[Video] Top 10 Uses for a Raspberry Pi (400th EC video!)


Ten things to do with a Raspberry Pi — as a celebration of the Pi’s 10th birthday, and 400 episodes of ExplainingComputers!

Some of my previous Raspberry Pi videos include:

Raspberry Pi 4 Week:

Raspberry Pi AI: Picroft Voice Assistant:

Raspberry Pi Anemometer – measuring the speed of the wind:

Raspberry Pi Zero Hamster Feeder:

Raspberry Pi Plant Watering (& Time Lapse):

Raspberry Pi OMV 5 NAS:

Raspberry Pi Devastator Robot #4:

More videos on SBCs and wider computing and related topics can be found at

You may also like my ExplainingTheFuture channel at:

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:59 Small desktop computer
02:05 Media player
02:49 NAS or server
03:37 Robotics & automation
04:38 Surveillance & IoT
05:38 Printer controller
06:26 Retro gaming
07:13 Smart speaker
08:15 The last two things!

#RaspberryPi #Uses #400th #ExplainingComputers

38 Comments on “[Video] Top 10 Uses for a Raspberry Pi (400th EC video!)”

  1. Hi, for two years, i used a virtual machine as a music server and i tried with the raspberry pi. It works perfectly. I deleted my virtual machine. For sure, i'm happy 🙂

  2. if it was not for the raspberry pi i would know nothing about linux. Thanks a million for all the videos you've made they have helped me out tremendously over the years !

  3. Thanks for good video like a mini time-travel in RPi history. In my opinion, RPi cannot be considered a reliable computer without SATA. Why don't they consider adding SATA? Is it planned in the near future?

  4. 5:01
    British guy – "Withdrawal from the fridge"

    American – " Look, he's got a mini-fridge, like the one I have in my office!

    British guy – " That's my home fridge."

    American – " But where do you keep your food, then?"

  5. Congratulations on the 400th video, Mr. Christopher Barnatt. Thank you for the quality content you put on here over the years. I have learned a lot from your channel. It’s a gift to people like me. Thank you again.

  6. This video shows what a versatile computer the Pi . I'm not practical, I like my technology to be plug and play, but you have given me some ideas for when I buy one.

  7. I build computers for a living but I love playing around with the Raspberry Pi. There are endless possibilities and uses, It is just fun to use them. Love your videos and Congratulations on your 400th Video keep up the good work Mate!

  8. I made the camera thing to keep track of local cats and birds. It worked well until the 2.5 G portion of my router went out. I had two cameras going 24/7.
    It would be great to have a project with pan and tilt on a pi zero w made with the bjy-28 stepper motors, with sleep, or smaller motors. Of course as small as possible and rain proof, and audio and audio recording.

  9. You forgot to mention its main use (or at least why it was initially created to begin with). It was supposed to be a cheap computing alternative for poorer people in developing countries so that a desktop setup could be had for under $100. These SoC devices are even more relevant now, not just an IoT device for tinkering, but also because of geo-political events as of late causing worldwide chip shortages.

  10. i just buy first camera module, what craphic software have can use camera easy cuik and simple than windows style web cam, if need take photo not good go make python code and then take photo, better if have software click open and take photo, or video. or use skype messenger, facebook etc. what software have, no python i not understand coding anythink.

  11. Great Stuff as usual. The Pi gives immense pleasure and satisfaction to many, myself included. Keep up the with the content. Fun, useful and informative 👍👍👍

  12. Oh no! It appears I missed this! Congratulations to 400!!! 💐💐💐 I also think you deserve a “peace” of the Ten-year Raspberry Pi celebration cake! I bet that without your contributions, the number of people who know about it would be substantially smaller!

  13. May I add one more point that is often overlooked, and therefore causes some people to look over their shoulder these devices: RPIs are starting to be used in industrial environments… big boy serious toys. Perhaps not the everyday RPI, more often it's the Compute Module, but I've read about at least two German companies building custom industrial ruggedized SBCs based on the RPI compute model and (my favorite) I've recentyl read that Curtiss-Wright developed and certified according to DO-160 and other military standards an aiborne mission computer based on the very RPI Compute Module… believe me, it is absolutely no joke to get those certifications, and although we may not see it operating in full size manned aircraft, it will find a niche in special purpose drones and similar unmanned systems. No idea about the price, it certainly won't be cheap due to the certifications, but my educated guess it that it may open the door for budget-friendly certified avionics

  14. The 11th use: or my #1: It provides a computer at very low cost to the world – Maybe this should be #1 and what a success given its 10th anniversary. I really support your last use: Just have fun and learn a bit: beats watching a football match!

  15. Can use RPI for heating hot water storage, under floor heating or space heating.
    Try pulsing a quality solid state relay at say a rate of mains frequency. On 1/4 of time means 25% power [000x000x000x]. One reason to use it could be to allocate exactly 100% of available solar power to household use (100% self consumption). Also allows time of day heating. Simple coding, easy electronics. Visible SSR response as well as physical change (heating). Possibly can also reduce waste heat loss due to expansion by heating more slowly (sounds reasonable but unsure of this). Can also delay heating to be closer to time of consumption so less heat loss to atmosphere. Expect lots might be interested and lots have also done this and may contribute. I would definitely watch such a "show".

  16. The Raspberry Pi has also come in handy for a wide variety of Amateur Radio projects with its ability to run a number of Linux communications programs that were specifically written for ham radio. I have 2 running digital voice hotspots, one running an Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) station, one Pi-400 as a desktop, and two running a variety of Packet and HF digital mode devices. It is a shame that the current economy and chip shortage has caused the prices to skyrocket above the level where most folks can afford to purchase them now. Devices originally priced at $35 and $15 US are now selling for well over $150 and $79 respectively. The cost of a Pi-4 kit now rivals that of some low-end laptops and Chromebooks.

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