It’s hard to believe that May is already here but it’s not hard to believe that we have tons of cool Raspberry Pi projects to share! As always, makers have been busy and they have been seriously creative. This list showcases some of the best Pi projects we’ve had the honor of featuring over the last month and we’re beyond excited to share them with you again.
These makers pull out all the stops to bring their visions to reality. They use some of the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to complete their projects—leaving us in awe at the end results. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or just want to ogle at what brilliant minds get up to for fun, you’re guaranteed to find something exciting in this list.
Pico W Brings Retro Nintendo Controllers to Switch
Have you ever wanted to use an authentic Nintendo 64 controller on the Switch? Now you can! This project uses a Pico to work as an adapter that enables the old controllers to interface with the Nintendo switch. Everything is open source so you can try it out for yourself at home but you will need a little hardware and soldering experience to bring it together.
Why we love it:
We love any project that revitalizes retro hardware and this is a great one! It not only extends the life of old school controllers but adds a new dynamic to gaming on the Nintendo Switch. It’s hard to beat the feel of classic controllers and with this setup, you won’t have to.
Read: Pico W Brings Retro Nintendo Controllers to Switch
Raspberry Pi Portable Commodore 64 Cyberdeck
Do you love the Commodore 64? Then you’re going to love this awesome Commodore 64 Raspberry Pi Cyberdeck. It emulates the old school computer with some dazzling end results. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 3A+ and outputs to an 8-inch LCD panel. It also has a built-in battery pack for juice on the go.
Why we love it:
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—we love old school hardware. While this is a modern creation, it hearkens back to the nostalgic past of computing, emulating the look and feel we used to be all too familiar with. Crookedmouth1971 did an excellent job in designing this project and deserves a little extra recognition for their work.
Read: Raspberry Pi Portable Commodore 64 Cyberdeck
Raspberry Pi Pico Retro Controller Converter
The Pico has proven to be an innexpensive solution for many makers looking to create their own adapters. In this project, a Pico drives a special adapter that allows users to interface with multiple retro gaming controllers. It mounts to a custom PCB and is compatible with a wide variety of controllers from Atari systems to NeoGeo joysticks.
Why we love it:
This project, while extremely niche, is also extremely useful! We’ll always get excited about retro hardware and love to see anything from the Pi family help out when it can. The design is very well put together from the custom PCB to the finishing shell that protects it from the outside. Overall, this project deserved a little extra recognition for what it provides.
Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Retro Controller Converter
Raspberry Pi Retro TV Box
What’s on TV? Whatever you want with this project! Inside this beautiful retro style TV box is none other than our favorite SBC, the Raspberry Pi. The housing is 3D printed with wood filament complete with stylish box joints to hold it together. The front two knobs open a drawer with a wireless keyboard/mouse combo for input. It can do anything from host retro games to play your favorite movies.
Why we love it:
A well designed project is always worth the recognition. We’ve seen Pi-powered TVs before but never one that looks quite like this. We admire the simple functionality and how well that pairs with professional design elements. This is simply a beautiful project and we love looking at it!
Read: Raspberry Pi Retro TV Box
Raspberry Pi Pico GameBoy Cable Sniffer
There’s seemingly no limit to what makers can do with a Pi. In this project, a Pico is used as a cable sniffer to emulate Game Boy functions. It interfaces with original hardware and is capable of sending print commands to a Game Boy printer and even simulating a trade partner in Pokemon.
Why we love it:
This isn’t just an emulation project, you have to have the original hardware to take advantage of this cool project. There are plenty more features you could add to a rig like this but the ones demonstrated so far have us totally blown away.
Read: Raspberry Pi Pico GameBoy Cable Sniffer
Raspberry Pi Pico Web Server
When you think of a Pi-powered web server, you’re probably not thinking of a microcontroller. However, the brilliant young minds at GurgleApps decided the Pico was the perfect candidate to operate their web server and made it a reality!
Why we love it:
We had the honor of featuring this project on an episode of our Raspberry Pi-themed podcast, The Pi Cast, and they even let us interact with it from across the world. This Pico W web server is super impressive and super useful for a variety of projects and use cases.
Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Web Server
Raspberry Pi Sci-Fi-Themed Chinese Take-Out Signs
Do you want a side with that? Let one of these Pi’s help! This project uses six Raspberry Pis to operate some chinese takeout menus. They’re housed inside a beautiful sci-fi themed case and are prominently on display at the bottom of the sign.
Why we love it:
It’s always exciting to spot a Raspberry Pi in the wild. We’ve got an appetite for Pi and couldn’t help ourselves from showcasing this unique example of how they can be implemented in a business setting. Plus the sci-fi theming is just super neat and adds a unique touch.
Read: Raspberry Pi Sci-Fi-Themed Chinese Take-Out Signs
Blooming Flowers Raspberry Pi Dress
With the touch of a button, this handmade dress goes into full bloom! This maker sewed a series of beautiful fabric flowers that use a Raspberry Pi to bloom on command. It’s a clever unification of handcrafted sewing and microelectronics.
Why we love it:
We knew the Raspberry Pi was cool but didn’t realize it was in style this season. We’re not usually keeping up with the latest ready to wear here at Tom’s Hardware but this is some haute couture we can get seriously excited about.
Read: Blooming Flowers Raspberry Pi Dress
Raspberry Pi 4 Upgraded to 16GB of RAM
If you want to upgrade the RAM on your Raspberry Pi, MadEDoctor has got you covered. If you’re not afraid of exchanging surface mounted components, this project is for you. With a little bit of patience, he’s managed to upgrade a Pi 4 to use 16 GB of RAM!
Why we love it:
Watching the Raspberry Pi community push the boundaries of what these boards can do is half the fun. Did we need a 16 GB Pi 4? Maybe. Do we want one now knowing that it's possible? You betcha!
Read: Raspberry Pi 4 Upgraded to 16GB of RAM
Raspberry Pi-Powered Furby uses ChatGPT
ChatGPT is taking the world by storm. And through ChatGPT, this Raspberry Pi-powered Furby can take over the world, as well! As unsettling as a naked Furby is, the fear is only heightened by the implementation of AI into its programming.
Why we love it:
We promise to be nice to the robot overlords, and that includes AI-powered Furbies. We’re not sure what maker Jessica Card was thinking when putting together this creation but we don’t care. It’s awesome.
Read: Raspberry Pi-Powered Furby uses ChatGPT
Tom's Hardware Projects
The Raspberry Pi community never ceases to excite and amaze us. It’s hard not to see all of these projects and not create a few ourselves. Here’s what we’ve been up to at Tom’s Hardware over the last month. We share not only our own projects but include detailed steps you need to recreate them at home.
How To Manage MicroPython Modules With Mip on Raspberry Pi Pico
Image credit: Tom’s Hardware
In this guide, Les shows us how to manage MicroPython modules on the Raspberry Pi Pico. The tool that drives this project is called Mip. We’ll show you how to get started with Mip and go over everything you need to use it to the fullest.
Read: How To Manage MicroPython Modules With Mip on Raspberry Pi Pico
