If there's one thing the Raspberry Pi absolutely shines at, it's serving as a miniature desktop. The Pi community is overflowing with cool custom PCs that range from looking like tiny versions of existing computers, like these tiny Pi-powered Macs, to totally unique creations like this one from Arnov Sharma. Using our favorite SBC, he's put together a portable Pi-powered desktop known as the Power Pi Version 2.
This project has been ongoing for a while. Technically this is the second version of this PC. It has a few upgrades that set it apart from the previous edition, like a larger size and special section for holding the battery. This version also has RGB LEDs which are absolutely essential when putting together a custom gaming rig. If Sharma's name sounds familiar, you might recognize some other Pi-powered creations of his that we've featured in the past, like this Game Boy XL project.
The RGB LEDs in Sharma's Pi PC can be customized using a web interface that he put together just for this purpose. The web app is impressive enough, but it's not the only component Sharma created from scratch just for this project. He also designed the housing with Autodesk Fusion 360 and then 3D printed it with special details given to allow the hardware to easily mount inside.
The main board powering the PC we see in the video is a Raspberry Pi 4B. However, Sharma assures that you should be able to recreate this project using any other model of Pi without any issue. The Pi works alongside a few other components, like a custom PCB as well as three 18650 batteries. A complete list of hardware is available over at Hackster, where you can also find a detailed breakdown of the Power Pi Version 2's construction process.
Because this is just a desktop rig, you could run any OS you'd like. Changing out the SD card makes it easy to swap between a regular desktop or something dedicated to gaming, like RetroPie. If you want to see this Raspberry Pi project in action, check out the official project page over at Hackster or head over to Sharma's YouTube channel for more videos.
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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.
One thing I really like about this is the use of 18650 batteries. By using Standard, readily available batteries, this device has a life of many decades. When they use Proprietary batteries, it make the device a throw away. I personally would have use 21700 batteries, but 18650 are a very nice size.
