(I haven't made a Pi project in 6 years? Wow!)
Happy Pi Day!
I thought it would be fitting to talk about my Raspberry Pi projects from the very first one all the way up to the most current.
And what a stroll down the old memory lane it was.
All the projects are DIY with schematics, parts lists and all the code. If you want to see more about any of them, follow the links.
More videos, pictures and stories await you.
I found this journey interesting, nostalgic and inspirational. I want to do more!
Let me know your favorite one, and any thoughts you have about Pi in the comments below.
Ready set...go!
This was my very first Raspberry Pi project… ever. So, I may have gone overboard with this one. The results were the coolest.
Thinking back, I could have probably put both the solenoid controls and video/sound playback on a single Pi.
Initially, I wanted to do the project using a 42” LCD covering most of the door. Perhaps I should revisit it.
This project was straight from my heart… to my fish, Goldie.
Also, this was my first attempt at animation. The opening and closing were animated. Be sure to see each animated sequence.
This was also my second.. ever... Raspberry Pi project. So, I went all out.
Interesting fact, since I used the Christopher Cross song “sailing,” the video was converted to one with ads, and Christopher gets the profits! Maybe I should go in and sing it myself, and repost it.
New Year’s Eve Countdown Timer With Fireworks Launching Ability
Another fun project, also my third Pi endeavor.
I always wanted to revisit the project to see if I could combat the cold’s effect on my overall system. Make a waterproof enclosure and a better firework lighting system. It really felt like a mess when I did tests outside.
Robot + drink making = perfect 4th project.
I liked this one a lot. But sticky drinks were a huge issue.
I’ve been asked to build a new or sell Drinkmo several times. I never did either. What’s left of Drinkmo sits in my shop, collecting dust. Someday old friend…
A slightly faster and more festive Drinkmo
‘Nuff said.
Not the most compelling project I ever built, but it was early in my Pi days.
Originally, I wanted to make this into a much larger system. But, I was simply showing off the expanded USB ports, at the time.
A welcome return to Halloween for me. Best time of the year for projects, in my opinion. If you take a look at my Halloween Roundup on the community, you’ll find many more Halloween projects from me using a few different platforms.
Anyway, this one was to expand on the home décor concept of the Scary Door.
I liked this one too. But, I was so scared of the AC controller I had. I guess I could have put that part in an enclosure or potted in epoxy or something.
The film series “The Evil Dead” had a massive influence on this project. That’s what I had in mind while making this one. Hence the end sequence of the video.
The idea was simple… I wanted a completely wireless spherical Raspberry Pi case, and… I made it.
Wireless HDMI abilities have definitely dropped in price. With more money+time… this is another I would love to revisit.
Wireless and Portable Pi for $10
Sort of an extension of the Pi Ball combined with my dying love for WebOS brought this one to life.
WebOS in the sense of using old discounted Palm Pre series accessories to augment the Pi.
Worked great, but the screens at the time were terrible.
Raspberry Pi Washer/Dryer Text Alert System - IoT Retrofit appliances
So… so.. useful.
Fun fact - I think I’ve done this project three or four times now on different platforms. All worked just about the same. The Pi version was far more useful in the end.
This was my last Halloween Pi project. But… do you like my Scary Series Pi projects? If so… sound out in the comments! If you want them – I’ll make them!
There are a few universally scary things in the horror genre, and dolls is in the top 10.
After all was said and done, the pulley/lifting mechanism needed way more engineering than just a fishing line over a ceiling pipe. A full-fledged articulation system was my original intent. But, time just wasn’t on my side.
Someone suggested I wrap meat around the doll, and make like a meat-doll. Saying, that would be scary! I said, I guess, but gross. What I had still looked scary though.
Raspberry Pi IoT Ornament Texter
I liked the idea of family members being able to send special messages to each other during the season. More public than a text message. More like a decoration even.
Worked out OK. Though, originally I thought of it like a scrolling banner.
I think this is a real marketable product, to be honest. Hmmm…
Raspberry Pi Perpetual Yule Log
I needed a way to do the yule log thing on my TV one year and didn’t have a way to do so. And then this happened.
Worked out great, and I did use it that year. Plus, this way, let me choose the particular log videos I wanted to see.
Nowadays, you can get this on just about anything through almost any streaming service. I’m thinking about getting into the business.
Get ready for Cabe’s Holiday Flaming Barrel, this year!
Raspberry Pi 4 – Video Effect Synthesizer
And then, there was a long gap in my Pi projects. Almost two years! (I was working on a huge series of Micro:bit projects during this time, mostly.)
I wanted to do something different with the Raspberry Pi 4’s dual-monitor output.
I thought DJ effects. Sound/Music reaction on one screen, controls on the other.
It worked out well, but YouTube blocked my video because I was using music to demonstrate its functionality. I re-uploaded it with the music cut out. But, it worked great. Try it yourself!
That's the list! We laughed, we cried, we right-clicked and saved as. Hope you enjoyed them.
Cabe
