displays they were designed for. And makers have been deconstructing them for all kinds of projects
old analog television sets can literally be found littering sidewalks. So when I came across a cheap listing on eBay for a portable black-and-white television with a 5-inch-screen that looked in almost mint condition, I thought I’d take on the challenge of tackling this old technology
it’s best to feed in a video signal that the original circuitry can decode. So I decided to make a Geek TV: Instead of broadcast channels, it would display the latest updates and imagery from places like NASA and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), as well as some animations. And I wanted it to reflect the original TV’s self-contained simplicity: no extra cables or boxes dangling off it and certainly no keyboard, mouse, or extra switches for control.
My “new” TV is a Coby CX-TV1, which has an RCA composite video connector and runs off a DC power supply adapter, both of which suggested I would have good jumping off points in the internal circuitry for hacking.
I disconnected the tuner board from the main PCB, and hooked up one of the leads of the variable capacitor to an Adafruit MPR121-based touch sensor.
This capacitive sensor is intended to provide a simple yes/no response to the question of “Is a finger touching a surface or not?” But by looking at raw sensor measurements, I could determine the variable capacitance, and thus the knob’s position.
added brains to the TV with a Wi-FI-enabled Raspberry Pi Zero W
Every Pi has the ability to generate composite video in NTSC or PAL format. In the Pi Zero’s case, an unpopulated socket provides the signal
As my TV is black and white, I disabled the composite video’s colorburst signal in the Pi’s configuration file for a slightly sharper image.
Most of the TV’s internal circuitry runs at 12 volts, which would immediately fry the Pi, so I used a buck converter to step down the voltage to 5 V. Two more dabs of solder connected it to the TV’s on/off switch and ground.
I wrote the software in Python: A passel of libraries makes it easy to tie together the hardware with higher level routines for extracting and processing images from online sources. First, I installed Adafruit’s Blinka bundle—which is a backport of Circuit Python, originally developed to squeeze Python into microcontrollers. With Blinka, I can communicate with my touch sensor via an I2C connection mounted on a SparkFun Qwiic pHat v2.0 board plugged into the Pi’s GPIO header. (The pHat also provides a convenient pair of screw terminals connected to the Pi’s 5-V and ground rails that lets me bring the power in from the buck converter).
To finish up, I had to repair some leads to the CRT that had broken because of all the flexing that had happened while I was soldering in new connections
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/28/run-out-of-gpio-on-your-pi-dont-despair/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dr. Scott M. Baker’s Raspberry Pi HAT Adds a Must-Have Peripheral: A Floppy Drive Controller
Custom-built add-on offers a quick way to hook up any 34-pin floppy to your Raspberry Pi.
https://www.hackster.io/news/dr-scott-m-baker-s-raspberry-pi-hat-adds-a-must-have-peripheral-a-floppy-drive-controller-f5f8603eff5a?e32c6c0d76c602ec48a1ec030982eb85
Tomi Engdahl says:
Baker has coupled the hardware with a user-mode driver and demonstration Python script which allows for formatting, image-writing, sector-by-sector and full-disk reading, but does come with a caveat: “A user-mode floppy driver may have occasional overrun,” Baker explains. “No problem, when we get an overrun, we can just retry. It does have an adverse affect on performance though, and the problem is much worse when reading high density disks than when reading low density disks.”
https://www.hackster.io/news/dr-scott-m-baker-s-raspberry-pi-hat-adds-a-must-have-peripheral-a-floppy-drive-controller-f5f8603eff5a?e32c6c0d76c602ec48a1ec030982eb85
Tomi Engdahl says:
Explaining Computers’ Christopher Barnatt has opted for something a little beefier than your usual lithium-ion battery pack to power his Raspberry Pi: a 12V sealed lead-acid battery.
Explaining Computers Runs a Raspberry Pi for a Week on Battery Power — a Lead-Acid Battery, in Fact
https://www.hackster.io/news/explaining-computers-runs-a-raspberry-pi-for-a-week-on-battery-power-a-lead-acid-battery-in-fact-0f566de5a1be
Powering a Raspberry Pi from a USB battery pack is one thing, but if portability isn’t a primary concern how about a lead-acid battery?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Bot Jovi Plays Guitar Hero
Nick O’Hara’s robot uses computer vision on a Raspberry Pi to recognize Guitar Hero notes and shred along.
https://www.hackster.io/news/jon-bot-jovi-plays-guitar-hero-ae78ad3f54fe
Tomi Engdahl says:
Christian Hollinger’s Garden Gets Smart — with a Raspberry Pi, Sensors, and Grafana
After picking up embedded programming from first principles, Hollinger has big things planned — including machine learning analysis
https://www.hackster.io/news/christian-hollinger-s-garden-gets-smart-with-a-raspberry-pi-sensors-and-grafana-f49b6d4142e3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Matt Mets of Blinkinlabs has designed a $27 HAT that turns your Raspberry Pi 2/3/4 into a networked JTAG debugger.
Convert Your Raspberry Pi Into a Networked JTAG Debugger
Introducing the $27 JTAG HAT!
https://www.hackster.io/news/convert-your-raspberry-pi-into-a-networked-jtag-debugger-5dcbd4438688
Having a hardware debugging tool on hand can prove useful, especially when developing embedded products. Low-level debugging can be performed at home with a JTAG debugger and OpenOCD, but at-home setups often lack a JTAG debugger. Tools like the Black Magic probe can also work well but lack the flexibility of a Raspberry Pi with OpenOCD. This is a cheap and convenient solution for messing around with a variety of microcontrollers and embedded devices. However, finding the cables to connect the RPi to your board can turn into a project in itself. Matt Mets of BlinkinLabs decided to cut out the headache of converting the 0.1” headers on a Raspberry Pi to the 1.27mm pins on a board. His JTAG HAT design includes properly-labeled 20-pin 0.1” and 1.27mm Cortex Debug Connectors, making the process streamlined instead of a hassle.
The JTAG HAT is designed to work with OpenOCD, which supports debugging a large number of devices, such as the STM32 and ESP32. On-board level shifters allow you to connect to targets with JTAG and SWD interfaces from 1.8V to 5V. Target power is selectable when the device is powered from the RPi 3.3V supply. The header includes a level-shifted UART interface connected to the RPi serial port, built-in voltage and current measurement of the target device, and the ability to perform a hardware reset, both SRST and TRST, via a pull-down transistor.
The device can be purchased on Tindie for $27, with the populated and tested JTAG HAT PCB and the nylon standoffs and screws needed to attach it to an RPi included.
The design files and setup instructions are available via GitHub. The instructions provide full documentation for getting the software side up and running
https://github.com/blinkinlabs/jtag_hat
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/28/jtag-hat-turns-raspberry-pi-into-a-networked-debugger/