Raspberry Pi

The MagPi The official Raspberry Pi magazine, showcasing amazing projects from our community

WELCOME to The MagPi 109

Raspberry Pi 4 refurbishment programme launched • Trade-in programme enables Raspberry Pi computers to be reused.

Pico-Controlled Automated Model Railroad • Automation and model railways prove a great coupling for one enthusiast. Rosie Hattersley tracks its progress

Train time • To automate your own model railway, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi Pico and an L298N motor driver allowing two DC motors to be controlled at once. You’ll also need an IR proximity sensor to make your track ‘sensored’ (see magpi.cc/sensoredtrack).

RFID Floppy Disk Reader • Ever wanted to make contactless floppy disks? Maybe not, but Rob Zwetsloot takes an appropriately distanced look at some

Remote agricultural monitoring • Invasive species affecting crops are an issue around the world. One government agency in Japan is trying to monitor fruit flies. Rob Zwetsloot investigates

DMGPlus • This Game Boy looks like an original machine, but Jeroen Domburg has played around with its innards and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, as David Crookes explains

RACOON waste sorter • Students at Rice University have created a smart bin which prevents recycled waste from becoming contaminated with bad rubbish, as David Crookes discovers

HIIT Workout Trainer • If watching the Olympics has motivated you to improve your fitness, here’s a fabulous workout idea using a Raspberry Pi. Nicola King feels the burn

Synth6581 • Using a stack of SID chips, literally, Simon Martin has recreated the classic synth sounds of the Commodore 64. Phil King gets all nostalgic

Automated Standing Desk • With a Raspberry Pi for a brain, this motorised desk decides when to rise by itself. Phil King stands up to take a closer look

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RASPBERRY PI 20 PICO PROJECTS • Get ideas for using your Pico with these incredible builds

Get Started with Pico • Where to go when you’re new to Pico

Gaming with Pico • Play games or emulate them on a tiny microcontroller

Cool and practical • Great projects that make use of Pico power

Musical Pico • Create cool music with these custom instruments

Robot Pico • Upgrade your automatons with some Pico sensors

Ultimate home server: sharing and storing files • Sharing and storing large files on your network equals lots of fun and productivity without filling up your computer

Recreate Galaxian’s iconic attack patterns • Blast dive-bombing aliens in our salute to Namco’s classic

Massive attack • Here’s Mark’s dive-bombing Galaxian code. To get it working on your system, you’ll need to install Pygame Zero – full instructions are available at wfmag.cc/pgzero.

Create GUIs with Python: Paint • Create a fun picture-matching game

Custom events

Raspberry Pi Pico: digital communication protocols • Explore the I2C and SPI communication protocols and use them to display data on an LCD

Isomorphic keyboard: hex keys • Use the Pico board to make an isomorphic music keyboard with hexagons

RASPBERRY PI Student Guide • A computer with web access is an essential piece of back to school kit. Rosie Hattersley looks at how students can equip themselves for the year ahead

DOING HOMEWORK WITH RASPBERRY PI • Independent learning’s a breeze with the help of these handy resources

Supporting schools

School Setup • The kit you’ll need to use Raspberry Pi for schoolwork

LEARN TO CODE WITH RASPBERRY PI • Make like a boss and unlock the magic instructions that tell all those smart devices what to do

Three robots that can help...