Maybe you picked up a Raspberry Pi for the holidays, or you’ve been sitting on one of the super versatile, palm-sized computers for a while now. If you’ve been wondering how to get started with yours , or what you could build that’s worthwhile, here are ten great ideas.
Sure, sure, you could always just look out the window to see what the weather is like, but where’s the fun in that when you could have precise temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and a forecast along with all of that? Look no further than your Raspberry Pi , and a few extra components .
Of course, if you want something a little more flexible, or a little more fun, consider building this color-changing lamp that will reveal the weather forecast based on the color and light pattern with your Pi, or this slightly simpler version that looks pretty good on a bookshelf if I do say so myself.
What’s more fun than taking lots of great photos with your friends when you’re all hanging out having a great time? Turn the Pi you’ve had sitting around for ages into a photo booth designed specifically to capture those awesome moments, and then share them with your friends.
You have choices too — the one above has a touchscreen and a little countdown timer, but if you don’t want to go through that much energy, try this simpler version (you don’t need the custom box, obviously) that auto-uploads the photos in animated GIF form to a Tumblr account you create for the event—or for your project.
The beauty of the Raspberry Pi is that it’s a pocket-sized computer. That means it can go virtually anywhere, like in the garage, near the front door, or anywhere else you need a pair of eyes and have a power outlet. This beginner project will turn your Pi into a home security system in no time.
When you’re ready to shoot for the moon, you could build a multiple-camera system with a Raspberry Pi , if you want eyes all over the house or yard. This project uses Windows IoT to do the same thing with your Pi if you’re looking for an alternative that might look a little more familiar.
By far one of the most popular Pi projects is an arcade machine, and we’ll get to that. We’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit and suggesting that you put your retro game console inside an arcade stick, so you can play your favorite old school games on the perfect controller for those games all at once.
