6 Raspberry Pi tutorials to try out

Each of these Raspberry Pi projects is designed to make your life easier and more productive.
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Coding the Raspberry Pi in a web emulator

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There's nothing like the thrill of experiencing the result of your Raspberry Pi creation. After hours of coding, testing, and building with your bare hands, your project starts to finally take shape and you can’t help but yell "woohoo!." I’m fascinated by the possibilities of what the Raspberry Pi can bring to daily life. Whether you are looking to learn something new, try a productivity hack, or just have fun, there is a Raspberry Pi project for you in this round-up. 

Set up a VPN server

This tutorial teaches you how to use the Raspberry Pi to add a layer of network security. Not only does this project have practical advantages, but it also sets you up for lots of fun to be had. The extra security will give you peace of mind to play around with other projects, like the ones listed below.

Create an object-tracking camera

The Raspberry Pi is appealing because it offers a low barrier of entry to learn about new technologies like machine learning. This step-by-step guide gives thorough instructions on how to build a camera that pans and tilts in order to track movement with TensorFlow and your Raspberry Pi. 

Display your favorite memories using a photo slideshow

Have you ever asked yourself: "What should I do with all of these digital photos?." If you are like me, then the answer is yes. I am definitely known as the picture-taker in my circle of friends and family. That’s why I love this Raspberry Pi project. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to set up a photo slideshow so you can display your favorite memories in your home with ease. No printer necessary!

Play retro video games

If you feel nostalgic about retro gaming systems, you’ll want to try this tutorial. Learn what kind of devices work for running an Amiga emulator including the Raspberry Pi. After going through the set-up instructions, you’ll be playing your favorite Amiga games on your Raspberry Pi.

Build a clock for your entertainment center

Home entertainment centers have evolved so much in the last decade. My family relies solely on streaming services for watching shows and movies. I love this because I can control my TV from my mobile device or voice assistant. However, there’s a level of convenience that’s missing when you no longer can glance at a clock! Follow these quick steps to build your own clock display from scratching using your Raspberry Pi.

Scale your homebrewed beer operation

In this tutorial, a seasoned homebrewer shares his experience with setting up an electric beer-brewing system. This project requires more of an investment in hardware and parts upfront, but the resulting efficiency and consistency make it all worth it. Cheers to that!

If you are a Raspberry Pi newb like me, then I recommend checking out our downloadable Raspberry Pi guides. Our one-page cheat sheet offers step-by-step instructions for how to get started. For more tips and tutorials, our comprehensive guide covers topics like choosing a Raspberry Pi, keeping it updated, contributing to the community and everything in between. 

Which Raspberry Pi project will you try? Let us know in the comments. 

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Lauren is the managing editor for Opensource.com. When she's not organizing the editorial calendar or digging into the data, she can be found going on adventures with her family and German shepherd rescue dog, Quailford. She is passionate about spreading awareness of how open source technology and principles can be applied to areas outside the tech industry such as education and government.

5 Comments

Thanks for the info. For the slide show project, can a pi4 be used instead if the pi3? If so, are there modifications that need to be considered? I tried to comment on that project page, but the comments seem to be off. Thanks again!

Hi Tyler,

although I didn't try myself (I don't have a Raspberry Pi 4 to try, yet *sigh*), I'm pretty sure it should work on a Raspberry Pi 4 without modifications. If you face any issues, let me know and I'll do my best to help you overcome them.

Kind regards,
Manuel

In reply to by Tyler

Hey great ideas but what I would really like is something to be able to use as a follower counter linked to a screen. This would avoid having to pay a lot to a company when this seems to be pretty simple to do.
BTW I m not a coder ;)
Let me know if you have ideas ☺️

Thanks. Am waiting to learning how to do some of the projects described.

Thanks for the info, Exactly Raspberry Pi is a great device can be used for many projects (I mean any project as you can think) like: Android TV Box ; Media Center Server ; Network Ads Blocker ; ChromeCast device ; and others ...; It's realy nice and its cost make it ideal.

You can take a look to other projects on my site.

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