Have you explored the world of Raspberry Pi yet?  It’s delicious!  And, no, were not talking about the decadent dessert that would actually be perfect for Valentine’s Day.  We’re talking about the low-cost, basic computer that is changing technology as we know it.

According to TechTarget, Raspberry Pi is…

“…a small, single-board computer that was originally developed for computer science education and has since been popularized by digital hobbyists and makers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Raspberry PI, whose basic model costs $35 is about the size of a credit card, has a 64-bit quad-core ARMv8 processor and uses a Raspbian distribution of Linux for its default operating system (OS).”

Originally intended to help spur interest in computing among school-aged children, this computer is contained on a single circuit board and features ports for HDMI, USB 2.0, composite video, analog audio, power, internet, and an SD Card.  The computer runs entirely on open-source software and gives users the ability to mix and match software according to the work they wish to do.

If that hasn’t caught your attention yet, here’s list of awesome Raspberry Pi projects to give you a taster of what these computers can do.  Take a peek and come on down to The Open Bench Project to get started on one!

1. All In One Computer:  This is an all in one desktop computer, based on the Raspberry Pi. The goal of this project was to produce a computer system with an absolute minimum of cable clutter.
2. Home Automation:  This is a pretty simple project that creates a web app for controlling lights. It uses the Raspberry Pi for the internet connection and a wireless remote control to turn on and off the lights.
3. One Button Audiobook Player:  This project for a one-button audiobook player stores and plays one book at a time loaded via USB drive.
4. Microwave:  Developer Nathan Broadbent took his microwave apart, redesigned the touchpad, and added some new functions like voice control, a barcode scanner to access an online database of cooking times, a web-based interface for remote access, and auto-tweets for when the timer is done.
5. Magic Mirror:  This project creates a high-tech mirror that shows you the weather, time, and the day’s headlines while you’re getting ready for the day.
6. Time Lapse Dolly:  With this project, you can get professional looking time-lapse photographs without paying the high cost for professional equipment.
7. Webcam Robot:  It is always cool to add a camera to your remote controlled car or robot, so that you can see where it’s heading.  Use a wifi enabled smartphone or tablet to view the video and you have a cool new project.
8. Digital Picture Frame:  This is one of those digital picture frames that cycles through a number of pre-loaded jpgs of friends and family.
9. Dog Treat Machine:  Created by NYC CNC, this is exactly what it sounds like!
10. Voice Controlled Coffee Machine:  Together, the great guys from Oracle and the Developer Garden, hacked a Nespresso coffee machine, connected it to a Raspberry Pi PC (with Java running) and controlled the coffee making via Phone (thanks to the Telekom Tropo API and a little bit of PHP).

Do you have any project ideas to add to the list?  Comment below or send us an email!

And then some,

Your friends @ OBP