Raspberry Pi Projects – 30 STEM Links a Week

The Raspberry Pi is a low-cost single board computer anyone can use to learn about computer hardware and software. These hand sized boards have been shot into space and used in many different ways, from weather stations to kiosk displays, Tor and media servers, health care, and more. While small, they have the power and versatility of larger computers.

These pages describe fun Pi projects. They might inspire you to play with your Pi or get a new one. Beginners should start with the Foundation site at RaspberryPi.org. Links are at the bottom of this article.

Daphne’s Tweeting Catflap

How many doors have you walked through today? Can you remember every single door? Imagine how doors feel, with people and animals passing them by daily. Imagine if a door could speak and tell us about the pains of being ignored. Well, thanks to a Raspberry Pi, a webcam, some code, and Twitter, a catflap (what Americans call a cat door or dog door) tweets every time Daphne the resident cat uses the catflap. It’s silly, of course, but also an excellent reason to play with a Pi and learn a little bit about coding and the Internet of Things (a fancy phrase to describe otherwise mute objects hooked up to computers).

Electric Skateboard with a Raspberry Pi

Perhaps the neatest part of this project is the use of a Wii remote to control the speed. The board will go as fast as 30 kilometers per hour (18.6411 miles per hour) and has a range of 10 km (6.21317 miles). The kit he pulled together includes a board, two metal boxes, a speed controller and brushless motor, a Pi Zero, and a Wiimote. You also should get a helmet. The article also includes a link to the 100 lines of code needed to control the motor with the Pi and Wiimote. Aside from possible crash risk, overall a good hands on project. Tour of Cambridge not included.

Wearable Time Lapse Camera

This small computer and camera are clipped to a pocket or pack, or worn on a lanyard. It snaps a photo every few seconds. The SD card collects the photos to be downloaded into your computer. It’s powered by the smallest and most affordable Pi, the Zero. The camera is 5 or 8 megapixels. An infrared camera also works. The case is 3D printed but use Shapeways, 3DHubs, or similar service instead of buying a 3D printer. Your library also may have a printer. The tutorial includes a detailed parts list, instructions, and code.

DotStar Pi Painter

Adafruit have updated their several light painting guides to account for DotStar LEDs which are easier to use than earlier technology with no image size limits, easy image loading, and smoother image interpolation and dithering. This is an intermediate to advanced project (but fun!). It might work great for events and in the front yard for the holidays.

Minecraft on Pi

Mojang released a custom version to run on Pi that runs like the mobile version. Tutorial shows how to install and run Minecraft Pi.

Retropie

Any number of projects use a Raspberry Pi as the brains of a 1980s or 1990s arcade game. The Retropie project solves the software part. Search online for arcade table and case ideas.

Prime Numbers in a Box

When I need a prime number, which is often, I’d love to push a button to get one. Here’s the perfect solution.

Learn More

Daphne’s Tweeting Catflap

Electric Skateboard with a Raspberry Pi

Wearable Time Lapse Camera

DotStar Pi Painter

Minecraft on Pi

Retropie

Prime Numbers in a Box

Learn More

Raspberry Pi Foundation

MagPi Magazine

Raspberry Pi Weekly Newsletter

Raspberry Pi Official Projects Book Volume 2

Online Communities/Project Ideas

Adafruit Tutorials

Instructables Pi Projects

Daphne’s TWeeting Catflap

Electric Skateboard with a Raspberry Pi

Wearable Time Lapse Camera

DotStar Pi Light Painter

Minecraft on Pi

Retropie

Prime Numbers in a Box