Sabriel Smutny/Shutterstock The humble Raspberry Pi can be used for many different projects, but some of the most interesting ones keep your old monitors from becoming electronic waste. From retro gaming to a complete dashboard for you and your family, these are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can do. These are also great Raspberry Pi projects for beginners, allowing you to get familiar with the hardware and software side of Pi. Thanks to the flexibility of the Raspberry Pi, you’re not really limited in terms of which monitor you can use. As we’ll see, even old CRT TVs you may still have in the attic or basement can find a new lifeline once a Pi is plugged in. From there, you can also start creating even more projects. Remember that the Raspberry Pi community is quite large, so if you have a problem, someone else probably has it too. Be sure to check out all the wikis and project documentation detailed below, as they will generally be much more in-depth than we could cover in a brief overview. Yes, no one likes reading the instruction manual, but sometimes it just makes things easier. Now let’s revitalize some monitors. Smart mirror One of the most common projects to start with a Raspberry Pi, the Smart Mirror turns an old monitor into your own hidden dashboard. We recently explained why your next bathroom vanity should have a smart mirror, but it’s also a great Raspberry Pi project to improve your bedroom. Weather, time, or a host of other widgets can be displayed, and there’s even a full open source platform to build on. MagicMirror2 brings modularity to the table, with modules included by default being the usual fare, like calendars and clocks. However, being open source, the community has developed a large number of options to choose from. Someone even created paging indicators for other modules that alternate options. It’s not endless to choose from, but it’s incredibly in-depth. For this, the team behind MagicMirror2 recommends a Raspberry Pi 2 or higher. There are methods to make the original Raspberry Pi work with it as well, but honestly at this point it’s not worth it due to its lack of support. They also mention that while some users have had it running on a Raspberry Pi Zero, this is not recommended either, due to its lack of power. If you want a quick overview of how to set up the mirror-monitor combination, Raspberry Pi actually has a complete guide. New all-in-one office Vict/Getty Images If you grab a case with a VESA mount, you can turn your Raspberry Pi into a decent all-in-one desktop. We recommend the Raspberry Pi 5 for this, as it has the capabilities out of the box to be used as a desktop computer. Prices may have skyrocketed, but once they drop, it can rejuvenate an old monitor into a fully usable device. Most monitors these days come with VESA mounts, the four square holes on the back of the screen. For monitors that do not have mounting points, you can use an adapter. Usually, for wall mounting or single arm mounting, most case mounts will require you to use the built-in stand that comes with the monitor. There are also options for two VESA mounts, so you can use the mount or arm of your choice. The Raspberry Pi 5 is a great device, and it makes a perfectly capable productivity machine for those of us who work from home. With most productivity software now available via the web, outside of a few Firefox or Chromium tabs, it should accomplish most of the tasks given to it. If you’re considering this, make sure you choose the 8GB or 16GB versions for the best performance. Play retro games on a CRT EUROSTOCK/Shutterstock With Raspberry Pi systems prior to Pi 5, and excluding Zero models, you can get composite output from the device with just a 3.5mm jack to composite adapter. Pi 1-3 have it enabled by default, but on the Pi 4 it must be enabled in the configuration file. Fortunately, Raspberry Pi has documentation on this that you can follow. On the Raspberry Pi 5, it’s a little more complicated. It technically exists, but is neither soldered nor wired. You can’t just go to the configuration file and make a few changes; This requires soldering two points together and connecting to a video jack. For the Pi 5, it’s probably easiest to use HDMI converters for the necessary output, with VGA and composite options actively available online. Raspberry Pi OS will work great if you want to emulate some older PC titles, or RetroPie can be a great way to repurpose an unused Raspberry Pi as a little jukebox of emulated console titles. Remember that if you are connecting to SCART you may need to reverse the yellow and red cables as this is necessary to get the output to the screen in certain pinouts as the video signal is sent via this cable rather than the usual method. Makeshift Amazon Echo Show Charles-McClintock Wilson/Shutterstock Is the magic mirror project too complicated? Well, if you have an old, smaller monitor lying around, combining a few of these projects could result in a great Amazon Echo Show ripoff. Using the Pi’s kiosk mode, you can boot directly into a full-page application. Then, with a little ingenuity (or finding other projects online), you can create a makeshift hub or dashboard for your home. It also brings a modicum of control over your smart home while keeping big companies out of the data you use. Kiosk mode can be modified to support viewing your security cameras or even be used as a music player. Of course, there are dedicated kiosk apps, including one created by tech expert and YouTuber Jeff Geerling, and another, XiOSK, that will do the heavy lifting for you. Post navigation 5 portable gadgets you didn’t know you could buy at Ikea Thermal paste or pad: which is best for your PC?
Sabriel Smutny/Shutterstock The humble Raspberry Pi can be used for many different projects, but some of the most interesting ones keep your old monitors from becoming electronic waste. From retro gaming to a complete dashboard for you and your family, these are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can do. These are also great Raspberry Pi projects for beginners, allowing you to get familiar with the hardware and software side of Pi. Thanks to the flexibility of the Raspberry Pi, you’re not really limited in terms of which monitor you can use. As we’ll see, even old CRT TVs you may still have in the attic or basement can find a new lifeline once a Pi is plugged in. From there, you can also start creating even more projects. Remember that the Raspberry Pi community is quite large, so if you have a problem, someone else probably has it too. Be sure to check out all the wikis and project documentation detailed below, as they will generally be much more in-depth than we could cover in a brief overview. Yes, no one likes reading the instruction manual, but sometimes it just makes things easier. Now let’s revitalize some monitors. Smart mirror One of the most common projects to start with a Raspberry Pi, the Smart Mirror turns an old monitor into your own hidden dashboard. We recently explained why your next bathroom vanity should have a smart mirror, but it’s also a great Raspberry Pi project to improve your bedroom. Weather, time, or a host of other widgets can be displayed, and there’s even a full open source platform to build on. MagicMirror2 brings modularity to the table, with modules included by default being the usual fare, like calendars and clocks. However, being open source, the community has developed a large number of options to choose from. Someone even created paging indicators for other modules that alternate options. It’s not endless to choose from, but it’s incredibly in-depth. For this, the team behind MagicMirror2 recommends a Raspberry Pi 2 or higher. There are methods to make the original Raspberry Pi work with it as well, but honestly at this point it’s not worth it due to its lack of support. They also mention that while some users have had it running on a Raspberry Pi Zero, this is not recommended either, due to its lack of power. If you want a quick overview of how to set up the mirror-monitor combination, Raspberry Pi actually has a complete guide. New all-in-one office Vict/Getty Images If you grab a case with a VESA mount, you can turn your Raspberry Pi into a decent all-in-one desktop. We recommend the Raspberry Pi 5 for this, as it has the capabilities out of the box to be used as a desktop computer. Prices may have skyrocketed, but once they drop, it can rejuvenate an old monitor into a fully usable device. Most monitors these days come with VESA mounts, the four square holes on the back of the screen. For monitors that do not have mounting points, you can use an adapter. Usually, for wall mounting or single arm mounting, most case mounts will require you to use the built-in stand that comes with the monitor. There are also options for two VESA mounts, so you can use the mount or arm of your choice. The Raspberry Pi 5 is a great device, and it makes a perfectly capable productivity machine for those of us who work from home. With most productivity software now available via the web, outside of a few Firefox or Chromium tabs, it should accomplish most of the tasks given to it. If you’re considering this, make sure you choose the 8GB or 16GB versions for the best performance. Play retro games on a CRT EUROSTOCK/Shutterstock With Raspberry Pi systems prior to Pi 5, and excluding Zero models, you can get composite output from the device with just a 3.5mm jack to composite adapter. Pi 1-3 have it enabled by default, but on the Pi 4 it must be enabled in the configuration file. Fortunately, Raspberry Pi has documentation on this that you can follow. On the Raspberry Pi 5, it’s a little more complicated. It technically exists, but is neither soldered nor wired. You can’t just go to the configuration file and make a few changes; This requires soldering two points together and connecting to a video jack. For the Pi 5, it’s probably easiest to use HDMI converters for the necessary output, with VGA and composite options actively available online. Raspberry Pi OS will work great if you want to emulate some older PC titles, or RetroPie can be a great way to repurpose an unused Raspberry Pi as a little jukebox of emulated console titles. Remember that if you are connecting to SCART you may need to reverse the yellow and red cables as this is necessary to get the output to the screen in certain pinouts as the video signal is sent via this cable rather than the usual method. Makeshift Amazon Echo Show Charles-McClintock Wilson/Shutterstock Is the magic mirror project too complicated? Well, if you have an old, smaller monitor lying around, combining a few of these projects could result in a great Amazon Echo Show ripoff. Using the Pi’s kiosk mode, you can boot directly into a full-page application. Then, with a little ingenuity (or finding other projects online), you can create a makeshift hub or dashboard for your home. It also brings a modicum of control over your smart home while keeping big companies out of the data you use. Kiosk mode can be modified to support viewing your security cameras or even be used as a music player. Of course, there are dedicated kiosk apps, including one created by tech expert and YouTuber Jeff Geerling, and another, XiOSK, that will do the heavy lifting for you.
