Track air quality anywhere with Raspberry Pi

When you venture outside and take a deep breath, you expect to be inhaling a heap of fresh air, particularly if you’re in the countryside. But in truth, you’re just as likely to be filling your lungs with pollutants from dirt, dust, pollen spores, gases, and even lead. There’s just no getting away from the fact that a good percentage of air can be deemed unhealthy, so being able to monitor it on the go with a flick of a switch could be welcome news.

The screen displays the current air quality as a number and explains what that number means

Arnov Sharma has created a handheld air quality meter which can use a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 connected to a gas sensor to display the current levels of a host of hazards. “My Air Quality Meter was created with the intention of measuring the degree of air pollution in my city,” he explains. “Since we’d just had an air quality issue in New Delhi, where I live, I thought it would be a good idea to try to develop a project to measure the pollution level.”

Delhi has suffered record pollution levels of late, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring as high as 1500 in November 2024. Toxic air of this magnitude, which led to smog descending over the area, is 15 times the level considered satisfactory for breathing by the World Health Organisation. It was so bad that schools were temporarily closed, construction was halted, and flights were disrupted.

What’s more, it hasn’t become infinitely better since, with an AQI reading in January 2025 showing the air has remained poor, albeit at a level of 262.

Turning detective

With his project, Arnov has sought to detect carbon dioxide, smoke, benzene, alcohol, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia in the air. In doing so, his resulting device is able to display the levels of gases produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, and coal, as well as some of those pumped out by vehicles and emitted from hazardous waste sites. The detection of ammonia is indicative of the amount of livestock waste, decaying organic matter, and fertiliser production. It helps to build a general understanding of the air quality in any given location, Arnov says.

So while Arnov’s meter doesn’t quite go as far as matching an AQI evaluation — which also includes assessing the PM2.5 and PM10 types of particulate matter, along with oxygen, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide — it’s still ultra-useful. What’s more, he designed his meter so that it would also be inexpensive, meaning this open-source project should be within the reach of wide numbers of people. This influenced his choice of components.

To test the build, Arnov used a breadboard and simply connected the sensor and a Raspberry Pi Pico 2

“I used the MQ135 sensor and found it to be incredibly versatile for pollution control, environmental monitoring, and checking air quality,” Arnov says, of a module that can be picked up for less than £10/$10. “It was handy for various projects where I needed to monitor the air around me, particularly in spotting harmful gases. The best part is that it’s super easy to get hold of. It doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, making it an all-around great pick.”

Displaying values

Arnov says planning the project was simple. “I already had an idea of the components I wanted to use, which was the PCBWay MQ135 sensor with Raspberry Pi Pico 2 — Pico is my preferred microcontroller for projects unrelated to wireless LAN. I first created a basic breadboard setup consisting of the Pico and MQ135 sensor.” This allowed him to make use of the sensor’s outputs: one that generates an analogue voltage signal based on the gas concentration and a digital signal based on the gas concentration beyond a threshold.

Having written a short program to test the sensor’s readings, ensuring it returned both analogue and digital values, Arnov then looked to refine the project further. To be effective, he needed the readings to be displayed on a screen — it shows the specific particle levels in real time — so he chose a tiny, 0.96-inch SSD1306 OLED display, again available for an extremely low price. “I then constructed a body to house all of the components inside a nice enclosure,” he continues, explaining that he used the CAD facilities of Autodesk Fusion to complete the task. “This wasn’t challenging: I have experience with industrial design, so creating a case was easy enough.”

The casing was designed to be 3D-printed and, as well as being functional, Arnov added some aesthetic flourishes

Gas panic

At this stage, Arnov made a big decision. He swapped out the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 microcontroller for a Firebeetle 2 ESP32-E, which may sound like sacrilege, but he had his reasons. Chief among them was a lack of space in the enclosure that led to a power-related issue. “I was using a lithium cell as a power supply and, in order to charge the lithium cell, Pico would require the use of an additional board,” he explains. “Firebeetle has an on-board TP4056 lithium cell charging circuit.”

Yet, as he says, “Pico would be just as effective” and he has plans to return to Raspberry Pi. “I will use the RP2040 chip directly on a custom PCB that will also include a lithium cell charging circuit,” he explains. As with the Firebeetle, this would resolve the problem of space.

Regardless, the device works well. Arnov used Arduino IDE to write the code and upload it to the board. The program takes the raw analogue value — of between zero and 4095 — and reduces it to a range between zero and 1023, which is needed for an air quality measurement. It then helpfully describes the value as either very poor, poor, moderate, good, or excellent, so the user can immediately assess the current state of hazardous gases in the environment. 

To make it easier to carry and operate, Arnov made it possible to attach a keychain or ID card strap to the device

So how has it fared? In tests, Arnov found that city readings ranged between 550 and 620 regardless of whether he was close to a major road, industrial region, or green space. It’s proof, if any were needed, that such gadgets could be useful in helping people prepare for unsafe environments — and that urgent work is needed to improve matters in some parts of the world.

Raspberry Pi Official Magazine #151 out NOW!

You can grab the latest issue right now from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, WHSmith, and other newsagents, including the Raspberry Pi Store in Cambridge. It’s also available from our online store, which ships around the world. And you can get a digital version via our app on Android or iOS.

You can also subscribe to the print version of our magazine. Not only do we deliver worldwide, but people who sign up to the six- or twelve-month print subscription get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico W!

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RP2350 now available to buy: a high-performance, secure microcontroller for your next project

Last summer we unveiled RP2350, our second-generation microcontroller platform, building on the success of RP2040, and designed to deliver even higher performance at a similar affordable price.

RP2350 debuted on our own $5 Raspberry Pi Pico 2 single-board computer, and on the DEF CON 32 badge, and powers boards from early-access partners including Hellbender, WIZnet and SparkFun. Today, we’re delighted to announce that RP2350 is now available to buy from our worldwide network of Raspberry Pi Approved Resellers.

Performance, security, affordability

RP2350 integrates dual Arm Cortex-M33 processors running at 150MHz, with floating-point and DSP support, and a security model built on Arm TrustZone for Cortex-M. These powerful cores, coupled with large amounts of on-chip SRAM, and our unique programmable I/O subsystem, make it an excellent fit for applications which require high performance, flexible interfacing, and robust security, from industrial automation to consumer electronics. Despite its impressive feature set, RP2350’s sub-$1 pricing allows for integration into high-volume, low-cost end devices.

Global availability and pricing

Our global network of Raspberry Pi Approved Resellers ensures you can access RP2350 quickly and affordably, no matter where you are, with fast local shipping and reliable customer service. Compared to RP2040, RP2350 costs just ten cents more in a 7×7mm, 60-pin package, or twenty cents more in a 10×10mm, 80-pin package.

Package version	13″ reel	7″ reel	Single unit
RP2040 (7×7 QFN56)	$0.70 per unit 3400 units	$0.80 per unit 500 units	$1.00 per unit
RP2350A (7×7 QFN60)	$0.80 per unit 3400 units	$0.90 per unit 500 units	$1.10 per unit
RP2350B (10×10 QFN80)	$0.90 per unit 2500 units	$1.00 per unit 500 units	$1.20 per unit

Visit the RP2350 product page to find your local distribution partner.

RP2350 and JLCPCB: a winning combination

Last month, we announced a partnership with JLCPCB to make RP2350 available via their fast-turn PCB assembly service. The response has been phenomenal, with hundreds of distinct RP2350-based designs submitted for manufacture. To make it even easier for engineers and makers to dive in, JLCPCB is currently offering a $12 No-Threshold SMT Coupon for new RP2350 designs. Click here to take advantage of this special offer.

Getting started with RP2350

Like all Raspberry Pi products, RP2350 is accompanied by comprehensive documentation to help you integrate it into your projects:

• RP2350 datasheet — a detailed technical reference for the microcontroller
• Hardware design with RP2350 — best practices for integrating RP2350 into your designs
• KiCAD reference designs — minimal reference designs to jump-start your development

To ensure optimal performance, we strongly recommend that you follow the PCB layout and component selection guidelines presented in the hardware design guide.

Security through transparency

Security is a cornerstone feature of RP2350, and we’ve worked hard to ensure its robustness. In contrast with other vendors, we believe that security is best achieved through a policy of transparency, not obscurity; for this reason, our extensive in-house and third-party testing of RP2350 was supplemented with a public hacking challenge, allowing researchers from all over the world to pit their expertise against our security features. By openly documenting our approach to security and openly sharing the results of our work, we’re setting a new industry standard: one where customers can trust our microcontrollers not just because we say they’re secure, but because we’ve demonstrated it. Read more about the results of the RP2350 hacking challenge here.

What’s next? Stacked flash is coming soon

For smaller-footprint applications, our RP2354A and RP2354B variants — featuring 2MB of stacked flash memory — are in the final stages of development and testing with early-access partners. We’ll soon be ramping to mass production, and plan to make these variants available through our Approved Reseller partners later this year.

Showcasing innovation with RP2350

We say it all the time because it’s true: one of the coolest things about working at Raspberry Pi is seeing the brilliant products and projects that businesses and hobbyists create using our technology. Since launching RP2350 and Raspberry Pi Pico 2, we’ve been blown away by the plethora of amazing applications that they’ve enabled. You can explore some of the products our early-access customers have built with RP2350 in our Powered by Raspberry Pi gallery.

With RP2350 now generally available, we’re excited to see more projects flourish and products launch using our newest microcontroller chip. Whether you’re building a high-performance industrial embedded system, a secure IoT device, or an exciting new consumer product, RP2350 is here to power your ideas.

A huge thank you to everyone — inside and outside Raspberry Pi — who has helped us get here. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Raspberry Pi wins 2024 Europe TSMC Trophy for embedded computing innovation

We are delighted to share that Raspberry Pi has been awarded the coveted 2024 Europe TSMC Trophy. We are proud to be a leader in scalable embedded secure computing platforms, and this prestigious award recognises our relentless pursuit of cutting-edge technology and our significant contributions to the embedded computing industry, particularly in relation to our RP2350 microcontroller and our much-anticipated Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, both released during 2024.

TSMC, a global giant in semiconductor manufacturing, established the trophy to celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of its emerging customers. The award highlights the remarkable innovations developed by startups pushing the boundaries of technology across diverse sectors, including AI, automotive, communication, IoT, and industrial automation.  

Raspberry Pi’s presence at the TSMC Innovation Zone, a showcase for revolutionary technologies, provided an opportunity for us to demonstrate our powerful platforms. Amongst 41 innovative companies from across Europe, Raspberry Pi’s focus on industrial-grade embedded computing solutions, specifically highlighting RP2350 and Compute Module 5, clearly resonated with the judges.

RP2350, our latest high-performance microcontroller, takes embedded applications to the next level. Its dual Arm Cortex-M33 processors deliver a significant boost in processing power and efficiency, together with increased memory, enhanced security features, upgraded interfacing capabilities, and the option to utilise dual Hazard3 RISC-V cores.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, the newest addition to our widely adopted compute module line, offers a leap up in processing power and connectivity. With its powerful quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor, high-speed interfaces, and enhanced security features, Compute Module 5 is poised to revolutionise industrial embedded systems.  

The TSMC Trophy recognises Raspberry Pi’s commitment to delivering secure, high-performance, and scalable solutions that meet the demanding requirements of industrial applications. Our platforms are designed to excel in challenging environments, ensuring reliability, longevity, and robust security for critical industrial systems. The award reinforces our position as a driving force in the industry, enabling businesses to speed time to market and lower the cost of embedded computing by leveraging our technologies.

Raspberry Pi is honoured to receive this recognition from TSMC, the world’s largest and most advanced contract chip maker. Find out more about our silicon products.

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HexBoard MIDI controller strikes a chord with RP2040

Musical instruments are dependent on physics and maths for their sounds. A guitar string changes pitch when its physical properties change, be that string thickness, tension, or length. A note from a saxophone, or any wind instrument, changes according to the length of the instrument that the air is vibrating through. Any physical instrument needs to have some physical property that the player must interact with in order to play music, and this naturally limits who can play, and what can be played.

The HexBoard has 140 individual mechanical switches, each with a 3D-printed keycap lit by an addressable RGB LED; the unusual keyboard gives rise to unique chord shapes and melodic ideas

At least, that’s how it always was. With MIDI and computers, this no longer has to be true. The instrument that you play is nothing more than an input device, like a keyboard and a mouse, and as such, it can be any shape or size that the maker wants. In this case, maker Jared DeCook has chosen to make a grid of hexagonal keys and RGB LEDs, all controlled by a Raspberry Pi RP2040 chip.

Custom controller

“The HexBoard is primarily a MIDI instrument, which means that it sends note information to software or hardware sound generators that play the sounds based on the notes you play,” Jared tells us. “It has a USB-C connector for connecting to MIDI software on a computer and a TRS MIDI jack for connecting to hardware MIDI devices. It has a very basic built-in sound generator that can play over headphones or a built-in speaker, which is nice for when you want a quick and simple setup. All the unused pins from the RP2040 are exposed as headers on the board for ease of hackability for those interested in taking the hardware further.”

Jared launched the HexBoard in May 2023, and has since overhauled the design to make it easier to assemble and repair, and to add new features

On a piano, each key has two notes on either side of it; on the HexBoard, each key is touching six further keys, so you can physically reach more notes with one hand — which is useful if you don’t have massive mitts like Franz Liszt or Jimi Hendrix.

“The lit-up hexagonal keys allow for many different note layouts while indicating which note is which using colours,” says Jared. “The different layouts included make it easy to play chords using simple finger shapes that don’t change depending on the key, unlike an instrument like the piano. I designed the keycaps in TinkerCAD and designed the frame in Blender. I print everything on the Bambu Lab P1S, which just barely fits the frame into the build area.”

Why use RP2040?

“The RP2040 chip is the brains of the whole project,” he adds. “It reads the buttons, sets the lights, updates the screen, sends MIDI data, and generates simple sound waves. No proprietary software is needed to run this as it’s all handled by the RP2040.

“I appreciate how I can use PIO to handle updating the LEDs without blocking the CPU. I selected this chip for this project as it had all the I/O my project required with a good amount of headroom for future developments. That, plus it was very available during the big chip shortage that occurred in the early stages of this project.”

While big companies may relentlessly focus group products to make sure they find an audience, Jared originally made the HexBoard for a pretty small audience: himself. We reckon this might have enabled him to focus on making the HexBoard awesome.

Jared created his own custom RP2040-based board and added this to the PCB to handle all the ins, outs, and programming

“Originally, I made it for me and my brother,” he recalls. “I wanted a fun, hackable instrument that looked cool and was relatively easy to learn. I’m quite happy with where I am on that, so I’d say the maker/hacker/musician is my primary target.”

“As the project has advanced, it’s become useful to a variety of people. A beginner musician can use it to start learning basic chords and melodies. Any given melody or chord has the same shape/movement no matter what key you are in, so in many ways it has a simpler learning curve.”

“A music producer can use the various layouts to spark inspiration as each different layout gives a unique way to consider the relationships between notes. I know for me, I come up with different ideas on the HexBoard than I do on a standard musical keyboard.”

The screen enables users to navigate through the many layout options offered by the HexBoard

“With the latest update, it’s now a useful tool for those experimenting in microtonal music. The compact size and wide range make it very useful for musicians who want access to a large number of keys while still being able to easily carry it around in a backpack. Beyond this, the colourful lights and animations make it plain fun for anyone to play around with.”

Raspberry Pi Official Magazine #151 out NOW!

You can grab the latest issue right now from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, WHSmith, and other newsagents, including the Raspberry Pi Store in Cambridge. It’s also available from our online store, which ships around the world. And you can get a digital version via our app on Android or iOS.

You can also subscribe to the print version of our magazine. Not only do we deliver worldwide, but people who sign up to the six- or twelve-month print subscription get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico W!

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How we added interlaced video to Raspberry Pi 5

The very first Raspberry Pi had a composite video output, and all models with a 40-pin header have a display parallel interface (DPI) output. With some external components, DPI can be converted to VGA or RGB/SCART video. Those analogue interfaces are still in demand for retro media and gaming.

Raspberry Pi 5 was a big step up in processing power, but unlike previous models, its DPI block didn’t support interlaced video (which isn’t really part of the DPI standard), so it couldn’t send full-resolution RGB to a CRT television. Until now.

Now with interlace

What is interlaced video?

Early TV systems worked by scanning the image from (usually) left to right, top to bottom. There were tradeoffs between frame rate, resolution, and radio bandwidth demands. With interlace, the frame is divided into odd and even lines. The odd lines are scanned from top to bottom, followed by the even ones. This reduces flicker and improves smoothness without increasing bandwidth. The two parts of each frame are called ‘fields’.

Illustration of progressive and interlaced scanning

Analogue TVs don’t need to do anything special to tell which field is which. Provided the horizontal scanning rate is an odd multiple of half the vertical rate, the scan-lines will fall into the right places on the screen. A key feature of interlaced video is that vertical synchronisation pulses can occur in two different phases, relative to the horizontal ones.

The problem to solve

To generate interlaced video, we had to do three things:

1. Get DPI to emit fields (even or odd lines of a frame-buffer) instead of frames
2. Time those signals so they will be in the proper arrangement for interlace
3. Generate appropriate sync pulses

The first part is easy. By changing an address and doubling the ‘stride’ between lines, we can arrange for DPI to read and display just the even or odd lines of a frame-buffer. We use an interrupt to switch back and forth between even and odd fields, 50 or 60 times a second.

The second problem is solved by hacking the DPI peripheral. If we time it just right, we can change its configuration on the fly, so that every second frame — every second field, I should say — gets one extra blank line at the end. The extra line should come after an upper field and before a lower one.

The third problem is harder. RP1’s DPI has no way to make vertical sync pulses start midway through a line.

PIO to the rescue

Like Raspberry Pi’s RP2040 and RP2350 microcontrollers, our RP1 chip has a Programmable Input/Output (PIO) block. It can generate many kinds of real-time waveforms. We recently added PIO support to our version of the Linux kernel, exposing it to device drivers and user programs.

Here, PIO snoops on DPI’s horizontal sync (HSync) and data enable (DE) pins to generate vertical sync (VSync). Two of PIO’s four state machines (SMs) are used: one SM serves as a timer, generating an ‘interrupt’ at the start and middle of each line. The other SM finds the start of the vertical blanking interval (the first line without DE), then counts half-lines to work out when to start and end the VSync pulse. Finally, it samples DE again to detect the extra blank line, to ensure it has the correct field-phase for next time.

PIO snoops on HSync and DE to generate VSync; the odd field is shown by fainter waveforms

There are some gotchas: the DE signal must be output on GPIO1, whether it’s used or not. PIO is not synchronised to the DPI clock and its VSync output can jitter up to ±5 ns. That isn’t significant at standard-definition TV rates, but it could be a problem at higher resolutions! Finally, the sync fixup consumes most of RP1’s PIO instruction memory, so PIO can’t be used for other cool things at the same time as generating interlaced DPI.

If you have a Raspberry Pi 5, a VGA666 HAT, and a VGA monitor that can run at 50Hz TV rates, you could test it by adding this to config.txt:

dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dpi-generic
dtparam=clock-frequency=13500000
dtparam=hactive=720,hfp=12,hsync=64,hbp=68
dtparam=vactive=576,vfp=5,vsync=5,vbp=39
dtparam=vsync-invert,hsync-invert
dtparam=interlaced

Make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest Raspberry Pi OS. Note that the above configuration will output DPICLK (which isn’t used) on GPIO0, and DE (which PIO needs to snoop on) on GPIO1, and precludes the use of I2C/DDC on those pins. Other HATs might need a custom overlay, to enable DE output on GPIO1 (where safe to do so).

Composite sync too

VGA cables have separate wires for horizontal and vertical sync, but TVs combine everything in one signal (composite video). A halfway house, used in SCART, is ‘composite sync’, which multiplexes the two sync signals but keeps them separate from RGB.

Most existing SCART HATs have circuitry to generate composite sync, but PIO can do it too! To keep the code size down, it’s not in the kernel driver; sample PIO code can be found here. To test it you’ll most likely need modified hardware, and this time you’ll need a pin control that does not output DE on GPIO1. Select an interlaced video mode, then run the example PIO program with sudo and a few parameters.

Remember that RP1’s DPI can’t generate VSync in interlaced modes. Instead, we get it to output a ‘helper signal’ that alternates between 1-line and 2-line pulses. PIO snoops on HSync and the helper signal to synthesize CSync.

PIO uses HSync and a ‘helper signal’ (modified VSync) to make interlaced CSync

In progressive modes, DPI can generate a normal VSync, so PIO snoops on that instead.

The ins and outs

You might be wondering why PIO can’t completely replace DPI. It’s mostly down to bandwidth and clocking. The DPI block has larger FIFOs and can transfer data across the PCIe link much more efficiently. DPI benefits from a dedicated clock, to generate arbitrary pixel rates. PIO would also struggle with some pixel format conversions.

Fortunately, DPI can take care of the pixels, leaving PIO to fix up the sync signals.

Two ways PIO can help DPI: (a) Fix up VSync for interlace; (b) Generate composite sync

The two blocks communicate only through GPIO pins — normally GPIOs 1, 2 and 3.

We hope this helps people to enjoy an authentic retro experience with their favourite television shows and games on a real CRT TV!

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New extended temperature range for Compute Module 4

While the Raspberry Pi project has its origins in education, the majority of Raspberry Pi computers we make today are destined for industrial and embedded applications. To address these applications, our products need to perform flawlessly in harsh environments – subject to extremes of temperature or pressure, or running unattended for years on end in remote or inaccessible locations.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 has been used successfully by thousands of embedded customers in a wide variety of challenging environments. But there are geographical locations where outdoor winter temperatures fall below the -20°C minimum operating temperature specified for Compute Module 4, and certain indoor applications also require correct operation at very low temperatures.

To support our customers in designing products for these demanding conditions, today we are announcing several new Compute Module 4 variants, with an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. These variants integrate extended-temperature-range SDRAM and eMMC parts from our partner Samsung; all other components on the board are already qualified to the broader temperature range.

We are offering variants with and without wireless connectivity, and with a range of SDRAM and eMMC densities. A core subset of these variants is available to purchase from stock from our network of Raspberry Pi Approved Resellers, while others can be built to order, subject to a minimum order quantity. You’ll find a full list of variants, including their prices, in the Compute Module 4 product brief.

With Raspberry Pi technology providing high-quality, low-cost compute everywhere from the Antarctic to the ocean floor to low Earth orbit, we’ve seen a fair few exotic deployments, but we suspect our customers will build things with Compute Module 4 extended temperature variants that will nevertheless surprise us!

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Introducing: Raspberry Pi Official Magazine

Hello there, it’s Rob from… well, from Raspberry Pi Official Magazine now! I will need to get a new hat.

As you may have seen, The MagPi magazine, including HackSpace, has been reborn under one official umbrella. We’ve always been the official Raspberry Pi magazine, and now that’s a bit more evident in our new name: Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. Or RPOM (ar-pom) for short.

The brand-new look of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine!

Getting a makeover

We have a new, smarter look handcrafted by designers at Raspberry Pi Towers themselves, with the same excellent content over 132 pages. Community projects, build guides, product reviews, and cool 3D prints: that’s not changing.

If you have a subscription, that will stay the same too. No updates needed. And we’re also keeping the price of subscriptions the same — speaking of which, if you’d like to start a print subscription, head over to rpimag.co/subscribe to see our excellent offers. They’re available worldwide too!

Print subscriptions start from £10 for three issues

Otherwise, you can still grab the latest issue from our online store or the Raspberry Pi Store in Cambridge, and in WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and all good newsagents. Here’s a taster of what issue #151 has in store:

Raspberry Pi Chess Board

California high school student Tamerlan Goglichidze has been coding and building projects since he was 11, teaching himself essential skills using online videos and tutorials before progressing from virtual to physical creations once his knowledge base gave him the confidence. This early focus would be impressive enough in itself, but Tamerlan was also busy taking on all-comers as a chess player who travelled extensively to compete in International Chess Federation matches. His Raspberry Pi Chess Board combines the two interests.

The stepper motor glides along a rail, moving chess pieces smoothly along the X and Y axes and deftly mimicking the knight’s move

Winning strategy

He chose Raspberry Pi 4 as “the brain of the system, bridging the digital chess world with physical movements on the board”, noting its ability to handle advanced and complex systems as well as the versatile OS and accessible GPIO pins. Tamerlan felt it “was the best choice to handle both the chess engine calculations and stepper motor movements.”

His Raspberry Pi Chess Board project built on his experience of creating a Raspberry Pi–based MARS rover with a robot arm and a small JARVIS (from Iron Man) mechatronic simulation with animatronic servo eyes that move around, and also integrated voice recognition and artificial intelligence.

The project can be made with a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and uses a standard chess board and pieces with a sturdy wooden base to which the electronics will be attached

Pure magnetism

Seeing DIY but expensive automated chess boards online motivated Tamerlan to create a functional, budget-friendly version with similar capabilities that would capitalise on his growing engineering skills. He designed most aspects using Fusion 360 and used a standard chess board, cutting wooden boards as a base in his parents’ garage. 

Challenges for the automated chess system included accurately weighing each chess piece so the XY stepper motor mechanism and magnets could seamlessly move them across the board. Tamerlan tracked down an algorithm to minimise the stepper motor’s power consumption. He used a servo linear actuator with a magnet to move each chess piece, rather than an electromagnet, having calculated it would be more power-efficient. “To generate a strong enough magnetic field to lift or attract objects, high current is typically required, demanding a robust power supply and generating heat, which must be managed,” he explains. “In contrast, a servo linear actuator needs power primarily during movement, with significantly lower standby power consumption.”

Tamerlan pits his wits against his DIY Raspberry Pi Chess Board

Using magnets moved by a stepper motor rather than a robot arm allowed Tamerlan to make the chess board as compact as possible. He wrote Python code to control each piece, translating the coordinates for each of the board’s 64 squares into steps the stepper motor could execute. Raspberry Pi calculates the best moves according to player input and translates text such as ‘b3b5’ into moves. “Castling is straightforward and can be handled by writing two different functions to cover the four possible cases and executing them accordingly.” He also needed a way to move pieces without pushing others out of the way, in particular the knight’s dog-leg movements. His solution has the knight do a half-step between squares, follow its move, and then reverse the half-step.

Peer approval

Players can specify difficulty levels and whether to play as black or white pieces against the computer chess engine, and there is a web option for remote play against other chess fans. The project quickly garnered interest and plaudits online. Buoyed up by the success of his Raspberry Pi Chess Board, which “gained remarkable attention” and, after being featured by a number of tech hobbyist sites, led to 40,000 visits to his own website, Tamerlan has set his sights on a computing or engineering career.

Raspberry Pi Official Magazine #151 out NOW!

Buy your copy of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine now from our online store, subscribe, or grab one from any of the shops I mentioned above, and let us know what you think of our new look!

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Sustainable solutions with Raspberry Pi: reducing packaging

Raspberry Pi computers come packaged in compact cardboard boxes, designed to protect the device during shipping and handling. In very early models, the computer was shipped inside a plastic antistatic bag, which was placed in a box along with a leaflet.

When we released Raspberry Pi 4, we introduced a new box which featured an antistatic coating on the inside, a measure to safeguard the sensitive electronics that also removes the need for an additional plastic antistatic bag. An antistatic card and a paper leaflet were included in the package. We moved from a hand-assembled box to a fully automated system which assembles the box from a flat cardboard net and then inserts the product before sealing it up.

Weirdly captivating

As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint, we re-evaluated the packaging for Raspberry Pi computers. Evolving regulations around product marking, with a shift towards e-labelling, presented an opportunity to streamline the contents of the box; this led us to remove the printed leaflet and antistatic card and adopt a design that prints slimmed-down regulatory information onto the inside of the packaging itself. The antistatic coating on the box provides sufficient protection for the device during shipping.

Full regulatory and compliance information about Raspberry Pi products is available through our Product Information Portal. This online resource enables customers to find the information they need and to subscribe to updates for particular products: subscribers get an email whenever we publish something new about a product, such as updated compliance information or PCNs.

These adjustments to our packaging might seem minor, but they have delivered a significant reduction in our environmental impact. We have eliminated an estimated 500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and also saved 55 tonnes of paper, every year. The results bear out Raspberry Pi’s belief that small changes, implemented thoughtfully and at scale, can lead to substantial positive outcomes.

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This floppy disk archiver runs on a Raspberry Pi

Graham Hooley converted an old floppy disk duplicator into an archiving machine that makes light work of preserving old files, David Crookes discovers in issue 150 of our official magazine.

As many computer archivists will confirm, floppy disks don’t last forever. Although some will fare better than others, magnetic media generally degrades over time, and disks can also fail due to dirt and dust if they’re not stored properly. It’s vital to archive them to a different media format as soon as possible to retain data. The trouble is that archiving can be a cumbersome, long-winded process — unless you have an innovative device to hand.

Maker and developer Graham Hooley has created such a tool — a machine that allows a bunch of 3.5-inch floppies to be stacked and automatically read one at a time. The device uses parts from existing disk duplicators as well as a Raspberry Pi 3. It allows the disk images to be backed up to a USB drive. Not only that, but a Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2 snaps photos of the disks, and these get archived as well. Not bad for a project that came about following a fortunate sequence of events.

“I’m a member of a maker space called Berlin Creators and we have a WhatsApp group chat,” Graham explains. “One of the members said his brother had two 3.5-inch floppy disk duplicator machines in his cellar and he wanted to know if anyone wanted them before they ended up in waste recycling. I said I would take them, so he dropped them off at the maker space during our next Amiga meet-up. I had no idea what to do with them at first but, about two weeks later, I had a eureka moment.”

Grease is the word

Graham had been testing the units and he was able to get one running and accepting serial commands from his PC. He then recalled seeing a video on YouTube by Shelby Jeuden [also known as Tech Tangents] about the Kryoflux and Greaseweazle solutions for preserving software on floppy disk.

Kryoflux, developed by the Software Preservation Society, and Greaseweazle, created by Keir Fraser, are small devices that sit between a floppy drive and a computer, allowing information to be harvested from disks. Using software, they can extract the raw flux transitions from a drive and allow binary image files to be built, preserving files that can then be read via emulators.

“I thought if I connected the floppy disk drive I’d been given to a Greaseweazle, I could load the disk using the serial interface, capture the image, eject, and repeat,” Graham says. “I then decided to hook up a USB-to-serial adapter because most PCs don’t have serial interfaces any more, but that didn’t work. I quickly realised that the interface on the controller board was (true) RS232, not TTL RS232, so I added a level shifter and that worked.”

Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2 is used to capture a photo of each disk, saving it under the same name as the floppy disk image to make the archive easier to identify

Suddenly, Graham found that his setup could make light work of his 800-strong collection of disks for the Commodore Amiga, a computer he used for many years in the 1990s and 2000s. Having fixed a faulty used 16-bit A500 and progressed to a 32-bit A1200, his disk collection had grown stronger recently. “I’ve been collecting Amigas for the past five years and many have come with floppy disks,” he says. Finding a way to archive them has, therefore, been timely.

Flux capacity

Graham decided to use a Raspberry Pi computer for a couple of reasons. “I have several of them because I’m a big fan and I had a spare Raspberry Pi 3,” he says. He also found that the build was rather straightforward once everything was in place. “It uses a Python script to control the Greaseweazle mechanism via its serial port by sending ‘I’ for Insert,” he explains. “It then returns ‘X’ if successful and ‘E’ for an error.”

If the script receives ‘X’ then it uses the Greaseweazle software to read the disk, returning ‘0’ when done. “The disk is then ejected by sending ‘A’ for Accept on the serial port,” Graham adds. “At this point, a photo of the disk label is taken and stored with the same file name as the disk image, adding ‘.jpg’. The camera came later in the design process. I wanted a way to identify which disk image belonged to which floppy disk, otherwise I would have to open each disk image to see what was on the disk.”

The camera is positioned over the output hopper so that it’s able to take photos of the disks as they drop, saving them as .jpg files

Wide scope

Since Graham’s device can read any 3.5-inch floppy disks supported by the Greaseweazle, archiving is not restricted to the Amiga. In fact, since Graham repurposed a 37-way D-type connector on the back of the disk duplicator unit to allow 5.25-inch and 8-inch drives to be connected, it is compatible with pretty much any retro machine you can think of.

Graham has ensured that Raspberry Pi’s modern ports are accessible from the back of the unit

Graham is now busily going through the archived disks in the hope of finding some treasure among his collection — there’s always a chance that disks obtained from others contain long-forgotten files. “I have not found anything rare or sought-after at the moment, but I am checking the image files and there is still lots to do,” he says.

You can read the full article in issue 150 of The MagPi.

The MagPi #150 out NOW!

You can grab the latest issue right now from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, WHSmith, and other newsagents, including the Raspberry Pi Store in Cambridge. It’s also available at our online store, which ships around the world. You can also get it via our app on Android or iOS.

You can also subscribe to the print version of our magazine. Not only do we deliver it globally, but people who sign up to the six- or twelve-month print subscription get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico W!

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Meet the Raspberry Pi team

Over the next few months, members of the Raspberry Pi team will be popping up all over the place to talk to you about Raspberry Pi. They’ll be giving demos from across the full range of our products, from our single-board computers (including Raspberry Pi 500) and some RP2350-based solutions to our AI products, our cameras, and our latest industrial device: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5.

At these events, you’ll be able to see how companies around the world use Raspberry Pi to support their industrial applications and discover how Raspberry Pi can help you with your own solutions. You’ll also find out about our Approved Design Partners, who can help take your product to market, and hear about the technical, product, and compliance support services we offer to industrial customers. Plus, you’ll get to meet us, which is arguably the best part.

Meet the team

Embedded World

We had a great time at Embedded World last year — just look at all those smiles

This is not the first time Raspberry Pi has been to Embedded World, and we’re very excited to be returning this year. Come meet us at stand 138 in Hall 3A at Messezentrum Nuremberg, Germany, from 11–13 March.

You can follow this link for more information, or to arrange a meeting with us.

Embedded World registration is required.

Gitex Africa

We will also be returning, for the second year in a row, to Gitex Africa in Marrakech, Morocco. Gitex is Africa’s biggest tech and startup show, so it’s fair to say we’re very much looking forward to this one too.

Come and see us at stand 3A-3 at Place Bab Jdid, Boulevard Al Yarmouk, Marrakech, from 14–16 April. You can click here for more information, or to arrange a meeting with the team.

Gitex Africa registration is required.

Hardware Pioneers

Now this one is new. For the very first time, Raspberry Pi will be attending Hardware Pioneers at the Business Design Centre in London, from 23–24 April. You’ll be able to find us at stand K7.

Click here for more information, or to arrange a meeting.

Hardware Pioneers registration is required.

Automate

We’re also headed to America to set up a stand at Automate in Detroit, Michigan, from 12–15 May. We’ll be at lucky stand number 9132 in Hall E at Huntington Place.

You know the drill: you can click here for more information or to arrange a meeting.

Automate 2025 registration is required (you should also know this by now).

Meet your (fellow) makers

Our wonderful community of makers and enthusiasts is always hosting events of their own. These are great places to meet fellow makers and learn more about Raspberry Pi — especially how our technology is being used in everyday life.

If, somehow, you can’t find the kind of event you’re looking for, you could even run one of your own! Just sign up here to learn how to submit an event and to hear about all of the support that’s available to you.

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RP2350 now available at JLCPCB

We’re pleased to announce that as of today, our RP2350 microcontroller is now available via JLCPCB’s fantastic fast-turn PCB assembly service.

RP2350 is our latest high-performance, secure microcontroller, offering unparalleled levels of processing and flexibility at its very affordable price point. Now that rapid assembly of RP2350-based boards is available from JLCPCB, prototyping and initial production of your designs is straightforward and speedy.

Before users submit a design to JLC, we’re asking that they do the following:

• Read and follow our RP2350 hardware design guide here
• Use the Abracon ABM8-272-T3 12 MHz crystal oscillator
• If using the on-chip SMPS, please use the custom Abracon polarised inductor
• Familiarise themselves with the RP2350 datasheet including chip errata

This is to help ensure the designs will function well across temperature and process variations. We also provide a helpful reference design in KiCAD format here.

We’re huge fans of JLC’s PCB services and it’s been great working with them to bring RP2350 into their inventory of processors. To learn more about their service, visit the JLCPCB website.

Initially, the RP2350A and B package versions are available via JLCPCB. The RP2354A and B versions (the package versions with stacked flash) will be available at JLCPCB, as well as other distributors and authorised resellers, later this year.

Visit our RP2350 page to learn more about the RP2350 family of microcontrollers.

Visit the JLCPCB website to learn more or submit a design to JLC’s PCB service.

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