Blog

74HC595: Build a Keyboard/Keypad/Joypad and more!

shabaz

Table of Contents Introduction 74HC595 Explained Circuit Code LED Bonus Building It Introduction A while back, I attached a 4x4 keypad matrix to a microcontroller, and it took up eight GPIO inputs. This time around, I noticed I had a load of but...
- 19 Oct 2026
DMX Tester: Building a Lighting Controller and Test Tool

shabaz

Table of Contents Introduction Circuit Code Operating the Project Summary Introduction This blog post discusses how to control multi-colored lighting using a Pi Pico. This project could be assembled together in a matter of hours, because i...
- 13 Jul 2026
How I Built a Raspberry Pi 3 SDR Radio Ground Station with OpenWebRX

afernandez

Hi, community! I’m writing this post because I’d like to share my radio ground station project, built using an old Raspberry Pi 3 that I found in a box at home. First, I’d like to give you some context. A few months ago, I started l...
- 11 Jul 2026
Custom Manufactured RP2040 Boards, Part 3 - Final Results

shabaz

I wanted to make a custom RP2040 microcontroller-based project, and in Part 1 it was discussed how the schematic and PCB files of Raspberry Pi’s custom minimal RP2040 project were adapted and modified. In Part 2, the PCB layout was improved for...
- 6 Jul 2026
Adding Wireless Capability to Custom RP2040/RP2350 Projects: Pi Radio Module 2 - Anyone tried it?

shabaz

I just noticed the other day that this thing existed; it supports 2.4 GHz wireless (not 5 GHz), and Bluetooth LE (BLE); the manufacturer part code is RMC20452T , also known as RM2 and it costs about $4. Underside; the board is 16.5 x 14.5...
- 30 Jun 2026
Getting Custom RP2040 Boards Produced and Assembled with KiCad, Part 2!

shabaz

Table of Contents Introduction USB Connector Trace Routing Copper Balancing with Fill Zones 0402 Part Considerations Gerber Time! Speeding Up Creating Your Own Board Preparing for PCB Assembly Summary Introduction I wanted to make a custom print...
- 27 Jun 2026
Making a Custom RP2040 Project with KiCad, Part 1!

shabaz

Partly out of curiosity, and partly to test some aspects of a workflow for other projects, I decided to create a custom RP2040 board. In most cases, there’s no need to do this; it may well be more expensive than simply using a ready-made Raspbe...
- 24 Jun 2026
E-Z USB to I2C Adapter and UART Bridge

shabaz

This E-Z USB to I2C and UART Bridge adapter is a bit of a niche project! I doubt many people may have the same precise needs as me, but I figured I’d document it, in case anyone comes across a use one day. In brief, this project converts a Pi P...
- 9 Jun 2026
Adafruit Pi Pico Enclosure: A Quick Review

shabaz

I recently purchased an unusual Adafruit product: a Pi Pico enclosure. Rather an odd product, it's really more for standalone projects because there is no space to easily attach additional hardware. The case is two-part and snaps together, but e...
- 28 Jan 2026
Syslog: Sending Log Messages to a Server with MicroPython

shabaz

Introduction Installing MicroPython on your microcontroller board allows you to write and immediately run Python code, without needing to build or compile the code. It’s a really fast way of creating applications. Usually I use print statements...
- 25 Jan 2026
GCC RISCV for Pico toolchain version 15.1 released

Jan Cumps

This is a bit of a surprise. Raspberry released a GCC 15.1 version of their Pico RISCV toolchain. That's a more recent version than the current (at the time of writing, 14.2) version of the mainstream ARM toolchain. If you are using the VSCode P...
- 6 Aug 2025
Free project to make a pi into your own spotify server with access control

ksheffield

Self-hosted Raspberry Pi music server with secure remote access (Cloudflare + file manager) I originally built this while helping a client clean up their old PC. He was transferring songs from vinyl to USB and uploading them to Apple Music man...
- 5 Jul 2025
What can I do with an old CooCox Embedded Pi board?

muman

<i think i'd rather not answer that - ed> I recently acquired an old CooCox Embedded Pi board. This board made it possible to use a Raspberry Pi to drive Arduino Shields. The board is actually quite nice, with an STM32F103RBT6 MCU (Arm&nbsp...
- 12 Jun 2025
Create a BLE 3D orientation sensing device using Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W (with C SDK) and 6DoF sensor

BigG

Table of Contents Introduction The Raspberry Pi Pico BLE Library (C SDK) Pico (2) W BLE Standalone examples - Temperature Sensing BLE Temperature Sensor example Building a custom BLE application Project Goal: More than just transmitting raw num...
- 15 May 2025
I made a Tamagotchi with a Job, Debt and a Dr*g Problem

Tgrov

This project is a cursed reinterpretation of a Tamagotchi, but instead of caring for a cute little creature, you're managing the brutally cynical arc of human life going through all the levels of the Maslow's pyramid. Think of it as a social ...
- 10 May 2025
R2D2 Hasbro toy upgrade

bobosaurous

Hey everyone! I’m very new here and just wanted to introduce myself and share a project I'm working on. The idea came to me when I was digging through storage and found my old Hasbro interactive R2-D2 from 2002, sitting there covered ...
- 9 Feb 2025
Programming The MAKER UNO RP2040 For The First Time

meera_hussien

In this tutorial video, we shall see how to program the MAKER UNO RP2040 for the first time. This video covers the very basic on how to get started using the board. https://youtu.be/muq_xnm5bhY
- 15 Sep 2024
Powering Up MAKER UNO RP2040 For The First Time

meera_hussien

In this video, it is demonstrated what to expect when the MAKER UNO RP2040 is powered up for the first time https://youtu.be/tjZgYBHuDgs
- 9 Sep 2024
USB-to-I2C with a Pi Pico: Building an Easy I2C Adapter for PC control of I2C Devices

shabaz

Table of Contents Introduction Building It Using it from a Terminal (Console) Using it from Python Using Multiple Adapters Known Devices Database Summary Introduction This simple project converts a Pi Pico into a USB-to-I2C adapter! It is useful ...
- 21 Aug 2024
Wilcoxon PC420V vibration sensor with a Raspberry Pi 5

mvalencia32

Vibration analysis is important for any industrial process, as it provides us with a lot of information about the mechanical state of the machines we use. It also allows us to use their signals as interlocks in PLC programming, etc. Therefore, one of...
- 20 Jul 2024
Meet Lawny: Phone-Controlled FPV Lawnmower with Raspberry PI. DIY Project

gektor650

community.element14.com/.../0474.Lawny_2D00_5_2D00_horizontal_2D00_1080-_2D00_-HD-1080p.mov Meet Lawny! It’s a lawn mower with a first-person view camera that allows you to cut grass while controlling a remote-controlled robot! I’ve bui...
- 27 Jun 2024
Solving Error: Unknown flash device: An OpenOCD Upgrade for Pi Pico / Xiao and other RP2040 Boards

shabaz

Table of Contents Introduction What is the Problem? What is the Long Solution Flash Chip Identifiers Short Solution Summary October 2026 note: This blog post is now unnecessary; OpenOCD has finally been updated by raspberrypi.org. See the co...
- 19 May 2024
OO example for the Data Acquisition Board for Pi Pico: deep dive into the sample data buffer

Jan Cumps

shabaz designed a Data Acquisition Board for Pi Pico . In this post, I'm simplifying the C++ class for the ADC. Focus on working with a wide set of data containers.Goal: investigate if I can let it fill a classical C ar...
- 20 Dec 2023
Object Oriented example for the Data Acquisition Board for Pi Pico

Jan Cumps

shabaz designed a Data Acquisition Board for Pi Pico . In this post, I'm building a C++ class for the ADC. And I turn my continuous sample exercise into an OO one. Goal: investigate if it's up to handling 1 second...
- 18 Dec 2023
Lean C++ Stream library for Pico

Jan Cumps

A lean alternative for the C++ IOStream library, sized for embedded systems The standard IOStream library works great on a Pico, but inflates the code size. In a 2022 CppCon talk "Modern C++ to Impress Your Embedded Dev Friends"...
- 17 Dec 2023