The Raspberry Pi single-board pc and all its variants have captured the imaginations of DIY lovers and budding hobbyists alike, despite the fact that it hasn’t been resistant to the chip crunch. The following-gen Raspberry Pi 5 received’t launch this yr, however the present fashions nonetheless pack sufficient oomph to gas sensible and fantastical initiatives alike, providing helpful options like USB-C charging and sufficient graphics horsepower to drive a pair of 4K screens concurrently.
A lot of the protection you’ll see across the internet focuses on the extra wondrous initiatives—magic mirrors, transportable gaming handhelds, clever drones, and so forth. And for good cause! These maker masterpieces present what kind of energy the $35 mini-PC is able to within the arms of somebody with slightly creativeness and a bin filled with spare electronics.Â
However most individuals, significantly newcomers, received’t use the Raspberry Pi to whip up loopy creations. There are near-endless sensible makes use of for this bare-bones package, from media streaming to extending the vary of your Wi-Fi community, as the next 10 initiatives show. Time to place that $35 pc to actual work. Heck, many of those will work simply tremendous even on the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero.
The unique $35 Raspberry Pi might have been revolutionary to makers, nevertheless it took off with PC lovers as properly because of its potential to double as a dirt-cheap home-theater PC. That attract might have waned a bit in recent times as devoted gadgets just like the Chromecast hit the streets at equally low costs, however utilizing a Raspberry Pi as a media-streaming field nonetheless gives much more energy than these streaming-centric sticks, particularly if in case you have a sizeable native media assortment.
There are a slew of HTPC-centric Raspberry Pi working programs on the market, every revolving round slapping your HD movies on the massive display screen. OSMC is constructed across the in style Kodi media middle software program (previously XBMC), whereas RasPlex transforms your Pi into the final word Plex streaming field. The $21 Raspberry Pi TV Hat accent, in the meantime, can grant your mini-PC the power to learn over-the-air TV indicators.
Give a dumb TV smarts
Likewise, if in case you have a dumb TV that you simply’d like so as to add internet looking and different fundamental computing talents to, the Raspberry Pi does the trick with out costing anyplace close to as a lot as a correct house theater PC. You’ll need to use a Raspberry Pi 2, 3, or 4, although—the unique Pi and the Raspberry Pi Zero are simply pokey sufficient to be irritating for normal duties. With the appropriate case, the Pi can look downright fashionable in your house theater, too.
Bonus: In case you’re connecting the Raspberry Pi to your TV, you should use it to stream internet movies, too!
File storage server
You can even have your Raspberry Pi play wingman for the opposite gadgets in your home, serving as a centralized gadget that performs useful duties.
Working example: You should use the mini-PC as a low cost NAS field for normal file storage for those who join an exterior USB onerous drive to the machine. Hit these hyperlinks for technical particulars, and one tip for those who’re planning to transform the pc to a file server: Use a wired ethernet connection moderately than Wi-Fi for those who’re in a position. Be sure to seize a strong exterior drive, too!
Wi-fi community printer
Printing isn’t as prevalent because it was once, however the Raspberry Pi will help you rework that chunky previous USB printer in your closet right into a networked printer that each gadget in your home can use.
You’ll want an influence supply for every gadget, clearly, in addition to a USB connection between the gadgets, however setting it up is fairly easy. This MakeUseOf tutorial walks you thru the method step-by-step.
Lengthen your own home’s Wi-Fi community
Raspberry Pi doesn’t make the house networks you utilize, however it might probably make the house networks you utilize higher for those who configure the mini-PC as a wi-fi vary extender, tapping into the gadget’s ethernet and USB ports. Doing so will help your Wi-Fi sign attain the farthest corners of your home and assist wipe out useless zones.
Configuring the gadget to bolster your own home community will take a little bit of time, and also you’ll want to purchase a USB Wi-Fi adapter to do it, however once more, it’s comparatively easy with a information. Take a look at Adafruit’s reader-friendly tutorial.
Outdated-school gaming emulator
Gaming emulators are a authorized grey space, however there’s little doubt that utilizing the Raspberry Pi as a butt-kicking console emulator is a well-liked use for the machines. It may play video games from all kinds of consoles proper on as much as the PlayStation 1 period for those who handle to snag some authorized sport ROMs, although the older the system being emulated, the higher the efficiency.
Curious? Take a look at PCWorld’s full information to turning your Raspberry Pi right into a retro gaming console for the total scoop.
A music streaming machine
The Raspberry Pi’s media chops aren’t restricted to video streaming alone. Quite a few working programs have additionally been launched that rework the gadget right into a high-fidelity music participant when related to a speaker, type of like a extra highly effective, versatile model of Chromecast Audio.
The varied music-oriented OSes accessible supply totally different options; poke across the FAQs and options of every to see which is true to your wants. Listed below are tutorials on learn how to have your Raspberry Pi flip dumb audio system into good music options with Volumio and Rune Audio (pictured), each of which supply cellular apps so you possibly can management your tunes together with your cellphone.
Study programming
You might at all times use the Raspberry Pi because it was initially supposed, too: As a low-cost introduction to programming and pc science. The mini-PC’s loaded with all kinds of software program that encourages deep-level tinkering.
Past the command-line terminal, you’ll must wade in typically, you’ll additionally discover variations of Wolfram Mathematica, Python program creation instruments, and Scratch, an animation coding IDE for teenagers, within the Raspbian working system that the Raspberry Pi Basis encourages new customers to put in. Get good!
Play Minecraft
Or you may play Minecraft. There’s a free Raspberry Pi model of Minecraft that anyone can obtain for gratis. Even higher, it’s designed to show you learn how to use the Python programming language as you construct out the world. (Hey, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella did say that a part of the rationale the corporate bought Mojang was to lure youngsters into pc science.)
Obtain Minecraft: Pi Version and leap in with this useful tutorial.
Inexpensive productiveness PC
With choices of 2GB, 4GB, and now 8GB fashions, the Raspberry Pi 4 packs a heftier punch than earlier RPi iterations—making it appropriate for fundamental on a regular basis duties like internet looking, watching video streams, and doc enhancing. Organising one as a PC goes quick, too, with the majority of the hour setup time dedicated to ready for the working system set up to finish.
As a starter or secondary pc, it’s onerous to beat, particularly given its construct value of $100 (and even much less, for those who go for the 2GB model and never the 4GB). Take a look at PCWorld’s full information in learn how to put collectively a $100 Raspberry Pi PC for every little thing you’ll want.
Loopy superior experiments
Let’s end the place we started. When you’ve wrapped your head across the Raspberry Pi’s potential, why not attempt your hand at a type of awe-inspiring creative initiatives? PCWorld’s have a look at 10 insanely revolutionary, extremely cool Raspberry Pi creations will help with the inspiration, whereas the mission guides at Instructables, Hackaday, and the Raspberry Pi Basis web site itself are able to stroll you step-by-step via the actually superior stuff just like the magic mirror above.
Additionally take a look at our roundup of the greatest Raspberry Pi kits. Whether or not you’re a beginner who simply desires to get all of the fundamentals with one buy, or an skilled tinkerer seeking to construct a specialised mission, a package might be the best way to go.
Editor’s word: This text is up to date periodically to incorporate new information, most lately to resurface these initiatives for Pi day (3/14/23) and word that the Raspberry Pi 5 received’t launch this yr.
