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Raspberry Pi Pico W Projects to Inspire Your Inner Maker
The Raspberry Pi family has grown today and now includes a $6 wireless microcontrollers, the Raspberry Pi Pico W. We’ve already had the chance to check it out and have a full Raspberry Pi Pico W review available for anyone interested in the new board. In short, we’re head over heels for the new development and it looks like we’re not alone!
Several makers have had the opportunity to check out the new boards and have even shared some new Pico W projects with the community that demonstrates its potential. Today we’re taking a look at a few of them to get you excited and hopefully springboard some new ideas with their inspirational creations.
Raspberry Pi Pico W Wi-Fi Network Scanner
I made a simple wifi network scanner with the new @Raspberry_Pi #PicoW. Green LEDs are secure networks, amber are hidden SSIDs and red are for insecure open networks. pic.twitter.com/g3wgidKHAVJune 30, 2022
Raspbery Pi Foundation Programme Manager, Richard Hayler is using the Pico W to power this network scanner. An LED strip is thrown into the mix to signal how many Wi-Fi networks are nearby and what kind. According to Hayler, the green lights symbolize secure networks, red lights are used for insecure open networks, and the amber LEDs are for hidden SSIDs.
With the help of MicroPython, Jeff Geerling has created a wireless sensor for his garage door. This project is intended to integrate with his home automation system and uses a magnetic switch to toggle the state of a GPIO pin, the state of the pin is then communicated to the home automation system. More updates are expected soon on this project which can be found on his official website.
Nathan with pi3g has built a Pico W-powered web server using MicroPthon. With it, users can connect to the Pico wirelessly and, in his demonstration, control the onboard LED. The Pico W handles serving both the HTML for a browser session, and the backend GPIO control that turns the LED on and off.
Pico W Plant Notification System
The @Raspberry_Pi Pico W is perfect for smart home devices, including smart plants!🪴Yep, you read that right.@sandeepmistry details how to get plants texting you using the Pico W alongside tech from @pimoroni, @micropython and @twilio on @Hacksterio: https://t.co/5oyu9W81S8 pic.twitter.com/7xbxGvmYeyJune 30, 2022
Arm is using a Pico W to power a plant notification system. With the help of a Pimoroni Grow HAT Mini, it sends mobile notifications with fun messages and reminders to water the plant when the moisture sensor detects low levels. You can see it in action over at the official Arm profile at Twitter.
It wouldn't be a new Pi release without a slew of Pimoroni products to go along with it! Users have a few new boards to get excited about including the Galactic Unicorn which features a matrix panel that can be operated by the Pico W, along with two new wireless boards—the Inventor 2040W and the Automation 2040W. You can get a good look at these new developments on the official Pimoroni YouTube page.
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Be sure to check out our list of best Raspberry Pi projects for more inspiring creations from the maker community. We’ll be sure to cover more Pico W projects as they make their rounds online so heat up your soldering irons (if you don't have one, now is the time to grab one from our list of best soldering irons) and snag a Pico W for yourself!
Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
