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:
Jerry de Vos’ Plastic Scanner Turns a Raspberry Pi Into a Spectrometer for Plastics Recycling
https://www.hackster.io/news/jerry-de-vos-plastic-scanner-turns-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-spectrometer-for-plastics-recycling-ef6c61b7a64f
Designed for sorting plastic by type, the handheld scanner runs local machine learning analysis on a Raspberry Pi Zero W.
Graduate industrial design engineer Jerry de Vos has turned a Raspberry Pi into a low-cost handheld scanner, which identifies plastic types to ease sorting for recycling — and has taken his place among the winners of the 2021 James Dyson Award.
“The breakout board shines eight individual LEDs with a wavelength of 850, 950, 1050, 1200, 1300, 1450, 1550 and 1650nm,” de Vos explains. “The LEDs have a narrow bandwidth with a full-width half max of 20nm and a tolerance of just 3nm. The reflection from these LED lights can be measured by the sensitive and precise analog- to -digital converter, the ADS1256.”
The Plastic Scanner, then, is effectively a device for infrared spectroscopy — but using a discrete approach that makes it considerably cheaper than traditional lab equipment. “This method is slightly less accurate,” de Vos admits, “but can still identify the most common plastics.
“After the user has turned on the handheld scanner, the screen tells them to push the scanning button once a scan is desired. As soon as the Raspberry Pi recognizes that the button is pressed it sends a command to the breakout board, which starts the scanning procedure. Once the scanning is completed it is communicated back to the Raspberry Pi, which subsequently starts the interpretation algorithm to interpret the sample. Once this is completed the result is shown on the screen.”
De Vos has released details of the project via Wikifactory under the reciprocal GNU General Public License 3.0 with more available on GitHub,
https://wikifactory.com/+plasticidentificationanywhere/plastic-scanner
https://github.com/Jerzeek/PlasticScanner-Software
https://plasticscanner.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-cluster
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.makeuseof.com/raspberry-pi-os-11-released/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-laser-cut-wood-arcade-cabinet
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.xda-developers.com/raspberry-pi-4-b-pi-400-compute-model-4-android-12-port/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inductive current measuring using Raspberry Pi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P47pjVyPP3w
Making a coil to inductively sense current flowing through 2-conductor house wiring cables, without modifying the house wiring.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yavimaya’s PIZW2MT32 Turns a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Into a Tiny Roland MT-32 Emulator for Your MiSTer
https://www.hackster.io/news/yavimaya-s-pizw2mt32-turns-a-raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-into-a-tiny-roland-mt-32-emulator-for-your-mister-26f64426bec6
Designed to bring back the best of MIDI synthesis for classic computer games, this compact board needs only a single USB cable to work.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi TOSLINK transceiver hat
Optical digital audio I/O for Raspberry Pi
https://hackaday.io/project/182641-raspberry-pi-toslink-transceiver-hat
The Raspberry Pi has support for i2s audio I/O. It’s fairly simple to add a S/PDIF transceiver chip and optical audio I/O ports on a hat to allow it to be conveniently used.
The WM8804 is the S/PDIF transceiver chip of choice for this project. Adding a single line to the Pi’s config.txt file, to wit:
dtoverlay=hifiberry-digi
is enough to add support for it.
To be compatible with the driver, the chip needs to be configured in software controlled mode, i2c interfacing, the address has to be 0x3b. This is accomplished with pull-up or pull-down resistors on some of the I/O pins of the WM8804. For the driver, there also needs to be a 27 MHz crystal connected. The i2s I/O pins are connected to the relevant pins on the Pi, and the S/PDIF input and output pins connect to TOSLINK input and output modules.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Seaberry carrier board turns a Raspberry Pi into a desktop PC with 11 PCIe slots
It’s a bit pricey, though
https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/25/seaberry_rpi_carrier_board/
Fancy a Raspberry Pi 4 in a desktop ITX form factor with 11 PCIe slots? The new Seaberry carrier board may make your wish come true – but for a fairly hefty price.
As we mentioned earlier this month, the forthcoming Linux kernel 5.16 will sport better support for the Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module. This tiny daughterboard plugs into I/O carrier boards, making the Compute Module a lot more versatile than the Raspberry Pi 4 proper.
https://www.tindie.com/products/alftel/seaberry-pi-cm4-carrier-board/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi RC Car Lets You Explore From Afar With Online Control
By Ash Hill 6 days ago
The best part? You can 3D print it at home!
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-3d-printed-rc-car
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Plays Video on Wall of CRT TVs
Four TVs and four Pis working together as one.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-crt-wall
We love seeing makers reuse old hardware and this project, created by CRTDream, is a fantastic example of how much fun you can have with some Raspberry Pis and four spare CRT TVs. CRTDream has built a 2×2 Pi-powered CRT wall using CRT TVs connected to four Raspberry Pis that synchronize together to work as a big screen.
How to build a video wall
How to build and configure a 2×2 video wall with Raspberry Pi’s and PiWall.
https://crt.gg/piwall/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Stair Treads Light the Way Based on Two Time-of-Flight Sensors Processed by a Raspberry Pi
Powered by JavaScript and a Raspberry Pi Zero W, these smart stairs trigger customizable animations when you trigger a sensor.
https://www.hackster.io/news/smart-stair-treads-light-the-way-based-on-two-time-of-flight-sensors-processed-by-a-raspberry-pi-0d069e374855
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nikolas Ehm Turns a Raspberry Pi Zero W Into a Smartphone-Connected On-the-Go Programming Rig
Designed for portability, this clever setup sees a keychain Raspberry Pi Zero 2 play host to a VNC server for a smartphone display.
https://www.hackster.io/news/nikolas-ehm-turns-a-raspberry-pi-zero-w-into-a-smartphone-connected-on-the-go-programming-rig-49cac78f0054
Tomi Engdahl says:
weird. I have my Hue bulbs responding to DMX in real time.
googled “hue dmx” and found this as the first result: https://github.com/sinedied/dmx-hue
I set it up on a Raspberry Pi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adding Optical Audio To The Raspberry Pi With One Chip
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/06/adding-optical-audio-to-the-raspberry-pi-with-one-chip/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Raspberry Pi Robot Brings Holiday Cheer — If You Donate to Help the Homeless
Make a donation to help the homeless this holiday season and this cute robot will celebrate with a song, a dance, or a joke.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-raspberry-pi-robot-brings-holiday-cheer-if-you-donate-to-help-the-homeless-df4d849d00ab
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi-Powered Sugar Launcher Uses OpenCV to Find Your Cup — and Bombard It with Sugar Cubes
Inspired by a certain animated butter-passing robot, this boxy beast flings sugar cubes at your cup from afar.
https://www.hackster.io/news/raspberry-pi-powered-sugar-launcher-uses-opencv-to-find-your-cup-and-bombard-it-with-sugar-cubes-e443f3f94c4b
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Fore!
This over-the-top robotic golf caddy launches clubs (and drinks!) through the air to keep things interesting during your next round of golf.
https://www.hackster.io/news/raspberry-pi-fore-116b3c9aa06a
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fridge Flight Tracker
This refrigerator-mounted tracking device reveals what plane is overhead.
https://www.hackster.io/news/fridge-flight-tracker-c25b99c61c58
Tomi Engdahl says:
USB add-on boards leverage Raspberry Pi Zero test pads, USB Gadget mode
I’ve just come across a few USB boards that take advantage of the Raspberry Pi Zero (W) test pads to add one or more USB Type-A ports to the board without soldering.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/01/15/usb-add-on-boards-leverage-raspberry-pi-zero-test-pads-usb-gadget-mode/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Detects Malware Using Electromagnetic Waves
By Ash Hill published 7 days ago
Researchers take antivirus support to the next level with the Raspberry Pi.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-detects-malware-with-em-waves
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/best-raspberry-pi-projects
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tonga Eruption Pressure Wave Caught on a Raspberry Pi Thousands of Miles Away — Three Times in a Row
Sandy Macdonald, equipped with a Raspberry Pi and BME280 pressure sensor, caught the shockwave coming from over 10,000 miles away.
https://www.hackster.io/news/tonga-eruption-pressure-wave-caught-on-a-raspberry-pi-thousands-of-miles-away-three-times-in-a-row-ec5a117ddac6
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-01-raspberry-pi-viruses-devices-software.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
RaSCSI Zero Turns a Raspberry Pi Zero Into an Ultra-Compact External SCSI Drive Emulator
Released under a permissive license, this kit turns a Raspberry Pi Zero into a small-footprint external SCSI device for your vintage rigs.
https://www.hackster.io/news/rascsi-zero-turns-a-raspberry-pi-zero-into-an-ultra-compact-external-scsi-drive-emulator-69a71b9e9376
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nik Ivanov’s Watney Raspberry Pi Telepresence Robot Gets an Overhaul: Meet Watney 3.0
Fully open source and fully 3D-printable, this dinky robot provides low-latency video and bidirectional audio anywhere.
https://www.hackster.io/news/nik-ivanov-s-watney-raspberry-pi-telepresence-robot-gets-an-overhaul-meet-watney-3-0-48f54d61a069
Tomi Engdahl says:
Learning The Ropes With A Raspberry Pi Mandelbrot Cluster
https://hackaday.com/2022/01/18/learning-the-ropes-with-a-raspberry-pi-mandelbrot-cluster/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/01/19/10-1-inch-rpi-all-in-one-pc-review-with-raspberry-pi-4/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Mobile LTE Hotspot Adds WiFi and Network Storage Anywhere
By Ash Hill published about 20 hours ago
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-mobile-nas-hotspot
This Raspberry Pi mobile LTE hotspot is a custom van life companion, working as both a network access point and NAS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/02/02/a-portable-projecting-pi-for-education/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/01/31/save-money-and-have-fun-using-ieee-488/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Pico Powers Oscilloscope with Smartphone Interface
By Ash Hill published 1 day ago
Get the tools you need in a pinch with the help of a Raspberry Pi.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-pico-oscilloscope
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to send & see data from a Raspberry Pi to Azure IoT Hub!
A quick, beginner-friendly introduction to sending and seeing data from a Raspberry Pi to Microsoft Azure IoT Hub!
https://www.hackster.io/jenfoxbot/how-to-send-see-data-from-a-raspberry-pi-to-azure-iot-hub-908924
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to build a DIY Raspberry Pi Spectrometer using a Picamera and Spectroscope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_goVwwxKE4
In this video I demonstrate a home-made Raspberry Pi Spectrometer for measuring the wavelength of light! If you already have a Raspberry Pi, this useful tool can be built for under 100 bucks!
This uses readily available components and easy to use Python software I have written specially for this application.
All code for this video and the bill of materials, as well as additional information is available at my GitHub:
https://github.com/leswright1977/PySp…
Tomi Engdahl says:
PiEEG for converting RaspberryPi to Brain-Computer
The easiest way to the neuroscience world with the shield for RaspberryPi – PIEEG
https://hackaday.io/project/183912-pieeg-for-converting-raspberrypi-to-brain-computer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cyberdeck1
A rugged cyberdeck with network hub and SDR
https://hackaday.io/project/183892-cyberdeck1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Synth
https://hackaday.io/project/183885-raspberry-pi-synth
The synthesizer is composed of three basic parts. There are two midi control boards based on the TM4C123GXL launchpads and a raspberry pi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 5 Best Raspberry Pi Cyberdecks
BY GARLING WU
PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO
Cyberdecks are among the most creative Raspberry Pi projects. Here are some amazing examples to inspire you to build one.
https://www.makeuseof.com/best-raspberry-pi-cyberdecks/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-braincraft-hat-easy-machine-learning-for-raspberry-pi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Henri rakensi älykotiinsa avustajan – yli tonnin maksanut robotti osaa kertoa kun sauna on valmis https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000008642371.html
DIY Voice Assistant based on the GLaDOS character from Portal video game series. Works with home assistant!
https://github.com/nerdaxic/glados-voice-assistant
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Powered USB4VC Connects Modern Peripherals to Retro PCs
By Ash Hill published 10 days ago
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-usb4vc-converter-for-vintage-computers
Now you can use the peripherals you want on the hardware you love.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Raspberry Pi-Powered Inventory Tracker Means You’ll Never Misplace a Component Again
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-raspberry-pi-powered-inventory-tracker-means-you-ll-never-misplace-a-component-again-3f70856a97f5
Designed for ease of use, this automated system tracks inventory via a barcode scanner — and ensures things go back in the right place.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Raspberry Pi-Powered Light Control System Uses Computer Vision to Adjust a Desk Lamp
Rather than a simple photoresistor, this lighting control setup uses a camera module and the user’s choice of PIL or OpenCV.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-raspberry-pi-powered-light-control-system-uses-computer-vision-to-adjust-a-desk-lamp-4e3a343c6b3f
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Real Fake Window Provides a Live View of the Outside World via an RTSP Camera and Raspberry Pi
Linking a Wyze Cam and omxplayer via RTSP, this project puts a little bit of the outside world on the wall of an internal office.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-real-fake-window-provides-a-live-view-of-the-outside-world-via-an-rtsp-camera-and-raspberry-pi-998a86059149
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi does what Microsoft can’t!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlBIfpBwqKY
The new beta of Network Install is here, and I’ll tell you how it works, which Pis are compatible, and why it matters.
Contents:
00:00 – Network Install
01:51 – Testing the beta on your Pi
03:24 – Imaging a microSD card
05:10 – Imaging a USB drive
05:40 – Thumb drive ISOs
06:22 – How secure is it?
07:23 – Limitations
08:31 – A new era for Pi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi And The Story Of SD Card Corruption
https://hackaday.com/2022/03/09/raspberry-pi-and-the-story-of-sd-card-corruption/
Tales of Raspberry Pi SD card corruption are available online by the fistful, and are definitely a constant in Pi-adjacent communities. It’s apparent that some kind of problems tend to arise when a Raspberry Pi meets an SD card – which sounds quite ironic, since an SD card is the official and recommended way of booting a Pi. What is up with all of that?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audio Development Kit Brings Wake-Word Support to Raspberry Pi
https://www.electronicdesign.com/kit-close-up/video/21233600/electronic-design-knowles`
We take a look at Knowles’ IA8201 EVM Kit that provides multi-microphone audio support for a Raspberry Pi host.
Tomi Engdahl says:
World’s First Pi-Powered Satellite Shows the Resilience of Raspberry Pi
https://www.reviewgeek.com/112138/worlds-first-pi-powered-satellite-shows-the-resilience-of-raspberry-pi/
Undergraduate students at the Utah State University (USU) have successfully launched the first Pi-powered satellite into orbit. The GASPACS CubeSat, which was sponsored by NASA, features a Raspberry Pi Zero computer, a second-gen Pi Camera Module, and a DFRobot Beetle microcontroller to facilitate basic tasks at a low price.
Like other CubeSat devices, the GASPACS CubeSat is quite small—just 10 centimeters wide. Its mission is to test an “aeroboom” stabilization system, which successfully deployed 45 minutes after astronauts tossed GASPACS CubeSat off the ISS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-apoca-pi-now-is-a-luggable-rugged-emp-proof-raspberry-pi-portable-a7f51b294360
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-find-out-if-raspberry-pi-linux-os-needs-a-reboot/