Raspberry Pi is a “system on a chip” model that integrates all components of a computer onto a single chip. It was invented in 2012 to help computer science classes be more empowered to reach kids and help them learn programming before they lose interest in STEM fields.
These little chips, which run between $25 and $35 dollars, have developed a huge community following—more than 4.5 million have been sold in the last three years.
This community is a very creative one, and has used the RP system for a myriad of uses. The organization’s website has a multitude of projects and ideas for you (or your class, or your children) to try out.
My favorite part about Raspberry Pi is that it can be used as a base for some amazing 3D printing projects. The organization’s website has a whole section dedicated to this, but some stand out more than others:
Unless you’re like me and just found your old Game Boy in a closet, you might be missing the old style games. Luckily, Adafruit Industries figured out how to combine 3D printing, an old SNES controller, and a Raspberry Pi chip to create a “PiGRRL” handheld gaming system that will run your favorite games.
You can also make a portable mini-computer with ten hours of battery life, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The Raspberry Pi folks describe it as a “really, really tiny Linux laptop.”
And, if you find yourself tiring of hand-calibrating your 3D printer, you can set up a Raspberry Pi to do it for you.
If this post has inspired you to try your hand at some Raspberry Pi projects, you might want to check out this list of fifteen easy projects. And, if you decide to make something, let us know what it is!
