Raspberry Pi Official Magazine #135

Raspberry Pi 5 is out now! This is a landmark event for Raspberry Pi as it brings speed parity with traditional desktop computers. That you get all that speed and power in a tiny singleboard computer is nothing short of miraculous. And we can't wait to see what you make with it. Our Launch Special starts on page 36. We've also got 50 Raspberry Pi project ideas starting on page 70. If you're thinking of something to make with your shiny new Raspberry Pi 5, this feature is sure to fire some brain cells. We can't wait to see what you make with Raspberry Pi 5. So please remember to share your creations (big or small) with us using #MagPiMonday on social media. Or, email us directly: magpi@raspberrypi.com. We always…

THE WORLD OF RASPBERRY PI Pencoed is not a big town, having a population of under 10,000. However, big things come out of there. It's where you'll find the Sony UK Technology Centre, one part factory where the vast majority of Raspberry Pis are made, alongside other products such as Sony broadcast cameras, and also where Sony supports tech startups, prototyping, and code clubs. We were lucky to be given a tour of the facilities where machines, robot arms, and real people make 250,000 Raspberry Pi computers a week – from board to box. Have you ever seen a machine put a little computer in a box? It's very cute, and the mechanism to fold the lid is a very simple angled piece of metal that runs along the line,…

MAKER Zhou Xu Zhou is an electron microscope scientist working at Monash University in Australia. He also describes himself as a maker, 3D printing nerd, and LEGO MOCer. magpi.cc/bbpi There was a time, before Apple and Google entered the fray, when BlackBerry smartphones were all the rage. They were introduced in 1999 and, at their peak in 2011, attracted more than 85 million users. From that point on, however, it was all downhill as BlackBerry's big selling points – the physical keyboard and email service – gave way to touchscreens and rival alternatives. Even so, there's still something rather charming about BlackBerry handsets and, for anyone wanting to do some serious computing on-the-go, tapping away on physical keys remains more comfortable. For those reasons, it's hard not to be enthused…

01 Zhou Xu dropped the USB port because Raspberry Pi and the LCD screen were pretty much drawing the power supply's capacity. But he used an I2C connection for the keyboard so added it again! 02 Frustrated that the BBQ20KBD keyboard does not have ESC and CTRL keys, Zhou sought help. He said he was able to get the BBQ20KBD I2C driver (magpi.cc/bbq20kbd) working, which allowed the function keys to be mapped. 03 Using translucent 3D printing filament has allowed Zhou to add a great-looking powerstatus light to the USB charging port. When it is orange, as shown, here it is charging. It'll turn green when full, and red when it needs charging.…

MAKER John McNelly A tinkerer who is fond of making and breaking new things with electronics, software, and mechanical engineering. John lives in Campbell, CA, and works as an electrical engineer. johnmcnelly.com Experienced at etching PCBs in his garage, John McNelly found that one of the most frustrating and time-consuming parts of fabricating two-sided boards was drilling the through-holes. Keen to speed up the process, he created the Drill Press Camera, a clever piece of kit that makes his life so much easier. “I got tired of squinting at a teeny-tiny drill bit attached to a benchtop drill press,” John explains, “so I built this project so that I can squint at a teeny-tiny screen attached to a benchtop drill press instead. The microscope camera has an HDMI output that…

MAKER Mukesh Sankhla Siemens India software and IoT developer Mukesh loves making and documenting electronic, mechanical, and software projects. magpi.cc/touchcamins Mukesh Sankhla's enthusiasm for tech jumps off the page. His responses to The MagPi's questions about his TouchCam camera project are packed with words such as ‘inspire’, ‘love’ and the absolute joy he's found in sharing his roster of makes over the past three years. Having completed his studies only a year ago, the computer science graduate was quickly snapped up by Siemens India, where Mukesh works as a software engineer with an Internet of Things focus, and spends his spare time creating and sharing technology-based designs. The TouchCam has gone through several iterations, which Mukesh has shared as an Instructable: magpi.cc/touchcamins. Its design is loosely based on Adafruit's 3D…