Best Raspberry Pi Projects: September 2024

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Fall is quickly approaching for makers in the northern hemisphere and we've got some cool Raspberry Pi to share so warm up your soldering irons. We've got all kinds of great creations using the newest Raspberry Pi 5, Pico 2 and everything else in between. Whether you're an amateur or professional microelectronics enthusiast, there's something here to get your gears turning guaranteed.

As always, these makers integrate their projects with the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to bring their ideas to fruition. Whenever possible, we share all of the details and links you need to make these projects for yourself at home. Be sure to stick around to the end to check out some tutorials put together by the staff here at Tom's Hardware.

Raspberry Pi-enhanced Kids’ Electric Car

Not all of us are lucky enough to grow up with makers as parents but Jon Skagmo's kids are. Skagmo spruced up his kids' electric car with a Raspberry Pi adding in tons of cool features including things like a touchscreen and onboard music—effectively turning it into a miniature smart car.

Why we love it:

There's no reason you can't indoctrinate your kids early into the world of microelectronics. This is a great project that both shows the potential of the Raspberry Pi and how a little bit of creativity can bring your vision into reality.

Read: Raspberry Pi-enhanced Kids’ Electric Car

Raspberry Pi Keyholder Backs Up Flash Drive Data

For those that carry a flash drive with them every day, this project is a must have! Thinkdolearn has created a keychain holder that will backup your flash drive when connecting it via USB. The backups take place overnight so you don't have to worry about anything but undocking it in the morning.

Why we love it:

This keychain holder is very handy to have around and you can easily customize it. The project is very practical and the execution is well done. We just appreciate that Thinklearndo took the time to share all their work with us so we don't have to start from scratch.

Read: Raspberry Pi Keyholder Backs Up Flash Drive Data

Raspberry Pi Pico Watch

Some Raspberry Pi projects are just made for the runway and this is one of them. This Raspberry Pi Pico watch is peak haute couture—or should we say hack couture? It uses a ring of colored LEDs to indicate the hour, minute and second.

Why we love it:

We're huge fans of the Raspberry Pi, of course we'd jump at the opportunity to wear one all of the time. We covered this project before but this latest upgrade is just so sleek. The wristband and metal housing are absolutely gorgeous and make for a professional finish.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Watch

Raspberry Pi RC Tank Shoots Bubbles

This Raspberry Pi tank project isn't as dangerous as it looks. The exact Raspberry Pi model used isn't clear but it's driving a tank alongside an Arduino Nano. This tank doesn't shoot hard projectiles but rather bubbles. It has four wheels instead of tank treads but the top moves around like a real tank.

Why we love it:

If you've been looking for a project to chase your cats around with, this is the one. It's chaotic enough to be fun but harmless enough to be safe. The worst you have to worry about is getting bubble solution in your eye or making the floor slick.

Read: Raspberry Pi RC Tank Shoots Bubbles

Raspberry Pi CatBot Monitors for Stray Cats

Speaking of cats, this Raspberry Pi cat monitor project is perfect for anyone with too many strays outside. It monitors for stray cats and snaps a picture of them. These pictures can be collected later or texted immediately so you can see which kitty is on your porch.

Why we love it:

We like cats and we like Pi projects that take pictures of cats. This is a wonderful intersection of two passions. The setup also can detect birds and startle them away by tapping at the window so they don't consume the cat food which can be harmful. We're awarding bonus points here for saving the birds.

Read: Raspberry Pi CatBot Monitors for Stray Cats

Raspberry Pi Hands-Free Drone Controller

Learning how negative numbers work in various equations can be a serious headache but teaching someone else to understand them is another challenge entirely. Thankfully, we've got makers like Russell Eveleigh out there who've made the process easier thanks to this Zero Pairs display.

Why we love it:

Education has always been at the core of what the Raspberry Pi is all about so it's cool to see a Pi used in a project like this. The concept is unique and the design is very well done. We like the visual 3D-printed accompaniment to the GUI. It's an awesome tool to have on hand for anyone working with a visual learner.

Read: Raspberry Pi Zero Pairs Display

Raspberry Pi Hands-Free Drone Controller

This controller uses a Raspberry Pi to help make the world of drone flying more accessible. The board is called AeroCommand and it enables you to operate a drone completely hands free. You can use things like facial expressions and voice commands to indicate where you want the drone to go.

Why we love it:

Flying a drone is really hard to do no matter how coordinated you are with your thumbs. Anything that makes the process easier and opens the world of flying to more people is a winning move in our book.

Read: Raspberry Pi Hands-Free Drone Controller

Raspberry Pi AI Glasses Helps Visually Impaired People

We love Pi projects that dabble in making the world more accessible and this is one impressive attempt at doing just that. Md. Khairul Alamhas has created a pair of glasses for visually impaired persons with a camera module positioned in the front. It's connected to a Pi that uses AI to help the wearer better understand their environment using text to speech and a pair of earbuds.

Why we love it:

This is a truly unique way to help people with visual impairment navigate the world independently. The project has quite a few elements that bring the final build together from machine learning to text-to-speech. It's a fun idea and it's neat to see something so potentially useful get attention.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Glasses Helps Visually Impaired People

Raspberry Pi Card-playing Robot

If you've ever been short a guy when playing cards, Dominic LeBoeuf has you covered with his awesome Raspberry Pi-powered card playing robot. The robot is programmed to play just one game by itself but the idea is really cool and it works so well.

Why we love it:

There are a few ways to pull off a project like this and it's neat to see what LeBoeuf ultimately landed on. Cards are lifted using suction and identified with NFC tags. There was also a good deal of 3D printing involved to build the robotic arm and card trays.

Read: Raspberry Pi Card-playing Robot

Raspberry Pi 5 Modular Pocket PC

Image credit: Soulcircuit

This is one of the coolest Raspberry Pi 5 mini PCs we've seen yet. It's modular with all sorts of things you can add on like a keyboard for input. The unit is also completely portable which makes it a great pocket PC option.

Why we love it:

We haven't seen too many Pi 5 pocket PCs, let alone a neat modular one like this. The design is absolutely gorgeous with a sleek white shell and bright orange accents. There's a lot of versatility to be had in a design like this as well as room for customization.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Modular Pocket PC

Tom's Hardware Projects

It's seriously impossible to look at awesome Raspberry Pi projects like these all the time and not be inspired to make something of our own. Here's what the staff of Tom's Hardware has been up to lately along with tutorials you can follow along with at home.

How to Control your Raspberry Pi Camera using a web UI

In this updated guide, Les shows us how you can operate a Raspberry Pi camera module over the internet using a web based interface. We go over everything you need as well as what to do in order to get the software setup so you can better integrate cameras into your next Raspberry Pi project.

Read: How to Control your Raspberry Pi Camera using a web UI

The summer is winding down as we sneak into August (for those in the northern hemisphere anyway) and it's time again to take a look at some of the coolest Raspberry Pi projects that we've featured over the last month. We've got a little bit of everything to inspire your inner maker using anything Pi—from the smallest RP2040 to the beefiest Raspberry Pi 5.

Many of these projects are open source, so we'll provide links to the source code when we can. The makers behind these projects use some of the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs available on the market to bring their ideas to life. Whether you're an expert microelectronics master or new to a soldering iron, there's something here for you.

Mini Fractal Design North Raspberry Pi Case

If you missed it, Fractal Design had a really cool Raspberry Pi case to show off at Computex 2024. They took their North desktop case design and miniaturized it for the Pi. However, this cool tiny case was just for show. Thankfully, some fans have recreated it for anyone that wants one of their own at home.

Why we love it:

That tiny North case was super cool but it was such a bummer to learn it was a one off design. It's always a treat to see the community step in like this to make things more accessible. Thanks to their work, you can print this case for yourself.

Read: Mini Fractal Design North Raspberry Pi Case

Zerowriter Ink Typewriter

As the name would suggest, this Raspberry Pi project was made with writers in mind. It's actually an upgrade from an existing project but with a bigger screen and sleeker end design. If you're interested in a portable Pi-power typewriter, you should check out the Zerowriter Ink Typewriter from Zerowriter.

Why we love it:

We covered this project previously so it was exciting to see it get an update. The original idea is awesome and it's cool to know the maker is still honing in the design to make it exactly what they want.

Read: Zerowriter Ink Typewriter

Raspberry Pi DinkyDash Family Dashboard

Schedules can be hectic things to manage, especially when you've got a big family. That may be—but maker and developer Caspar von Wrede decided to do something about it with his DinkyDash family dashboard project. This is a simple dashboard that compiles important family events in one place.

Why we love it:

This could be adapted for a wide variety of use cases. It's amazing how a simple idea can be complex both in itself and in what it accomplishes. The DinkyDash is a great idea and is executed very well.

Read: Raspberry Pi DinkyDash Family Dashboard

Cyberdore 2064 Cyberdeck

You've heard of the Commodore 64 but you probably haven't heard of the Pi-powered handheld cyberdeck, Cyberdore 2064. This slick little handheld features a full keyboard, screen, and a few other add ons that make it a truly one of a kind build.

Why we love it:

We're just gonna lay it out—this thing looks cool as all get out. The design is on point and the fact that it uses our favorite SBC is just icing on the Pi. It's also open source, so you can make one for yourself, too.

Read: Cyberdore 2064 Cyberdeck

Raspberry Pi 1000 with Raspberry Pi 5

The Raspberry Pi 5 has been out for a while and we've been ready for its version of the Raspberry Pi 400 since the day it launched. If you're familiar with the maker community in any capacity, though, you know someone's probably tried making their own and that's exactly what Arnov Sharma has done with his Raspberry Pi 1000 project.

Why we love it:

Sharma makes tons of cool things, like a giant Game Boy, and this is no exception. It might not be the first Raspberry Pi 5-based version of the Raspberry Pi 400 we've seen, but it's certainly a unique contender worthy of attention.

Read: Raspberry Pi 1000 with Raspberry Pi 5

Raspberry Pi Pico YouTube Subscriber Counter

How many subscribers do you have again? Don't bother opening YouTube. Just throw together this cool YouTube Subscriber Counter designed by Yakroo108! It uses our favorite microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Pico as the main board. The main screen is an LED matrix but it also has an LCD display for showing extra stats.

Why we love it:

There are a lot of elements that go into this project that we appreciate. It's the little details like the LCD showing the IP address that makes the project go from neat to neater.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico YouTube Subscriber Counter

Raspberry Pi CM4 MultiPi Console

Gaming on the Raspberry Pi is like butter on a biscuit—it just makes sense. That's probably why this MultiPi console is so awesome. That or the fact that it's powered by a CM4, sports a sleek case, and even has cartridge slots like an old school console. There are plans to release expansions to the system using the cartridges to add things like an analogue A/V card.

Why we love it:

We were intrigued by the MultiPi the moment we saw it. It's cool design, CM4 support and expansion cartridges are just too great to overlook. You can tell a lot of work went into this project design and was well worth the effort.

Read: Raspberry Pi CM4 MultiPi Console

Raspberry Pi TRS-80 Project

This project pays homage to the classic TRS-80 machines. It's powered by a Raspberry Pi, of course, and features a slew of components that make it stand out as a unique experience. It most resembles the TRS-80 Model 4 but it is not an exact replica. This Raspberry Pi TRS-80 features a touchpad, keyboard, and is housed in a beautiful 3D printed case.

Why we love it:

We're suckers for old school hardware so of course we lept at the opportunity to show off this cool build. It's obvious that a lot of thought and work went into its design. It's awesome to see makers build something complex like this from the ground up.

Read: Raspberry Pi TRS-80 Project

Raspberry Pi Flip Display

This Raspberry Pi project is flippin' awesome. It uses little flip discs, which are essentially circles with different colors on each side that rotate using a servo. With beaucoups of these laid out in a matrix, Kelly and Kathy have managed to create a full on flip disc display panel. They even spruced it up by throwing in a camera to make it interactive.

Why we love it:

We've never seen a display quite like this and were thrilled to learn a Raspberry Pi was thrown into the mix. It's a really fun idea but to see it in action actually working is just insanely cool. There's just something alluring about a digital display that seems so analogue.

Read: Raspberry Pi Flip Display

Raspberry Pi 5 Overclocked to 3.4GHz

One of the most exciting developments we've come across lately, however, is Jeff Geerling and his impressive quest to overclock the newest Raspberry Pi 5 all the way up to 3.4 GHz. So far, this is the highest anyone has ever overclocked the Pi 5.

Why we love it:

I don't think we owe anyone an explanation for this one. We have a guide here at Tom's Hardware explaining how to overclock the Raspberry Pi 5. It's a no-brainer that we should be consumed with delight at Geerling's latest development.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Overclocked to 3.4GHz

How to write code for your Raspberry Pi Pico in your web browser with ViperIDE

You can code for the Pico from a browser? You betcha! Les shows us how it's done using ViperIDE. In this guide, he'll go over everything you need to do this yourself including links to pertinent materials along the way.

Read: How to write code for your Raspberry Pi Pico in your web browser with ViperIDE

How to make a connected badge that shows the latest news headlines

Before you head out to that cool tech con you were thinking about, you should consider putting together a cool name badge like this. It uses a Raspberry Pi Pico and displays anything you want on a small, eInk screen. In this guide, Les breaks down the full build process.

Read: How to make a connected badge that shows the latest news headlines

The Raspberry Pi is one of our favorite SBCs, and it's no wonder why. The Pi community is full of incredibly inventive makers who constantly create exciting, awe-inspiring creations using everything from the latest Raspberry Pi 5 to custom PCBs with an RP2040 microcontroller. We feature Raspberry Pi projects all week, and once a month, we gather a list of 10 of our favorites that we think are worth highlighting again.

These makers use the best Raspberry Pi accessories to bring their ideas to life. If they can make something for themselves, they usually will. But you'll also find cool HATs, cases, and modules of all sorts. Whenever possible, we'll share links to the source code so you can dig into the projects for yourself and see how they work.

Raspberry Pi Pico Sorts Candies by Color

Sorting your candies has never been so lovely and overly engineered, thanks to Techtronic3D's Raspberry Pi-powered candy sorter. Just load up your candy and let the Pi work its magic. It takes a little bit of time as the machine has to process each candy one at a time. Once a candy's color is identified, it's dropped into a 3D-printed bin that matches the color.

Why we love it:

This is a fun idea that isn't very useful, but it absolutely works as intended. It's well-designed, and the 3D-printed components add an excellent finish to its overall function. Plus, it's hard to complain about a project with an end product you can eat.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Sorts Candies by Color

Raspberry Pi Portable Arcade Cabinets

Kian Ryan put together a really cool set of arcade cabinets that use Raspberry Pis for one of his clients. They needed something to take to conventions so much of the work was in making the units easy to set up, break down and transport. The end result is this cool set of cabinets that run custom homebrew and emulate old school consoles.

Why we love it:

We love Raspberry Pi-powered arcades. Why wouldn't we get excited about a fleet of them that travels to various events? The cabinets look fantastic and we're just glad Ryan decided to put a Raspberry Pi inside all of them.

Read: Raspberry Pi Portable Arcade Cabinets

Battery-Powered Raspberry Pi PC

If you want a simple desktop with a small footprint, it makes perfect sense to create one yourself using a Raspberry Pi and that's exactly what maker and developer Arnov Sharma did. This custom desktop is known as the Power Pi Version 2 and it's not just tiny, it's portable. It also sports some fancy RGB LEDs so it has a little extra gamer flair.

Why we love it:

This PC is super cute and very well-designed. We like everything from the shape of the case to the RGB LEDs underneath. Sharma is no stranger to Pi projects so we weren't surprised to see how much work he put into this one. It's always a delight to see so much effort come together for a cool end product.

Read: Battery-Powered Raspberry Pi PC

Raspberry Pi Chat GPT Rover Bot

Some Raspberry Pi projects are made to roam and Floyd the rover bot is one of them. This Pi-powered robot was created by Larry's Workbench and it does much more than just locomote. Larry has spruced up Floyd with a dose of AI thanks to the integration of Chat GPT allowing him to talk with a good amount of sass.

Why we love it:

This is probably the closest we're going to get to creating a real life R2D2. Who doesn't love a talking robot with too much attitude? Apart from the Chat GPT features, it also has a cool rover design with omnidirectional wheels.

Read: Raspberry Pi Chat GPT Rover Bot

Raspberry Pi Zero 2W Pocket Z

Pocket PCs aren't what they used to be—nor should they! Technology has come a long way but a few makers want to take things back (just a little) like Icepat over at Hackaday. Using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, they've created a beautiful handheld PC called the Pocket Z. It features a custom PCB designed to work with the Raspberry Pi.

Why we love it:

This is a really cool example of how amazingly over the top some makers are with their creations. It's not enough to emulate an old system, they want to build one of their own and they'll design a PCB from scratch to make it happen.

Read: Raspberry Pi Zero 2W Pocket Z

Raspberry Pi Pico MicroMac

The cool thing about emulating old systems is you don't need expensive hardware. In fact, maker and developer Matt Evans is using a Raspberry Pi Pico to run this Macintosh 128K emulator. Evans demonstrated the Picos ability to run both MacDraw and MacWrite with a good deal of success.

Why we love it:

We like old technology. We like the Raspberry Pi. We really like seeing people emulate old technology on the Raspberry Pi—especially one of the smaller models like the Pico. It's a really fun project idea and we're glad to see it work so well in practice.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico MicroMac

Baby Raspberry Pi Macintosh Quadra 700

Take everything you know about the Macintosh Quadra 700—now miniaturize it and make it Linux powered. That's exactly what Brachus Creations has done with this Pi-powered Macintosh Quadra 700 project. The original was released in 1991 and was much larger. That said, this is a fun desktop replica that works just as well.

Why we love it:

You really need a good case for the modern Raspberry Pi models so why not go all out in style? This project doesn't just look the part, it walks the walk thanks to the Basilisk emulator which lets you run actual Mac software from that era.

Read: Baby Raspberry Pi Macintosh Quadra 700

Use a Raspberry Pi to Detect Naruto Hand Seals

If you're a fan of Naruto, you probably don't need this project because you likely know all of the hand seals by heart but it's still really cool. Lucas Fernando is using AI to recognize the twelve hand seals from the Naruto franchise. He isn't using a Pi but assures the project can be replicated on a Pi 5 or Pi 4.

Why we love it:

This is one of those projects that isn't particularly useful, it's just really fun to see a proof of concept in action. It's also a neat way to play around with training an AI model with something interesting you enjoy.

Read: Use a Raspberry Pi to Detect Naruto Hand Seals

Raspberry Pi Bee Counting Beehive Monitor

Every now and then, we'll come across a Raspberry Pi project that aims to help the environment like this cool Pi-powered bee counting hive monitor. It uses AI to help monitor the population of a given beehive which is very useful for apiarists around the world. This particular project is running off of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.

Why we love it:

We love bees! It's good to know some makers out there are putting the Pi to good use and helping us keep them around. The project works just as it was designed and serves as an excellent use case of AI.

Read: Raspberry Pi Bee Counting Beehive Monitor

Raspberry Pi Pico 26-Pin Capacitive Touch Sensor PCB

Anything can be an instrument with this cool capacitive touch sensor PCB put together by maker and developer Tom Fox. This board turns all 26 GPIO pins on the Pico into a touch sensor input. To demonstrate its potential, he created a touch sensitive instrument that doubles as an art piece.

Why we love it:

This PCB is an amazing demonstration of how a simple idea can be made into a fun, open source tool. Fox's PCB design is well done and can easily be incorporated into loads of cool projects.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico 26-Pin Capacitive Touch Sensor PCB

Tom's Hardware Projects

We look at Raspberry Pi projects every day all week long, so it should come as no surprise that we like to tinker as well. Over the last month, we've had the opportunity to review some new Raspberry Pi hardware and wanted to share our findings with the Pi community.

Sunfounder Pironman 5 Review

The Pironman 5 case is like a tiny tabletop desktop for your Raspberry Pi 5. It has RGB LEDs and acrylic side panels so you can see all the hardware inside. There's a power button on the front along with an OLED screen. In this review, Les takes a look at how well it works and whether or not it's worth your time.

Read: Sunfounder Pironman 5 Review

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S

Looking for more Pi to get excited about? We just dropped our Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S review. It's one of the latest boards in a long line of Pi products that we're more than excited to sink our teeth into.

Read: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S

The Raspberry Pi community - in the northern hemisphere, at least - is ready for summer with tons of cool projects and guides to go along with them. These makers are using all sorts of Pis ranging from the smallest Raspberry Pi RP2040 microprocessor all the way up to the latest Raspberry Pi 5. We've got all sorts of cool project ideas to inspire makers from all walks of life including amateurs, students and even expert engineers.

The creators behind these projects are using the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to bring their ideas to life. Whenever possible, we share all of the links we can that show how these projects are made and what you need to create them for yourself at home.

Raspberry Pi 400 'Fallout' Home Automation Terminal

Once you step foot on the surface of the wastelands, you can't go back, so you might as well bring a little piece of the apocalypse into your house. That's exactly what maker and developer Rick has done with this Raspberry Pi Fallout-themed terminal that works as a hub for home automation systems.

Why we love it:

Creating a Pi-powered hub for your home automation setup is already really cool but throwing in this cool Fallout design is just icing on the cake. The work that Rick put into developing both the technical side of the project and artistic skills to make it look as nice as it does is well worth the extra attention. The interface resembles the CLI from the game and accurately captures the look and feel of the hardware it's trying to emulate.

Read: Raspberry Pi 400 'Fallout' Home Automation Terminal

Raspberry PI AI Talking Tomato Plant

Those in the gardening community without a green thumb have likely wondered from time to time exactly what their plants need. This project from Redpepper solves that problem by using a Raspberry Pi with AI. It uses a variety of sensors to make sense of its environment and can tell you when the plant needs water, sunlight or a little extra love.

Why we love it:

This project takes all of the guesswork out of gardening and keeps things strictly logical with oodles of data to take advantage of. It's a fun use of the Raspberry Pi and a great example of how you can implement AI into your projects. The Pi also has a big pair of googly eyes on the front which only does favors to the overall design.

Read: Raspberry PI AI Talking Tomato Plant

Raspberry Pi AI Fably Storyteller

Coming up with a fresh idea for a bedtime story every night can be taxing. Thankfully, maker and developer Stefano Mazzocchi has created a Pi-powered solution to do the work for you in a project he dubs Fably. This project uses the power of AI to generate stories then reads them out loud using text-to-speech software and a speaker.

Why we love it:

We appreciate the versatility of this project as there's a lot of room to customize it as you go. You can add pre-recorded audio books, operate it using voice commands and get really creative by making cool housing for the hardware. Overall it's a fun idea with plenty to build on with its open source design.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Fably Storyteller

Raspberry Pi Sony Tape Deck Wireless Media Streaming Platform

Why buy what you can make yourself? That seems to be the motto of maker Unchecked_arrogance who's using a Raspberry Pi to power this custom Sony tape deck media streaming platform project. This is a double tape deck so while one side works as a Pi-powered media center, the other plays cassettes.

Why we love it:

This is a really fun way to revitalize old hardware while still maintaining its original functionality. You can easily go back and forth between playing old tapes and streaming your favorite podcasts. The execution is also worthy of extra praise. Unchecked_arrogance is using a touchscreen interface and it looks absolutely slick in place of the original tape player.

Read: Raspberry Pi Sony Tape Deck Wireless Media Streaming Platform

Raspberry Pi 5 ChatGPT Bender Personal Assistant

Personal assistants are easier to customize than ever thanks to microelectronics like the Raspberry Pi. Maker and developer Manuel Ahumada has made one from scratch that looks and acts just like Bender from the animated series 'Futurama'. He's powered by a Raspberry Pi 5 and is housed inside a custom, 3D-printed head.

Why we love it:

This project goes above and beyond. The head looks spot on while the software blends seamlessly to create a body-less Bender experience. In fact, we're pretty sure we've seen this in an episode before. It just goes to show how once again the Pi community is really adept at bringing Sci Fi to the real world.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 ChatGPT Bender Personal Assistant

Raspberry Pi 5 Game Boy XL

If you thought the original Game Boy was big, you haven't seen its giant counterpart—the Game Boy XL—created by Arnov Sharma. This Game Boy is massive, upgrading not only its size but also its capability thanks to the Raspberry Pi 5 inside. It features an LCD screen with working buttons on the front but it's intended to be displayed on a tabletop standing upright with a Bluetooth controller for input.

Why we love it:

We love the Raspberry Pi, we love the Game Boy and we get excited at giant versions of the things we love. Featuring this project was a no-brainer. Sharma's giant Game Boy XL is very well designed and looks like it would be a fantastic addition to any retro gaming fan's hardware collection.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Game Boy XL

Raspberry Pi Picos Dual Clock

Raspberry Pi clocks can be really cool. We've seen quilted Pi-powered clocks and even clocks that use marbles. However, this is the first dual clock we've come across. One clock uses a seven-segment display while the one underneath is output to a matrix panel. This panel can be used to display a variety of information outside of the time making it a dynamic counterpart to the seven-segment clock on top.

Why we love it:

The Pico 2040 clock has a very sleek end design. It looks professional thanks to little details like the logo in the corner. Makers don't have to go the extra step to make a project like this functional but it does make a difference when it comes to presentation. It showcases how makers can transform their ideas into well-made finished products.

Read: Raspberry Pi Picos Dual Clock

Raspberry Pi AI Stethoscope

Stethoscopes are an essential part of modern medicine. This project takes the tool and adds a twist using our favorite SBC. Instead of relying solely on the doctor to listen for what's going on inside, now you can let this Raspberry Pi AI stethoscope evaluate the data and scan for things like heart disease that would be nearly impossible for us to detect by sound alone.

Why we love it:

This is an amazing demonstration of how Raspberry Pi technology can be applied to help save lives. It's a simple idea that when trained with enough data, can help aid those in the medical field hone in on health concerns before they manifest further.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Stethoscope

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Hackbat

Every hacker needs a tool and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 HackBat isn't one to scoff at. This handheld PCB features tons of cool tools that make it something like a Swiss Army knife of hacking gadgets. If you're looking for something to use professionally or just want to tinker, this little board is definitely worth a close look.

Why we love it:

It takes a lot of work to design a PCB from scratch—especially one decked out with so many cool components and modules. It's got a screen for output, buttons for input, an RF antenna and so much more to play around with. At the end of the day, maker and developer Trujillo knocked the ball out of the park with this project.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Hackbat

Raspberry Pi AI Clock Listens and Smells the Time

This is by far one of the strangest and most fascinating Raspberry Pi clocks we've ever seen. These clocks use smell and sound to estimate the time using AI. As time goes on, the clocks collect data which will hopefully make them more accurate at telling the time based on something so strange and seemingly arbitrary.

Why we love it:

Some of the best Raspberry Pi projects are made because the maker could do something, not because they needed to. This idea is hilarious and the fact that Max Bj?rverud actually took the time to put these together and show them off is fantastic. We love everything about this project from its conception to the final build.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Clock Listens and Smells the Time

With May in full swing, it's time to take a look at some really cool Raspberry Pi projects for a little summertime tinkering inspiration. These makers have created some seriously unique projects using all sorts of Pi models like the itty bitty RP2040 microprocessor all the way up to the latest Raspberry Pi 5.

We're sure to share all of the juicy details along the way so you know exactly what Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs made the final design possible in these projects. We're huge fans of open source technology and love any opportunity to share what we learn along the way—so plug in your soldering iron and get out the protoboards, these are the best Raspberry Pi projects we've had the honor of featuring over the past month.

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Wireless LED Scoreboard

All sorts of games require score keeping and if you've got games to keep tally of, this Raspberry Pi RP2040 wireless LED scoreboard is just the project for the job. It uses an RP2040 microprocessor and features a custom made control panel along with a wireless remote for an input device.

Why we love it:

This maker went above and beyond to take something that you could probably do by hand with a pen and paper but with the added fun of building a microelectronics project. This scoreboard project looks just as fun to build as it is to use.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Wireless LED Scoreboard

Raspberry Pi AI Robots Motivate Runners by Shouting Messages

Finding the motivation to work out is hard but what if you had a little robot that would cheer you on? That's exactly what maker and developer Sir Walter Richardson has done with this AI-powered motivation robot.

Why we love it:

It's awesome to have a little extra encouragement while you're pushing through a tough challenge. However, in a hilarious twist, this project will also sling demotivational shade to anyone who passes by with a bit too much confidence.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Robots Motivate Runners by Shouting Message

Raspberry Pi 4 Knight Rider ChatGPT KITT

Recreating scifi props might as well be its own category of microelectronics projects. Makers sure know how to take it to the next level when it comes to bringing scifi tech to life like the masterminds over at Knight Rider Historians who built their own talking KITT. This prop was built using a Raspberry Pi and ChatGPT.

Why we love it:

This project is really cool whether you're a fan of Knight Rider or not. The animated LEDs and interactive ChatGPT features make for an exciting experience. This project is one engine away from becoming a full-sized KITT replica.

Read: Raspberry Pi 4 Knight Rider ChatGPT KITT

Raspberry Pi Pico Dicemaster 2000

Every now and then, we come across projects that help make life a little bit easier. In this project, developer Hiro has created a dice roller for his visually impaired friend called the Dicemaster 2000. It's designed with controls that are easy to feel and uses audio output for feedback.

Why we love it:

Pi-powered dice rollers are really cool, but this one takes it a step further by adding a level of accessibility for Hiro's friend. It's a thoughtful project with end results that look great and fun to play with during late night tabletop sessions.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Dicemaster 2000

Raspberry Pi RP2040 LED Wristwatch

This RP2040-powered wristwatch was created by Kim Paulsson. Like any other watch, it tells the time but Paulsson decided to forgo your traditional hands or modern digital screen and opted for a more…microelectronics enthusiast approach. It features a ring of LEDs that are used to represent the current hour, minute and second.

Why we love it:

This watch is really cool! We haven't seen anything like it before and throwing in our favorite microprocessor is just icing on the Pi. The exposed PCB looks great—especially with the black finish and white text.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 LED Wristwatch

Raspberry Pi Brings GitHub's Octocat to Life

Anyone familiar with GitHub has no doubt come across their wiggly mascot Octocat. Infineon decided to take it upon themselves to bring Octocat to life with wiggling tentacles that use a Raspberry Pi-powered hydraulic system.

Why we love it:

It's amazing how much engineering goes into such a fun and silly project. The tentacle molds were 3D-printed, silicone makes them wiggle and the head is finished with a nice 3D-printed design.

Read: Raspberry Pi Brings GitHub's Octocat to Life

Raspberry Pi Pico Gundam LED Light Show

If you're a fan of Gundam, you've got to check out this awesome LED light show project put together by a maker known as Rob. Sure, sprucing up your favorite Gundam with LEDs is cool and all but what if you could control them? That's exactly what this Pico-powered panel does, bringing the figure to life in a dazzling display.

Why we love it:

It's cool to see someone take a fun idea to such an extreme. Controlling the LEDs with light effects is awesome enough but the design of the panel used to operate the system looks fantastic and deserves the praise it gets.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Gundam LED Light Show

Raspberry Pi Etch A Sketch Bot

Drawing on an Etch A Sketch is hard and it would be much easier to use Micah Tilton's Raspberry Pi-powered Etch A Sketch bot. This project takes existing images and converts them into files that the Pi can use to recreate on an Etch A Sketch using the original controls with the help of a couple of servo motors.

Why we love it:

Is it even up for debate that using an Etch A Sketch is hard? You've got to figure out how to not only create your image with one line but also using two knobs. Now take that concept and make a robot do it for you—that's why we're impressed.

Read: Raspberry Pi Etch A Sketch Bot

Raspberry Pi Sign Language Translator Glasses

Bridging communication gaps is what the Raspberry Pi does best. Whether you're using an adapter to help two modules talk to each other or in this case, Nekhil has created a pair of sign language translation glasses and turn the signs into speech using AI.

Why we love it:

This project is a really fun idea that can help make it easier to interact with people who experience hearing impairment or otherwise know ASL. At the moment, the glasses only translate letters but enough time building the right model would allow you to introduce words and phrases, as well.

Read: Raspberry Pi Sign Language Translator Glasses

Raspberry Pi AI Storybook

Thomas Valadez has created a truly unique project with an air of beauty about it that we just haven't seen before. This Pi-powered storybook uses AI to generate both the story and the images to go along with it based on whatever text it generated in the story.

Why we love it:

You never know what you're going to get when it comes to AI so it's safe to say some of the stories and images will be a bit odd. However, it's still incredible to see the potential of modern AI put on full display in a cool project like this.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Storybook

How to Manage Applications on Your Raspberry Pi With Pi-Apps

Managing apps on your Raspberry Pi just got easier thanks to Pi-Apps! In this guide, Les shows us how to set it up and use it so you can make the most out of your experience when using the official Raspberry Pi OS.

Read: How to Manage Applications on Your Raspberry Pi With Pi-Apps

With spring in full swing, it's time to take a look at some of the coolest Raspberry Pi projects that have bloomed over the last month. As usual, we've got an assortment of creations ranging from RP2040-based projects to ones that use the latest board, the Raspberry Pi 5. There's plenty to inspire makers of all walks whether you're an amateur or a well-seasoned microelectronics expert.

These makers and developers pull out the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to make their ideas possible. When they share all the juicy details about what components they're using and what libraries they've installed, we'll be sure to relay it to you with links to the source material. We've also got some guides put together by the staff here at Tom's Hardware so you can easily follow along with us at home.

Raspberry Pi 5 Cat TV

Nothing beats the chance to unwind and relax in front of the TV after a long day. No one knows that better than maker and developer Becky Stern who decided to share the experience with her beloved cats by creating a Raspberry Pi cat TV. This TV uses the latest Pi model, the Raspberry Pi 5.

Why we love it:

This might not be an overly complex project but the use case is what shines here. The TV automatically loads up cat videos from YouTube that show footage of things like birds and squirrels. It's a very generous project that makes for some seriously spoiled cats and we love that.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Cat TV

Raspberry Pi Hat Camera

Some Raspberry Pi projects aren't just portable, they're wearable, like this Raspberry Pi hat camera put together by Jacob David C Cunningham. This device has everything it needs to operate on the go including a battery and clip that makes it easy to attach to the brim of your hat.

Why we love it:

Making Raspberry Pi projects portable is always tricky. It can be difficult to figure out how much power you need and how heavy the battery can be depending on the use case. This is a great example of a finished product that's as fun to build as it is useful.

Read: Raspberry Pi Hat Camera

Raspberry Pi Pico StoRPer Modular DIY Robot Rover

If there's one thing the Raspberry Pi Pico is good for, it's tiny RC cars. This one, created by maker and developer Jo Hinchliffe, is known as StoRPer. It's designed to be modular and has omnidirectional wheels for easy steering.

Why we love it:

We love seeing the Pico used with custom PCBs so it should come as no surprise that we enjoyed seeing it here. The StoRPer is a neat little car and the omnidirectional wheels are just icing on the cake.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico StoRPer Modular DIY Robot Rover

Vela AI Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Smart Bikes

After thriving in the tech market over the last decade, it's not uncommon to find a Pi used in a commercial product now and then. In this case, Velo AI has unveiled their line of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 smart bikes.

Why we love it:

The bikes use AI to help the driver anticipate traffic from behind which can ideally make a safer experience for the rider. While it's plenty impressive to see proof of concepts for Raspberry Pi AI projects, it's just as cool to see the technology implemented in a buyable product.

Read: Vela AI Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Smart Bikes

Raspberry Pi Pico W Atari 2600 Bluetooth Controller Support

Sometimes the best way to get a good retro gaming experience is to use the right controller. Instead of trying to use a retro controller on an emulator, make Reogen is switching things up by creating a Raspberry Pi Pico-powered adapter for the Atari 2600 that enables bluetooth controller support.

Why we love it:

This is one of those projects we never really considered until we saw it for ourselves. It's an extremely niche use case but a beautiful example of how the Pico can serve as a bridge for modern and classic hardware.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico W Atari 2600 Bluetooth Controller Support

Raspberry Pi Pico 'Back to the Future' Time Circuits Replica

Fans can go to some serious extremes to create realistic props from their favorite movies. Maker and developer Traveling_fred is on that list as he shows off his 'Back to the Future' time circuits replica kit, powered by our favorite microcontroller—the Raspberry Pi Pico.

Why we love it:

This is a really unique kit that pays homage to the classic 'Back to the Future' sci fi franchise. The final build is really neat in itself but the kit also looks really fun to put together. What you would do with the end product and when is up to you.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico 'Back to the Future' Time Circuits Replica

Raspberry Pi Precision Movement Stage

Some projects are driven by some really specific needs. In this case, YouTuber and maker Robert Elder needed a way to smoothly rotate microchips while filming close up shots for his channel. The end result is this cool Pi-powered precision movement stage.

Why we love it:

This project shows how you don't need to buy expensive tools when a bit of ingenuity and effort will do just as good. According to Elder, this is still a work in progress but we're excited about it even still in its current state.

Read: Raspberry Pi Precision Movement Stage

DIY Raspberry Pi All Sky Camera

Got your eyes on the sky? So does maker Frank Prins with this custom Raspberry Pi all sky camera. It's aimed at the sky way up north within the Arctic Circle and captures images of the northern lights.

Why we love it:

Spotting a Pi in a professional setting is one thing but seeing one use in the name of science is another. We love the unique opportunity Prins has to not only capture images of the northern lights with a Pi but also share them with us.

Read: DIY Raspberry Pi All Sky Camera

Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 Inside Custom Virtual Pinball Machine

You don't need quarters to play this machine. Dewijngaert created this virtual pinball machine and while a Pi isn't being used as the main board, you will find an RP2040 microcontroller handling the button input.

Why we love it:

This is a project not just for fans of retro gaming in general but serious pinball enthusiasts. It's clear Dewijngaert went all out with this design to make sure the playing experience was top notch and true to classic, full-sized pinball machines.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 Inside Custom Virtual Pinball Machine

Raspberry Pi Pico Turned Into a Working GPU

Graphics cards can be expensive and hard to get ahold of, wouldn't it be easier if you could make your own with a $4 Raspberry Pi Pico? That's exactly what the team did over at Element14. Sure, it can't hold a candle for your latest RTX 4000 series GPU but it's not supposed to. This Pico graphics card is intended to work with small SBCs.

Why we love it:

This project is just crazy awesome from head to toe. We love everything from the concept to the final design. Is it practical? Sort of. Is it cool? Extremely. It's projects like these that raise the bar and make you say, "Why not?"

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Turned Into a Working GPU

Tom's Hardware Projects

As always, it's hard not to feel inspired after covering all sorts of Pi projects all month long. We also like to tinker on the Pi and document the process as we go so you can follow along at home with a detailed guide.

How to Overclock the Raspberry Pi 5 Beyond 3 GHz

In this guide, Les shows us how you can take the Pi 5 to new limits by overclocking it past 3GHz. If you aren't sure how to go about overclocking, this is a great place to start as Les covers everything you need each step of the way.

Read: How to Overclock the Raspberry Pi 5 Beyond 3 GHz

At the end of a rainbow, surely the pot of gold is actually just a pot full of Raspberry Pis. Or rather, that's what we'd like to find. It's not a secret that we here at Tom's Hardware are huge fans of the Pi and all of the amazing projects put together by the community. We feature Pi projects all week long and today we're taking a look at some of the best projects we've featured over the past month.

These makers use some of the latest boards, like the Raspberry Pi 5, as well as the best Raspberry Pi accessories and the best Raspberry Pi HATs to bring their ideas to fruition. We've got tons of cool projects to share that will inspire your inner maker and even a few guides we put together so you can follow along at home.

Raspberry Pi Smart Fridge

Building a smart home is as easy as Pi! Just take a look at this cool Raspberry Pi smart fridge put together by Mimobeano. Using a Pi as the main controller, this device takes pictures of the refrigerator contents and uses AI to see what's in stock. Mimobeano can not only see what's in the fridge by sending a message to a custom Telegram bot but also request recipes based on what's available.

Why we love it:

We love any excuse to whip up a DIY project and this one provides a neat way to interact with your kitchen. Putting the project together looks just as fun as having one more smart home device.

Read: Raspberry Pi Smart Fridge

3D Printed Raspberry Pi 5 NAS

An NAS setup can be really useful for a variety of applications—especially those looking to stream their own media at home. This 3D printed Raspberry Pi 5 NAS put together by 3D Printz provides support for the Raspberry Pi 5 as well as a few other Pi models. With all of the hardware together in the final build, it has convenient port access on the side and an OLED screen for displaying stats.

Why we love it:

We don't need to sell you on why it's useful to have an NAS on hand, but we will encourage you to consider making your own. It's awesome enough to see support for the Raspberry Pi 5, in this case, but it was really kind of 3D Printz to share files for other Pi models, as well.

Read: 3D printed Raspberry Pi 5 NAS

Raspberry Pi RP2040 in Super Tiny Unofficial Game Boy

Big things sometimes come in small packages and this project is a great example of just that. We spotted our favorite microprocessor, the RP20040 on the PCB used in this Super Tiny Unofficial Game Boy. Elliot Coll found it over at AliExpress and showed it off over at YouTube.

Why we love it:

We're absolute suckers for retro gaming stuff and this super small Game Boy was cool enough on its own. But once we saw the Raspberry Pi inside, we knew we had to share it. Although this was a one off product run and we can't find more, it's a wonderful build and we hope to see RP2040s integrated into more devices.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 in Super Tiny Unofficial Game Boy

Raspberry Pi Voice Driven AI Art Generator

It's easier than ever to play with generative AI tools. There are so many options at your fingertips that you can use to implement open source AI systems into your projects. A great example comes from maker and developer DevMiser who's using one to drive this AI Art Generator TV project. Just say the prompt you want to create out loud and it will use speed to text to process the request and generate a picture for you.

Why we love it:

It's cool to see more AI-based projects and this one is really neat. It's a fun proof of concept but you could set something like this up in your living room to entertain guests. It's a good idea and well executed project.

Read: Raspberry Pi Voice Driven AI Art Generator

Raspberry Pi VHS Composite Video Player

This project, created by Alan Boris, takes the beauty of vintage tech and showcases it in a useful end product. This is a Raspberry Pi Composite Video Player and it's housed inside of an old VHS tape.

Why we love it:

Boris went above and beyond with this project design. Not only is it housed inside of an old VHS tape, he threw in a servo to rotate like the original tape reel used to while playing a tape. The other side has a handy display for menu functions. It's an incredible idea and the end result is top notch.

Read: Raspberry Pi VHS Composite Video Player

Raspberry Pi Bluetooth Jammer

We've all been there before. You're comfortable, it's a cozy atmosphere, and suddenly your neighbors interrupt with some noisy audio. In this case, maker and developer Roni Bandini was dealing with excessive music and decided to jam any nearby bluetooth speakers by using a Pi to listen for it using AI. The end result is this legally questionable Raspberry Pi Bluetooth Jammer.

Why we love it:

This project definitely isn't for everyone but you don't have to make it yourself to appreciate the ingenuity behind its design. Some of the most interesting projects are born out of necessity—or in this case, neighborly warfare.

Read: Raspberry Pi Bluetooth Jammer

Raspberry Pi Volumetric Display

We guarantee you've never seen a project quite like this one before. This Raspberry Pi Volumetric Display uses a Pi to drive a motor that spins a couple of matrix panels around. The end result is a 3D object you can look at from different angles.

Why we love it:

This is an amazing idea and the final design, especially with the glass covering, looks incredible. We've never seen a project quite like this one before and it's neat to see not just one but two great examples of it in action.

Read: Raspberry Pi Volumetric Display

Tom's Hardware Projects

It's hard not to get inspired after combing through so many amazing creations from the maker community. Here are a few Raspberry Pi tutorials put together by the staff here at Tom's Hardware that you can follow along with at home.

How to Control your Raspberry Pi Camera using a web UI

If you've ever wanted to use a web-based UI to operate a camera using a Raspberry Pi, now's your chance to see exactly how it's done. You could incorporate this into a multitude of projects, so think of it more like a building block you can use for a bigger project design. Les walks us through everything we need to do to put this setup together.

Read: How to Control your Raspberry Pi Camera using a web UI

How to turbo-charge your Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe boot drive

Your Raspberry Pi 5 has PCIe support, so why not take full advantage of that? In this guide, Les walks us through what you need to do to turbo-charge your Pi 5 using an NVMe boot drive. Some extra hardware will be needed to use an SSD with the Pi 5.

Read: How to turbo-charge your Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe boot drive

Raspberries are red, some PCBs are blue, Raspberry Pi is our favorite and Arduino is cool, too. February has snuck up on us and it's time again for us to share some really cool Pi projects that we absolutely love. We've got everything from the latest board, the Raspberry Pi 5, to custom boards that use the RP2040 microprocessor.

These makers use some of the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to bring their projects to life. We'll be sure to share all of the details as we go along, just follow the link to check out the original article for a closer look at each project.

Raspberry Pi Pico Digital Audio Looper

The Raspberry Pi is a great choice for musicians looking to create a digital instrument of their own, or in this case, college students completing a project for the semester final. This Raspberry Pi Pico digital audio looper lets you record audio and play it back with special effects or in a loop for real-time concerts.

Why we love it:

This project is super useful for musicians and makers alike that are itching for a fun project to recreate at home. It shows that a little ingenuity not only nets you a cool final product but also can help you get a passing grade in school.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Digital Audio Looper

Raspberry Pi Tiny Retro TV

It's amazing what makers can cram a Raspberry Pi into. As the boards get smaller, so do the design concepts like this Raspberry Pi tiny retro TV put together by Fantasticmrdavid. It resembles an old Toshiba TV and lets you watch videos and emulate any retro console you like thanks to RetroPie.

Why we love it:

We've always had a soft spot for retro gaming with a Pi but we know that having hardware look the part really completes the nostalgic experience. It took a lot of work to design and print this case. Plus, it was really cool of Fantasticmrdavid to share it with everyone else online.

Read: Raspberry Pi Tiny Retro TV

Raspberry Pi Mini Desktop DOS PC

Like we said before, tiny projects are cool! And it just so happens that this one is also designed by Fantasticmrdavid. Instead of resembling an old TV, this Pi fits inside of a mini desktop DOS PC. It looks like an old school desktop complete with a monitor and everything.

Why we love it:

There are multiple bases available to print for different Pi models and you also have the option of using the floppy drive port as a microSD card slot. The design for this is just off the charts cool and open to so many makers to modify and play with at home.

Read: Raspberry Pi Mini Desktop DOS PC

Raspberry Pi Dual Monitor Mini PC

Tiny retro PCs are cool and all but this Raspberry Pi dual monitor mini PC is a bit more modern. It sports flashy RGB LEDs and shows off the hardware inside the case with clear side panels. If that weren't enough, it has two separate monitors to use for dual monitor action!

Why we love it:

This little PC looks great and the dual monitor support puts it over the top! If you're looking to make a small usable desktop of your own, you might as well go all out in style and this is definitely the way to do it.

Read: Raspberry Pi Dual Monitor Mini PC

Maker Gives Raspberry Pi Pico Ethernet over USB Support

Some makers really like to push boards to their limits and this project is a shining example of just that. This maker has managed to get Ethernet over USB support on the Pico. It requires a custom cable that Alan put together just to pull off this project that splits the USB port into Ethernet and USB.

Why we love it:

If you don't have a specialized board on hand, this project shows that you can just make your own. It's already super impressive as an idea but it's even more awesome to see it work successfully.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Ethernet over USB Support

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Magnetic Macropad

We're definitely suckers for Pi-powered macropads and couldn't help but share this Raspberry Pi RP2040 magnetic macropad when we came across it. Made by maker Salim Benbouziyane, it features magnetic add ons that you can snap into place and remove as needed.

Why we love it:

This project is the epitome of customization! It looks gorgeous and makes for a very exciting user experience, even if it is a bit delicate. There are so many options when it comes to adding your own modules that it makes this project stand out in both concept and execution.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Magnetic Macropad

Raspberry Pi ReBoi Game Boy Color Drop-in Kit

We've covered a few cool Pi-powered drop-in kits for a variety of handhelds over the years and knew immediately that this one was too cool to not to share. Dubbed the Raspberry Pi ReBoi, this PCB is designed to fit inside of an original (or reproduction) Game Boy Color.

Why we love it:

You don't need to modify any original hardware to use this kit. If you'd rather leave your Game Boy Color untouched, you can easily buy aftermarket parts to complete the custom build. This project also includes a backlit LCD screen that replaces the original.

Read: Raspberry Pi ReBoi Game Boy Color Drop-in Kit

Raspberry Pi Pico Marble Clock

The idea to create a Pi-powered clock isn't exactly new, but maker and developer C Forde definitely put a new spin on the concept by creating this awesome Raspberry Pi Pico marble clock. Marbles are rotated up the spires to indicate the current time and held in place with a few magnets.

Why we love it:

This is one of the most unique clocks we've ever seen, hands down. It encompasses quite a few areas of technology ranging from 3D printing to programming microelectronics. The end result looks fascinating and works like a charm.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Marble Clock

Raspberry Pi Pico Smartwatch

Wearable Pi-powered tech is always fashionable in our book. This Raspberry Pi Pico smartwatch is RP2040-powered and features a custom-made open source interface. It connects to nearby devices using Bluetooth and can manage things like calls, notifications, media and more.

Why we love it:

It's cool to see the Pico used in something that's not only useful but can be easily taken on the go. The round LCD and 3D-printed housing is icing on the cake. It's portable, functional, and open source. What's not to love?

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Smartwatch

Raspberry Pi RP2040 ThinkPad Nubbin Light Dimmer

ThinkPad owners are known to be passionate about the Track Point but this is the first time we've seen one used as a light switch dimmer. This Raspberry Pi RP2040 ThinkPad nubbin light switch dimmer works by touch input or via web browser from a smartphone.

Why we love it:

This is one of the most hilarious implementations of a Track Point we've ever seen. We're just glad it had a Raspberry Pi working behind the scenes so we could feature it in our list. This project makes us wonder what other use cases could be improved with a ThinkPad Track Point for input…

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 ThinkPad Nubbin Light Dimmer

It’s no secret that we here at Tom’s Hardware love the Raspberry Pi and everything else that comes with it. From the official boards made by Raspberry Pi like the newly released Raspberry Pi 5 and third-party creations that use the RP2040 chip, if it’s got a Pi in it, we want to check it out. We cover Pi projects made by the maker community all year round and once a month we like to round up the most exciting projects to catch our attention, and this month is no different.

We’ve got some really cool projects to share with you that range from simple constructions to seriously complex designs. As always, these makers use the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs to bring their projects to life. We’ll be sure to gather all the details you want to know about what goes into these projects and how they work so you can either make it yourself at home or just ogle at the amazing work put forth by the maker community.

Raspberry Pi 5 FrankenPi 5

While everyone was busy waiting for news about the Raspberry Pi 5, the social media team over at the Raspberry Pi Foundation was hard at work trying to meet everyone’s demands. This Raspberry Pi 5 Social Media Edition PCB has everything you need including common Python libraries, all of the USB support you’ll ever need and even a bat signal.

Why we love it:

Like we said in the intro paragraph, we’re suckers for official Raspberry Pi hardware. If you see this board and don’t get tickled inside—we don’t know what to tell you. Clearly the team had all of us in the Pi community in mind when putting together this amazing board.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Social Media Edition

Raspberry Pi Zero W Animatronic Fox Companion

This animatronic fox head is made using a Raspberry Pi Zero W. It controls servos to wiggle the ear and tilt the head to either side. Some LCD screens are used to animate the eyes. All of the hardware is mounted inside the head which is comprised of a custom 3D printed frame.

Why we love it:

If we could give the late Jim Henson a Raspberry Pi, surely he’d put together something neat like this. It’s one thing to make a virtual assistant but building a fuzzy buddy from scratch like this takes the idea to a whole new level.

Read: Animatronic Fox Head

Raspberry Pi Cinewhoop Drone

There’s a lot of overlap in the technology behind drones and microelectronics. It should come as no surprise that we came across this cool Raspberry Pi Cinewhoop Drone project put together by Artur P?kosz. It can record video while in flight and also relay it remotely to the operator using FPV goggles.

Why we love it:

It’s always refreshing to be reminded that so many things we take for granted and buy pre-made can be built from scratch. This is a well done example of how the Pi can be used to operate a drone and handle FPV hardware support.

Read: Raspberry Pi Cinewhoop Drone

Raspberry Pi Debuggy Ducky

Coding can be tricky even for the most experienced. That’s why you need a Raspberry Pi Debuggy Ducky. It uses ChatGPT to help troubleshoot your code using speech to text and text to speech to process the interaction. Unfortunately, he’s not waterproof so no coding in the bathtub.

Why we love it:

This is a very clever project idea and the end result looks adorable. It’s hard to go wrong with a friendly companion like the classic rubber ducky when looking for a home for your ChatGPT virtual assistant.

Read: Raspberry Pi Debuggy Ducky

Raspberry Pi ZeroWriter eInk Typewriter

While most everyone else has a smartphone on hand to take notes, Tincangames has created something a bit different to take on the go. This custom word processor is known as the Raspberry Pi ZeroWriter. It’s a typewriter with a keyboard and eInk display for outputting content as you type.

Why we love it:

This is a wonderfully unique project and the execution is so well done. We wouldn’t just like to check this out for ourselves in person, we’d like one of our own! It’s beautiful to look at and works just as well as it looks.

Read: Raspberry Pi ZeroWriter eInk Typewriter

Raspberry Pi FarmGuard

Farming is tough business and it only takes one pack of curious animals to wreak havoc on all your hard work. That’s where projects like FarmGuard, created by maker Samith, come into play. It uses the power of AI to monitor for unwanted animals and sends notifications to alert farmers of the troublesome wildlife.

Why we love it:

This is a really cool use case for AI-powered image recognition on the Raspberry Pi. It’s a well designed project with a really useful end product. You can also tweak the model to suit whatever animal you want to keep an eye out for and tailor it to your environment.

Read: Raspberry Pi FarmGuard

Raspberry Push Notification Mailbox

This Raspberry Pi push notification mailbox lets you decide when you receive push notifications. It works by blocking specific IPs associated with push notifications, only allowing them through if the mailbox detects that your smartphone has been placed inside.

Why we love it:

This project is as close as you can get to checking the mail without checking your mail. It’s a really clever idea and the implementation lends to a useful and somewhat novelty creation. If you’re tired of push notifications, this might be the project for you.

Read: Raspberry Push Notification Mailbox

Raspberry Pi Detects Ghost Aircraft Using SDR

This Raspberry Pi aircraft ghost detector project is designed to detect hackers. It scans for nearby aircraft and uses AI to determine if there are any abnormalities in its reading that would suggest it might otherwise be a fake aircraft placed virtually by a malicious party. The maker behind this project, Angelina Tsuboi, is a pilot and took it for a real life test run in an airplane.

Why we love it:

Wrapping your head around a project like this is kind of hard to do. You have to have not only a niche set of interests but special access to really put this device to the test. This is a really neat idea and it’s cool to see it airborne.

Read: Raspberry Pi Detects Ghost Aircraft Using SDR

Raspberry Pi Doom Air Hockey Table

This air hockey table does so much more than let you play air hockey. It has a Raspberry Pi powering the whole operation so you get the added benefit of an entire desktop alongside the tabletop features. This means you can play Doom on the Doom air hockey table.

Why we love it:

We like the Raspberry Pi, we like Doom, we all knew where this was going. A custom built air hockey table is cool enough on its own but this one is decked out with all the right theming and hardware to get us excited.

Read: Raspberry Pi Doom Air Hockey Table

Raspberry Pi Plant Watering Robot Dog

Forget to water your plants? Don’t worry about it! This Raspberry Pi-powered robotic dog will walk around and water them for you. It identifies whether or not a plant needs to be watered using image recognition and artificial intelligence.

Why we love it:

This project is next level cool! There are so many obstacles to overcome from the hardware and locomotion design to the software and model building for the AI system. Overall this is a really cool idea and very well executed project.

Read: Raspberry Pi Plant Watering Robot Dog

Tom's Hardware Projects

We love the Raspberry Pi so much that we’re usually nose deep in wires and solder building projects ourselves. It’s hard not to get the creative juices flowing when we get to cover so many cool Pi projects throughout each week. Here are a few cool projects the staff here at Tom’s Hardware have put together lately.

How To Reduce Raspberry Pi 5, 4 Standby Power Consumption

In this guide, Les shows us what you can do to reduce the power consumption of your Raspberry Pi 5 or Raspberry Pi 4 when idling in standby mode. This is useful for projects in which the Pi isn’t used consistently throughout the day.

Read: How To Reduce Raspberry Pi 5, 4 Standby Power Consumption

How to turbo-charge your Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe boot drive

You read that right, we’re giving the Raspberry Pi 5 the boost it deserves using an NVMe boot drive. In this guide, Les goes over all of the steps and hardware you’ll need to duplicate this project for yourself at home.

Read: How to turbo-charge your Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe boot drive

The holiday season is in full swing and we can assume all the best behaved Raspberry Pi fans can expect a Raspberry Pi 5 in their stocking. If you’re not sure what to do with all the cool Pi gadgets you’re getting this season, you can always use our list of Pi projects for inspiration.

These makers use the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs to bring their ideas to fruition. And when they can’t find a cool HAT to use, they make one from scratch by ordering custom PCBs and a slew of adapter cables. Are you ready to be blown away? These are some of the best Pi projects we’ve had the honor of covering over the last month.

Raspberry Pi Powers Smart Kitchen Display

Is your kitchen missing something? You might need a smart display like this cool one created by Stanislav Khromov. Using our favorite SBC, he’s managed to create a useful tool that shares everything from recipes to weather data. You can program it with a variety of applications which makes it super versatile.

Why we love it:

It’s a simple idea but surprisingly handy. If you’re looking for something to make as a gift or maybe you want to treat yourself to a fancy new upgraded kitchen experience, then this project is definitely up your alley.

Read: Raspberry Pi Smart Kitchen Display

Groc: A Raspberry Pi Granular Synth

If there’s one thing that goes with Pi, it’s jam—as in you can totally jam with this Pi project! Oddment audio is using a Raspberry Pi to drive their granular synth. You can twist the knobs and create a unique digital sound, all aided by the processing power of a Pi 4.

Why we love it:

We’re waiting for the day that Raspberry Pis can be found in every music class and orchestra. Just kidding, but we really appreciate seeing makers extend their creative endeavors with the Pi into the world of music.

Read: Groc Raspberry Pi Granular Synth

10-year-old Raspberry Pi Runs for 6 Years Straight

We know that the Raspberry Pi is a hardy board, but just how hardy is it? This maker has been using an original Raspberry Pi for over 10 years. In a screenshot, they demonstrated how it’s run successfully for more than 6 years straight without a reboot.

Why we love it:

If you’ve ever wondered how long a Pi 1 can run for, this project sheds some light on the answer. It’s cool enough to see an original Pi getting some love 10 years later, let alone one that’s still operating like the nifty little workhorse it is.

Read: Raspberry Pi Runs for 6 Years

Raspberry Pi NASA Balloon Data Collector

The Raspberry Pi is a useful tool not only for casual users and enthusiasts but also professionals and scientists. Want proof? Here’s a cool project put together by NASA that uses Pis to help collect backup data for their atmospheric balloon.

Why we love it:

We know the Pi has a lot of potential and this is a great example of how it can be used for serious educational research purposes. Even though this was a backup project, it ended up being useful in retrieving data for the overall mission.

Read: Raspberry Pi NASA Balloon

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Trackball Kit

If you’re into trackballs, you’re sure to love this gorgeous trackball kit designed by maker and developer Ploopy. It uses a Raspberry Pi RP2040 as the main driver and features a really nice looking shell that you can make in any color combination you like.

Why we love it:

Why buy an input device you kind of like when you could build one from scratch that you love? That’s what Ploopy seems to have been thinking when creating this awesome DIY kit. It looks fantastic and the final product is an easy-to-repair tool to keep on hand.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Trackball Kit

Raspberry Pi Zero Fractal Art Picture Frame

Who says Raspberry Pis can’t be artsy? No one we assume. But if they did, we would point them to this cool Pi Zero fractal art picture frame project created by maker and developer wearemessingup. It uses a Pi to generate fractals and displays them on an eInk display.

Why we love it:

It’s an unassuming picture frame that you might not notice right off the bat but upon closer inspection, you’ll be enamored by the amazing process that goes behind generating these simple images.

Read: Raspberry Pi Zero Fractal Art Picture Frame

Raspberry Pi 5 Uses External Graphics Card

You read that right! Jeff Geerling cannot be stopped and now that someone has put a Pi 5 in his hands, we have to deal with all sorts of cool developments like this. It took quite a bit of work and requires an additional board to connect it, but Geerling has managed to use an external graphics card with a Pi 5.

Why we love it:

We hardly need to explain ourselves here but here goes anyway. What Geerling has done is a seriously cool example of how the Pis potential can be pushed beyond its intended purpose. Is this a useful project? Maybe not in itself but the implications of it are exciting.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 External Graphics Card

Maker Creates Raspberry Pi CM5

Are you waiting for a Raspberry Pi CM5? We are, too, but maker Arturi182 isn’t. Instead of waiting like the rest of us, he took some iBB

Why we love it:

Is this project necessary? We don’t care—it’s a really fun idea! Arturo182’s creation is a shining example of how sometimes the best projects are made because you can, not because you should.

Read: Maker Creates Raspberry Pi CM5

Maker Creates Raspberry Pi 500

With one maker having created a Raspberry Pi CM5, it was only time before someone put together a custom Raspberry Pi 500 and Christopher Barnatt with Explaining Computers was quick to jump in to tackle the task. This creation has everything you’ll find on the Pi 400 but with the computing power of a Raspberry Pi 5.

Why we love it:

We don’t feel like waiting for a Pi 500 either, so we don’t blame Barnatt for jumping the gun and creating one for himself. ThIs project is a fun idea and is an excellent example of how a little bit of ingenuity can net you a totally unique user experience.

Read: Maker Creates Raspberry Pi 500

Raspberry Pi Harry Potter Newspaper

Creating a custom PCB is often used for achieving a specific function. In this case, the PCB is a work of art designed to resemble the look and feel of newspapers as they’re described in the Harry Potter franchise. Images move (thanks to a Raspberry Pi) above some funny headlines that splice Raspberry Pi stuff into the magical themed articles.

Why we love it:

This project is really cool and you don’t have to be a Harry Potter fan to appreciate it. The PCB is more than a circuit board, it’s artwork and it looks amazing. If you want a nice circuit board you can take home to Mom, this is the project for you.

Read: Raspberry Pi Harry Potter Newspaper

Tom's Hardware Projects

We’re huge fans of the Raspberry Pi so it should come as no surprise that we’ve been busy creating Pi projects of our own. Here’s what we’ve been up to as well as instructions for you to follow along with at home, as well.

How To Use Dual Cameras on the Raspberry Pi 5

You can use two cameras with the Raspberry Pi 5 but it might not be as straightforward as you think. In this guide, Les shows us how you can use multiple cameras at the same time on the Raspberry Pi 5.

Read: How To Use Dual Cameras on the Raspberry Pi 5

The winter season is almost here as we wind down the year with some amazing Raspberry Pi projects. These are some of the best creations we’ve had the honor of featuring over the last month. As always, these makers use the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs available to bring their ideas to life.

It’s also worth noting that the Raspberry Pi 5 has debuted and we’re very excited to share some projects and a closer look at the new boards capabilities. In addition to looking at what the community is up to, we also have a tutorial to share from the staff here at Tom’s Hardware.

Raspberry Pi Robot Doly

This project, known as Doly, is completely open source with a Kickstarter accompanying its release for those who want to purchase the unit already made. This little companion bot features a Raspberry Pi and locomotes using tank tracks. There are two round LCD screens used to animate its eyes.

Why we love it:

This is one of those projects that’s fun to learn with but also leaves you with something cool to play with when you’re done putting it together. If you want to learn the basics of robotics, this is a fun starting point.

Read: Raspberry Pi Robot Doly

Raspberry Pi Pico Cat Food Dispenser

If you have cats to take care of, you might want to have a little fun and use a Raspberry Pi Pico to create something they can use. Maker Anthony Douglas did just as much when he designed this Pico-powered cat food dispenser.

Why we love it:

We love projects that are practical and this one has a real world use case that makes the effort of building it that much more worth it. You can 3D print the body used in its design and as the dispenser is completely open source.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Cat Food Dispenser

Raspberry Pi Smart Vertical Farm

Vertical farming is all about saving space and moving your plants into structures like shelving units. This can make it tricky to manage and care for your plants depending on the scale of your garden. That’s where Tanay Tanay’s Raspberry Pi smart vertical farming project comes in. It uses a Pi along with a variety of sensors to monitor plants and make adjustments to optimize the plant’s environment automatically.

Why we love it:

This project isn’t exclusive to vertical farms but it does make managing them easier. But because it’s so adaptable, you could use a setup like this to monitor any plant and remotely water them using the pump system.

Read: Raspberry Pi Smart Vertical Farm

Raspberry Pi Pico Therapy Timer

Timers are simple concepts but this Pico-powered therapy timer adds an intriguing level of complexity that results in a beautiful end product. Instead of using numbers, the timer’s status is relayed using various colors. According to the maker, Matthias Wandel, the goal was to create something unobtrusive that counselors and therapists could use during sessions.

Why we love it:

The project works great as intended but the effort taken to diffuse the light and construct a wooden case from scratch is just icing on the cake. It even has wooden buttons on the top for adjusting the timer settings.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Therapy Timer

Cluster of 32 Raspberry Pis

If there’s one thing that always brings together a classroom, it’s a teacher with plenty of passion to share. Mike Reed is a leading example of such a character as demonstrated in his amazing Raspberry Pi cluster. This project serves as a learning tool for his tech class in which he teaches programming and other microelectronics fundamentals.

Why we love it:

This project might be used as a learning tool but it is a learning tool itself. Reed’s clusters are neatly designed and executed just as well. We love the effort put into making these clusters and the features he’s implemented to make his job as a teacher that much easier.

Read: Cluster of 32 Raspberry Pis

Raspberry Pi Translates Speech to Sign Language with Robotic Hand

The Raspberry Pi is a great tool for those looking to bridge communication gaps. But while oftentimes that means using a Pi to make an adapter of sorts, this communication gap is bridged between people. Prabhjot Singh is using a Raspberry Pi to serve as a translation platform called Deaf Link  that enables deaf people to communicate with hearing people using a robotic hand to produce sign language.

Why we love it:

We love any project that makes life easier and this project is a great example of just that. The hearing person doesn’t even need to know sign language at all in order to use the machine. A Raspberry Pi is responsible for handling the sign language interpretation entirely.

Read: Raspberry Pi Translates Speech to Sign Language

Raspberry Pi 5 Projects

The Raspberry Pi 5 is finally available and we’ve already got a few projects and demos that push the new board to its limits. If you want to see what the new Pi is capable of, this is a great look at what it can accomplish.

Recalbox Emulation Tested

LeePSPVideo got his hands on the Pi 5 early and wanted to see how well it handled Recalbox. The Pi 5 has some notable performance advantages over the Pi 4 and it’s already looking like a great retro gaming platform. There are a few factors to consider like temperature and what display you’re outputting to when it comes to tweaking performance.

Read: Recalbox Emulation Tested

Raspberry Pi 5 Emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii

Raspberry Pis in the past have been unable to successfully emulate the Nintendo GameCube and Wii platforms. That seems to have changed as demonstrated by LeePSPVideo’s foray into running Dolphin on the Raspberry Pi 5. Check out this video if you want to see how well it performs with the new specs.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii

Raspberry Pi 5 Team Talk RP1

One of the most interesting parts of the Raspberry Pi 5’s design is its use of the RP1 chip. The story of its development dates back to 2015 and is definitely worth learning about if you’re a fan of the Raspberry Pi and excited about the new board.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Team Talk RP1

Raspberry Pi 5 Compatible OS 'Bookworm' Officially Released

A new board requires a new OS and that’s what we got with the release of Bookworm. This operating system is necessary if you want to use the new Raspberry Pi 5. It’s flashed using Raspberry Pi Imager just the same as previous Raspberry Pi OS editions.

Read: Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm Officially Released

Tom's Hardware Projects

After spending so much time looking through these amazing projects, we often become inspired ourselves. Here’s a look at the latest Raspberry Pi tutorials to come from the team here at Tom’s Hardware over the last month.

Overclocking Raspberry Pi 5 to 3 GHz

The new Raspberry Pi has plenty of specs to get excited about but Les is already pushing the board to its limits. If you want to know more about overclocking the Raspberry Pi 5, check this out and see what it’s capable of.

Read: Overclocking Raspberry Pi 5 to 3 GHz

How to Set Up a Headless Raspberry Pi 5

If you want to get off the ground with a Raspberry Pi, you’ll need to set it up. But what if you don’t have a monitor? Running a Pi without a display is known as operating a headless system. Here’s our guide on how you can set up a headless Raspberry Pi 5 put together by Editor in Chief Avram Piltch.

Read: How to Set Up a Headless Raspberry Pi 5

How to Emulate PlayStation 2 on the Raspberry Pi 5

Have you been looking for an SBC capable of emulating the PlayStation 2? It turns out the Raspberry Pi 5 has got what it takes and Les has already put a guide together to show us how to set it up. Check it out to see what you need to do in order to start gaming on this classic platform.

Read: How to Emulate PlayStation 2 on the Raspberry Pi 5

Fall is here and Raspberry Pi makers around the world are harvesting their best ideas into fruition. These are some of the best Raspberry Pi projects we’ve featured over the last month and we thought they deserved a little extra attention. If you’re looking for inspiration or just to see what the community has been up to, this is the best place to start.

As always, these makers pulled out the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs money can buy just to create something cool with our favorite SBC. It’s been an exciting time for the community lately thanks to the announcement of the Raspberry Pi 5. We’re eager to see what the Pi community is going to do with the latest board but in the meantime, you can check out our projects to see what we’ve done with it so far.

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Becomes PalmOS PDA

Remember Palm PDAs? Now you can recreate the experience thanks to this Raspberry Pi RP2040 PalmOS PDA project. It has a touchscreen display and plenty of features to tinker around with. It’s neat to see the old PalmOS get some love and even more exciting to see it run on an RP2040. Grinberg named the project RePalm.

Why we love it:

We’re suckers for old hardware and love to see the niche communities that gather around obsolete systems like flip phones, Blackberries or in this case Palm PDAs. RePalm is a great demonstration of how the RP2040 can help revitalize the experience for both old users and new.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Becomes PalmOS PDA

Raspberry Pi Confetti Bot

Image credit: Hazal Mestci

Are you ready to party? Not without this Raspberry Pi confetti bot, you’re not! There are some things in life that are just a bit more exciting when automated. Sure, you could open a confetti popper on demand but throwing a Raspberry Pi into the mix adds for some unique use cases—especially if you’re looking to surprise someone. This project uses a Pi to automatically activate a tiny confetti cannon using a custom 3D printed mount and motor.

Why we love it:

If your party has a Pi in it, we want to be there. This is a really fun example of how you can use a Pi to implement creative ideas in a way that interacts with others. There are so many ways you could modify this project and we like brainstorming what we would do ourselves from blasting music to activating LEDs.

Read: Raspberry Pi Confetti Bot

Raspberry Pi AI Traffic Monitor

Collecting data from complex sources is getting easier every day thanks to AI. This traffic monitoring project, put together by a maker known as Naveem, is using a Raspberry Pi to monitor traffic using a custom trained AI model. This project is useful for urban planners and others looking to monitor local transportation flow.

Why we love it:

It’s neat to see data pulled in real time from an AI system that’s tracking vehicles with image recognition. This is a very useful project that could help a variety of industries and the technology that put it together just happens to be our favorite.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Traffic Monitor

Raspberry Pi Pico Hexagon Heart

The combination of technology and art is truly unique, taking on the expressions of the designer in a digital fashion. This RGB Pico heart project is using a Pico to drive LEDs inside of a decoration shaped like a heart made from hexagons. The housing is 3D printed with individually addressable LED strips inside.

Why we love it:

This is a very cool looking project that’s also capable of being modified. You can use the STL files generated for this design and modify the hexagons around into all sorts of unique shapes. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at trendy wall decor, now is your chance.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Hexagon Heart

Raspberry Pi Pico /r/Place Display

There’s no place like /r/Place. If you’re not familiar with /r/Place, this is a subreddit on a forum website Reddit. There, users are able to place one pixel at a time on a shared canvas. Over time, images can be created on a large scale requiring quite a bit of collaboration to pull off. This /r/Place Pico project uses a Raspberry Pi Pico to show sections of this giant image on an e-Ink display.

Why we love it:

We love the Pico, we love community projects, this was just a win win! /R/Place is a cool concept that’s stood up over the years as a great example of what community driven effort can achieve. This project highlights that hard work.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico /r/Place Display

Raspberry Pi Pico Flexible Keyboard

Keyboard too big? No problem. Maker and developer Kārlis has created a super thin keyboard that relies on our favorite microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Pico, as its main driver. This keyboard is very flexible and is small enough to fit inside a Steam Deck case. The Pico provides USB interface support.

Why we love it:

Sometimes you do things because you can, not because you should and this is a good example of that idea. The keyboard Kārlis made is really neat when you dig into how it’s put together and how much work it took to pull off but the end result isn’t exactly practical when it comes to gaming. But that was never really the point. The point is we love it.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Flexible Keyboard

Raspberry Pi RP2040 Tombstone

Image credit: Adafruit, Ruiz brothers

Halloween will be here before you know it! Are you looking for something scary to decorate your home with? You need to check out this creepy Raspberry Pi RP2040 tombstone project put together by the Ruiz brothers for Adafruit.

Why we love it:

You could take this idea and modify it with all sorts of Halloween props and various sensors. If you’re going to make something spooky for decor, you might as well go all out and there’s tons of room to create a simple or complex decoration for your haunted maker mansion.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2040 Tombstone

Raspberry Pi 'Technoframes'

Technoframes is an art project put together by Max Bj?rverud. These works of art have hands worked into the design. When you touch a hand, part of a techno track starts to loop. The end result is a custom techno project that changes depending on what hands are being touched at a given time.

Why we love it:

We’ve never seen anything quite like Bj?rverud’s Technoframes. This project is a great example of how to fuse technology and art for an end result that’s just as fun to play with as it was to build.

Read: Raspberry Pi 'Technoframes'

Raspberry Pi ISS Model

Head in the clouds? Bring it back down to Earth with this articulated Raspberry Pi ISS replica. It uses data taken directly from NASA to adjust the model in real time so you can see what the space station is doing when it happens.

Why we love it:

This project is open source which means files are available for anyone who wants to recreate it at home. This would be a fun project for a computer science class or even just a space enthusiast looking for something cool to put on the center of their mantle piece.

Read: Raspberry Pi ISS Model

Raspberry Pi Generates News Headline Images with AI

AI is arguably getting out of hand in some regards, so why not have a little bit of fun with it? Roy van der Veen is using AI with a Raspberry Pi to generate images based on text from news headlines. Sometimes the images are fitting, sometimes they’re hilariously out of place due to a blatant misinterpretation of the text.

Why we love it:

This is an artsy way to integrate AI with the Raspberry Pi and the final project is unlike anything we’ve come across before. It’s such a simple idea but it makes for a truly unique experience. Roy van der Veen did a great job piecing this one together.

Read: Raspberry Pi Generates News Headline Images with AI

Tom's Hardware Projects

It’s hard to look at all of these cool Raspberry Pi creations without getting inspired to tinker ourselves. Here’s a look at what the staff of Tom’s Hardware has been up to lately. We’ve got a gaming tutorial that’s definitely worth checking out and have been dabbling with the new Raspberry Pi 5.

How to Play AAA Games on Your Raspberry Pi

Have you ever wanted to play AAA titles on your Raspberry Pi? That’s totally in the realm of possibility! In this guide, Les goes everything you need to get started both hardware-wise and software with a step-by-step tutorial.

Read: How to Play AAA Games on Your Raspberry Pi

We Overclocked Raspberry Pi 5 to 3 GHz, Up to 25% Perf Boost

This isn’t exactly a tutorial per se but it’s a fun read for any fan of the Raspberry Pi eager to see what the new Raspberry Pi 5 is capable of. This is setting the bar for makers to push the boundaries of its performance. Now we play the waiting game to see what new heights it can reach.

Read: We Overclocked Raspberry Pi 5