Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed a three-sided zipper that transforms 3D-printed floppy structures into rigid, load-bearing forms in seconds. The mechanism, called the “Y-Zipper,” can rapidly assemble beams, arches, robotic limbs, and deployable frameworks — potentially opening the door to adaptive robots, fast-deploying shelters, and reconfigurable medical devices.

Unlike conventional zippers that connect two flat surfaces in 2D, the Y-Zipper joins three flexible arms into a rigid 3D triangular tube. When open or unzipped, the structure behaves like soft plastic strips or floppy tentacles, with each arm flexing and twisting independently. Once zipped shut with a custom slider, however, the arms interlock to form a stiff, beam-like structure capable of supporting loads.

The concept originated in 1985 with MIT professor William Freeman, who proposed a triangular zipper system intended to rapidly assemble objects such as tents, furniture, and containers. At the time, however, manufacturing limitations made the design impractical. Freeman patented the design with the hope that fabrication technology would eventually catch up. Nearly four decades later, modern 3D printers and computational design tools finally enabled researchers to revisit the idea.

The CSAIL team developed software that allows users to customize how the zipper behaves once assembled. Depending on the design of the arms, the mechanism can form straight rods, arches, coils, or twisted screw-like structures. The system, including the three arms and the slider, was fabricated entirely by 3D printing using common polymer materials.

The engineering principle behind the system is relatively straightforward: triangles are inherently rigid. Structural engineering has relied on triangular geometry for decades in bridges, cranes, towers, and trusses because triangles resist deformation far better than flat or rectangular structures. The Y-Zipper exploits that same principle by forcing three flexible arms into a triangular configuration during closure, essentially assembling a lightweight structural beam on demand.

That ability to switch between soft and rigid states is particularly relevant for robotics and deployable systems. Engineers often struggle to combine flexibility and structural stiffness within the same mechanism. Soft robotic systems adapt well to unpredictable environments but often lack strength, while rigid systems provide stability at the cost of flexibility. MIT’s design attempts to combine both.

The researchers demonstrated a robotic quadruped with legs capable of changing height and stiffness by actuating the zipper mechanism with motors. Such systems could help robots navigate uneven terrain by dynamically adjusting limb geometry in response to the environment.

The team also tested the system in deployable structures. In one demonstration, they used the Y-Zipper to rapidly assemble a tent-like structure, with the three-sided mechanism serving as both the structural support frame and the joining system. According to the team, setup time dropped from roughly six minutes to one minute and 20 seconds because the zipper effectively snaps the structure into place.

Medical applications are another possible target. The researchers created a wrist-cast prototype that wrapped the mechanism around a wrist cast, allowing users to loosen it during the day for comfort before tightening it again at night for support.

Beyond engineering applications, the system can also produce dynamic moving structures for art and design. One prototype resembled a mechanical flower that “bloomed” as a motor zipped the structure upward.

Durability testing showed the mechanism surviving roughly 18,000 zip-and-unzip cycles before failure. According to the researchers, the structure’s elastic behavior helps distribute stress across the assembly instead of concentrating it in a single area.

The team evaluated versions of the structure made from popular 3D-printing materials, polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). PLA handled heavier loads more effectively, while TPU provided greater flexibility. Future versions could use stronger materials such as metal and scale to much larger sizes. Researchers also suggested possible aerospace applications, including deployable spacecraft structures and robotic systems capable of grabbing rock samples during exploration missions.

The work was presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) in April and detailed in a paper titled "Y-Zipper: 3D Printing Flexible–Rigid Transition Mechanism for Rapid and Reversible Assembly."

Security researchers have uncovered a cyber-sabotage platform that predates Stuxnet by at least half a decade. Sentinel Labs has published a blog on their fast16 revelations, discussing the scope of this state-level tool, which targets select high-precision calculation software, slyly introducing inaccuracies. Investigations suggest that fast16 was used to make key calculations in software used for projects involving nuclear reactors, dam design, and broader physics simulations, subtly but reproducibly erroneous.

“*** Nothing to see here – carry on ***”

Before looking more closely at fast16, it is interesting to ponder who may be behind it and the origin of the name. Sentinel Labs notes that the name ‘fast16’ can be found referenced in an infamous NSA ‘territorial dispute’ file leak. Specifically, it was mentioned in the strongest terms in a do-not-disturb list provided to operators. The line “fast16 *** Nothing to see here – carry on ***” singles out fast16 as being one of - if not the - most important NSA hack tools.

The security researchers, including Vitaly Kamluk & Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, found fast16 based on an architectural hunch. As a number of high-tier threats in this category were built on an embedded Lua virtual machine, they decided to see if there were traces of earlier Lua VM tools.

A file called svcmgmt.exe, which was uploaded to VirusTotal nearly a decade ago, would be a key link. This ‘unremarkable’ file was a 2005 file that was indeed a “Lua-powered service binary.” However, “it still receives almost no detections: one engine classifies it as generally malicious, and even that with limited confidence,” note the security researchers.

How fast16 was delivered

The aforementioned svcmgmt.exe acts as a carrier worm for delivering the fast16.sys kernel driver. It is surprisingly stealthy for a tool of its age. For example, it would check the machine registry for signs of malware monitoring tools from companies like Symantec, TrendMicro, McAfee, etc., to decide whether to abort or to deploy.

Spreading of fast16 would occur via wormlets propagating through Windows service control and file-sharing APIs. This version of fast16 targeted Windows 2000 and Windows XP environments and preyed on default and weak admin passwords on file shares.

The prime targets of fast16

Fast16 was designed to corrupt floating-point calculations in a subtle, predictable, reproducible way. It would seek out executable files, and in particular, EXEs that had been compiled with the Intel C/C++ compiler.

The corruption of output from targeted executables was controlled in such a way that fast16 would introduce “small but systematic errors into physical‑world calculations.” In effect, engineering projects based on these calculations may degrade more quickly than expected “or even contribute to catastrophic damage,” note the researchers.

In the Sentinel Labs blog, three era-appropriate software packages were specifically named as targets of fast16.

LS‑DYNA 970 (crash/explosion simulations; typically used in nuclear-related modeling)

PKPM (Chinese structural engineering suite, used to design expansive infrastructure projects)

MOHID (Portuguese hydrodynamic environmental modeling software)

Other infected machines using the same software, doing the same calculations, would get the same subtly erroneous results.

What else is out there?

Fast16 is a rather momentous discovery that indicates state-grade cyber sabotage existed in the mid-noughties, predating the discovery of Stuxnet by at least five years.

The lineage of fast16 may be much longer and deeper in history, though. Some strings in the malware files have fingerprints from Cold War-era Unix systems. These are basically fossilized traces of software revision control systems dating back to the 1970s and 80s.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge published a paper in Science Advances earlier this month describing a new type of hafnium oxide memristor. The highlight of the new technology is that it operates at switching currents roughly a million times lower than conventional oxide-based devices.

The team, led by Dr. Babak Bakhit from Cambridge's Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, engineered a multicomponent thin film that forms an internal p-n junction, enabling the device to switch states smoothly at currents below 10 nanoamps while producing hundreds of distinct conductance levels.

Memristors are two-terminal devices that can store and process data in the same physical location, eliminating the energy-intensive data shuttling between separate memory and processing units in conventional computer architectures. Neuromorphic systems built from memristors could reduce computing power consumption by more than 70%, according to the paper.

Most existing HfO2-based memristors rely on filamentary resistive switching, where conductive paths grow and rupture inside the oxide. These filaments exhibit stochastic behavior, resulting in poor device-to-device and cycle-to-cycle uniformity that limits computational accuracy.

A different approach - adding strontium and titanium

The Cambridge team took a different approach by adding strontium and titanium to hafnium oxide and depositing the film in a two-step process, thereby creating a p-type Hf(Sr,Ti)O2 layer that self-assembles a p-n heterointerface with an underlying n-type titanium oxynitride layer. Resistance changes occur by shifting the energy barrier height at this interface rather than by growing or breaking filaments.

"Filamentary devices suffer from random behavior," Bakhit said in a Cambridge press release announcing the work. "But because our devices switch at the interface, they show outstanding uniformity from cycle to cycle and from device to device."

The devices demonstrated switching currents at or below 10^-8 amps, retention exceeding 10⁵ seconds, and endurance beyond 50,000 pulse-switching cycles. Using identical 1.0 V spikes comparable to biological neural signaling, the researchers achieved a conductance-modulation range exceeding 50 times across hundreds of distinct levels without saturation.

Synaptic update energy ranged from approximately 2.5 picojoules down to around 45 femtojoules. The devices also reproduced spike timing-dependent plasticity and maintained stable synaptic operation across roughly 40,000 electronic spikes.

One significant hurdle remains

The current deposition process requires temperatures of around 700°C, which exceeds standard CMOS manufacturing tolerances. "This is currently the main challenge in our device fabrication process," Bakhit said. "But we're now working on ways to bring the temperature down to make it more compatible with standard industry processes."

All materials used in the device stack are fully CMOS-compatible, and a patent application has been filed through Cambridge Enterprise.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) have developed a drone capture and crash-inducing device. The FlyTrap attack uses special patterns to exploit deficiencies in Autonomous Target Tracking (ATT), often referred to as Active Track, Motion Track, or Dynamic Track. FlyTrap patterns can be easily carried around and deployed by anyone, as the researchers printed them on “adversarial umbrellas.” In essence, this seems like a deliciously lo-fi counter to a hi-tech hazard. Umbrellas are also useful if it rains, or for portable shade.

The FlyTrap attack was demonstrated in the field, literally, by one of the researchers in the video above. A specially formulated AI-generated pattern is displayed by opening an umbrella after a drone locks on to track the person in the field. Specifically, the visual pattern performs a next-gen physical distance pulling (PDP) attack that works across multiple angles, even in motion, and in the real-world. This demo works on three commercial drones that were tested, the DJI Mini 4 Pro, the DJI Neo and the HoverAir X1.

The umbrella-printed visual physically draws victim drones closer as its neural network tracking systems interpret the pattern to be the subject moving further away. As the drone approaches the umbrella, the pattern causes the targeting bounding box to continue shrinking - so the drone moves to get closer. Autonomous drones lured by the pattern can then easily be ensnared using a net gun, or further induced to crash to Earth.

The research shows that FlyTrap is significantly more effective than prior adversarial‑ML techniques like older PDP tech and Targeted Gradient Transfer (TGT).

“Autonomous target tracking represents both tremendous potential and significant risk,” said paper co-author Alfred Chen, UC Irvine assistant professor of computer science. Chen reminds us that autonomous drones are used in areas like border patrol and public safety, but also by malicious actors.

Lead author, Shaoyuan Xie, a UC Irvine graduate student researcher in computer science added that “Our findings highlight urgent needs for security improvements in [autonomous target-tracking] systems before wider deployment in critical infrastructure."

It would be fascinating to see or hear about FlyTrap being used in the real-world. However, both DJI and HoverAir have been responsibly notified about the neural processing vulnerabilities in their autonomous tracking systems.

NASA just reported that the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, was successful in altering the orbit of the smaller body in a binary asteroid system. The space agency launched the DART probe in November 2021, taking nearly nine months before it hit the 560-foot or 170-meter-wide Dimorphos in September 2022. According to NASA, the agency, alongside several volunteer astronomers, observed the pair over several months, where it was noted that Dimorphos’ 12-hour orbit around its larger sibling, the 880-yard or 805-meter-wide Didymos, was reduced by around 33 minutes. More importantly, it also affected the system’s orbit around the Sun by 0.15 seconds.

DART is the first-ever mission that looks at the feasibility of conducting a kinetic strike to deflect any celestial threat to the Earth, and it seems that it was quite successful. The probe’s impact ejected a significant amount of debris from the asteroid, essentially doubling the DART spacecraft’s effectiveness. Even though only the smaller Dimorphos was targeted, the changes to its momentum and orbit also affected the larger Didymos.

The numbers mentioned might seem minuscule, especially when compared to the size of these celestial bodies, but NASA is banking on detecting any collision hazards to our home planet early on. By affecting its trajectory as soon as it's detected, even a small change can make a huge impact over the massive distances involved in space.

DART can make the difference

“The change in the binary system’s orbital speed was about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour,” Rahil Makadia of the University of Illinois Urbanas-Champaign, the lead author of the study on the DART mission, told NASA. “Over time, such a small change in an asteroid’s motion can make the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our planet.” Although the DART’s target is pretty small and won’t destroy the entire planet, it still has the potential to wipe out an area the size of London and its surrounding areas. However, its larger companion is a bigger threat, with the capability of destroying the entirety of Southern England.

Thankfully, these two asteroids would’ve never impacted Earth, even after the DART mission. Still, NASA is concerned that there might be several other smaller rocks floating in space that could pose a danger to the planet. Because of this, the U.S. space agency is now building an orbiting telescope designed to detect incoming threats like asteroids and comets — the first such satellite designed for planetary defense. That way, it can find these early, and if there’s one that could potentially impact our home, NASA could send a kinetic impact vehicle early on to change its direction.

A Mozilla engineer has shared survey data and calculations suggesting that up to 15% of Firefox crashes are due to a bit flip. For the purposes of this report, a bit flip occurs when a memory cell (RAM, cache, etc) updates its value from 0 to 1, or vice-versa, following some unintentional external input. The most common triggers for bit flips are thought to be electrical issues and instability, thermal effects, underlying manufacturing defects and aging, crosstalk, and even memory cells being flipped by an ionizing cosmic ray.

No one seems to have a hard figure for the biggest bit flip contributor. However, systems sent to space will use specialized components hardened to resist interference from cosmic radiation, extremes of temperature, etc, and to include aggressive error checking.

The Mozilla team received nearly half a million auto-submitted crash reports last week (opt-in feature). Data from a recently introduced “memory tester that runs on user machines after the browser crashes,” guided senior engineer Gabriele Svelto towards his eyebrow-raising bit flips, causing 15% of crashes figure, which he admits “dwarfs all the previous estimates I saw regarding this problem.”

Mozilla employed, self-confessed ‘old school nerd’ Svelto says that an initial 10% estimate was revised up because “If I subtract crashes that are caused by resource exhaustion (such as out-of-memory crashes) this number goes up to around 15%.” Moreover, it was determined that one in two bit flip crashes was due to a “genuine hardware issue.” Svelto notes this could be undershooting the real figure as Mozilla’s memory test on crash feature “only checks up to 1 GiB of memory and runs for no longer than 3 seconds.”

Thus, it is hard to drill down to probably the most fascinating statistic of how many Firefox crashes are precipitated by an errant cosmic ray passing though…

As a parting shot, Svelto doesn’t want fancy Arm-based MacBook owners, or any other niche device owner, thinking this is just about PCs with shaky RAM. Every device with memory can be affected by bit flips, asserts the engineer. That doesn’t matter if it’s a Mac, smartphone, or even a printer or router. From that perspective, PC desktop DIYers are probably in a better position, as they can replace any faulty component without throwing away the whole caboodle. But please, great cosmic ray caster in the sky, please don’t make me think I have RAM issues in 2026…

A 2025 Nobel Prize winner has set up a company to commercialize a machine that it claims can pull 1,000 liters (about 264 US Gal) of drinkable water a day from the thin air. As Interesting Engineering reports, Professor Omar Yaghi, a chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, invented a machine that works effectively in desert air with 20% humidity or lower. As a self-contained off-grid device, it has the potential to provide relief to regions scattered around the globe, where water shortages are persistent or have been precipitated by a natural disaster.

Yaghi’s company, Atoco, also sees a market in “personalized water,” much like where households generate their own off-grid power from wind or solar. Prototypes have been successfully tested in places as arid as Death Valley. The 1,000 liters a day machine is far bigger than the social media prototype machine image we see alongside the Professor in the desert, at around 20ft in length, or the size of a shipping container.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

The science behind this new clean water harvesting machine is based on reticular chemistry, one of Yaghi’s specialist areas. In particular, the device is packed with Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which are synthetic porous materials engineered at the molecular level to have huge surface areas. A few grams of an MOF can have a surface area equivalent to a football arena, according to the source.

With this incredibly large surface area in such a compact form, the MOF is adept at collecting water from the air and condensing it to a liquid. Yaghi’s mechanism can do this without a power source. It uses the wind and air for water input, then the sun to drive condensation and evaporative action. It is worth repeating – the invention can operate as a self-contained, entirely off-grid device.

Atoco also touts the availability of on-grid solutions, though.

Inspired by hardship

The MOF Water Harvester device was inspired by Yaghi’s personal history, growing up in a refugee community in Jordan, where his family would listen out for the arrival of the water truck, hoping to beat the rush to fill their life-sustaining containers. The UN has been warning about water insecurity, or even water bankruptcy, for years, so inventions like this could have sizable positive impacts for humanity.

The macabre-sounding 3D-printable 'eFlesh' has a very practical purpose – to help robotic sensors and grips work well with a wide range of objects in unstructured environments, and due to the work and generosity of researchers, you can download and print the material yourself. A group of New York University scientists has showcased eFlesh in compelling action - responding to tactility, and firmly but gently gripping and manipulating objects like (presumably uncooked) eggs, USB devices, and fluffy plushies. Generously, the scientists have even shared fabrication details, 3D files, trained models, and code so you can make your own eFlesh devices.

In the video embedded above, we see that eFlesh is quick and easy to print. 3D printer watchers will notice that the scientists used a Bambu Lab X1E 3D printer for the square sensor-grip example. Other videos show that the TPU filament 3D printing process was paused at about half an inch from the bed to insert a grid of magnets – key to its sensing functionality.

The scientists behind this innovation say that “Building an eFlesh sensor requires only four components: a hobbyist 3D printer, off-the-shelf magnets (costing less than $5), a simple CAD model of the desired shape, and a magnetometer circuit board.” They have decided to promote broad accessibility of this technology by releasing an open source design, including the 3D-printable STLs, and supporting software code. There’s even a CAD-to-eFlesh STL conversion tool available.

Robot sensing, moving, and manipulation of irregular or fragile objects has long been a conundrum for designers. That this solution is accessible, and purportedly cheap and effective, making it all the more welcome. Specifically, the New York University scientists say that eFlesh has “contact localization accuracy of 0.5 mm, with force prediction errors of 0.27 N along the z-axis and 0.12 N in the x/y-plane.”

Some canny coding is behind the “learning-based slip detection model that generalizes to unseen objects with 95% accuracy.” And the developers of eFlesh say that their “visuotactile control policies that improve manipulation performance by 40% over vision-only baselines.” This smart functionality is demonstrated in precise tasks like robotic arm plug insertion and credit card swiping.

So, these scientists may have just democratized tactile robotic sensing and manipulation. Shame about the name, though.

A software engineer has developed a fully functional Linux scheduler that takes its cues from the popular pseudoscience of astrology. The scx_horoscope scheduler “makes CPU scheduling decisions based on real-time planetary positions, zodiac signs, and astrological principles,” notes its creator, Lucas Zampieri. Thus, if you are a Gemini, working on your computer on April 10, 2026, for example, your CPU tasks would run 50% slower.

It may sound like an exercise in silliness, unless you are a believer, but this GitHub project does a great job demonstrating the power and flexibility of sched_ext. In brief, sched_ext is a relatively new pluggable framework that allows for custom Linux schedulers to be implemented without kernel patching. We are sure the feature wasn’t designed to assign CPU time and other system resources based on the movements of heavenly bodies – but it can.

Zampieri, who is a software engineer at Red Hat specializing in RISC-V architecture projects, discusses the features and implementation of his scx_horoscope on the afore-linked GitHub repository. However, I must confess that the astrological scheduling rules, which weigh the complex mix of planetary domains, the zodiac, element effects, retrograde effects, and more, to balance the priorities of your CPU, networking, system, and memory tasks, are hard to fathom. That complexity makes sched_ext all the more impressive.

The dizzying arrays of mumbo jumbo behind this scheduler almost encourage blind acceptance in its prioritizing decisions. After reading the GitHub, head spinning as I thought about the ever-moving boosts and debuffs of elemental effects, I almost felt hypnotized into believing. I was ready to accept, as Zampieri puts it, “if the universe can influence our lives, why not our CPU scheduling too.”

To sum up, it is a rather extraordinary piece of work to interweave astrology and a fully functional operating system scheduler. It actually draws on resources like accurate geocentric planetary positions, lunar phases, cosmic weather reports, and dynamic time slicing to come up with its scheduling adjustments, too.

Zampieri is clear that this GPL-2.0 licensed project is a “scientifically dubious, cosmically hilarious” work. It definitely isn’t recommended for use in production systems - not because of bugs, but because it works as intended… The dev is still looking to add “more cosmic chaos” to scx_horoscope, so contributors are welcome.

The development of neuromorphic hardware provides a compelling approach for tackling the increasingly evident capacity, performance, and energy bottlenecks in classical computing. However, as scientists from Ohio State University indicate in a recent paper, rare-earth metal supplies and costly fabrication processes are stifling the dream of brain-like efficient computers. They have an answer, though, having successfully demonstrated “fungal computing via mycelial networks.” As a bonus, shiitake mycelium memristors are also dehydration and radiation resistant.

Neuromorphic computing seeks to mimic brain-like processing to take advantage of billions of years of animalian evolutionary advances. The theory is that this style of computing architecture inherits brain-like efficiency, adaptability, and parallelism.

Memristors are thought to be a good match for brain-like neuromorphic architectures. The Ohio researchers praise them for their unique electrical properties and “ability to mimic neural functions.” They can be “efficient and self-adaptive in situ learning.” Such abilities make memristors a good fit for applications like robots and autonomous vehicles.

Adding to the appeal of memristors is their characteristically low power consumption, and the “advantage of integrating memory and processing capabilities into a single device,” say the Ohio team.

Moving along to how fungal electronics melds with memristor technology, and the scientists highlight that shiitake mushroom mycelium is a sustainable, low-cost, and biodegradable alternative to rare-earth packed and expensive to produce memristors. This variety of mushroom, in particular, is also claimed to deliver adaptive electrical signaling “akin to neuronal spiking.”

Methods and testing

After cultivating these mushrooms, scientists dried and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms to create a consistent level of conductivity without introducing bulk moisture. Then, the memristive qualities of these mushrooms was tested and verified in the Ohio labs.

In the tests across a range of voltages, waveforms, and frequencies, the value of shiitake mycelium memristors became clear. The key finding was that “when used as RAM, our mushroom memristor was able to operate at up to 5,850 Hz at an accuracy of 90 ± 1%.”

Potential applications

The Ohio researchers mention that shiitake mycelium memristors offer potential in edge computing, aerospace, and embedded firmware applications. There, the low energy consumption, light weight, and radiation resistance of these memristors can all be potentially compelling advantages. However, don’t overlook the green computing credentials, with these memristors sustainably “bridging bioelectronics and unconventional computing.”

Compressing files is a quick and easy way to archive and group files. There are many occasions where archives are useful, a driver download, file backup or Linux distro download. In this how-to we’ll look at various commands to create and extract data from compressed and uncompressed archive files.

Whilst you become accustomed to these commands it’s good to work with example test files and directories and you should take extra care to ensure you are carefully following the instructions.

All the commands in this how-to will work on most Linux machines. We’ve used an Ubuntu LTS install but you could run this how-to on a Raspberry Pi. All of the how-to is performed via the Terminal. You can open a terminal window on most Linux machines by pressing ctrl, alt and t.

Working with TAR archives

When using Linux systems you are likely to come across tar archives as well as ZIP archives. It’s useful to practice creating .tar archives and also how to extract from a tar archive. Also of note is that sometimes TAR archives are referred to as tarballs. Tar archives in their standard form have the .tar suffix but these archives are not compressed. Compression is added using different tar compression tools which is why you will see tar archives with extra suffixes such as .tar.xz or .tar.gz.

To create or extract from these compressed archives you need additional arguments added to the tar command. We’re going to use two of the most popular compression methods, gzip and bzip2 along with a tar archive that has no compression.

Using a TAR archive

1. Open a new terminal window. This will open to our home directory.

2. Create a .tar file. Using test_directory as a target we’ll make a standard uncompressed .tar archive. This kind of archive is useful to group small files, such as logs into a single archive.

$tar cf test_archive.tar test_directory

Extracting TAR archives is straightforward. Instead of adding the c argument to create an archive we replace it with the x argument. We again need to add arguments that respond to the type of compression tool the archive was created with. When we extract from our 3 archives we would be creating duplicates of the test_directory contents so we will delete this directory each time we extract the next archive.

1. Delete the test_directory folder.

rm -r test_directory

2. Extract the standard .tar archive. After extracting the archive use ls to check the archive has been extracted.

tar xf test_archive.tarls

Using Gzip Compressed TAR Files

A gzip compressed tar archive (tar.gz) is one of many popular compression tools for TAR archives and it is common to find a .

1. Create a gzip archive by adding the z argument to the tar command.

tar czf test_archive.tar.gz test_directory

To extract a gzip compressed tar archive we need to add the z argument to identify that the archive uses the gzip compression method.

2. Delete the test_directory folder.

rm -r test_directory

3. Extract the gzip compressed tar archive using the z argument. Then list the directory contents to show that test_directory has been created.

tar xzf test_archive.tar.gzls

Using Bzip2 Compressed TAR Files

Another alternative compression method for a tar archive is bzip2, which is invoked using the j argument. Archives typically end with either a tar.bz2 or tbz suffix.

1. Create a bzip2 archive by adding the j argument to the tar command.

tar cjf test_archive.tar.bzip2 test_directory

To extract a bzip2 compressed tar archive we need to add the z argument to identify that the archive uses the gzip compression method.

2. Delete the test_directory folder.

rm -r test_directory

3. Extract the bzip2 compressed tar archive.

tar xf test_archive.tar.bzip2lsrm -r test_directory

Extract TAR Archives to a Specific Location

If we wish to extract an archive to a specific location we can use the C argument with the tar command and then specify the location. The location can be a relative or absolute path. So we can extract the archive to a sub directory inside a current directory, or we can specify the full path to another location in the file system.

Extract test_archive.tar into the Music directory. Here we are in the Home directory, and most Linux distributions feature a Music directory which we can extract the archive to.

tar xfC test_archive.tar Musiccd Musicls

To extract to another location in the file system it is best practice to use an absolute path.

Extract test_archive.tar to your desktop directory. Specify the full path, tab completion can be used to auto-complete directory names. Remember to change to match your own.

tar xfC test_archive.tar /home//Desktop/cd /home//Desktop/ls

Armed with these few examples you are now capable of extracting most common archives on the command line. Whilst GUI tool options exist for some archives, often when dealing with a compressed .tar archives, these terminal commands are much quicker and easier to perform.

In this how-to we’ll look at various ways of using the terminal emulator to identify processes and how to kill them. A process can be an application or script running on your Linux machine. Sometimes a process can crash or become a memory hog and this is when we need to step in and “kill” the process. As ever, there are a multitude of tools that we can use to do this. We will use a variety of approaches and tools to identify and kill the processes.

While you become accustomed to these commands, it’s important to take care that you don’t kill a process which results in you losing work. Wherever possible use an application that isn’t currently in use on your machine as an example of a process to kill.

All the commands in this how-to will work on most Linux machines. We’ve used a Ubuntu 20.04 install but you could run this how-to on a Raspberry Pi. All of the how-to is performed via the Terminal. You can open a terminal window on most Linux machines by pressing ctrl, alt and t.

How to Kill a Known Application in Linux 

To begin, let's open a software application and then, in the terminal, use the killall command to kill the application. We have used Inkscape, the free and open source vector graphics package as an example, but it doesn’t really matter what you use, just so long as you aren’t depending on it for anything at the current time.

Using the killall command kills all processes linked to the named application. Later we will look at using the kill command to kill a specific process.

1. Launch Inkscape, or another test application, from the system gui.

2. In the terminal, use the killall command to kill all Inkscape processes. You should see that Inkscape closes immediately when this command is issued.

killall inkscape

Identifying Different Processes in Linux

Often, software applications have numerous processes running and it can be useful to try and work out which one is likely causing the problem. For example, it could be one browser window rather than all of Chromium or Firefox.Then you can close the problematic process while leaving the rest of the app running. We can use the top tool in the terminal to look at, interact and then kill the rogue processes.

1. Launch the top tool in the terminal. When it’s launched, you will see the terminal populate with information regarding all the processes and their status. The second line of the top screen shows the total number of tasks, which are currently running and which are sleeping, stopped or zombie status. Below this you will see a list of processes and this information will refresh at a default of once every three seconds.

top

2. Press i to constrain the current processes list to those currently active. This can be very useful if you are only interested in current running processes and makes the list easier to read.

3. Press z to add color to the top interface to make it easier to read. Because this is a text based interface, adding color can help distinguish between labels and data.

4. Launch Inkscape or another non essential application.

5. Find the listing for Inkscape and note the PID. The PID is the number assigned to identify the process and they are listed in the first column of the top output. In our example the PID for inkscape was 4582 but it will be different each time Inkscape is running.

6. Press k and then type the PID number to kill the process.

7. Press ENTER and you should see a message “Send pid 4582 signal [15/sigterm]” which is confirming you want to kill this process. Press “enter” once more to confirm and kill the process.

8. Press q to close top and return to the terminal emulator. Often, you will want to look at top for a quick glimpse at the processes and then return to the terminal.

Killing an Individual Process Outside of top

Occasionally you might want to kill an individual process outside of top. We can use the PID number found via top in combination with the kill command to do this. Note that the killall command we used earlier won’t work with an individual PID.

1. Launch Inkscape or another application. The choice of application doesn’t really matter, just make sure you aren’t working in the application.

2. Launch top in the terminal. Press i and z to constrain the results and add color to the top theme.

top

3. Identify and note the PID for the application to kill. In our example the PID for Inkscape was 4582.

4. Exit top by pressing q.

5. Use the kill command and the PID number to kill the Inkscape process from the terminal emulator. Replace the example PID value below with your own identified PID.

kill 4582

Using top provides an excellent set of detective tools to identify misbehaving processes and can often allow you to clinically close an unresponsive process whilst possibly saving other data in an application.

Killing Processes Using the ps Process Report

There is an alternative to top. We can use the ps command, designed to produce a report of all the running processes.

1. Launch Inkscape or another application. The choice of application doesn’t really matter, just make sure you aren’t working in the application.

2. Run the ps command with two arguments. The -e argument shows all the processes and the -f argument sets the format to the system standard syntax.

ps -ef

3. Use grep to filter the report. searching just for “inkscape”. The typical ps -ef output is extremely dense, packed with dozens of running processes. Using a filter we can search for the application name. The PID is the second column, just after the username. You may see multiple PIDs for the application.The one that we are interested in just shows the application name.

ps -ef | grep inkscape

4. Use the kill command along with the PID to kill the process. In our case Inkscape had a PID of 19166.

kill 19166

Process management is a key Linux skill to learn and it’s worth taking the time to practice these approaches before you need to deploy them in a real situation.

Historically, operating systems generally come with some form of scripting language which admins and power users can use to create custom tools. Harking back to the home computer craze of the 1970s and 80s, this was BASIC (Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) but in recent years we have seen batch scripts (I used these for my 486 DX 33 too eek out as much RAM as possible to play Star Wars: X-Wing). Unix and Linux are no different and come with their own scripting languages, one of which is baked into the terminal. These simple to create, yet fiendishly powerful scripts can do everything from remotely backing up entire file systems to making an LED flash.

Bash scripts behave like those of other programming languages. The code runs line by line in a sequence. We can use conditional logic (selection) to alter the path that our code takes and the code can iterate and repeat the execution of the code until a condition is met or run the code indefinitely.

Bash, the Bourne Again SHell is one of many different shells available to Unix and Linux users (Zsh, Ksh, Tcsh, Fish are others) and is commonly installed with many of the main distributions. We ran Kubuntu when writing this tutorial, but the same code will also work on a Raspberry Pi (with Raspberry Pi OS) or almost any other Linux distribution.

In this how-to we shall take our first steps into creating Bash scripts with three example projects. The first is the venerable “Hello World”, then we learn how to create interactive scripts, before finally creating a real script to check the status of a site / server. We then go the extra mile and learn how to make our scripts executable and available system-wide.

How to Write a “Hello World” Bash Script

We’ll start simple with “Hello World”. This may seem trivial, but a hello world test is useful to understand the workflow of creating a Bash script, and to test the basic functionality. We’ll be using the nano text editor, but you can also write your scripts in another terminal or GUI based text editor.

1. Create a new file, hello.sh and open it with nano.

nano hello.sh

2. On the first line specify the interpreter to be used in the code. In this case it is Bash.

#!/bin/bash

3. On a new line use echo to print a string of text to the screen. Those familiar with Windows batch scripts will spot that Windows and Linux both use "echo" to print to the screen.

echo “Hello World”

4. Save the code by pressing CTRL + X, then press Y and Enter.

5. Run the code from the terminal.

bash hello.sh

The output of the command is a single line of “Hello World.” This proves that our script works and we can move on to something a little more interesting.

Capturing User Input in Bash Scripts

Bash is a fully formed language, and with it we can create interactive tools and applications. In this example we will create a greeting generator which will capture the username and then choose a random greeting from an array of greetings.

1. Create a new file, random-greetings.sh using nano.

nano random-greetings.sh

2. On the first line specify the interpreter to be used in the code. In this case it is Bash.

#!/bin/bash

3. Add an echo to print a message to the user.

echo "Welcome to the Tom's Hardware Greeting Generator"

4. Read the user’s keyboard input, using a prompt to ask a question to the user. The user’s input is saved to a variable name.

read -p "What is your name?: " name

5. Create an array greeting which will store five greetings. An array is a list of items stored with an index number. Using the name of the array and the index number we can pull items (greetings) from the array.

greeting[0]="Hola"greeting[1]="Greetings"greeting[2]="How do"greeting[3]="Hey there"greeting[4]="Howdy"

6. Create a variable size which will store the number of items in the array.

size=${#greeting[@]}

7. Create a variable index and store a randomly chosen number from zero to the size of the array, in this case five items.

index=$(($RANDOM % $size))

8. Use echo to print the randomly chosen greeting along with the user’s name.

echo ${greeting[$index]} $name

9. Save the code by pressing CTRL + X, then press Y and Enter.

10. Run the code from the terminal. Follow the instructions to see the greeting.

bash random-greetings.sh

Using Arguments with Bash Scripts

The beauty of the terminal is that we can pass arguments, extra instructions or parameters, to a command. In this example we will write a bash script to check the status of a URL, passed as an argument.

1. Create a new file site-check.sh and open nano.

nano site-check.sh

2. On the first line specify the interpreter to be used in the code. In this case it is Bash.

#!/bin/bash

3. Using echo, write a message to the user to advise them on the current HTTP response code for the URL. The value of $1 is the URL that we specified as an argument.

echo "The current HTTP response for " $1 " is..."

4. Create a variable, response to store the output of the curl command. Using the –write-out argument we specify that we want to see the HTTP response code. Another argument, –silent will ensure that we do not see all of the output from the command spill onto the screen. We then send any residual output such as errors to /dev/null, essentially a black hole for data. Lastly we use the $1 argument (our URL to check) to complete the command.

response=$(curl --write-out "%{http_code}\n" --silent --output /dev/null "$1")

5. Use echo to print the HTTP response code to the terminal.

echo "${response}"

6. Save the code by pressing CTRL + X, then press Y and Enter.

7. Run the code from the terminal; remember to include a full domain name to check.

bash site-check.sh https://tomshardware.com

Creating a system-wide executable Bash Script

Right now our scripts work well, but they are not available system-wide as an executable file. Let's change that. For this final part we shall convert the site-check.sh script into an application that we can use from any location on the drive.

First we need to make the file executable, then we can copy the file to /usr/bin to create an executable available anywhere.

1. Open a terminal window and navigate to site-check.sh.

2. Use chmod to set the file as executable. The +x argument specifies that the file should be executable.

chmod +x site-check.sh

3. Run the script. Using ./ we instruct the terminal to run an executable file in the current directory.

./site-check.sh https://bigl.es

4. Copy site-cehck.sh to the /usr/bin/ directory, and change the target filename to remove the .sh extension. Note that we will need to use sudo as the /usr/bin directory is not owned by our user. Take a look at our tutorial on user, file and folder permissions for more information.

sudo cp site-check.sh /usr/bin/site-check

5. Run site-check to test that the command works as expected. Remember to include a URL to check.

You’re looking for that one file, the one that contains the all important information for your next meeting. Do you manually search all of your files? That will take time. Instead we use a little Linux command line magic. Grep is a pattern matching command that we can use to search inside files and directories for specific text. Grep is commonly used with the output of one command, piped to be the input of the grep command. For example we can search inside a file for a specific string of text using the less command, and pipe the output to grep.

In this how-to we will use the grep command and commonly added arguments to search for specific strings of data within files. We’ll begin by setting up a small directory of test files as searching an entire filesystem can take some time and create a lot of results.

All the commands in this how-to will work on most Linux machines. We’ve used an Ubuntu LTS install but you could run this how-to on a Raspberry Pi. All of the how-to is performed via the Terminal. You can open a terminal window on most Linux machines by pressing ctrl, alt and t.

Set Up a Test Environment for grep 

As grep can be used in lots of different ways we need to set up a directory and some content that allow us to explore its uses. In this section we will create this test environment.

1. Set up a test directory and change directory so that you are inside it.

mkdir testcd test

2.Create 4 files, test1, test2, test3 and test4.

touch test1 test2 test3 test4ls

3. Edit test1 using nano to contain the following names on separate lines. Note that in test1 none of the names contain capitals. After editing in nano press control x to exit, press y to confirm the save and then press enter.

nano test1

4. Add the following text to the file. Then press CTRL + X, then Y and Enter to save and exit.

alimohamedclairealedsteve

5. Edit test2 using nano. In test2 we will add a single longer line of test containing the name steve.

nano test2

6. Add the following text to the file. Then press CTRL + X, then Y and Enter to save and exit.

this is a long line of test that contains the name steve

7. Edit test3 in nano. Similar to test1 we will add a list of names on separate lines but this list will include the name steven.

nano test3

8. Add the following text to the file. Then press CTRL + X, then Y and Enter to save and exit.

alicegeoffmurbarakmohamedsteven

9. Finally edit test4 to complete our test environment. Note that in this file we are using a capital letter at the start of Steve.

nano test4

10. Add the following text to the file. Then press CTRL + X, then Y and Enter to save and exit.

Steve ?

Simple Searches with grep 

Searching a file for a specific string is extremely useful. For example when debugging an error in a log file. Let’s start using grep in its most basic form.
The grep command syntax is simply grep followed by any arguments, then the string we wish to search for and then finally the location in which to search.

1. Search test1 for the string steve using grep. The search criteria is case sensitive so ensure that you're searching correctly. Notice that the word steve is simply returned in red to indicate it has been found in the file.

grep steve test1

2. Search for the same string in multiple files. We can simply add a list of files to the grep command for it to search. Notice that, with multiple search areas, the returned results are tagged with each filename from which the result is found. Also notice that grep returns the complete line of text that contains the searched string.

grep steve test1 test2

3. Search all files within the directory. Adding an asterisk forces grep to search all files within the current directory. Notice that the returned results include the result from test3 where the search string steve is contained within Steven. Note also that these results don’t contain the result from test4 as in its basic form the grep command is case sensitive.

grep steve *

4. Add the argument -i to make grep case insensitive. This will return results from all four of the test files in the directory.

grep -i steve *

Piping output to grep

The strongest use case for grep is when it is paired with another command. Using pipes we send the output of a command to grep and use it to search for patterns / keywords.

1. Open a new terminal window.

2. Use lsusb to list all of the USB devices attached to your machine. This will also list internal USB devices, such as laptop webcams. The output will differ depending on your machine, but you should be met with a wall of text.

lsusb

3. Use the lsusb command again, but this time use grep to search for Linux. By adding a pipe between lsusb and grep the output of the first command is used as the input of the second.

lsusb | grep Linux

Using dmesg and grep to Inspect the Kernel Ring Buffer

Let's try something a little more complex. This time we’ll use dmesg and grep to inspect the Kernel Ring Buffer (essentially the kernel’s log file). We are going to search for a keyword in dmesg, “secureboot”, and confirm that it is enabled.

1. Open a terminal and run the dmesg command using sudo. This will print a wall of console output to the terminal, something that we can search using grep.

sudo dmesg

2. Use the grep command to search for “secureboot” in the dmesg output. Use the -i argument to turn off case-sensitivity so that we catch every occurrence of secureboot. The output will show the lines at which secureboot appears in dmesg.

sudo dmesg | less | grep -i secureboot

Other Uses of grep 

Like many Linux commands there are many useful additions and variants for the grep command. Let’s look at a couple of interesting examples.

1. Perform an inverted search using the -v argument. This will return a list of every line from the test environment files that doesn’t contain the search string steve. This argument is useful to dismiss occurrences of strings in logs or files when debugging an issue. Note that again the results are case sensitive and therefore they include the line containing the capitalized Steve ? from test4.

grep -v steve *

2. Combine the -v and -i arguments to exclude all matching strings regardless of case.

grep -vi steve *

3. Search for a string that contains non alphanumeric text or spaces. If you include a search string with a space or other non alphanumeric text this can break the grep command syntax, to create a search string containing these you need to use quotes to contain the string. In this step we are searching for “Steve ?” which is contained in the test4 file.

grep “Steve ?” *

Searching Subdirectories with grep

Like many Linux commands there are many useful additions and variants for the grep command. Let’s look at a couple of interesting examples.

1. Perform an inverted search using the -v argument. This will return a list of every line from the test environment files that doesn’t contain the search string steve. This argument is useful to dismiss occurrences of strings in logs or files when debugging an issue. Note that again the results are case sensitive and therefore they include the line containing the capitalized Steve ? from test4.

grep -v steve *

2. Combine the -v and -i arguments to exclude all matching strings regardless of case.

grep -vi steve *

3. Search for a string that contains non alphanumeric text or spaces. If you include a search string with a space or other non alphanumeric text this can break the grep command syntax, to create a search string containing these you need to use quotes to contain the string. In this step we are searching for “Steve ?” which is contained in the test4 file.

grep “Steve ?” *

Searching Subdirectories with grep

Often we will want to search for a string in the files contained in sub directories. We can do this simply by adding the -r recursive argument to the grep command.

1. Create a subdirectory containing a test file within the test directory.

mkdir sub_directorycd sub_directorytouch test5

2. Open test5 using the nano text editor and add the text “steve in a sub directory” to the file. Then press CTRL + X, then Y and Enter to save and exit.

nano test5.

3. Return to the test directory and perform a search adding the -r option. Notice that the result for test5 includes the location of the file listed in the output.

cd ..grep -r steve *

With grep in Linux, you have a good collection of approaches for searching out file contents across your system. As with many Linux commands it can be worthwhile looking at the help menu to see all the varied arguments you can add to grep. Run grep --h in a terminal emulator to check out all the options.

MORE: How To Check Disk Usage in Linux

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Passwords are one of the most important aspects of computing. They keep our bank accounts, user profiles and computers safe (as long as we don’t reuse passwords). Just to log into our computers, most of us need a password and, for Linux, this is even more important.

Managing passwords via the terminal is relatively simple. Users can change their own passwords and users belonging to the sudo (super user) account can administrate the passwords of other users.

In this how-to we’ll learn the basics of passwd, a command designed to manage passwords. We will also learn a few advanced arguments for this command, arguments which will enhance its use and make our lives easier.

These commands will work on most Linux machines. Our test PC ran Kubuntu, a derivative of Ubuntu, but you can also run through this how-to on a Raspberry Pi.
All of the how-to is conducted via the Terminal.

How to Change your Password in Linux

Any user can change their password at any time. It is good practice to frequently change your password, and to not reuse or rotate passwords.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Type in the passwd command to start the password change process. Passwd may look like a spelling mistake, but it is the command to work with passwords on the terminal.

$ passwd

3. Type in your current password and press Enter.

4. Type in your new password, press Enter. Then type it in again to confirm that it is correct. Note that Linux will not echo (print) the password to the screen, nor will it show any asterisk indicating password length.

Change Another User's Password

If you are an administrator of many users, there will come a time where a user forgets their password and it will fall to you, or someone with sudo privileges to reset their password.

To change another user's password we use the same command, but specify the user’s name.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Type in the passwd command along with the user name. To use this command you will either need to be root, or be part of the “sudo” group. In the code example we assume that you are in the sudo group.

3. Change the user’s password, and confirm the change.

Force a Password Reset

You’ve heard that one of your users has been reusing their passwords; this is bad. So let’s give them a chance to change their password. Using the -e argument we can enforce a password reset by expiring their password.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Type in the command and pass the -e argument to expire Tom’s password.

$ sudo passwd -e tom

When Tom next logs in, the system will force Tom to change their password. Here we have simulated Tom logging in by using the “su” command to switch our user to Tom.

There may come a time when a user account will need to be temporarily locked, preventing them from logging in. For this we can use the -l argument to lock the account. Here we are locking Tom out of their account.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Use the command with the -l argument to lock Tom’s account.

$ sudo passwd -l tom

When Tom next tries to login, their password is rejected and they receive an authentication error. Here we again simulate it using su to switch users.

3. To unlock Tom’s account we use the -u switch.

$ sudo passwd -u tom

Exploring the passwd Command

The passwd command has a number of useful arguments (parameters) that we can pass when using the command. Here are some examples.

Checking the status of a user’s password is a useful tool for system administrators when it comes to audits and housekeeping. Here our test account, Tom, is audited.

Open a terminal and run the command with the -S switch. This will show the status of the account.

$ sudo passwd -S tom

The output is formatted to show

The username

Password status Locked (L), No Password (NP), Password (P)

Date of last password change

Minimum password age

Maximum password age

Warning period (the number of days given to the user to change their password before it expires)

Inactivity period (number of days after a password expires before it is locked)

If we wanted to set the number of days for Tom’s warning period to 14 days, we would use this command.

sudo passwd -w 14 tom

If you want to list the password status for all users, then the -a switch is just the thing. This switch is used with -S to list the status of every user, even the users that you never knew existed. These extra users are used for specific tasks, such as printers and networking.

Here we can see all the users on our test machine, but the two “real” users are Les and Tom.

In this how-to, we’ll look at the zip command, a useful utility that enables us to specify lists of files, set a level of data compression and create compressed archives.

Whilst you become accustomed to these commands it’s good to work with example test files and directories and you should take extra care to ensure you are carefully following the instructions.

All the commands in this how-to will work on most Linux machines. We’ve used an Ubuntu LTS install but you could run this how-to on a Raspberry Pi. All of the how-to is performed via the Terminal. You can open a terminal window on most Linux machines by pressing ctrl, alt and t.

Creating a Zip Archive in Linux

To begin, let's create some empty test files and then add them to an archive. We’ll use the touch command to create files, the ls command to check that the files have been created and then the zip command to create a basic archive.

1. Create a test directory where we can safely try out the command. Change directory so that you are inside the new directory.

mkdir test_directorycd test_directory

2. Create some test files to add to our archive. Note the 3 different file suffixes.

$ touch test1.txt test2.h test3.c

3. List the files to check that they have been created correctly.

ls

4. Using the zip command, create a ZIP archive of the newly created files. To create a ZIP archive, we simply use the command zip followed by the name we are giving the archive and then a list of the files we wish to include in the archive. The following command will create a ZIP archive called test_archive.zip and the archive will include the three test files. Note that we don’t need to add the archive suffix .zip to the name of the archive when using the zip command.

zip test_archive test1.txt test2.h test3.c

5. Check that the ZIP archive has been created.

ls

Creating a ZIP Archive Selecting Only Specific File Types

It’s possible to supply the zip command with arguments that only add specific file types to the archive. This is a powerful feature that is efficiently achieved on the command line.

1. Delete any previous test archives and check you still have the original three test files. Note that, unlike when creating the ZIP archive, you have to include the .zip file extension when referencing an existing archive.

rm test_archive.zipls

2. Create a new ZIP archive which contains only the test files ending .h and .c . After creating the archive, if you check its contents it will only contain the files test2.h and test3.c and won’t contain test1.txt.

zip test_archive *.h *.c

3. To check the contents use less.

less test_archive.zip

Create a ZIP archive Which Contains a Directory

Often we need to make a ZIP archive containing directories which contain files, we can do this by adding the recursive argument -r to the zip command.

1. Delete the archives inside the test_directory but keep the other files. To avoid confusion it would be good practice to delete the archives leaving only the original files that we created.

rm test_archive.zip

2. Go up one directory and check that you are not inside the directory to archive. We can’t be inside the directory that we wish to add to the archive.

cdpwd

3. Create a ZIP archive containing the test_directory directory and its contents. Notice when you create the archive using the -r argument that you see a verbose output detailing each stage of the command as it descends into the directory and archives the files and folder.

zip -r new_archive test_directory

4. Make another similar ZIP archive using the -q (quiet) argument to disable the verbose output. You should see that this time that no steps are reported to the terminal in the creation of this archive. Then use ls to check the new archive has been created.

zip -r -q new_archive2 test_directoryls

Change the Level of Data Compression for a ZIP Archive

By default, the zip command uses a compression value of 6 taken from a range of 0-9 with 0 being uncompressed and 9 being the maximum allowable level of compression. We can simply add a numerical argument to change the level of compression.

1. Add random data to the test files. Right now our test files test1.txt, test2.h and test3.c are empty. They have zero bytes of data but we can add random “garbage data” to the files using a quick terminal command that will dump 64MB into each file.

cd test_directoryhead -c 64M  test1.txthead -c 64M  test2.hhead -c 64M  test3.c

2. Return to the parent directory and create a new ZIP archive with the default compression level of 6.

cdzip -r -q archive_default_compression test_directory

3. Create another archive with the same contents but increase the compression level to 9. Check the details of the new archive and the previous archive using ls -l , you should see that the size of the new archive is smaller than the previous archive as the data compression has been increased.

$ zip -r -q -9 archive_compressed test_directory$ ls -l

Extracting Zip Archives

We will create a ZIP archive called test_archive.zip which contains a directory test_directory which in turn contains 3 empty test files, test1.txt, test2.h, test3.c . To extract this archive we will use the unzip command.

1. Create a test folder containing the test files. After creating the test directory and files check the files have been created using ls before returning to the parent directory.

mkdir test_directorycd test_directorytouch test1.txt test2.h test3.clscd

2. Create a ZIP archive called test_archive.zip that contains the test_directory. Check that the archive has been successfully created using ls. The zip command has two arguments, the name of the archive that we wish to create, and the source of the files to be put into the archive.

zip -r test_archive test_directoryls

3. Delete the un-archived directory. If we extract the test_archive.zip in the parent directory which contains the test_directory we would be asked if we want to replace or rename the archive.

rm -r test_directory

4. Unzip the test_archive.zip file. Using unzip with no extra arguments we see a verbose output report of each step of extracting the archive.

unzip test_archive.zip

Extracting a ZIP Archive to a Specified Location

Often we will want to extract an archive into a different specified location. We can add the-d argument to the unzip command to achieve this.

1. Extract the test_archive.zip to a specified directory. We can specify a relative or absolute location. In this example we extract the contents to the Music directory using a relative path. We could also pass an absolute path which provides the full path to the target location.After extracting the archive, move into the specified directory and use ls to check the archive has been extracted.

unzip test_archive.zip -d ./Music

2. Change directory and list the contents to verify the files have been extracted correctly.

cd Musicls

With these few basic uses of the zip command you now have lots of options when creating ZIP archives in the linux terminal. Being able to select specific file types and being able to set the compression level in the terminal emulator gives quick access to these powerful tools that are often hard to find in a GUI application.

Whether we’re using a Raspberry Pi or a data center server, we need to know how our CPU and RAM are performing and, in Linux, there are a plethora of commands and applications that we can use. At the basic low level “How much RAM have I used?” to inspecting the CPU for vulnerabilities such as Spectre, there are commands at our disposal.

We are going to look at a number of different ways to get RAM and CPU data in the terminal, before we finally look at two applications which can provide a basic level of assurance, at a glance.

These commands will work on most Linux machines. Our test PC is running Kubuntu, the KDE flavor of Ubuntu, but we also certain that you can also run through this how-to on a Raspberry Pi or any other Linux device. All of the how-to is performed via the Terminal.

How to Check Your CPU in Linux

1. Open a terminal.

2. Use the cat command to display the data held in /proc/cpuinfo.

cat /proc/cpuinfo

This command will produce a lot of text, typically it will repeat the same information for the number of cores present in your CPU.

A more concise means to get most of this information is via lscpu, a command that lists the CPU details.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Use lscpu to display the CPU details. The command is quite verbose and we can easily see the number of CPU cores, minimum and maximum CPU speed and the CPU architecture.

lscpu

Using a little grep magic we can pull out just the information that we need.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Using a vertical pipe, send the output of the lscpu command to grep and search for “max”. This will give us the maximum possible CPU speed. Pipes are a way to send the output of one command as the input for another. Classic examples are piping the output of a command to a text file for later review.

lscpu | grep max

Another means to get CPU information is using dmidecode, a command that dumps the DMI (SMBIOS) contents into something we can understand.

1. Open a terminal.

2. Type in the dmidecode command using sudo, and the argument -t 4. There are many DMI types, with a numerical reference used to pull information for that component. In this case -t 4 is for the CPU. We can replace the 4 with processor for the same effect.

sudo dmidecode -t 4

How to Check Your RAM in Linux

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Use the free command. This will show the available memory, and how the memory has been allocated, in Kilobytes.

free

3. Use the -m switch to show the available memory in Megabytes, or -g for Gigabytes.

free -m

Alternatively use the -h switch to show the memory information scaled to the three shortest digits. Giving us at a glance information.

free -h

There is a similar way to /proc/cpuinfo for memory information.

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Use the cat command to print the contents of /proc/meminfo. The output is incredibly verbose and can prove useful for debug. In general use we would stick with free -m.

cat /proc/meminfo

If we need to know the timings and breakdown of memory modules in a machine then we can use lshw.

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Using sudo, issue the lshw command with the -short switch (the device tree) and -C with the class memory.

sudo lshw -short -C memory

We can also use dmidecode for a more detailed query.

sudo dmidecode -t memory

Information at a Glance

Should we need a more general level of information, our current CPU speed, RAM usage, network bandwidth then we have two commands which can be installed.

How to Install and Use Htop

The standard top command is great, but htop is a much better alternative. Htop provides us with an interactive list of running processes.

To install htop.

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Update your list of repositories.

sudo apt update

3. Install htop using apt.

sudo apt install htop

4. Run htop.

htop

At the top of the window we can see the utilization of our CPU cores, under that is our RAM, and finally is the swap.

We can scroll through the list with our cursor keys or search using F3 followed by the name of a process or application. Here we have searched for the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). We can kill the app by pressing F9.

To close htop, press F10.

How to Install and Use Bpytop

Our personal preference is bpytop, a Python implementation of htop but with much more to offer.

To install bpytop.

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Install bpytop using the Python package manager pip.

sudo pip3 install bpytop

3. Run bpytop from the terminal.

bpytop

Bpytop’s interface is split into a series of areas.

1. CPU Status
CPU Speed
Core utilization
Overall utilization

2. RAM Usage
Total RAM
Used RAM
Available RAM
Cache

3. Disk / Storage Usage
Used and free space on all mounted devices

4. Network Interface Usage
Up and down speeds

5. Processes (just like htop)
Process management

We can show or hide an area by pressing the corresponding number (1..4). If we just wanted CPU, RAM, storage and Network information then we press 4. To bring it back, press 4 again.

To filter the processes for a particular application.

1. Press f to filter. It has to be lower case f.

2. Type in the application / process name / Pid. The search will adapt to show the process, in our case GIMP.

3. Press T to terminate the process, or K to kill. These have to be upper case T and K.

To exit bpytop press q at any time.

Of the key components in any PC, the storage drive is the slowest, transferring bits in a fraction of the time your CPU and GPU take to process it or your RAM takes to load it. A poor-performing storage drive often leads to a big bottleneck, forcing your processor (even if it's one of the best CPUs for gaming) to waste clock cycles as it waits for data to crunch.

You can fix that problem with an SSD, but finding the best SSD or solid-state drive for your specific system and needs is key if you want the best gaming PC or laptop, or even if you just want a snappy productivity machine. To find the best SSDs for gaming and productivity, we test dozens of drives each year and highlight the best ones here. We also maintain an SSD benchmark hierarchy that ranks SSDs by performance. We have multiple categories, including the best SSD for NAS and the Best SSD for the Steam Deck listed below. For those on the hunt for the best external SSD or the best SSD for the PS5, be sure to head to those links for our recommendations based on our exhaustive testing. If you're looking for the ultimate in cheap and deep storage, we also have a list of the best hard drives.

Prime Day Exceptional SSD deal

Here is a standout deal from the Prime Day event, which is currently taking place. Our list of best overall picks continues below.

Picking the Best SSD for You

The era of PCIe 5.0 SSDs is also upon us, propelling storage performance to new heights. Blazing-fast PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs, which offer up to twice the sequential speeds of the older PCIe 4.0 standard, are now supported with Intel and AMD's current platforms, like Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 and the Intel Core 200S series.

It's great if your desktop system can handle a PCIe 5.0 drive, but they are still new and more expensive and certainly aren't a requirement. For example, the PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro is our current choice for the best SSD overall, and the best SSD for gaming. This drive is rated for 7,450 / 6,900 MBps of sequential read/write throughput and 1.2 / 1.55 million read/write IOPS. That means less time waiting for game levels to load or videos to transcode, not to mention a snappier experience in Windows.

PCIe 5.0 SSDs still have plenty to offer. The Crucial T705 ranks as the fastest consumer SSD in the world that you can actually buy, alongside similar SSDs like the Sabrent Rocket 5, delivering up to a blistering 14.5 GB/s of sequential throughput and 1.8 million random IOPS over the PCIe 5.0 interface. That's an amazing level of performance from a surprisingly compact device.

While the PCIe 5.0 drives are the fastest SSDs money can buy right now, believe it or not, raw speed isn't everything. In regular desktop tasks such as web browsing or light desktop work, you may not even notice the difference between a PCIe 3.0 SSD and one with a 4.0 interface, let alone a new bleeding-edge PCIe 5.0 model. The latest PCIe 5.0 SSDs also carry a heavy price premium for now, so you're probably best suited with a PCIe 4.0 model — unless you're after the fastest possible performance money can buy, of course. If that's the case and your system supports it, go for a new PCIe 5.0 SSD.

Ultimately, the best SSD for you is one that provides enough capacity to hold your data at a price you can afford. Consider that a high-end, AAA game can use more than 100GB of data, and Windows 11 all by itself may need 60GB. These days, we feel 2TB drives represent the sweet spot, with 4TB models becoming increasingly common.

Best SSDs in 2026 at a glance (more info below):

Here's the shortlist of our rankings, but we have deeper breakdowns for these drives below, along with far more picks for other categories, like PS5 SSDs, RGB SSDs, workstation SSDs, and SATA SSDs, among other categories.

Quick Shopping Tips

Below, you'll find our list of the best SSDs. For even more information, check out our SSD Buyer's Guide. Iif you're looking for an external SSD, you can check out our Best External Hard Drives and SSD page, or learn how to save some money by building your own external SSD.

Best SSDs You Can Buy Today

Samsung hit back at its competitors with this impressive update to the 980 Pro. New hardware and new options, including a heatsink with RGB and a 4TB variant, have allowed Samsung to retake the M.2 SSD crown. Performance is excellent across the board, setting a few new performance records, such as with 4K random read performance. In our testing, the drive was consistent, power-efficient, and cool. Samsung has also updated its software for this drive, giving it the best SSD toolbox available, and the drive is backed by a competent warranty and decent support.

$20 extra for a heatsink and RGB is a good deal, and Samsung will likely discount this drive over time. Competing PCIe 5.0 drives on the market offer faster performance, but they still carry a premium.

Read: Samsung 990 Pro review

WD has taken its popular Black SN850 SSD and turned it up to 11. The Black SN850X leverages an improved controller and newer flash to get the most out of the PCIe 4.0 interface. Performance is improved across the board, and the drive rivals most of the top contenders in the PCIe 4.0 market. There's also a heatsink option that comes with RGB at 1TB and 2TB. WD also supports the SSD with its decent Dashboard application and a respectable five-year warranty.

The M.2 Black SN850X was a bit pricey at launch, however, with a daunting MSRP, but those prices have largely come down. The touted Game Mode 2.0 feature felt incomplete in our testing, although WD ensures us that this will improve with future firmware updates. All-in-all, this is a good compromise if you can’t find the Samsung 990 Pro.

Read: WD Black SN850X review

Fastest Best SSDs

The Corsair MP700 Pro XT delivers shocking levels of performance with excellent power efficiency. It’s the first Phison E28-based drive we reviewed, and it’s also the fastest drive, period, we’ve ever reviewed. If you want a no-compromises storage solution, this is it. The only exception would be if you’re gunning for 8TB in a single drive, in which case we recommend the Samsung 9100 Pro or, when it arrives, the 8TB model of the SanDisk WD Black SN8100. The Black SN8100 was our old pick for fastest SSD and still remains relevant at lower capacities if it’s priced lower than the MP700 Pro XT.

Read: Corsair MP700 Pro XT review

Not content with the release of the WD Black SN7100, our pick for the best laptop M.2 SSD, Sandisk followed up quickly with the WD Black SN8100. This drive is a response to the Samsung 9100 Pro – a good drive in its own right – with the added desire to destroy all existing high-end PCIe 5.0 SSDs. The SN8100 achieves this by using a new, more efficient controller from SMI along with very efficient BiCS8 flash. Through this, the drive is not only highly power-efficient for an SSD of this caliber, but it’s also able to hit higher performance levels with less overhead. For the time being, it’s the fastest all-around drive out there.

Sandisk could have skimped on the capacity end, but there’s 1TB to 4TB at launch, with 8TB promised in 2025. Historicall,y it has been difficult to get even 4TB drives out the door at this performance level and while it might take some time for Sandisk to improve availability there, the upfront promise of 8TB has us more hopeful. An 8TB drive in this class is a dream come true for many enthusiasts. That said, you’ll pay for the privilege. The SN8100 is not and will not be an inexpensive drive..

Read: Sandisk WD Black SN8100 review

Best Budget PCIe 5.0 High-End SSD

“Budget” and “PCIe 5.0” are two terms that are difficult to reconcile, but the modern consumer SSD landscape is such that you actually might want to save some money when getting a high-end drive. The Lexar NM1090 Pro is positioned precisely to take advantage of that, offering full PCIe 5.0 bandwidth but at a lower cost by using older flash. The cost differential is small, but so is the real-world performance impact. This drive will max out your PCIe 5.0 slot and won’t leave much performance on the table, which means the drive can be a slightly more affordable way to future-proof.

You’re still getting 14 GB/s or more of theoretical bandwidth with up to over 2 million 4K random read IOPS. These are startling numbers that beat any PCIe 4.0 drive and also all lower-end Gen 5 drives. Earlier high-end Gen 5 drives will fall behind in other areas, such as being much less power-efficient than the NM1090 Pro. This is a drive that could functionally work in some laptops – especially in Gen 4 mode – and it never needs any active cooling. You’re trading one generation of NAND flash for the ability to get a top-tier drive for a little less money. A worthwhile trade-off, even if the drive doesn’t stand out in any way.

Read: Lexar NM1090 Pro review

Best Laptop SSDs

If you’re looking for a new SSD for your laptop or other portable device, the Sandisk WD Black SN7100 should be at the top of your list. Battery life is usually of utmost importance, and there is no drive on the market more efficient than this one. In the grand scheme of things, your SSD probably won’t make a huge dent in your power budget unless you’re pushing things a little harder, but on the other hand, every bit matters. That selling point alone might not be enough for everyone, but luckily, the Black SN7100 also has fantastic random read performance, which makes it exceptionally responsive.

While the drive did not have a 4TB model at the time of launch and review, it is now part of the lineup, which removes one of the negatives we had for the drive. You no longer have to compromise on capacity. However, the drive still suffers from middling all-around performance, and its pricing remains a sticking point. Sandisk has been more prone to sales as of late, though, and we think that even if this drive isn’t the best pick for desktop, it’s pretty hard to beat for laptops.

Read: Sandisk WD Black SN7100 Review

The Crucial T500 combines cutting-edge flash with a customized controller that manages to be power-efficient with just four channels but also squeezes in the coveted performance-boosting DRAM cache. The T500 is also a single-sided drive with TCG Opal support, making it perfect for professional laptop use.

Many laptops are still stuck with PCIe 3.0 slots, and that’s fine. The T500 will be even more efficient when run at 3.0, and its benefits, aside from bandwidth potential, do not disappear. While the T500 does offer a heatsinked version, which we have in our all-around best SSD category, you’ll be going bare for a laptop. In this respect, it can even be better than DRAM-less drives, as the T500’s controller has more surface area and a metal IHS to prevent controller overheating. It’s simply the finest drive for laptops at this time unless you really want more horsepower. That’s on the menu, too, especially once the 4TB version arrives.

Read: Crucial T500 Review

Best 4TB SSD

4TB has become a more attractive capacity point for SSDs as time has gone on. While there are now many options available, most come with compromises of one sort or another. You may have to settle for QLC, a weaker controller, no DRAM, unreliable hardware, etc. This is not always a big deal, especially if the drive is intended to be a secondary gaming drive. In the PlayStation 5, however, extra cooling is beneficial, so it’s convenient to have a heatsink option available. At the same time, laptops favor bare drives and especially single-sided drives, the latter of which have been very rare with TLC until recently.

Samsung has managed all of this with its high-performing 990 Pro SSD. You have a powerful controller with DRAM, cutting-edge TLC flash, and a single-sided drive with or without heatsink even at 4TB. WD’s SN850X has been out a while at 4TB but has no heatsink option and is double-sided, with the SN850P being a latter heatsinked version for the PS5. There has been an increasing amount of 4TB TLC drives, including the Lexar NM790 and Addlink A93, but these cannot compare to the power and brand power of Samsung’s 990 Pro. You do have to pay for that privilege given the high MSRP, but at this time there is no substitute.

Read: Samsung 990 Pro Review

Now that Crucial has finally brought out the 4TB SKU for the T500, it can replace the T700 on our best SSDs list for the best 4TB SSD alternative. The T700 is still a good choice for this, but the T500 is better for a few reasons. While both drives have a heatsink option, the T700 requires one, while the T500 can work bare in a laptop. The T500 is also more power-efficient but doesn’t skimp on performance by omitting DRAM. And while the T700 is PCIe 5.0 capable, many machines — including laptops and the PS5 — won’t benefit from that extra bandwidth.

The 4TB T500 is not without its faults, though. Its pricing is a little high for what you get, matching other high-end drives, which makes more sense on desktops. This is partly because the T500 has inconsistent sustained performance while those like the 990 Pro and SN850X do not. The 4TB T500 is also double-sided, which potentially reduces its compatibility. There are already single-sided, 4TB DRAM-less drives for less, such as the Lexar NM790, and there may be more in the future, although in general, this fact shouldn’t reduce the T500’s appeal.

Read: Crucial T500 4TB review

Best High-Capacity (8TB) SSD

We love the WD Black SN8100 and we love the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 now, too. Okay, it’s the same drive by a different name, but we finally got to see what this hardware can do at 8TB with the latter. While the WD Black SN850X remains the best bargain for an 8TB SSD, the Optimus GX Pro 8100 / Black SN8100 offers the best performance for an 8TB drive. It achieves all of this while remaining power-efficient, which is no mean feat. It even offers an optional heatsink with RGB LED lighting if that suits your fancy.

Most importantly and especially for a high-capacity drive, the drive’s random read latency is incredibly low. This ensures the most responsive experience possible with fast game and app loading times. The drive even has a Game Mode feature to improve this even further. It’s maybe a little expensive to get just for games, but if you want the very best this is the way to go. It’s the best all-around 8TB drive out there if you need one drive to rule them all. The Samsung 9100 Pro is not the worst consolation prize but it’s just not as good. We’ll have to wait for more high-end, Gen 5 8TB drives to see if SanDisk’s masterpiece can be unseated.

Read: SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 Review

The Samsung 9100 Pro is not a record-setting drive now that the second generation of Gen 5 SSD controllers are coming out in retail products. However, it is the first high-end drive to offer an 8TB SKU. This is a massive amount of storage, especially for a drive at this performance level. The 9100 Pro delivers good results in all of our tests, and the overall package is perfect for enthusiasts who want this much space in one drive for their HEDTs and workstations. It can also work in laptops, but the double-sided nature of the drive makes it more suitable for desktops, especially with the optional and affordable heatsink. Behind it all is Samsung’s name, so you know you’re getting a high-quality product with support to back your expensive investment.

Read: Samsung 9100 Pro 8TB SSD review

Best Budget M.2 SSD

Everybody loves a good budget drive and, luckily, there’s almost always something to fill that gap. Right now, it’s the Biwin NV7400, taking over from our long-time favorite TeamGroup MP44. There’s nothing wrong with the MP44; it’s just getting harder to find. It also has variable hardware – a reality for almost all drives – while our more recent NV7400 sample had very good hardware, indeed. Biwin did a great job with this drive, and we can recommend it for pretty much any system, so if its price is at or below similar contenders like the MP44, then it’s an easy choice. Assuming things stay that way.

There are many things to like. It has good all-around performance, capped by good power efficiency. The single-sided design, that makes it a good pick for laptops and the PS5. You can always add your own heatsink, though. It also has high TBW if that’s something you look at, although we think a drive with DRAM is better for high writes. Also, there is no 8TB SKU here – the MP44 does have that – but we really don’t think that matters for a budget drive. There are less expensive drives, sure, but this category is for the best budget drive, and the NV7400’s bandwidth and 232-Layer flash take the prize.

Read: Biwin Black Opal NV7400 2TB SSD Review

We recently replaced the TeamGroup MP44L on our Best PS5 SSDs list for a good reason: the MP44L has had its hardware changed over its life, but it’s now showing up with decidedly bad controllers and QLC flash. It was our budget champion for quite some time, but it feels like Team has introduced the MP44Q to fill that gap.

Drives in the middle of the PCIe 4.0 range – usually around 5 GB/s peak, give or take – are becoming less sensible by the day. What this means for you is that it’s more appropriate to opt for budget-friendly 7 GB/s drives, such as the MP44 and MP44Q, if you’re budget-conscious. Which drive to pick depends on the pricing and availability at the time of purchase. The MP44Q can end up competing with the MP44 with comparable pricing at times, and even at its best, it’s up against other QLC-based drives.

That doesn’t mean the MP44L and its class of drives should be ignored completely, as sometimes it really does come down to a few $ in either direction. However, we would strongly recommend going up to the MP44Q at the least if you value hardware longevity. Cheap drives are cheap for a reason. The MP44L once stood out with good controllers and TLC flash, but now that the market squeeze has left it as a poor man’s Kingston NV3 – Kingston’s NV series being the poster child for hardware that changes in some budget SSDs – we think you can do better. The MP44Q offers a good, power-efficient alternative.

Read: TeamGroup MP44Q review

The WD Green SN3000 is not a drive for everyone. It’s on the lower end for budget Gen 4 drives in terms of peak bandwidth, and it inherits a mixed reputation. WD’s Green line has always been associated with dirt-cheap drives that are very much the last resort. This isn’t helped by the fact that the SN3000 has a shorter warranty than usual at three years, and also has some of the lowest TBW, or warrantied writes, of any drive we’ve tested in recent memory. That paints a nasty picture, but we believe this drive is actually a diamond in the rough.

The drive has good performance thanks to its BiCS8 QLC flash, so it feels more responsive than expected. This flash also helps the drive stay efficient enough for mobile devices. On top of this, you can get the drive at smaller capacities that have been hard to find. If you’re buying on a budget, it’s a veritable godsend. We can overlook its weak sustained write performance, as that’s not a factor in this segment. As for the TBW, we can’t deny that it is dismal, but in its defense, a read-heavy drive won’t have any problem here over three years.

Read: WD Green SN3000 Review

Sandisk’s newest Blue NVMe SSD is an achievement despite its complete transition from TLC to QLC flash. This drive has something for everyone, offering decent all-around performance, low 4K random read latency, and high power efficiency, all within a nice capacity range. In fact, it’s difficult to tell it apart from the TLC-based Black SN7100 in everyday use. Given that the Blue SN5100 is using less-expensive QLC flash, it should end up priced better, too, which would be quite something given the great value the Black SN7100 provides.

The Blue SN5100’s excellent balance makes it an all-around winner for use in mobile systems, the PS5, HTPCs, and as a secondary or gaming desktop drive. It’s a drive for everyone and is our pick for the best QLC drive on the market, although the Crucial P310 comes close. QLC usually means capacity, and thankfully, the Blue SN5100 is available up to 4T,B which leaves us with few criticisms. Yes, it still has weaker sustained write performance than a TLC drive, but this is less concerning than the launch price. This drive, when settled at its proper price point, will be a great pick.

Read: Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 Review

WD took its popular Black SN850 SSD and turned it up to 11, but luckily for value seekers, the price isn't nearly as extreme. The current $156 price on Amazon for the 2TB model is a great deal, even if it's now $25 more than it cost last year. The Black SN850X uses an improved controller and newer flash to get the most out of the PCIe 4.0 interface, thus delivering excellent performance with the Sony PlayStation 5. WD improved performance across the board, and the drive comes with a heatsink option at 1TB and 2TB capacity points.

WD also supports the SSD with a solid five-year warranty that will let you game with peace of mind. This drive is made for the PlayStation 5, and while it can be a bit pricier than budget options, overall, it's still our top pick for the PS5. It's also fast for gaming on a PC, particularly with DirectStorage starting to become useful, so this drive is plenty attractive.

WD has taken the course of releasing an officially licensed SN850P SSD. That drive is a glorified heatsinked SN850X and you should only pick it if you want the heatsink at 4TB. Even then, it's far cheaper to get a bare SN850X and add your own heatsink.

Read: WD Black SN850X Review

The Addlink A93 is a perfect example of a great PlayStation 5 expansion drive – it delivers top performance at up to 4TB without breaking the bank. The PS5 doesn’t need anything special, but you might as well get a drive that will last a long time. The A93 checks this box with its TLC flash, and it’s also designed for the PS5 with a compliant heatsink and a single-sided drive design. It’s DRAM-less with a four-channel controller, which means it’s power-efficient and, with its heatsink, it’s therefore unlikely to overheat, which is always good news for console lovers.

That said, enthusiasts would still prefer to have DRAM, which is why we have the WD Black SN850X as our first pick for a PS5 drive. If you’re trying to save some money, though, the A93 is a decent substitute. There are competing drives that would work as well, such as the Lexar NM790, but currently, the A93 offers the best package for the best price. It has all the performance you need with no real drawbacks, unless you really have your heart set on 8TB.

Read: Addlink A93 SSD Review

The Crucial P310 came as a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. M.2 2230 SSDs have ratcheted up in popularity ever since Valve’s Steam Deck launched, and now there are more portable gaming systems than ever. There’s also Microsoft’s Surface Pro line and some laptops that take M.2 2230 or M.2 2242 - this drive can be extended up to M.2 2280 if needed - which used to mean going to eBay for OEM options like the WD SN740. This hasn’t been the case in a while, but finding a decent 2TB drive has remained difficult. The P310 handles that challenge like a champ.

Sure, it’s QLC-based, which means it’s not quite as fast or consistent as it could be, but it’s more power-efficient than the TLC-based WD Black SN770M and has more throughput. In fact, it’s the fastest 2TB M.2 2230 SSD we’ve ever tested. We expect the updated Corsair MP600 Mini would beat it, but the P310 has better availability and should be less expensive. It’s fast enough where it matters, which makes it the best option if you’re looking purely for capacity, but your host system should be able to take PCIe 4.0 drives to fully benefit.

Read: Crucial P310 SSD review

Kingston’s NV3 (2230) is a good example of a budget drive done right. Our reviewed version has good hardware, including superior QLC flash. However, the specifications are lower than normal which gives Kingston the ability to change the hardware down the road. This isn’t a big trade-off considering the drive is priced right at 1TB and 2TB, the most popular drive capacities for this form factor. The good power efficiency also means it won’t drain your battery or overheat.

When we’re talking about the Steam Deck this drive is more than fast enough as the device is limited to PCIe 3.0. Other and future devices will take PCIe 4.0 and even 5.0 SSDs, however. For the most part you don’t need a drive with TLC flash even in that case if your primary workload is gaming. The NV3 would have more competition there, certainly on the performance front but also possibly with capacity down the line. Aside from the excellent Crucial P310, we may begin to see 4TB drives in this and the M.2 2242 form factor with double-sided solutions, 2TB dies, or both. Right now the NV3 is a solid deal, though.

Read: Kingston NV3 (2230) SSD review

Corsair’s second run at the MP600 Mini, now with a faster controller and flash, is an example of how to do things right. It takes M.2 2230 SSDs to the next level in terms of performance while maintaining excellent levels of power efficiency. To top it off, it brings TLC flash at up to 2TB in a single-sided package. Previously, it was necessary to go with QLC flash - which in some cases is slower than TLC flash - or the power-hungry WD Black SN770M, which in any case isn’t as fast. This isn’t as big a deal with the PCIe 3.0 Steam Deck, as you can’t reach the full potential of today’s drives with that interface.

The new MP600 Mini comes at a price, though. Literally - it costs a bit more than the competition. The least expensive way to get this level of performance is to go with the Crucial P310, the best choice for M.2 2230 on any PCIe 4.0 platform if you want the highest capacity and 7 GB/s. For a 3.0 platform like the Deck and TLC flash, the Black SN770M remains solid. If you want the best performance possible, then the updated MP600 Mini is the way to go. For the time being, it is even good for M.2 2242 with an extender, otherwise, the native Rocket Nano 2242 will do the trick at 1TB.

Read: Corsair MP600 Mini (E27T) SSD Review

The WD Black SN770M is unique in that it offers 2TB of TLC NAND flash in the tiny M.2 2230 form factor in a single-sided design. This makes it optimal for use in the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and other portable gaming/computing devices. Some of these can take double-sided drives or longer drives, but the most popular of them all - the Deck and Deck OLED - work best with this form factor. For a long time, it was only possible to get a drive with less-desirable QLC if you wanted 2TB, but with the SN770M, that compromise is no longer required.

This comes at a cost as the older hardware on the SN770M - which is the same as the popular M.2 2280 Black SN770 - pulls more power and puts out more heat. For regular gaming use, this wasn’t an issue in our testing. The difference in battery life is essentially negligible, and the drive is usually not pushed enough for its direct heat output to be an issue. Therefore, it offers the best baseline performance in this form factor for now, but QLC-based alternatives may be more affordable.

Read: WD Black SN770M Review

The Corsair MP700 Micro is the best M.2 2242 SSD on the market, and it’s not even close. It’s not only the fastest drive, it also has the highest capacity possible at up to 4TB in a single-sided design. This makes it an effective, if niche, storage solution. If you happen to need an M.2 2242 SSD with this much space or want the highest performance and power efficiency possible, the MP700 Micro is your drive. Although a bit overkill, it would also be great in PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 slots if that’s all you have available.

The overkill factor is also a drawback to this SSD. You can get by with slower drives like the Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242, especially as most M.2 2242 devices are not PCIe 5.0 capable. While it’s impossible to match the capacity of the 4TB MP700 Micro, it’s a very expensive drive, and the current memory market may end up encouraging smaller drives for affordability purposes. If all you need is 1TB or 2TB, you can get by with many M.2 2242 or 2240 drives instead. The MP700 Micro still has its place, though, and it could be a niche solution for specific HTPC builds as well.

Read: Corsair MP700 Micro review

With the growing popularity of M.2 2230 SSDs, it was only a matter of time before we saw retail 2242 options. The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 is one of these, alongside the Corsair MP600 Micro. Alternatives include OEM and last-gen drives, like Sabrent’s original Rocket 2242, but some are double-sided. Not so with the Rocket Nano 2242, which will fit in the Lenovo Legion Go and many laptops with at least one M.2 2242 slot. It’s an easy drop-in solution with good performance and power efficiency.

The drive is only currently available at 1TB. However, with dual NAND packages, we expect larger capacity options in the future. M.2 2230 SSDs can also be extended for M.2 2242, but the 2TB options currently on the market all have their own drawbacks, except perhaps for the imminent Corsair MP600 Mini (E27T). However, the Rocket Nano 2242 gives plenty of performance for portable devices as it stands and is an easy pickup for M.2 2242.

Read: Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 SSD review

PNY had its heart set on producing a very fast RGB-capable SSD, and with the CS3150 XLR8, or CS3150, it succeeded. This PCIe 5.0 SSD also has a heatsink with dual fans to ensure it never overheats. PNY’s software allows control over the RGB and fans, with synchronization possible for the former if you have other PNY RGB products. The warranty is standard, but the drive does support hardware encryption via the TCG Opal 2.0 specification, which may be a selling point for some.

The CS3150 isn’t perfect, though. It’s expensive and can be difficult to find. It’s only available at 1TB and 2TB capacities, needing 2TB to hit its maximum performance numbers. There are also other drives equal or faster to it, although for many workloads this isn’t particularly relevant. If RGB isn’t your thing, this drive also comes without the RGB in both white and black variants. Regardless of the model you go for, the drive can operate without throttling, and its performance is good across the board.

Read: PNY CS3150 Review

Best Workstation SSDs

The Inland Performance Plus has been around for a while, so long in fact that it hasn’t been using its original hardware in a long time. It was updated when the Gaming Performance Plus came out with a newer type of flash. It also saw an expanded capacity range over time, up to 8TB. The performance specifications have not changed, though, and remain quite good for a Gen 4 drive. The warranty is also excellent at six years – more than the typical five – with up to a whopping 6,000TBW at 8TB.

This is a solid all-around drive that’s good for anything, but it’s especially good for NAS. Aside from the high write endurance and warranty period, the drive also has a balanced pSLC cache scheme that makes it more ideal for expected workloads. It doesn’t hurt that the drive is also actually available – well, at the time of writing, anyway – for prices that are not outside the competitive range. It’s Inland so there’s no real software support, but that’s our only ding.

Read: Inland Performance Plus Review

The Seagate FireCuda 530R is an all-around contender for best workstation drive, covering all the main areas you look at for a heavier workload storage solution. It has good performance with exceptional IOPS, consistent writes, and decent throughput. The drive is rated for an unusually high amount of writes, and Seagate throws in three years of data recovery service support, too. On top of this, it also optionally comes with a heatsink and runs surprisingly cool for a drive of its caliber and hardware age.

Speaking of age, the Phison E18 controller is long in the tooth, and BiCS6 flash isn’t as exciting as it once was. However, this combination proves to be a winner if you’re looking for a reliable workstation SSD. You’re mostly missing out on the higher-efficiency options that now exist, but we’d take this drive over the DRAM-less options if you have more demanding workloads.

Read: Seagate FireCuda 530R Review

Best Workstation SSD Alternate

The Kingston KC3000 is a long-standing favorite, a popular Gen 4 SSD that has been around for a while. There are many drives out there with the same hardware, including the previous holders of our Best Workstation SSD and SSD Alternate slots. The primary reason for the change is that drives with the Phison E18 controller have been identified with issues that could impact performance or reliability. However, only a few manufacturers have actually addressed this with a firmware update. Kingston is the primary one, offering the update for both the KC3000 and the Fury Renegade.

This makes the KC3000 a safer pick for workstation use, given that it also has decent all-around performance and is readily available. It also has a higher-than-standard TBW endurance rating and the Kingston name, which means it can be serviced more widely around the world. The only downside is that there are competing products, including some that are less expensive. However, if the reported issues are something you take seriously, then that brings things into focus. The KC3000 – or its sibling, the Fury Renegade – checks the right boxes for workstation use if you want a reliable solution.

Read: Kingston KC3000 Review

Best NAS SSDs

The Addlink NAS D60 is a niche drive but fills its designated role pretty well. If you have a NAS system, a workstation, or other servers - whether for home lab use or SOHO - this drive may be worth looking at. Assuming your server can take an M.2 NVMe drive or two, the NAS D60 can do caching duty in tandem with mechanical hard drives or even be used in an all-flash array. Whichever way you go, some special features of this drive help it step away from other retail consumer drives, which justifies its price premium. But it’s still more affordable than full-out enterprise solutions.

The first thing that stands out about this drive is that it’s using enterprise-grade flash. Such flash is more reliable with higher baseline endurance. This lets Addlink extend the warranty to 1 drive write per day (DWPD), which is three times the retail standard. The second thing that stands out is that it has capacitors on-board for power loss protection. This means improved integrity for data-in-flight. Lastly, the NAS D60 foregoes any pSLC cache, which, while hurting all-around performance, does give more consistent sustained performance. This combination makes it particularly good for a write cache, singly or in RAID, for NAS and other systems.

If you’re looking for a more traditional drive or one with a larger capacity option, the Adata Legend 960 Max remains viable. It also has a heatsink, which the D60 NAS lacks. Pick the D60 Max if you want the higher TBW, the PLP, and/or the non-cache performance characteristics. Oh, and remember that the NAS D60 will not be very power-efficient if that’s a factor for you.

Read: Addlink NAS D60 SSD review

Best SATA SSDs

You can get a SATA drive in the M.2 form factor, but most SATA drives are 2.5-inch models, which allows them to drop into the same bays that hold laptop hard drives. SATA drives are the cheapest.

If you’re still buying SATA SSDs, your options are vanishingly few if you’re looking for a quality drive. Crucial has stopped making its popular MX500 – our previous Best SATA SSD – and other manufacturers have swapped to DRAM-less hardware in some cases, the WD Blue SA510 being the most prominent example. While having DRAM isn’t make-or-break with newer M.2 NVMe SSDs, it’s more useful for maintaining good performance with SATA SSDs. TLC flash is also preferable to QLC if you want to maintain high write speeds and performance.

This leaves the Samsung 870 EVO as the likely best remaining SATA SSD available. You’re going to get quality TLC flash and DRAM. Samsung also offers a decent capacity range, which means you should be able to find the drive you need when you need it. The vast majority of SATA SSDs out there are DRAM-less nowadays, but they’re also cheaper and might be good enough for basic upgrades. The 870 EVO, as a result, is an expensive proposition, but if you want a drive to last, it’s the best option.

Read: Samsung 870 EVO Review

How We Test SSDs and Benchmark Charts

We use the same test system for all our SSD benchmarks. You can find the specifications in the boxout, and the short summary is that it's an Intel Alder Lake platform — chosen because it was the first platform to support PCIe 5.0 for expansion cards and M.2 slots. We have periodically looked at newer platforms, but Raptor Lake didn't change the results much if at all, and AMD's PCIe 5.0 platforms tend to be slightly slower than Intel's platforms.

We have a battery of benchmarks, each of which gets run multiple times. We use the best result from each test. Here are the charts of all currently tested SSDs (from the past three years, give or take). We froze Windows 11 at version 22H2 in order to keep the test results consistent — various security updates have had an impact on certain benchmarks over the years.

We've grouped the SSDs by capacity, beginning with the 4TB and larger drives, then the 2TB drives (which are easily the most popular and well-represented class in our testing), then the 1TB drives, and finally all the 2230 drives (in both Gen3 and Gen4 modes). We haven't tested any new 500GB-class or smaller SSDs in several years as that market is mostly dead for DIY upgrades these days.

4TB SSD and larger testing results

2TB SSD testing results

1TB SSD testing results

M.2 2230 SSD testing results

Finding Discounts on the Best SSDs in 2026

Whether you're shopping for one of the best SSDs or one that didn't quite make our list, you may find savings by checking out the latest Crucial promo codes, Newegg promo codes, Amazon promo codes, Corsair coupon codes, Samsung promo codes or Micro Center coupons.

MORE: Best External SSDs and Hard Drives

MORE: All SSD Content

Donald Trump and his backers were hardly fans of the Biden administration's CHIPS and Science Act during the election campaign, yet the next U.S. government does not plan to reverse it. At least, that's the impression the next U.S. Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, gave to outgoing Secretary Gina Raimondo, Bloomberg reports.

Before the election, Trump criticized the CHIPS Act, labeling it highly flawed and proposing tariffs as an alternative. But Lutnick, his chosen appointee for the position who will inherit program management from Raimondo, has indicated that he plans to continue with its implementation.

In a recent meeting with Raimondo, Lutnick expressed his commitment to the CHIPS and Science initiative, according to remarks Raimondo shared during a staff gathering last week, published by Bloomberg. Neither the Commerce Department nor Trump's transition team, responded when asked for clarification.

The $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act, launched under President Joe Biden to revitalize U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, is now transitioning to Donald Trump's administration. With $39 billion in grants already allocated and over $450 billion in private investments spurred, the program does not seem like a failure. Indeed, its progress is evident: Intel, GlobalFoundries, TSMC, Texas Instruments, and Samsung Foundry are building massive fabs in the U.S. While both Intel and Samsung faced some setbacks, both are committed to invest in America.

But while the new Commerce Secretary reportedly plans to continue the CHIPS and Science program, other people in Trump's team are not very fond of the initiative.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is going to co-lead Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) presidential advisory commission with Elon Musk next year, criticized the Biden administration's approach to distributing multi-billion grants to semiconductor manufacturers weeks before Biden's tenancy is over, reports Politico. He called the action 'inappropriate' ahead of the power transition and threatened DOGE review of the funding contracts as well as other initiatives of the current administration.

"Wasteful subsidies under the IRA and CHIPS Act are being rapidly pushed out before January 20," Ramaswamy wrote in an X post a couple of months ago. "DOGE will review every one of these 11th-hour gambits and recommend that Inspectors General scrutinize these last-minute contracts. Political appointees who go on to work for beneficiaries of this midnight spending spree should be exposed unsparingly."

In the weeks following the election, over $16 billion in funding contracts were awarded to five semiconductor companies, including BAE Systems, GlobalFoundries, Intel, Rocket Lab, and TSMC as chipmakers raced to ink their deals with the U.S. government and get their funding under the CHIPS Act. Before the election, the administration had awarded just one major contract, totaling $123 million, to Polar Semiconductor in Minnesota.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has defended the timeline, asserting it was part of the original plan under the CHIPS and Science Act. Moreover, she has denied that the timeline has been influenced by any potential policy reversals under the next administration.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced it has received complaints from domestic companies about unfair subsidies provided by the Biden administration to U.S. chipmakers under the CHIPS and Science Act, reports state-owned GlobalTimes. As a result, China launched an investigation into U.S. government subsidies, claiming they harm Chinese chipmakers that produce chips on mature process technologies, Reuters reports. 

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce alleges that subsidies under the CHIPS and Science Act, which allocated $52.7 billion for U.S. semiconductor production, research, and workforce development, give American companies an unfair edge. These subsidies reportedly allow U.S. chipmakers to export mature node chips to China at reduced prices, undermining Chinese competitors. 

While the aim of the CHIPS and Science Act was to bring back production of logic and memory chips on leading-edge nodes back to the U.S., the U.S. government awarded billions of dollars to companies that produce chips on specialty or mature process technologies. The list of such companies is not too long and includes contract chipmakers GlobalFoundries and SkyWater Technologies, as well as integrated device manufacturers Microchip, Polar, and Texas Instruments. While there are makers of GaN, SiC, InP semiconductors which received subsidies, the objections cited by GlobalTimes and Reuters only mention 'mature node chips.' 

To get subsidies from the U.S. government, companies must invest millions or billions from their own pocket, therefore  they don't really cut down their CapEx budgets (which could allow them to reduce costs and lower prices). So it's unclear whether the allegations of MOFCOM have merits. However, the U.S. government's subsidies are aimed to make American chipmakers bigger and more competitive in general. 

This is not something that China likes as the country has built and continues to build dozens of fabs that are focused on making chips on 28nm-class process technologies and less-advanced nodes. Most, if not all, of these fabs are constructed with significant subsidies from the Chinese government. Chips made on mature nodes tend to be very cheap, but they are essential for everyday products like home appliances and communication devices, so their addressable market is vast. 

Last year, Barclays predicted that China could expand its chip production capacity by 60% over the following three years, and the vast majority of this capacity will be dedicated to mature nodes. China is certainly interested in ensuring that those fabs have enough customers as it aims to flood the market with cheap chips designed to replace equivalents made in Europe and the U.S.

Corning is primarily known for its ruggedized smartphone glass and is barely known in the semiconductor industry. Yet its contribution to the production of chips using leading-edge technologies is rather huge. To that end, the company is eligible to get money from the CHIPS and Science Act fund. This week, Corning and the U.S. Department of Commerce inked a preliminary agreement under which Corning is set to get $32 million.

Corning makes various glass materials to build photomasks, such as high-purity fused silica, ultra-low expansion (ULE), and extreme ULE glass. A major advantage of ULE and Extreme ULE materials is their exceptionally low thermal expansion to ensure maximum consistency in harsh EUV environments (which are getting harsher as EUV tools gain more powerful light sources to increase performance) and exceptional uniformity to reduce photomask ‘waviness’ to minimize circuit variability (i.e., lower performance and power variability). 

Corning’s ULE glass is used to make photomasks for DUV and EUV lithography, whereas Extreme ULE material is projected for next-generation High-NA EUV lithography.

Ensuring that companies in America that use advanced DUV, Low-NA EUV, and High-NA EUV tools have access to materials used to make photomasks is crucial for the whole industry in general and companies like Intel, GlobalFoundries, TSMC, Texas Instruments, and Samsung Foundry.

Corning’s $32 million funding will support the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Canton, New York, to increase the production of specialized materials like high-purity fused silica (HPFS) and Extreme ULE glass. This project will add 130 manufacturing jobs and over 175 construction jobs.

“Corning is proud to be an industry leader of specialty glass and precision optical lenses for the semiconductor industry, and our Canton facility plays a vital role in the nation’s mission to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain,” said Corning Incorporated Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks. “This proposed investment and the continued commitment in Canton will enable us to establish the next-generation manufacturing capabilities needed to produce vital materials for lithography tools that will develop the world’s most complex microchips, strengthening our commitment to advancing semiconductor technology and job creation in the United States.”

Soldering is one of, if not the most important maker skill and using the best soldering iron is the smart way to produce your best work. The best GPUs, CPUs and even 3D printers have components soldered to printed circuit boards (PCBs). Whether you are a seasoned pro, or new to soldering, you need the right iron for the task at hand, be it robotics, data science projects or arcade cabinets. But what is the best soldering iron?

On my bench I have a full hot air rework and temperature controlled soldering station, but I will often reach for a USB type C powered, smart soldering iron for quick fixes — the cheap and practical Fnirsi HS-01 has been my go to soldering iron since 2023. I've been soldering projects for well over 20 years, 15 years of that in a professional capacity and I know that a good soldering station is essential for larger soldering projects. But smart soldering irons are ideal for smaller projects, or for when you are on the move. They are quick to heat up and often have precision tips that we can use in surface mount projects.

I’ve personally tested more than 15 different soldering irons, measuring both their ease-of-use and the time it takes for them to get to an acceptable working temperature. Below, I’ve listed the best soldering irons, along with a guide to help you choose the right kind of soldering iron for your needs. This list is always changing, we've just reviewed a new precision soldering station for through hole and SMD soldering.

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Best Soldering Irons and Stations

The Best Soldering Irons 2026

Best Smart Soldering Iron

$26 isn’t a lot of money in the world of best soldering irons. It can buy you a cheap kit, loaded with accessories to sweeten the deal. Or it can buy you what is probably the most useful soldering iron a maker could have. We loved the Pinceil v2 so much we gave it an Innovation Award.

Pinecil V2, is a refinement of V1, and brings a fully temperature controlled soldering station into the palm of your hand. No really! Don’t let its size fool you. This is a capable iron that can be used for delicate soldering tasks, or for larger jobs such as speaker cables and other connections with a large thermal mass. Just change the tip (it is compatible with TS-100, TS-101 tips) and you can solder connections both small and large.

Pinecil V2 is quick to heat up, hitting 350 degrees Celsius in just 20 seconds when connected to a 20V USB-C power adapter. That's really fast for any soldering iron and great for those of us that need to do a job quickly.

The “smart” aspect of Pinecil v2 is the OS. Yes we have an OS on a soldering iron, and with it we can tweak the iron to our needs. Setting a custom temperature profile for specific tasks is just a few clicks away. Customizing the UI for left or right handed users, setting sleep times to keep the iron hot while waiting for the user, then reacting to movement and ramping the iron to your preferred working temperature.

The downside of Pinecil v2 is that it doesn’t come with a stand. The overall shape of the iron means that it does not roll around your bench. If you need a stand, they can be purchased for just a few more dollars.

Given the size of Pinecil v2 it is the ideal soldering iron for younger or inexperienced makers. It feels more like a pencil than a soldering iron and the quick heat up and cooldown times mean there is less chance of injury. That said, always supervise learners when using any new tool.

Best Soldering Station

Hakko are the Rolls-Royce of the best soldering irons. Its color-scheme may look a little Fisher-Price, but this soldering iron is a professional piece of kit. The Hakko FX-888D is a soldering station that offers excellent thermal performance, with a soldering iron that can reach 480 degrees Celsius. Tips can be easily sourced and changed, enabling precision or heavy duty soldering.

The soldering station control unit has only two buttons but from there we can change the temperature and create presets for quickly moving from one type of job to another. The soldering iron has a great feel, with a non-slip coating and a flexible silicone cord to reduce accidental melting.

We soldered up a Velleman kit (PIC experiment board K8048) and the Hakko worked rather well. The default 350 degrees Celsius felt a little too low for the rather thick PCB so we upped the temperature to 400 and the lead solder flowed perfectly.

This is a pro level soldering station and with that it commands a pro level price. If you are going to solder a lot, or for professional use then this should be on your wish list.

Best All Rounder

The TS101 continues the greatness of its progenitor, the TS100 but provides a greater choice of power supply options. The iron is easy-to-use, quick to heat up and precise in its output. It's also compatible with TS100 soldering tips, opening up a world of choice.

In our review we loved how the TS101 felt in the hand, the button placement is perfect and the tip compatibility with the plethora of Pinecil and TS100 tips means that it caters to every user. Younger or inexperienced makers will find the TS101 slightly larger than say Pinecil v2, but the button placement and balance make this an ideal alternative for makers learning to solder.

The $50 price tag is double that of Pinecil V2 and there isn’t much difference between them. Both soldering irons support the same power options and soldering iron tips. What does separate them is comfort. If we were soldering all-day long, then the TS101 would be our choice.

Best Soldering Iron for Beginners

A cheap soldering iron kit is how many of us start our soldering journey. It is how I started way back in the 1980s. Sometimes a cheap kit will put us off, other times it offers a low cost point of entry for a new skill. The Tabinger solder iron kit is low cost, under $20 and comes with plenty of extras. This is normally a warning on the quality, in this case the iron is rather good despite our first impression.

In the kit we get lead free solder, spare tips and a folding stand (which works but isn’t the nicest). Sure all of these aren’t the best quality, but if we are starting out they will do a good job until we move onwards.

The iron is light in the hand and features a dial to set your temperature. Tips can be easily changed, and the kit comes with a selection of precision and chunky tips. Changing a tip involves unscrewing the collar and sliding the cold tip off, reversing the process to secure your choice in place.

Tabinger’s soldering iron melts solder well; just increase the temperature on the dial to be a little over your ideal choice. We normally solder at 350 degrees Celsius, but the solder was a little tacky with this iron, so we went to 400 and all was well. We did notice that the tip became “scorched” rather quickly. In our experience cheaper soldering irons can burn out quite quickly, so bear that in mind. Replacements can be easily sourced from Amazon or Aliexpress.

The Tabinger 60W Soldering Iron is a decent iron to get you started. The low cost makes it ideal for dipping your toe into soldering.

Best Hot Air Rework Station

The best soldering station with a hot air rework is a dream purchase for most makers. You can buy brand names for hundreds of dollars, but the Yihua 995D+ offers brand name performance for a fraction of the price.

We’ll start with the soldering iron: a rather generic iron which uses the collar system to retain a tip over a heating element. In this case being generic is a good thing. Replacement tips can be easily sourced (even Haako tips will work). The iron feels good in the hand and the silicone cable never gets in the way thanks to its own weight keeping it fixed to the bench.

The hot air gun also feels good in the hand and has a similar cable. Controlling the iron and hot air is a little tricky at first, requiring the correct controls to be selected (on the left are the hot air controls, on the right the soldering iron) before using the central knob to set the temperature and air flow.

The tall, thin design keeps your bench space clear - the included soldering iron stand takes a little more space but that's ok. The included stand is solidly built, doesn't slip around the bench and has the choice of brass or sponge to clean the tip. The Yihua 995D+ is an excellent soldering station for beginners and pros alike. It gets the job done, looks good and keeps more cash in your pocket.

Best Soldering Gun

Weller is a known brand in the world of soldering irons. They produce good quality irons and this 140W soldering gun represents another quality product.

Soldering guns come in many forms, some feed solder to the tip, others, like this require us to manually feed the solder with a spare hand. The Weller 140W soldering gun is a beast, and lays down a surprising amount of heat in six seconds. From ambient to 480 degrees Celsius in six seconds, you can solder heavy, big joints. If you need to solder some speaker cables, large power connections on a robot or vehicle, then this gun will make the job so much easier.

Slightly pressing the trigger unleashes 140W of power to the tip of the iron. Talking of tips, it comes with a selection for precise and blunt tips for different soldering scenarios. This isn’t a general purpose soldering iron, but when you need raw power, for a large surface area, then this will do the job just fine.

Best Travelling Soldering Iron

Fnirsi’s HS-01 smart soldering iron is a challenger for Pinecil’s crown. It shares the same price-point, around $30 and it uses USB C power. But the HS-01 is a much better travel companion.

First of all is the cap. Instead of a stand we get a cap which firmly covers the hot tip of the soldering iron. Sure the cap will get hot if you put it on right after soldering, but the iron cools down quick, and heats up even quicker! The screw collet, designed to hold the tip in place, means that we do not need a screwdriver to replace tips, just wait for the iron to cool and you can swap the tip for a compatible replacement. TS100 / TS101 / Pinecil tip compatibility would be the ideal, but a set of Hs-01 compatible tips is around $15.

Soldering with the HS-01 is a joy. The included tip is a good all-rounder and for our review it performed great on solder joints big and small. For $30, if the Pinecil V2 is out of stock, or you need a soldering iron for your traveling maker kit, buy this instead!

Read: Fnirsi HS-01 Review

Best for the Professional Maker

The Ifixit Fixhub Portable Soldering Station is a great all-rounder. In your home workspace, the makerspace and the garage, the Ifixit Fixhub Portable Soldering Station has the power and precision for all of your soldering needs. It feels like a Hakko soldering station, but portable. The mix of portability, power and precision it is going to make a dent on your wallet. If you are a professional maker who needs a powerful soldering system around your shop, then the Ifixit Portable Soldering Station is for you.

The replaceable tips are great quality, and they can put the heat exactly where we need it. We used the conical, knife and bevel tips and each of them exceeded our expectations. The USB-C cable is great quality, and won’t get in the way when soldering. Take a look at our full review to learn everything about this great soldering station.

Read: Ifixit Fixhub Portable Soldering Station Review

Picking The Best Soldering Iron For You

Picking The Best Soldering Iron For You

Finding the best soldering iron for you is important. You need to be comfortable with the soldering iron in order to concentrate on the task at hand. But which type of soldering iron is for you?

• Basic Soldering irons: If you are just trying your hand with soldering then perhaps an advanced soldering setup is not for you, yet. A simple soldering iron heats up to a set temperature, giving you the confidence to start soldering without having to tweak the settings.
  
• Smart Soldering Irons: If space is at a premium, but you need a temperature controlled soldering station, then smart soldering irons are for you. Typically powered using USB C or DC power supplies, these irons provide precise temperature control without dominating the bench.
  
• Soldering Station: If you need a soldering iron with precise temperature control, along with the best thermal balance, then a soldering station is for you. Stations have an external control unit which contains the power circuitry necessary to deliver precise thermal output. The soldering iron is typically housed in a separate stand giving the user flexibility on the bench.
  
• Hot Air Soldering Station: These stations offer a temperature controlled soldering iron, along with a hot air gun that is used for surface mount soldering, reflowing circuits and desoldering components from boards.
  
• Soldering Gun: A soldering gun is a brute force tool, used for larger solder joints. If you are soldering heavy duty cables, speakers or terminals, then a soldering gun has the power you need. For finer, detailed work they are clumsy and awkward, so you will still probably want a soldering iron to go with your gun.

Other Soldering Irons We Tested

Other Soldering Irons We Tested

In our tests to find the best soldering iron we tested a number of other irons. Some from well known manufacturers, and others from some lesser known manufacturers. These didn’t make the grade in our tests but we have included the full results of the tests, so that you can make your own decision based on quality and price.

Fanttik T1 Max

This smart soldering iron is so simple to use, and it heats up and cools down fast. It is completely wireless and comes with a selection of soldering tips and kit to get you started. So why didn’t it make the cut? The handle is a little too thick, making it uncomfortable for smaller hands. The weight balance is a little off and despite the easy dial controls, the Fanttik T1 Max hasn’t got the grunt for larger solder joints. But this is a great soldering iron for gifting to a new maker. I’ve got a full review and analysis to help you make up your mind.

WEP 982 III Precision Soldering Station

I really liked this precision soldering station. It heats up fast, the 200C standby temperature keeps the iron ready for use. Tip selection is great, there are precision tips and big(ish) chisel tips for larger joints. You can “hot swap” the soldering tips using the stand. I also found this soldering iron to be very precise. So if it reviewed that well, why isn’t it on the list? The problems that I encountered were that it was easy to over shoot your soldering temperature, not a big deal, but it was irksome. But the biggest issue that I faced was that my review unit arrived damaged but the damage took a few hours to manifest itself. Hence I would only recommend buying this soldering iron from a retailer with a good returns policy.

Miniware TS80P

How did this iron not make the list? It looks great, feels great and it has a spring loaded tip ejection system. What let it down was the price, $95 is a lot for an iron. It can put down heat, but you need to change the included precision tip for something more general purpose in order to get it into a board. We love the iron’s user interface and it works really well, but so does Pinecil V2, which retails for a third of the price.

Weller WLSK3023G Soldering Station

Coming from the Weller pedigree we had high hopes for this soldering station. Alas it wasn’t meant to be. The LED light ring is annoying, the iron felt imprecise, and the hot tip of the iron pointing out from the stand felt counter-intuitive. It isn’t a bad iron, but compared to others, it just wasn’t worth the $70 asking price.

YIHUA 938BD+ Soldering Station

It was a tough call between the 938BD+ and the 995D+. The 938BD+ has a wider footprint, but the user interface felt a little less cumbersome. The call was tough, and if the 938BD+ is offered at a reduced price to the 995D+, then jump on it.

Preciva 8786D Hot Air Gun Rework Station

It may look a little dated, but this is a solid, low-cost soldering station. So why didn’t it make the list? The hot air rework gun felt weak, we had to ramp the temperature to the max in order to melt the solder on a heavy joint. The soldering iron felt fine, much like the Yihua stations (Preciva and Yihua are one and the same) but it lacked a silicone cord, instead using PVC. PVC cords are fine, but they are prone to creeping along your bench, getting in the way.

New Acalox Soldering Gun

This gun was the antithesis of the Weller. It took a while to heat up and required solder to be fed via a ratchet system, through the gun. It felt cheap, and the easily removable plastic cover exposed mains voltage connections. If you need a soldering gun, spend the extra money and get the Weller. This cheaper version is not safe for general use.

How We Test The Best Soldering Irons

How We Test The Best Soldering Irons

Each soldering iron was tested with a Velleman PCB kit, chosen for its mixture of small through-hole components and large soldering joints (mechanical joints to anchor components to the board). We used the same solder, lead based 60 / 40 with tin and rosin flux core across all tests, to ensure that our results were consistent.

From Cold to Hot: Getting to A Working Temperature

For each soldering iron / station / gun we tested how long it would take to get to a working temperature from cold. What is a working temperature? Well that is a personal choice. Some prefer to solder at 350 degrees Celsius, others much higher. Rather than set a temperature target, we chose to pick the moment where solder instantly melts on the tip of the iron. In the case of the hot air rework stations we chose the moment that a heavy solder joint would fully melt. All times are measured in seconds, and a lower time is better.

Basic Soldering Iron Times

These basic irons are there for “plug and play” soldering and the Tabiger 60W iron gets to a solder melting temperature much quicker (42 seconds) than the venerable Antex XS25 (116 seconds). The Tabiger has basic temperature control, and almost three times the power of the Antex iron. That said, Antex is a respected brand and offers superb performance, making it the ideal starter soldering iron. Its what I used for a very long time!

Hot Air Rework Station Times

These stations all feature a soldering iron and a hot air gun. The irons all heated up fast with the Yihua 995D taking first place in 24 seconds. The Yihua 938BD+ claimed second place at 33 seconds. For hot air, the 938BD+ was way slower than the others, 112 seconds versus a joint 92 seconds for the 995D and Preciva 8786D.

Smart Soldering Iron Times

Smart soldering irons are the F1 cars of the soldering world. They get hot, fast! The Fnirsi HS-01 took first place with a time of 9 seconds. Second was the Pinecil V2 which offers plenty of power for its low price! Any of these smart soldering irons would be a great addition to a maker’s toolbox. But for under $40, Pinecil v2 is hard to resist.

Soldering Gun Times

If you absolutely have to solder large solder joints, then a soldering gun is for you. These things get hot, and have the thermal mass to dump solder onto the target. Weller’s soldering gun is impressive. It heats up within six seconds, and can sustain large solder joints for a considerable amount of time. The Acalox soldering gun is slow to heat up (26 seconds) and it feels rather cheaply made. Avoid it and pay the extra for Weller.

Soldering Station Times

Weller may have won the soldering gun round, but here it loses out to Hakko’s FX888D. Heating up in 25 seconds, versus Weller’s 76 seconds, the Hakko FX888D is a sublime soldering experience, but we expect that given its price. If you are going to be soldering professionally it is always best to have the right tool for the job (as Star Trek’s Scotty can attest.)

Soldering irons frequently asked questions 2026

We've saved you the trouble and brought the pot of gold you've been looking for—a treasure trove of awesome Raspberry Pi projects. These are some of our favorite creations we've had the pleasure of featuring over the last month, and we're delighted to share them with you again. These makers use everything from the first Raspberry Pi 1 to the latest Raspberry Pi 5 to make their ideas a reality.

Whenever possible, we share all of the links to the source code so you can make them for yourself at home or just dig into how they're put together. You can expect to find the best Raspberry Pi accessories, HATs, modules and more among the parts list that turn a simple Raspberry Pi into a masterpiece of creation.

Raspberry Pi-Powered Luxury Automated Smart House for Cats

This project is made for cat lovers with a fervor for Pi. What do you know? We fit the bill. Created by a maker known as Visible_Turnover3952 over at Reddit, this smart house has tons of cool automated features that keep his outdoor cats living in absolute luxury. The floors are heated and it has tons of sensors to help monitor the environment for total optimization.

Why we love it:

Not only does this project benefit our fuzzy companions, but it's also a great showcase of how much the Raspberry Pi can handle when it comes to flexibility and DIY smart features. There's a lot going on in this cat house and we're all for it.

Read: Raspberry Pi-powered Luxury Automated Smart House for Cats

Raspberry Pi Creeper Robot

A creeper is one of the last things you want to see sneaking up on you, but that didn't stop maker Efren Lopez from making his own from scratch. This Raspberry Pi creeper robot locomotes using four wheels and has camera modules that let it see the world around it. It's also spruced up with AI so it can interpret the surrounding environment and react accordingly.

Why we love it:

Minecraft is just as cool today as it was over a decade ago. This robot would be neat enough even if it wasn't Minecraft-themed, but it is—so here we are. The creeper robot looks great and is a wonderful example of the Raspberry Pi's potential as an AI-driven controller.

Read: Raspberry Pi Creeper Robot

Raspberry Pi 5 Wood Finished Cyberdeck with Custom Milled Keypad

The Raspberry Pi is to cyberdecks as peanut butter is to jelly. This beautiful handheld cyberdeck has the kind of professional finish most makers can only dream about. It has gorgeous wood casing and the keypad has been completely custom milled just for this project. Maker Nicholas LaBonte truly went above and beyond for this creation.

Why we love it:

This cyberdeck is really cool. It's the kind of hardware you wouldn't mind someone seeing you play around with in public. In fact, you want someone to ask about it just for the chance to splurge about all the hard work that went into making it look so fine.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 Wood Finished Cyberdeck with Custom Milled Keypad

Raspberry Pi Glass Dome Display

What's that sitting in the corner? It might not look like it at first glance, but that glass dome is actually a transparent screen for a Raspberry Pi. Using the "Pepper's Ghost" effect, this project projects images onto a clear film creating a really cool invisible screen. The code has also been made open source so you can recreate it for yourself at home.

Why we love it:

This project is way cooler than your typical LCD panel or eInk display. In fact, it's one of the most rare screen types you'll come across when it comes to Raspberry Pi projects. This screen is more than a novelty, it's a highlight of skill and just as impressive today as it was when the "Pepper's Ghost" effect was created over 100 years ago.

Read: Raspberry Pi Glass Dome Display

Dual Raspberry Pi Pico Portable Mini PC

We've seen Raspberry Pi handhelds that incorporate a Pico into them as an extra controller but this is one of the few we've ever come across that runs entirely on a Pico. This handheld uses two Picos—one to operate as the main processor and another one to operate as a graphics card.

Why we love it:

This is a beautiful example of the Raspberry Pi Pico's potential and the end results are fantastic. The handheld has a professional design and is finished with a look that's classy and function that's got lots of room for customization.

Read: Dual Raspberry Pi Pico Portable Mini PC

Raspberry Pi AI Pizza Clock

This project takes everything we love about telling time and pizza, merging the two using the power of AI. This AI pizza clock creates an image of pizza to represent the current time. You can use any other round image you like. In the examples given by maker Likeablob, we see a demo of a sunflower that accomplishes the same thing.

Why we love it:

You have to wonder how makers come up with ideas like this, but in the end we just don't care. It's a really fun idea and it's so well executed. Even if you don't want one for yourself, reading into how the project is pulled off is fascinating in itself.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI Pizza Clock

Raspberry Pi Pico 'WOPR' Server Rack Upgrade

If you're familiar with the 1980's movie War Games, you're sure to recognize this project. Maker Aforsberg has created an upgrade for his server rack that replicates the 'WOPR' computer using our favorite microcontroller—the Raspberry Pi Pico—along with some daisy-chained matrices and custom code.

Why we love it:

This is a really cool shoutout to the classic movie and is so well done that we couldn't help but feature it again in our list here today. The Pico is responsible for controlling the matrix panels and coming up with a randomized light display to mimic the computer from the movie.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico 'WOPR' Server Rack Upgrade

Raspberry Pi Pico Spacewar Controller

Tominator2000 uses a Raspberry Pi Pico to make a custom controller to emulate the game Spacewar more accurately. It's got a couple of joysticks and runs entirely on the Pico as its main controller. The idea was to create a couple of controllers to demo the game emulation at a convention.

Why we love it:

We love retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi, and this is just another flavor to add to our menu. The project is very well done and is so unique that we thought it deserved a little extra attention. You can see a demo video of it in action in the original project thread.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Spacewar Controller

Raspberry Pi Map of Manhattan

This Raspberry Pi-powered map of Manhattan shows you where subway trains are in real-time. It has a 3D-printed body and uses fiber optics to show train locations connected to matrix panels controlled by the Raspberry Pi. The colors are determined by the matrix panels, not the subway lines, so you can tell when trains run on different tracks than usual.

Why we love it:

Words can hardly express how unique and impressive this project is. Everything from the concept to the finished design oozes creativity, and we're all for it. The only way to get something this cool is to make it yourself, and Bicapitate deserves all the praise in the world for its construction.

Read: Raspberry Pi Map of Manhattan

Raspberry Pi Dune Weaver Table

This Raspberry Pi-powered decor is at the top of most makers' wishlist. Using our favorite SBC, this 'Dune Weaver' table draws images automatically in sand using magnets. It has a smartphone interface that you can use to select images or just let it rotate through a playlist of them for some automated variety.

Why we love it:

We fell in love with this project as soon as we laid eyes on it. It's a beautiful work of art and engineering that's worthy of all the extra attention we can give it. The idea is cool enough on its own but to see it in action is on a different level entirely.

Read: Raspberry Pi Dune Weaver Table

Tom's Hardware Projects

It's hard to look at so many awesome projects and not expect a little inspiration and creativity to rub off on us. Here are a few Pi projects put together by the staff here at Tom's Hardware over the last month, complete with all the steps you need to recreate it for yourself at home.

Create your own Raspberry Pi powered home VOIP service with Mumble

You don't even need the latest Raspberry Pi to do this project. We successfully pulled it off using the original Raspberry Pi 1. This guide shows us how to make a home VOIP service using Mumble.

Read: Create your own Raspberry Pi-powered home VOIP service with Mumble

How to Run DeepSeek R1 on your Raspberry Pi 5

Want to check out DeepSeek R1? You're not the only one. This guide demonstrates how to set it up on the latest Raspberry Pi 5. It might not be the fastest way to use DeepSeek R1, but it can operate offline.

Read: How to Run DeepSeek R1 on your Raspberry Pi 5

When the moon hits your eye like a Raspberry Pi—that's amore and we've got more Pi projects than you can handle this month. These are some of the best Raspberry Pi projects we've covered over the last month and we're excited to give them some extra attention. These makers use everything from the Raspberry Pi Pico to the latest Raspberry Pi 5 to bring their ideas to life.

We share all of the details when they're made available and, thankfully, most of these projects are open source so you can follow along to recreate them at home. When possible, we'll link you to the hardware you need which includes some of the best Raspberry Pi accessories, HATs and more.

'The Matrix' Raspberry Pi Case

If you're not ready to unplug from the Matrix just yet, you might as well have some fun with the cool Raspberry Pi accessories programmed into our simulation. This custom Raspberry Pi 5 case is themed to the sci-fi movie The Matrix. It's complete with green LEDs and an LCD screen that replicates the falling text effect.

Why we love it:

We love Pi projects that incorporate our favorite franchises like this one. This case looks gorgeous, and it's really useful for a Pi that runs hot, like the Raspberry Pi 5. This project was a cool idea and it's been very well executed.

Read: 'The Matrix' Raspberry Pi Case

Raspberry Pi Wireless USB Flash Drive

Maker and developer The Feral Engineer has made the USB port on their embroidery machine into a wireless USB flash drive using our favorite SBC. Instead of unplugging the flash drive to transfer files over from a PC, now they just have to connect to the wireless network device to drag and drop files over.

Why we love it:

This is a ridiculously handy project not just for embroidery machines but other devices that use USB flash drives to load files. It could easily be recreated and used for a 3D printer which is probably what most of us here would use it for. This is a clever idea and very well executed.

Read: Raspberry Pi Wireless USB Flash Drive

Raspberry Pi Nintendo Switch-Themed Handheld Emulator

This Raspberry Pi handheld system might look like a Nintendo Switch but it's far from it. Inside is our favorite SBC powering a system of emulators. The case is 3D printed and has working controls built into the sides, just like you'd find with the Joy-Con controllers. Instead of playing Switch games, however, you can play everything from NES to GameCube.

Why we love it:

We love retro gaming projects on the Raspberry P,i and this design is just another great excuse to make another cool Pi-powered handheld. This project is a really fun idea and the end results are clearly worth all the effort.

Read: Raspberry Pi Nintendo Switch-Themed Handheld Emulator

Raspberry Pi Pico Game Boy Pokémon-Themed Alarm Clock

Of all the fun things to do with an old Game Boy, this is one of the most creative ideas we've seen. Maker and developer Mod Room My made a Game Boy alarm clock featuring an eInk display and a cool Pokémon theme for the UI. It operates on batteries or can be plugged into power with a cable.

Why we love it:

The idea is awesome and the final product is a useful gadget that most of us need throughout the week on a regular basis. This is clearly the alarm clock of dreams that we didn't know we were missing. It's just icing on the cake that our favorite SBC is inside.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Game Boy Pokémon-Themed Alarm Clock

Raspberry Pi Jukebox

If you're looking for a fun project you can jam to, you should check out this Raspberry Pi jukebox put together by maker and developer Siuengr. It has a user interface thar's operated with custom buttons and a snazzy RGB LED strip along the bottom for added flair. The case features some custom artwork and houses everything from the Pi to the display screen.

Why we love it:

This project just goes to show how you can have fancy hardware of your own with a Raspberry Pi and a little ingenuity. Not everyone can say they own their own jukebox, let alone a custom one filled with your favorite music.

Read: Raspberry Pi Jukebox

Raspberry Pi Pico Game Boy Printer Emulator

This Game Boy project emulates the classic Game Boy printer. It connects to Game Boys that were compatible with the printer and is recognized by them as the original device. Instead of printing the pictures, however, it stores a copy of them onto a microSD card.

Why we love it:

This is a super niche project and is very well executed. It's a cool way to play around with games that relied on the Game Boy printer without the need for thermal paper. If you're looking for a way to play around with Game Boy printer games or just create digital copies of printable files from your Game Boy, this is the project for you.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Game Boy Printer Emulator

Raspberry Pi Pico Secure Delivery Box

Protecting packages from porch thieves could be its own industry. If you don't feel like blasting package stealing ne'er do wells with flour as Ryder Damen did with his Pi project, you can always create a cool Pico secure delivery box like maker and developer Woodycal has done.

Why we love it:

This is a well-engineered solution for a modern problem and we're just delighted that Woodycal opted to use our favorite microcontroller as the main driver. You can operate the box settings remotely including the locking mechanism which is really useful when you're not at home.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Secure Delivery Box

Toshiba T1000 Raspberry Pi 4 Upgrade

If you're a fan of T1000 old school PCs, you're going to love this awesome Raspberry Pi 4 upgrade put together by maker and developer Nilseuropa. This build has the classic form factor and physical experience you would expect with a T1000 but with the added power and performance of a Raspberry Pi 4 inside.

Why we love it:

No working T1000 PCs were harmed in the making of this project. Nilseuropa has spent the last few years fixing up these PCs and had some components leftover leading to the development of this cool Pi-powered edition.

Read: Toshiba T1000 Raspberry Pi 4 Upgrade

Raspberry Pi 5 CNC Machined Aluminum Case

If you've used a Raspberry Pi 5 before, you know these bad boys can run a bit hot. Ideatracker decided to take matters into his own hands by creating a CNC machined aluminum case for the Pi. It acts as a beautiful giant heatsink with handy port access on the side. It's one thing to buy a high quality case like this from a third party, it's another to make one yourself from scratch.

Why we love it:

This case is awesome for both how it's designed and how functional it is as a heatsink. This project is hands down one of the most useful accessories you could have around for your Raspberry Pi 5. It's very impressive to see someone make something like this from the ground up.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 CNC Machined Aluminum Case

3D-printed Raspberry Pi All-in-One Portable Gaming Rig

All-in-one Raspberry Pi rigs are always exciting to see, but this one created by Arnov Sharma is absolutely beautiful. The Pi Box has everything you need for general Pi use from a gorgeous 3D printed shell to a handle for portability. Whether you're looking to tinker around with Python or game on the go, the Pi Box will get the job done and turn heads in the process.

Why we love it:

This Pi project is too cool for school. Actually, it would be really cool to see something like this in school. The case is well-designed and adds so much personality to what's already a handy setup.

Read: 3D-printed Raspberry Pi All-in-One Portable Gaming Rig

The new year is here and we've got an awesome list of Raspberry Pi projects put together from the last month that are sure to kickstart your year with some inspiration. These projects use all sorts of Raspberry Pi models, including the Raspberry Pi 5 and all of its beloved predecessors. Whether you're an experienced maker or interested amateur, we've got tons of cool ideas that you can recreate at home or use as a springboard to make something similar.

These makers use the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs around to bring their ideas to fruition and we'll be sure to link you to the build guides whenever possible. Most of these projects are open source so there's plenty of meat to dig into.

Custom Raspberry Pi 5 Case with Liquid Cooling

It's no secret that the Raspberry Pi 5 runs a bit hot—they even released an official fan for cooling. Maker Michael Klements decided to take matters into his own hands with his custom Pi 5 case. This little unit has liquid cooling and manages to keep the Pi at optimal performance temperatures.

Why we love it:

Liquid cooling your Pi is already a super useful and fun idea but to do it with this much style is just taking the project to a whole new level. The case was designed from scratch and required knowledge in both 3D printing and laser cutting to pull off. It's always a delight to see so many different maker fields come together in one project.

Read: Custom Raspberry Pi 5 Case with Liquid Cooling

Raspberry Pi Smart Cane for Visually Impaired

This smart cane uses our favorite SBC to add some safety features for visually impaired persons. Not only does it help the user with real-time alerts using its integrated speaker but it also has the ability to send out notifications in the event of emergencies. The cane uses a few extra modules including one that adds GPS support.

Why we love it:

We really appreciate the potential this project has for helping visually impaired individuals gain more independence. Anything that makes travel safer and adds peace of mind for caregivers is a huge plus.

Read: Raspberry Pi Smart Cane

Raspberry Pi 'Portal' Sentry Turret

This project is truly a triumph. Reckless_commenter has recreated the sentry turret from the 'Portal' franchise. It has a built-in speaker and plays creepy soundbites from the game that are sure to terrify any intruders or unsuspecting passersby. The body is 3D printed and houses a Raspberry Pi inside and the additional hardware.

Why we love it:

We're always excited to see Pi projects crossover with sci-fi franchises like this. The project is cool on its own but there's a lot of room for upgrading and modifying the turret with additional features that make for a cool end product.

Read: Raspberry Pi 'Portal' Sentry Turret

Raspberry Pi eInk AI-Generated Flower Paintings Frame

It can get old looking at the same pictures all of the time. Why not create never-before-seen paintings to spruce things up a bit? That's what maker Dylan has done with this AI-generated eInk display frame project. It uses a Raspberry Pi to create flower paintings using AI and outputs them onto a low-power eInk panel.

Why we love it:

Merging AI and art for a decoration like this is really cool but the fact that it's running on a Pi is just icing on the cake. The image generation is handled locally on the Pi instead of parsing requests across the internet which is even more exciting.

Read: Raspberry Pi eInk AI-Generated Flower Paintings Frame

Raspberry Pi Playstation 4 Controller Console

Restoring old hardware is always admirable but transforming it into something new can be exciting! Maker ConsciousFish6170 has turned an old PlayStation 4 controller into a retro gaming console using none other than our favorite SBC as the main board powering the system.

Why we love it:

It can be hard to find a good case for your Pi so we're tickled to see this one made from a PS4 controller. It looks like an input device but it's actually the whole console. We're probably a little biased but can you blame us? It was a great choice to put a Raspberry Pi inside.

Read: Raspberry Pi Playstation 4 Controller Console

Raspberry Pi Matrix Mask

You can't be too careful when it comes to protecting your identity, so why not don this crazy cool LED matrix mask put together by maker and developer Sean Hodgins? This Pi-powered mask lets you display images and even videos across hundreds of LEDs. A slit in the front lets you peer out and see through the matrix panels.

Why we love it:

This is a fun idea on its own but to see it implemented so well is just a delight. We're not surprised as Hodgins has a history of putting together some really cool projects already. This one is very well executed and we wish we could try it on for ourselves.

Read: Raspberry Pi Matrix Mask

Raspberry Pi 500 Keyboard with M.2 Slot Mod

The Raspberry Pi 500 was definitely a highly-desired product but makers were upset to find the NVMe M.2 slot missing. Thankfully, modders have already stepped up to modify the keyboard so that you can install an SSD. It takes a fair bit of work to pull off but the results can be worth the effort.

Why we love it:

This is a really cool mod that makes it possible to get everything you want out of the latest Pi 500. We really appreciate that it didn't take much time before the community figured out how to upgrade the board with the missing slot.

Read: Raspberry Pi 500 Keyboard with M.2 Slot Mod

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 WalkPi

Finally, you can make the Walkman of your dreams using the latest Raspberry Pi Pico 2. This custom music player features a custom PCB and a beautiful design that we loved too much to ignore. The project is dubbed WalkPi and lets you play MP3s on the go—surely to impress your friends.

Why we love it:

This is a cool idea for makers who want something fun to make and show off. The custom PCB looks fantastic and the end result is something we would carry around with us on a regular basis.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico 2 WalkPi

It's hard to believe that it's already November, but we're incredibly thankful for all the great Raspberry Pi projects we've come across this year. Today, we're looking at ten of the best Pi projects we've featured over the last month. These makers use different Raspberry Pi models to bring their creations to life, including the latest Raspberry Pi 5 and more.

When possible, we share all the details we have on how to recreate these projects or at least get a better idea of how they go together. The projects on this list were made using the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs for some seriously impressive end results. If you're looking for something fun to make this fall, there's definitely some inspiring work to indulge in below!

Raspberry Pi Pelican Cyberdeck

Jake Simek took things to the extreme when it came to putting together a case for his Raspberry Pi. This cyberdeck is housed inside of a Pelican case and comes with all the bells and whistles you could ask for when it comes to computing on the go and maybe a little hacking on the side.

Why we love it:

The quality of this cyberdeck build is top-notch and gorgeous to look at. The extra features are well thought out and definitely what you'd want to have in a portable PC. Whether you're looking for something you can hack with or just want a cool gaming rig to take with you, this is one build that's sure to inspire.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pelican Cyberdeck

 Raspberry Pi Streaming Rig 

When it comes to DIY entertainment, you can't go wrong with a Raspberry Pi media center. But what about for road trips? That's where ImJustWhelmed's project comes in handy! This Raspberry Pi streaming rig is made to help you bring your media with you when traveling. You can queue up your favorite shows with a smartphone, laptop or anything with a browser.

Why we love it:

We don't need an excuse to take a Pi with us on a road trip but we'll happily take one. There's so much more to do than just gaming on the go and this is a great example of what you can do with a little bit of effort. If you're looking for something to make your next road trip more enjoyable, you definitely should take a close look at this setup.

Read: Raspberry Pi Streaming Rig

 Raspberry Pi Proxmox ProxTag 

This little project was put together by Joseph Cauble and makes managing virtual machines with Proxmox Manager easier than ever. It features a tiny e-Ink display with a potentiometer that lets you monitor your machines and adjust a few settings. Cauble dubs his creation the Proxmox ProxTag.

Why we love it:

This project is really unique and very well-executed. It's definitely a bit niche but if you're into microelectronics projects and playing around with virtual environments, it's a match made in heaven.

Read: Raspberry Pi Proxmox ProxTag

 Raspberry Pi Pico W Brings 1986 Mac Online 

This is one of those projects that you do because you can not because you necessarily should. Hunter Irving is using a Raspberry Pi to connect an original 1986 Macintosh to the internet. Generally it's a bad idea to connect old hardware to the internet for security reasons but there's also a great deal of compatibility issues. Thankfully, he delves into both of these concerns and does it anyway!

Why we love it:

This is a really cool idea and the fact that it works as well as it does is super exciting. Not every website will work with a setup like this but it looks fun enough to tinker around with the ones that do.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico W Brings 1986 Mac Online

 Raspberry Pi Pico Simon Game 

We've heard of retrogaming on the Raspberry Pi but haven't quite seen it done like this! Instead of emulating an old game, FlorinCProjects has programmed a working version of Simon from scratch using one of our favorite SBCs—the Raspberry Pi Pico! It plays just like the original game and is just as fun to build as it is to play with.

Why we love it:

This project is designed to not only be fun to play but also look the part. The case is made from a recycled access point case and it works really well here. The arcade buttons are a nice touch as is the seven segment display in the middle.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Simon Game

 Raspberry Pi RP2350 PyDOS 

If you miss the Blackberry PDA form factor, you're going to love this RP2350-powered handheld put together by Anne Barela. This creation is dubbed PyDOS and it looks fantastic. Not only does it take advantage of the latest processor to come from Raspberry Pi, it's a super handy device capable of recreating the old school DOS experience we knew and love.

Why we love it:

We don't need a PyDOS, we just really want one. It's such a cool idea and the final product is absolutely gorgeous! The Blackberry keyboard is also icing on the cake—or should we say Pi? This project is definitely one worth checking out.

Read: Raspberry Pi RP2350 PyDOS

 Raspberry Pi FlexPi Flexible Pico 

We came across this Kickstarter project from TOP Gadgets and knew we had to feature it. The team has put together a totally flexible Raspberry Pi Pico replica known as FlexPi. This build also comes with a few upgrades like a USB Type-C port and a programmable RGB LED. It's important for us to note that supporting this Kickstarter project is more like an investment and not a guarantee you will receive the final product.

Why we love it:

If you're wondering what a board like this is useful for, you're not alone. It's essentially just a Raspberry Pi Pico. That said, the flexible PCB is super thin and can find inside tighter cases or devices that have a slight bend to them.

Read: Raspberry Pi FlexPi Flexible Pico

 Raspberry Pi Trackpad 

We've always had a lot of respect for the community when it comes to building something from scratch that they could otherwise buy. This project was put together by a team known as Ploopy. This trackpad is Raspberry Pi-powered and offers a great deal of flexibility thanks to its open source design. You can make it yourself, modify it or even buy a kit to assemble at home.

Why we love it:

It's always exciting to see the Pi used in an open source project like this. With a little extra work, you can take the design and modify it to suit your personal needs and end up with a useful input device that doubles as a cool talking point.

Read: Raspberry Pi Trackpad

 Raspberry Pi NEC TurboExpress 

There's nothing like breathing life into old hardware and that's exactly what Dawilson 246 has done with this old NEC Turbo Express. Not only does it fit a Raspberry Pi inside, much of the original hardware still works including the buttons on the front. Don't worry—no working NEC Turbo Express handhelds were harmed during the making of this project.

Why we love it:

We love old school hardware, we love gaming handhelds and we're absolutely nuts about the Raspberry Pi! It should come as no surprise that we jumped with excitement when we saw this cool creation.

Read: Raspberry Pi NEC TurboExpress

 Raspberry Pi Pico Macintosh 128K 

This is one of those projects that's really awesome in what it can do and what it represents. Action Retro has recreated a Macintosh 128K that runs entirely on a Raspberry Pi Pico. All you need is a special kit and you can recreate the old school computing experience for less than $20 bucks.

Why we love it:

When you consider how much the Macintosh 128K sold for when it first debuted—we're talking thousands of dollars—it's absolutely insane to realize you can make one now for $14. This project is really cool and a great learning tool for newcomers that want to learn about both microelectronics and retro computing.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Macintosh 128K

Tom's Hardware Projects

It's impossible to look at all of these amazing creations and not be inspired to make a few Raspberry Pi projects ourselves. Here's a look at what the team here at Tom's Hardware has been up to over the last month along with tutorials you can follow along with at home.

 How to install and use the new Raspberry Pi boot menu 

Interested in the new Raspberry Pi boot menu? So were we! In this guide, Les tells us what the fuss is all about and how you can set it up for yourself. All you need is a Raspberry Pi 5 and multiple sources to boot from.

Read: How to install and use the new Raspberry Pi boot menu

How to build Raspberry Pi Pico projects with Microsoft Visual Studio Code

If you're familiar with MS Visual Studio, you're going to love this guide on how you can use it to program your Raspberry Pi Pico projects! Sometimes it's easier to get into new things with a tool you're already used to using. Les goes over everything you need to get started.

Read: How to build Raspberry Pi Pico projects with Microsoft Visual Studio Code

If you're in the mood for a cool Raspberry Pi project to keep you busy this fall, you're in luck. We've put together a list of some of the best Raspberry Pi projects we've had the honor of featuring over the last month and firmly believe they deserve a little extra attention.

These makers use everything from the latest Raspberry Pi 5 to early boards that helped pave the way for this beloved line of hardware. They also implement some of the best Raspberry Pi accessories and HATs to bring their creative ideas to life. So we'll be sure to link you to all of the hardware they used so you can see exactly how they work and maybe even recreate them for yourself at home.

Raspberry Pi Pico Paw Patrol Toy Arcade Controller

Sure, you might hav played Sega's Super Hang-On before, but we'd bet cash money you haven't played it with a Paw Patrol toy as a controller—unless you're Dr. Tom Tilley. Using one of our favorite SBCs, he's transformed this kids toy into a working input device that lets you play the game using it like a steering wheel.

Why we love it:

This is a hilarious and inventive way to recyle old hardware and breathe new life into an otherwise obsolete toy. It also makes for a head turning headline that we couldn't help but share again with our readers who love microelectronics as much as we do.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Paw Patrol Toy Arcade Controller

Raspberry Pi Pico Model Train Level Crossing Lights

You can get seriously creative with model trains when throwing a Raspberry Pi into the mix and this project showcases that idea incredibly well. Using a Raspberry Pi Pico, Brendan McGrath has created working level crossing lights that work like real world ones do but on a much smaller scale.

Why we love it:

This is far from the first Pi-powered model train project we've seen but it's one of the latest and one we'll definitely keep in mind when working on tiny transportation projects of our own. It's one thing to make an LED flash, it's another to make it responsive to how hardware works in the real world.

Read: Raspberry Pi Pico Model Train Level Crossing Lights

Raspberry Pi 5 'Nostalgia Machine'

Anyone can make a Raspberry Pi streaming platform but maker and developer Shan Mason took the idea and ran with it—all the way back to 1980 to recreate a more classic TV viewing experience. You don't pick and choose what you watch and when as this Raspberry Pi retro TV plays media on a schedule, taking into account the time, day of the week and even holidays.

Why we love it:

This is a really cool idea and it's great to see it implemented so well. It's just icing on the cake (or should we say Pi) that it uses not one but two Raspberry Pi boards to pull off. The hardware is tucked neatly inside a cigar box that sits next to the old CRT TV which really just adds to the vintage setting.

Read: Raspberry Pi 5 'Nostalgia Machine'

Raspberry Pi AI EYE Camera

If you like projects with AI, you're going to love this convoluted AI-powered creation from maker Oscar Wilmerdingh. Using a Raspberry Pi, this camera (dubbed the AI EYE camera) captures an image, uses AI to create a text-based description of the image and then recreates it using another AI app based on the text that was generated.

Why we love it:

This project has no business in any practical situation but it's such a fun idea and works great. A lot of work went into its design included the beautiful 3D printed shell it's housed in. We appreciate all of the effort that went into its creation and firmly believe it deserves extra attention from our readers.

Read: Raspberry Pi AI EYE Camera

Raspberry Pi 'Bumpin Sticker'

Guy Dupont's creative juices must be flowing from a neverending fountain because he's at it again with what he calls his 'Bumpin' Sticker' project. This Pi-powered bumper sticker automatically updates to reflect whatever song he's currently streaming so driver know exactly what he's grooving to in real-time.

Why we love it:

This is one of those projects that really sticks out—no pun intended. It's a fun idea that's incredibly well-executed. If it were a commercial product, no doubt people would line up at the chance to buy one for themselves. Until then, however, you'll just have to follow his lead and make it yourself from scratch.

Read: Raspberry Pi 'Bumpin Sticker'

Tom's Hardware Projects

It's seriously impossible for us to look at Raspberry Pi projects all day long and not create some of our own. We love the chance to tinker and share our work in form of tutorials so you can follow along at home, as well. Here's what the staff of Tom's Hardware has been up to lately as well as links to the guides we put together for you to check out.

How to install MicroPython for RISC-V on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2

Have you been interested in tinkering with RISC-V on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2? Us, too! Thankfully, Les has done all of the brunt work for us and put together this amazing tutorial showcasing how you can set up MicroPython for RISC-V on the newest Pico 2 microcontroller.

Read: How to install MicroPython for RISC-V on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2

Cytron Motion 2350 Pro Review: The RP2350 Robot Platform

There's a reason Cytron has become an industry standard in the Pi community for tinkering with robotics. In this review, Les shows us all the ins and outs of the newest Cytron Motion 2350. If you're not pumped yet, you will be! This board is awesome and definitely worth taking a close look at.

Read: Cytron Motion 2350 Pro Review: The RP2350 Robot Platform

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 Björverud 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

While the best 3D printers can turn a spool of filament or a vat of resin into a working model, sometimes the best way to build something is by cutting through layers of acrylic, wood, or metal to get the shapes you need. Other times, you just need to imprint an image or text on an existing surface. For these use cases, you need a laser cutter or engraver.

Laser cutters, also sometimes called laser engravers, come in all shapes and sizes, allowing you to safely work with a variety of materials, from oak to iron-on transfers. You can get one of the best low-power laser cutters for as little as $220. Low-wattage lasers are cheaper and perfect for engraving images and cutting thin materials. Higher wattage machines are more expensive and can cut through thicker material in one pass. To help you choose, we’ve tested several models and listed the best laser cutters below.

Lasers are tested using both the supplied samples and popular project blanks, such as basswood sheets and bamboo cutting boards. We reviewed and tested several laser cutters and engravers to evaluate how the laser performs while engraving text and images, whether it can cut acrylic, or etch something more difficult like stone or metal. Finally, we put the laser to work, cutting thicker pine boards to determine if it meets the manufacturer's stated capabilities.

Quick List

 Best Laser Cutters and Engravers You Can Buy

Best CO2 Laser Cutter

If you want to laser all the things, the xTool P2 does nearly everything with speed and accuracy. It can engrave and slice a wide assortment of materials, including 20mm thick Walnut and clear acrylic. It's fully enclosed with a camera for remote operation, air assist, an exhaust fan, and a metal grill. The lid locks for extra safety, and pushing the release button will automatically stop the laser.

The P2 comes with all the bells and whistles and is priced accordingly. At $4,999, it may not be in the budget for the average hobbyist, but it is definitely a good investment for a small business. The only downside of this “desktop” machine is its size. Weighing in at 99 pounds and taking up 39 inches of counter space, this laser cutter practically needs its own workshop.

xTool offers plenty of support for budding entrepreneurs with a website full of advice and a shop stocked with unbranded materials to engrave. Sure, you could source all your own materials, but everything that xTool sells has a preset profile in the laser’s custom software to make engraving and cutting effortless.

Materials: Wood, bamboo, cork, stone, leather, fabric, cardboard, and all acrylic.

More: xTool P2 Review

Best Home Crafting Laser Cutter

Glowforge is known for premium CO2 laser cutters for small businesses, so it was surprising when the company introduced a 6-watt diode laser aimed at family crafters, for a fraction of the cost. The Glowforge Aura is a fully enclosed laser that’s incredibly lightweight and can be used anywhere you have a WiFi connection – including your dining room table.

The enclosure and optional air purifier make the laser safe for use around kids and pets, a real plus for anyone without a dedicated workshop or craft room. It’s designed to appeal to paper crafters who want a little more power for cutting wood and leather, but don’t have the budget for Glowforge’s CO2 cutter or want the hassle of an open-frame laser.

The Aura’s software is online and can be used with any computer or mobile device. A Premium Membership unlocks hundreds of ready-to-burn designs, but it can also be used with simple clip art familiar to paper crafters. Aura’s camera can also scan hand-drawn designs and quickly make them laser-ready.

Retailing at $1,199, the Glowforge Aura is not exactly cheap, but it’s extremely easy to use. When coupled with Glowforge’s line of QR-coded materials, the laser is as easy to use as a paper printer. You can purchase the Aura at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from the Glowforge store.

Materials: Thin wood, leather, faux vinyl, and paper.

More: Glowforge Aura Review

Best Portable Laser

If you want to laser on the go, the xTool F1 is a perfect choice. It was made with craft fair vendors in mind and can safely customize small objects on the spot. It has both a diode and an IR Galvo laser under the hood, which allows it to engrave pretty much anything from silver bracelets to wooden ornaments. When used with the lid down, the laser is rated as a Class 1, making it safe to operate around customers, kids and pets.

The F1 doesn’t come with safety glasses, so if you plan to laser anything bigger than 4.5 inches, you’ll need to find a pair. xTool sells the glasses separately, though they are not offered in a bundle.

The laser is able to display a harmless blue preview image right on the object you’re customizing, which is incredibly helpful for adding engraving to objects you’ve previously cut.

Its compact size is also great for crafters short on space – its tiny footprint takes up no more space than a toaster.

Materials: Wood, bamboo, cork, stone, leather, fabric, metal.

More: xTool F1 Review

Best Metal Laser

The xTool F2 Ultra packs a punch with a 60-watt MOPA fiber laser that can carve deep and clean metal engravings, cut thin metals, and produce color engravings on stainless steel. Paired with a 40-watt blue diode laser for wood, acrylic, and other non-metals, the F2 Ultra is a true all-in-one solution for serious makers who need consistent results across a wide range of materials.

The built-in positioning camera allows for precise placement directly from the design software, which is essential for small items like jewelry and one-of-a-kind items. As a galvo laser, it uses high-speed mirrors instead of a moving gantry, reaching engraving speeds of up to 15,000 mm/s. Despite the cone-shaped work area common to galvo systems, we found engraving consistency remained excellent all the way to the edges of the 220 × 220 mm workspace.

This is not a casual or portable machine. Weighing in at 47 pounds and requiring a substantial air filtration system, the F2 Ultra is firmly aimed at small businesses and professional workshops. It’s a Class 4 laser and demands proper safety practices, especially when using accessories that require the enclosure to remain open. We were disappointed that safety goggles were not included with the machine, though they can be purchased separately from xTool. The machine is a serious investment with its starting price of $4,999, but for anyone whose business revolves around metal engraving, the F2 Ultra delivers the best metal laser experience we’ve tested and justifies its premium positioning.

More: xTool F2 Ultra review

Best Laser Cutter for Home Business

The WeCreat Vision Pro is a 45-watt laser engraver equipped with powerful features, including auto-leveling, an integrated camera, and a solid metal enclosure. There’s a good reason this engraver is on our list of the best laser engravers and cutters, and that’s the ability to add modules like rotary engraving, automatic passthrough, and a specific laser for engraving on metal.

The WeCreat Vision Pro Super Pack, which includes all the accessories used in the review, will set you back $3,449.99. This puts the Vision Pro out of impulse buy territory and into the realm of prosumer equipment, which is where it really belongs. If you have a small business making customized products and want to expand your offerings to larger materials, cylindrical objects, or metals, the Vision Pro will be a powerful tool in your collection.

Materials: Wood, bamboo, cork, food, stone, leather, fabric, cardboard, and most acrylic.

More: WeCreat Vision Pro Laser Engraver Review

Best Laser Cutter Attachment for a 3D Printer

Laser attachments for 3D printers seem like a no-brainer – after all, you already have a perfectly good motion system, right? But the hassle of unscrewing your normal tool head and reprogramming the main board isn’t always so easy. Plus, laser-safe enclosures for 3D printers are hard to find.

Enter Snapmaker Artisan, a 3-in-1 printer, laser, and CNC combo that literally has it all. The machine has a handy auto-focusing program, plus it uses a camera to guide material placement. Custom software from Luban is included with the machine to operate all three functions.

Switching between printing, lasering, and milling is simple with quick-release tool heads and snap-in-place work surfaces. A well-vented, laser-safe enclosure comes standard with the machine.

The Artisan has two drawbacks – it is very, very large and rather expensive. Priced at $2,999, it is more than an xTool D1 Pro with all the extras. But if you’re interested in lasers, 3D prints, and milling, it may be the perfect all-in-one workshop tool for you.

The Artisan comes standard with a capable 10-watt laser and a roomy 400 x 400 build surface. The machine can be upgraded with 20 and 40-watt tool heads that also have air assist.

Materials: Wood, bamboo, cork, stone, leather, fabric, cardboard, and most acrylic.

More: Snapmaker Artisan 3-in-1 Review

Best Premium Laser Cutter for Home Business

The xTool S1 is a fully enclosed, 40W diode laser with cutting power you might expect from a CO2 laser at half the price. It can slice a 20 mm piece of pine in one pass at low speeds, and quickly etch designs with speeds up to 600mm/s. Its large, well-lit interior can accommodate boards up to 23 x 19 inches, with an optional conveyor system to handle infinitely long boards.

Though it lacks a camera for automatic positioning, it has a clever system to physically probe the material and pinpoint exact edges and curves. These points are transferred to the xTool software, which allows designs to be precisely placed within a fraction of a millimeter and eliminates the need for complex jigs.

xTool offers a variety of feature packages for the S1, so you can customize the laser to fit your needs and budget. Three swappable tool heads are available: 20 and 40-watt blue 455 nm diode lasers for cutting organic materials, and a 2-watt Infrared 1064 nm for etching metals. The basic 20-watt laser is currently on sale for $1,699.

A big bonus is xTool’s ecosystem, which offers support for makers wanting to spin their hobby into a business. Its website has a fully stocked shop of unbranded materials to engrave, plus ideas and tutorials to inspire you.

Materials: Cardboard, wood, bamboo, rubber, leather, stone, some acrylic, painted glass

More: xTool S1 Review

Other Laser Engravers We Tested

Creality Falcon T1

The Creality Falcon T1 offers a novel approach to laser engraving, with five swappable laser modules (20W diode, 40W diode, 20W fiber, 5W UV, and 60W MOPA) that all share a galvo-based motion system for lightning-fast engraving speeds. The 175 x 175 mm engraving area comfortably fits objects like dog tags, coasters, and the optional object stand can hold crystals for 3D engraving. Coupled with accessories such as a conveyor belt, rotary attachment kit, and air filter, the Falcon T1 is designed to offer consumers a broad ecosystem for small businesses and advanced hobbyists.

The Falcon T1 has a lot of potential, but our unit had issues with the rotary engraver during testing, and the MOPA laser was not available for testing. We were only able to test three of the five laser modules and the experience with the UV laser module felt rushed and incomplete, with much of the calibration instructions spread across 57 pages of Word documents. As it stands, the Falcon T1 is definitely a laser to keep an eye on but it might be worth waiting for Creality to improve the overall experience before committing to purchasing a unit.

With a base price of $2,249 for the Falcon T1 equipped with the least expensive 20W diode laser, the Falcon T1 is a compelling choice for lightning-fast galvo laser engraving. The UV and MOPA laser modules ($2,339 and $3,059, respectively) quickly drive the cost of the Falcon T1 into prosumer territory, and buying all the modules and accessories will cost over $10,000. As of our review, the UV and MOPA laser modules do not have a firm retail release date, which makes the Falcon T1 a potentially risky purchase for a business that is relying on those features.

Read: Creality Falcon T1 Review

Creality Falcon2 Pro 60W

The Creality Falcon2 Pro 60W brings serious cutting power to the table, using a high-power laser toolhead that can cut through thick material at high speeds on a 400 x 400mm working area. The 60W laser features adjustable output between 60W, 40W, and 22W for various applications, and the entire toolhead can be swapped out for a 1.6W laser for higher-resolution engraving. A removable debris tray, external air assist, and integrated USB webcam all come together to create a versatile, home workshop-ready laser.

In testing, the Falcon2 Pro impressed us with the fast cutting ability of the 60W laser, but there were some issues that kept this machine from being added to our list of the best laser engravers. The thin acrylic cover on the Falcon2 Pro 60W left us less than impressed, and the visible light leakage is something to take into consideration if you plan on using this laser in an area with other people. The thin and wobbly slats that are included with the machine don’t inspire much confidence, and a honeycomb table is a must-have if you plan on using the Falcon2 Pro for any detailed engraving.

The modularity of the high-power 60W laser and 1.6W laser toolheads gives the Creality Falcon2 Pro the ability to cut thick material as well as achieve fine detail on engraving, effectively acting as a 2-in-1 machine. If you’re comfortable working with the flimsy enclosure and have a ventilation solution in place, the Falcon2 Pro 60W could be a good place to start for users looking for one of the highest-wattage diode lasers in the sub-$2,000 price bracket.

Read: Creality Falcon2 Pro 60W Review

Creality Falcon A1 Pro

The Creality Falcon A1 Pro is a 20W diode laser engraver with a fully enclosed build volume, automatic laser alignment, and an integrated camera that helps users plan jobs on the 358 x 268mm build area. Coupled with the first-party Creality Falcon Design Space software, new users can get started in minutes after pulling the laser out of the box. Safety features like a flame sensor, E-Stop, and keyed lockout are welcome inclusions for most home users.

The side-mounted LCD on the Falcon A1 Pro feels like an afterthought on an otherwise well-designed machine, and the lack of included safety goggles was also something noted during our review. The overall build quality on the Falcon A1 Pro is high, and the external air assist minimizes discoloration from deep cuts and engravings.

The Creality Falcon A1 Pro offers a polished, safety-first approach to laser engraving that sits between inexpensive open-frame laser engravers and large CO2 lasers. For hobbyists and makers who already have an enclosed CoreXY 3D printer and are serious about their craft, the Falcon A1 Pro is a great fit.

Read: Creality Falcon A1 Pro Review

Mecpow X4 Pro

The Mecpow X4 Pro brings a fully enclosed 22W diode laser with Wi-Fi, an integrated webcam, and included air assist to the sub-$1,000 price point. This laser is closer to a piece of industrial manufacturing equipment than a hobbyist machine, which is reflected in the large working area of 410 x 400mm, integrated light bar, and safety features like tilt/flame sensors, a lid interlock, E-Stop, and security lock.

Mecpow doesn’t provide any first-party software for the X4 Pro, which can be either a non-issue or a major obstacle depending on the experience level of the user. The acrylic enclosure is a weak point on this laser; the review unit arrived with cracks and gaps in the panels, which could raise concerns about smoke escaping and light leakage.

The Mecpow X4 Pro offers a good deal of laser wattage for the price, but the catch is you’ll need to have experience with setting up the software yourself to get the most out of the laser. If you already have a workshop with ventilation, safety goggles, and experience with LaserGRBL and LightBurn, the Mecpow X4 Pro will feel right at home on your bench. If you’re a beginner and need help getting started, finding a different laser with first-party software is a safer bet.

Read: Mecpow X4 Pro Review

WeCreat Vista 10W

The WeCreat Vista is a fully enclosed, 10-watt laser with a slightly smaller build area than its big brother, the WeCreat Vision. The Vista had great features, like a smoke purifier and an IR laser for metal engraving, but it did not make our best laser cutter and engraver list. Check out our review for more details. It is on sale at Amazon for $1,059 with a $160 coupon.

Shopping Tips for Laser Engravers and Cutters

There are several factors to consider before buying the best desktop laser for you, so be sure to consider these questions before making a choice.

How We Test Laser Cutters

How We Test Laser Cutters  

Each laser we review is carefully vetted for safety, performance, and ease of use. Depending on the laser cutter's capabilities, we will use it to engrave on or cut patterns out of various materials, including wood and acrylic.

We always first test the laser using the supplied safety gear, but we reserve the right to move the equipment into a third-party enclosure if necessary.

MORE: Best 3D Printers

MORE: Best Resin 3D Printers

MORE: Best Budget 3D Printers

As 3D printing continues to become cheaper and more accessible, resin 3D printers have become a popular choice for anyone interested in making highly-detailed models that wouldn’t be feasible using a filament-fed, FDM 3D printer. These MSLA (Masked Stereolithography) resin 3D printers typically have a single axis of motion, and this simple mechanical system means these machines can regularly be found for less than $300. With so many models on the market, we’ve made this list to help you find the best resin 3D printer for you.

The best resin 3D printers are capable of making high-resolution models by curing a liquid resin using a UV light source. This MSLA process uses a masking LCD to selectively block the UV light on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing these printers to create models that have a resolution of down to .035mm on the XY axes.

This high resolution comes at a price, as parts made on a resin 3D printer require post-processing after printing, and UV resin requires caution when handling. Because resin requires gloves and a mask to handle, we recommend beginners or anyone with young kids consider one of the FDM (fusion deposit modeling) printers on our overall Best 3D Printers page. Additionally, we have our Best Budget 3D Printers list if you are looking for more affordable options. To see our speed testing benchmark results and rankings of the top FDM models available, check out our 3D Printer Speed Hierarchy page.

Quick List

Best Resin 3D Printers in 2025

Best Resin 3D Printer Overall

The Saturn 4 Ultra delivers everything it promises: it’s easy to use, has crispy 12K resolution, and it's about as automatic as a resin printer can get. It doesn’t need special resin or expensive films in the vat, making it cost-effective. Most of the improvements are within the machine itself – a tilt-back hood, auto leveling, a print monitoring camera that can also shoot time lapses, and a vat that gently peels each printed layer off the film by tilting.

The tilting vat is something I’ve never seen before. Normally, prints are forced off the vat’s delicate film-covered bottom by being pulled straight up, fighting suction and causing stress that leads to eventual failure. The Saturn 4 Ultra gently peels the layers off with a rocking motion. This gives the Saturn 4 Ultra a bit more speed while using the same affordable film Elegoo has been using for years.

Our only complaints were minor – the camera currently only works with Chitubox, and the lid doesn’t have a handle.

More: Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra Review

Best Resin for Print Farms

The Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S is a huge resin 3D printer with a 15-inch light source and a build volume that rivals those of traditional FDM printers. It’s easy enough for a beginner to operate, with a simple-to-navigate menu and a perfect build plate that releases models with ease. Retailing at $1,579, the Sonic Mega 8K S is a pricey machine that could make good business sense for print farms that produce massive models or tons of smaller figures. You can find it on sale at MatterHackers and at Phrozen's store for $80 less than MSRP. Also available at Amazon with an even bigger discount of $180 when you use the 15% coupon (at $1,401).

8K resolution may no longer sound impressive, but those 43-micron pixels are the size of a human hair. When prints made with a 12K machine are put side-by-side, it’s not far off, and the difference is barely detectable by the human eye.

The Sonic Mega 8K S is an overhaul of the previous Mega 8K. The most notable improvements are the hinged, tilt-back lid and the ability to hang the build plate at an angle for drainage, both things I’d love to see on a regular-sized resin printer.

Phrozen offers several optional accessories that make the Sonic Mega 8Ks exceptionally easy to use: a 24 liter (6 gallons) wash unit, a curing station the size of a microwave, and a pump to keep your vat perpetually full.

More: Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S Review

Best High-Resolution 3D Printer