Autor: tmedia

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Take control of your home video, television and music, with a media centre build based on Raspberry Pi. Your film collection deserves the best!

Trees are brilliant! They capture carbon, they keep urban streets cool, their roots slow down erosion, they provide habitat for millions of other life forms, and loads more. Meet the intelligent garden system that’s using Raspberry Pi and AI to monitor the health of trees, bees and other garden visitors.

Take a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W, a couple of H-bridges, motors and a servo, and you too can build a remote-controlled car. Many have done it, but to our knowledge only Eugene Tkachenko has 3D printed everything else, from the wheels to the chassis through to the mechanical parts such as the drive train and gears. It’s a beautiful bit of work.

If you like to take your music out and about, and you yearn for the days when we used to respect proper album artwork, you’ll like the PiPod, a mobile MP3 player that adorns the wearer’s upper limb like a viking arm ring. A viking arm ring that uses a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and a 4-inch screen to let those around you know that you’re listening to David Bowie.

Fancy a go at stop-motion animation? How about time-lapse photography? Or building a photo booth, or a nature cam, or even getting into face recognition using AI? You can do all this, and more, with Raspberry Pi and one of its range of camera modules. Rob Zwetsloot has been snapping away.

And that’s not all: we’ve hacked a toy robot arm to obey Micropython on a Raspberry Pi Pico, built a Raspberry Pi Pico drum machine, and blended the ancient art of origami with the much more recent innovation of an RGB LED, and loads more besides. Find out for yourself in the latest issue of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, on sale now!

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Sony Watchman cyberdeck

23 days ago.

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Sony Watchman cyberdeck

8 days ago.

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Plug ‘n’ play

There is a little bit of noticeable lag when working over KIWI. The mouse cursor feels a little bit like it’s being dragged through mud, although keyboard inputs feel more responsive. It’s faster than Raspberry Pi Connect at least, but we wouldn’t want to be doing any twitch FPS gaming using it.

It also provides several very useful functions for this kind of screen capture – sending some basic key commands, allowing you to paste from your host computer and even do a screen recording. The interface for this is all very customisable, even allowing for a random ‘mouse jiggle’ to keep a screen alive.

Extra functions

A fairly unique ability in its PRO version is the ability to (physically) uncover some extra GPIO ports on the device and control them via the interface, which also have UART. They’re marketed at IT professionals, allowing for debugging and control of ATX power, and there’s even an extra function of turning the input cable into a virtual serial cable. It’s quite impressive.

With the myriad ways you can connect to a Raspberry Pi from another device, we did wonder if this would be superfluous. However, due to the speed of getting it working, no need for any local networking, and its fairly small footprint, it’s a great alternative to Connect and other network-based remote connection tools. These network tools also only work once a system has fully booted up, whereas KIWI’s physical connection allows you to see the boot process, which means you can troubleshoot any misbehaving Raspberry Pi without plugging it into another monitor.

If you use Raspberry Pi a lot, this is definitely worth considering adding to your arsenal of add-ons. 

Verdict

9/10

A surprisingly functional and full-featured digital KVM and screen capture device, and much smaller than even a Raspberry Pi.

Specs

I/O: USB-C (host connection), USB-C (input connection), HDMI, 6 × GPIO (PRO version)

Dimensions: 46 × 46 × 15 mm

Connectivity: 1080p video, human input devices, virtual serial connection, UART, ATX

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Sony Watchman cyberdeck

8 days ago.

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Chris emailed us a little while ago (sorry, Chris!) about his fun little Raspberry Pi Pico project which he describes as “a simple stand-alone Q&A game or ice-breaker for a party, using a Pico, a thermal printer, and a big red button” – although we’d say the button is medium-size compared to the 100 mm ones we’ve seen/used in the past.

According to the GitHub page for the project (which includes the build instructions too), it was made for a New Year’s event, and is easily modifiable. “I used a cigar box for the build, but it can fit into any suitable project box,” Chris says. Although we quite like the box ourselves.

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To many readers, ‘F/A-18C Right Console’ will look like a bunch of letters and numbers thrown together. To aviation enthusiasts, though, those letters and numbers clearly refer to the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, a fighter plane developed in the 1970s for the US Marines and US Navy. This replica control console by ValeNoxBona was apparently the maker’s first ever build using the Arduino microcontroller, which is used to control the addressable RGB LEDs that light this project. The build uses a 3D-printed enclosure with a laser-cut and engraved acrylic top, backlit with WS2812 addressable RGB LEDs mounted on a custom PCB and controlled by the Arduino.

The lettering is engraved into the acrylic, which makes the material thin enough for the lights underneath to shine through. Apart from the time involved, the biggest cost in building this was the switches, made by NKK of Scottsdale, Arizona.

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The first thing that strikes you is the sheer size. This is not a small case, and that’s because it has a few tricks under its tough exterior. Argon is clearly intending this case to be your powerhouse server. Removing the solid aluminium lid, we find space for your Raspberry Pi 5 along with some impressive passive heatsinking and a mounted PWM 30 mm fan. On-board ports – including the GPIO header – are exposed within the housing for projects and there’s a few millimetres of clearance for adding your own bits and pieces. Argon’s signature daughterboard design is here too, with a PCB that plugs into the USB-C and HDMI ports of your Raspberry Pi, breaking them out to full-size HDMI and an additional two front-mounted USB-A connectors. Slotting it all together onto the plastic base creates a solid unit for your next project.

Features and upgrade options

There is a very good reason this case is so much larger than standard. Alongside the Raspberry Pi, there is space for two M.2 NVMe slots for up to full-sized 2280 solid-state drives. This case then becomes a NAS with SSD RAID capability. You can purchase the add-on PCBs for each M.2 separately or pre-mounted, offering flexibility on price and future upgrade options. Then, nestling next to the front-mounted USB ports, there’s an audio-out port. This case comes with a DAC built-in, which upgrades it further to a potential media server.

Home automation enthusiasts may be tempted by the optional Zigbee add-on which plugs into the daughterboard and comes complete with an antenna which mounts to the case externally. If you’re using the case headless and want to see some info at a glance, the £9 OLED module adds a tiny screen to the top of the case for you to use as you wish. Finally, another option is to add a dedicated uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which sits neatly under the case. Argon has created an entire ecosystem around the simple concept of a case.

We were supplied with a manual, thermal pads for the various Raspberry Pi chips, and additional thermal pads for protecting the M.2 SSDs. Assembly was easy and the result was formidable. It may not look as pretty as its predecessors on your living room cabinet, but you’ll probably be able to drop it from some height without causing it much damage.

Verdict

10/10

If you are looking to build a home server for media, automation, or just data storage, this is a well-priced option that will keep your Raspberry Pi cool and protected with a wealth of upgrade options.

Specs

Ports: 6 × USB, USB-C, 2 × full-size HDMI, 3.5 mm audio

Add-ons: Up to 2 × NMVe M.2 SSD (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280), Zigbee module with antenna, OLED screen, UPS

Cooling: Passive aluminium, active 30 mm PWM fan

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It’s in this spirit that Bunchowills has made the world’s smallest chop saw that is also a tape dispenser. Yes, the spinny 3D-printed blade won’t give you the same clean edge as a pair of scissors, but it looks considerably more awesome, and that’s the whole point.

This mostly 3D-printed build runs on a pair of AA batteries, and can technically be used for woodworking projects as well as stationery management (its maker claims it can cut through toothpicks). Download the STL files, fire up your printer, and make one today for the woodworker with everything in your life.

Warning! Moving parts

Be careful when handling this project because it has moving parts. Children should be supervised.

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We’ve filled the magazine with tutorials and hands-on projects – as always, a lot of these come from the fantastic Raspberry Pi user community, without which we’d be nothing. Thank you to everyone who’s ever built a project with Raspberry Pi, and special thanks to the subscribers who make this magazine possible.

Our biggest budget build this issue is the McLaren Car Play – Adam Bell has used a Raspberry Pi to fool a 90s super car into thinking that it’s an iPod, adding Apple’s in-car entertainment setup via a Raspberry Pi 5.

We have literally scoured the alphabet to bring you the A to Z of Raspberry Pi – from AI to Zero and every point in between, there’s a factoid ready for your next computing-themed pub quiz.

Feeling a little fuzzy and light-headed? Best get that checked out. But if you want to check whether the air in your office if making you drowsy, PJ Evans has built a CO2 monitor using a sensor, a Pimoroni Badger 2040 W and a smattering of Python programming. It’s getting warmer in the UK now, so take this as a cue to open the window!

Then again, sometimes a fuzzy is good… like the way video games used to blur pixels to trick the mind into thinking that their graphics were more detailed than they actually were. KG Orphanides adds a CRT emulator to a modern setup to put more beauty back in retro games.

You’ll find all this and much more in the latest edition of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. Pick up your copy today from our store, or subscribe to get every issue delivered to your door.

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Save 35% off the cover price with a subscription to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. UK subscribers get three issues for just £10 and a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico W, then pay £30 every six issues. You’ll save money and get a regular supply of in-depth reviews, features, guides and other Raspberry Pi enthusiast goodness delivered directly to your door every month.

Subscribe

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We’re hugely proud of the new magazine. It’s got all the amazing features that made The MagPi such a success, but with a new design that’s easier to read, better at displaying code, and more in sync with Raspberry Pi’s amazing documentation and tutorials.

Thank you again to everybody who supports us by subscribing to the magazine or contributing to our endeavour. We really can’t do it without you.

We’ve worked incredibly hard to make this issue one to remember. Inside the inaugural Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, you will discover…

Raspberry Pi problem solving

Our lead feature this month is a huge analysis of Raspberry Pi troubleshooting. We’ve gathered a vast amount of documentation on power requirements, SD card performance, Raspberry Pi OS customisation, boot problems, audio and video fixes, and hardware enhancements.

The maker toolset

It’s incredibly important to make things. Making is rewarding, fun, and practical. In this month’s magazine, you’ll discover everything you need to set up your makerspace. Our maker toolset has the full range from simple circuits and humble sewing up to 3D printing and metalwork.

HexBoard

Raspberry Pi Official Magazine is packed with all the best projects from around the globe. Jared DeCook shares his incredible HexBoard musical instrument with us. Instead of piano-style keys, it features hexagonal buttons and RGB LEDs, all controlled by Raspberry Pi RP2040.

Raspberry Pi Chess Board

Imagine playing chess against a robot. That’s what high school student Tamerlan Goglichidze has created. With a stepper motor and magnets it moves the chess pieces around.

Sense HAT V2

Sense HAT is a great way to discover coding and data gathering. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to attach a Sense HAT to your Raspberry Pi and start controlling the LED display. 

Custom CNC Machine

Jo Hinchliffe brings together various parts for a custom CNC machine that acts as a carbon filament winding machine for making custom carbon-fibre tubes.

10 Amazing Accessories

Power up your Raspberry Pi 5 with these incredible add-ons that enable extra functionality. We’ve got everything from USB sound cards to overpowered cooling systems.

You’ll find all this and much more in the latest edition of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. Pick up your copy today from our store, or subscribe to get every issue delivered to your door.