Retro education

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I wasn’t reading books or playing adventure games, I was learning BASIC and making my own creations. Computing classes covered everything from acid-etched circuits to PASCAL programming. As I worked my way through school, the computer became less about exploring the potential of a wonderful new gizmo and more about fitting students into the […]

LEGO Submarine 4.0

Reading Time: 4 minutesThis is the fourth LEGO submarine design he has completed. The first three variously used propellers to add or reduce buoyancy (“gravity and buoyancy stay always the same while the propellers exert force”); a balloon, and an air compressor to adjust the amount of water displaced, thereby controlling whether the submarine sinks or rises; and […]

Pico W retro gaming special in The MagPi magazine issue #122

Reading Time: 2 minutesRetro Gaming with Raspberry Pi Pico & Pico W  Our resident retro games expert KG Orphanides has crafted a superb feature for this month’s edition of The MagPi magazine. Discover how to emulate classic computers, hack 1980s hardware, and play retro games on a $6 microcontroller. Build a Mini Magic Mirror A magic mirror is […]

Win! 1 of 5 EPD Pico Kits

Reading Time: < 1 minuteSave 35% off the cover price with a subscription to The MagPi 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 […]

LEGO Reaction Wheel Inverted Pendulum

Reading Time: 3 minutesWell, that’s the theory, but in practice it’s not quite so easy and, as shown in his YouTube video, Juha had to alter his Python code repeatedly and make hardware adjustments to get the system to work to his satisfaction. Precision control A gyroscope and accelerometer on a mini IMU (inertia measurement unit) board are […]

LEGO Reaction Wheel Inverted Pendulum

Reading Time: 3 minutesWell, that’s the theory, but in practice it’s not quite so easy and, as shown in his YouTube video, Juha had to alter his Python code repeatedly and make hardware adjustments to get the system to work to his satisfaction. Precision control A gyroscope and accelerometer on a mini IMU (inertia measurement unit) board are […]

LED sphere

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe idea for the project followed a friendly chat. “I was having a lunchtime discussion at work with my friend, Jens, a 3D printing wizard, about doing things with LEDs that hasn’t really been done before,” Tom recalls. After ordering a 3D printer – “and wanting to use it for something more than printing out […]

Digital Zoetrope

Reading Time: 3 minutesAs if to prove the concept still has legs, Brian Corteil has created his own version. “I’ve found zoetropes and optical illusions fascinating since I was a child,” he tells us, having worked on his latest one for a recent EMF Camp in the hope of inspiring children at STEM/STEAM events. “They’re perfect for showing […]

Autonomous Robotics Platform for Raspberry Pi Pico review

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe result is a cute-looking robot that is easy to assemble, making it perfect for younger robotics makers. It’s incredibly lightweight and moves around at a brisk pace. All aboard There are a few extras on the robot chassis worth mentioning. On all four corners sit ZIP LEDs that add bling (and can be useful […]

Big Mouth Billy Bass

Reading Time: 3 minutesKevin first fell in love with computing when he became the proud owner of a ZX Spectrum back in 1982. He went on to study computer science. He had a similarly Damascene encounter when he got his first Raspberry Pi not long after it first launched. “Raspberry Pi has helped me learn and master Linux […]

Arducam 64MP Autofocus Camera Module review

Reading Time: 2 minutesRather than being fixed focus, the lens is motorised; you can hear it clicking in and out. This means the camera focus can be adjusted in the software – it uses a forked version of the standard libcamera library, installed along with custom drivers via a few Terminal commands. Staying in focus The autofocus (AF) […]

Arducam 64MP Autofocus Camera Module review

Reading Time: 2 minutesRather than being fixed focus, the lens is motorised; you can hear it clicking in and out. This means the camera focus can be adjusted in the software – it uses a forked version of the standard libcamera library, installed along with custom drivers via a few Terminal commands. Staying in focus The autofocus (AF) […]

ZeroBug 3D printable hexapod

Reading Time: 3 minutes“Zero is in charge of the input methods,” Maximilian explains. “It runs a custom web interface and an instance of Pygame. This makes it possible to control the robot using a mouse, keyboard, multitouch, or simply an Xbox gamepad… Instead of specialised robotics servos, this robot uses inexpensive micro servos. Inside its 3D-printed frame there […]

Learn electronics with Pico W in The MagPi magazine issue #121

Reading Time: 3 minutesLearn Electronics with Raspberry Pi Pico W Pico W is perfect for creating your electronic gadgets and gizmos. Get started with our guide to basic components and electronic components and build your first project, a Pico W-based web server that turns lights on and off from a website. Moving beyond that our in-depth tutorial explains […]

Win! A CrowPi L Basic Kit

Reading Time: < 1 minuteSave 35% off the cover price with a subscription to The MagPi 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 […]

Motor SHIM driver board for Pico review

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Motor SHIM features a DRV8833 dual H-bridge motor driver. This means it can drive a maximum of two motors – the rival Kitronik Robotics Board can handle four, but then it is considerably larger. Rather than screw terminals, the Motor SHIM features two small two-pin JST-ZH connectors. For each, just plug in one end […]

Raspberry Pi Zero Personal Digital Assistant

Reading Time: 3 minutes“I was attempting to connect a RC2014 – a Z80‑based homebrew computer – to the Psion and was having some difficulty”, Kian says. “But I could get Raspberry Pi to talk to the RC2014 and I could get a Psion to talk to Raspberry Pi, so I decided to put Raspberry Pi in the middle. […]

CrowPi L laptop review

Reading Time: 3 minutesYou will need to source your own Raspberry Pi 4. Starting from $203 without the Crowtail kit is good value; even $250 for the CrowPi L and Crowtail electronics kit works out cheaper than its predecessor. Factor in around $50 for shipping. Design matters The design is a step forward. The white clamshell case features […]

Blade-runner-inspired VK-Pocket camera

Reading Time: 3 minutes“In the movie, there’s a camera on a stalk which is aimed at the subject’s eyeball, and a monitor showing that eye isolated and magnified. My concept was to have a high-resolution, wide-angle camera, and use the face tracking code to crop and zoom in to any eye it detected. Anyone approaching the machine to […]

HiFiBerry DAC2 Pro & HD review

Reading Time: < 1 minuteOn the more affordable end is the DAC2 Pro. This features a dedicated 192kHz/24-bit DAC, low-jitter clocks, and low-noise voltage regulators, all with the purpose of producing the best sound possible at that price point. It also features a headphone amplifier for convenience. A lot more punch If you’re looking for something a little more […]