Here are some of my favorite recent Raspberry Pi projects. Each project will take you less than a weekend and if you’re super quick, you might able to make them all before Monday morning.
Dig out your Raspberry Pi, grab a handful of components, and get making!
Security
With security vulnerabilities constantly in the news, why not spend a bit of time locking down your internet traffic. Browse anonymously with a DIY Pi TOR VPN router and obfuscate your traffic. This project by Tony Gaitatzis will take you between one and four hours, so it’s a good one to get your weekend started.
If you’re not concerned about browsing securely, go for a more classical security system — the remote controlled camera. Blending embedded software development with crafty 3D enclosure design, the “Raspberry Eye” Remote Servo Camera is great for monitoring pets or keeping an eye on your property. Using a webcam — almost any supported under Linux will work — two servo motors, and an ingenious 3D printed gimbal, Matt Stultz’s project will give you a new eye on your stuff.
If you don’t have a 3D printer handy, get out of the house and try finding a local Makerspace with printers.
Rocking Out Your Workshop
If you’re an Apple fan and don’t want to shell out more money for the latest gear, try building one of these projects to augment what you already own. The Raspberry Pi AirPlay Speaker allows you to mimic the audio output feature of the Airport Express, but at almost a third of the price. Adam Burkepile’s documentation is exhaustive, so you’re in good hands throughout every single step of the build.
Polyglot Pi
Dave Conroy’s Universal Translator is a fantastic project to immerse you in the world of APIs. Leveraging both Google and Microsoft’s text-to-speech and speech-to-text, this translator will put the power of over a hundred language combinations in a tiny form factor. Unfortunately, the API still doesn’t support Klingon natively, but if you find a way to hack that into the system, let me know immediately in the comments below!
Jazz Up Your Bike
For the stylish bikers out there, take a crack at the Cycle Chaser by Matt Richardson. Using a mini projector with a beefy battery, together with a Pi and some clever mounting of a Hall Effect Sensor, your bike will be projecting short video clips in rhythm with the speed you cycle at. Best of all, this project is very hackable.
Use the stock clip of Eadweard Muybridge’s running horse film or hack your own imagery, and start light-painting cement, animated GIF style. The underlying code of this project uses openFrameworks, which is a great toolkit to lose a weekend to. Plus, the project is begging for you to add additional sensors — an accelerometer or GPS — and take the project to new heights. And make sure to share your modifications with us.
Tracking Your Crypto Currencies
Originally conceived of during a Weekend Project pitch meeting, Emmanuel Mota, Wynter Woods, and I saw much promise in this Doge heavy Crypto Currency Tracker idea. The three of us combined to create a goofy, yet somewhat practical currency tracking device, which focuses on three of the most popular crypto currencies: Dogecoin, Litecoin, and Bitcoin.
Try adding a servo to this project that actuates when a currency reaches a certain value, or maybe just a loud buzzer that alerts you to sell. Either way, this project is a lot cheaper than a Bloomberg terminal and way more fun to build.
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