This summer, most of us are spending our days at home. What better way to pass the time than to work on a new Raspberry Pi project? If you're looking for ideas and inspiration, you'll appreciate this collection of Raspberry Pi projects for July.
These are the best Pi projects we've featured on Tom's Hardware in the past month. From Twitch-controlled robots to a digital assistant that helps you win at Scrabble, makers created some really fun, useful and innovative devices that we couldn't help but share again. Some of them even provide source code so you can recreate these innovations at home.
Minecraft RGB Friend Notification Sign
Created by Wes from Geeksmithing, this project uses a Raspberry Pi to control the RGB LEDs inside of a sign featuring the Minecraft logo. When the Pi detects that a friend has accessed your Minecraft server, one of the letters illuminates.
Why we love it: This project is a wonderful use of the Raspberry Pi with real-time effects. The sign is very well-designed and handmade entirely by Wes. It serves as a functional and aesthetically pleasing project that definitely brightens up any gaming room.
Pi Commander: the Raspberry Pi Flight Simulator
If you're into flight sims, you'll appreciate this project by Adrien Castel. It's a handheld flight sim system running on a Raspberry Pi. It has a custom display and features a custom overlay that resembles a jet fighter.
Why we love it: Pi Commander is a great demonstration of how to integrate old hardware with a Pi project. It's fun, old school and definitely puts a new spin on retro gaming mods.
Pi-Powered Pip Boy Replica
If you've wandered the wastelands of the Fallout series, you may have wondered how to get your hands on a Pip-Boy in real life. This Pip-Boy Pi project by Starscream205 comes pretty close! It uses a model Pip-Boy for housing and a Raspberry Pi with an LCD display. The buttons and knobs are responsive and have been programmed to replicate a few Pip-Boy functions.
Why we love it: It's hard to beat a fun project like this one, especially if you're a Fallout fan. Whether you're into cosplay or just prop building in general, it's hard to deny the design elements came together for a believable end product.
Twitch-Controlled Pi Robot
If you're missing community and social gatherings, you aren't the only one. This project, created by Omantn is designed to bridge the gap and connect users via Twitch. There, users can work together to send commands to a Raspberry Pi robot, navigating a custom course.
Why we love it: This project is an awesome way to bring people together while flexing your tech skills. The community aspects are admirable and the timing couldn't be better.
NFC Raspberry Pi Radio
Don't even bother searching for your favorite album, just grab it off the shelf and scan it with Mark Hank's NFC Raspberry Pi Sonos radio. It relies on NFC tags to change music when detected. The tags can be put onto anything—Mark even uses old cassette tape boxes for custom playlists like a mixtape!
Why we love it: It's a practical example of how to use NFC technology. Wireless scanning is one of many cool things you can do with a Raspberry Pi and a fun way to add some flare to your Pi project.
Key Mime Pi: the Remote Pi Keyboard
This remote Pi keyboard project is really unique and definitely niche, but it could also come in handy when you least expect it. It uses a Raspberry Pi to mimic keyboard input from a computer, relaying the input to a different computer via USB.
Why we love it: Sometimes all you need to fix your problem is a Raspberry Pi and a little bit of patience. It provides a clever solution to a rare problem and shows how versatile the Pi can be in a pinch.
Super Small Raspberry Pi Gaming PC
A big selling point for the Raspberry Pi is it's pocket-sized form factor. Michael Pick takes advantage of this in his ultra small gaming PC build. It not only streams games from his actual gaming PC, but it resembles the look and feel of a gaming desktop on a micro scale. It even has a little 3D printed GPU module with a working fan.
Why we love it: We firmly believe that technology is art. This project showcases some of the best creativity you'll find in the tech community. This project looks awesome and works great!
Retro Pi TV Display
Some Raspberry Pi projects are made just for decor. This retro TV display was custom built by Ryan from The Garage Journal. It has super retro vibes and is programmed to loop old school videos using a Raspberry Pi.
Why we love it: Some Pi projects are elegant and deserve credit when credit is due. This retro TV display was handmade entirely from scratch by Ryan and the end result is too stunning not to share.
Raspberry Pi Scrabble Assistant
Do you lose at Scrabble more than you would like? You need Wayne's Raspberry Pi Scrabble Assistant! It checks your current hand of tiles and automatically populates a list of best words to choose from.
Why we love it: This project is a hilarious, over-engineered way to win at Scrabble. It also serves as a great example of how to integrate image recognition into your Pi project.
Pi-Powered Astrophotography Camera with HQ Module
If you're into flight sims, you'll appreciate this project by Adrien Castel. It's a handheld flight sim system running on a Raspberry Pi. It has a custom display and features a custom overlay that resembles a jet fighter.
Why we love it: Pi Commander is a great demonstration of how to integrate old hardware with a Pi project. It's fun, old school and definitely puts a new spin on retro gaming mods.