Want to build a project, but don’t know where to get started? Kits are the way to go. And these are the best Raspberry Pi kits.
We've gathered here some of the best kits around. Everything from retro gaming systems to wildlife cameras can be bought in kit form.
The best Raspberry Pi kits are perfect for newcomers, but also fun for seasoned makers. They teach you something new about computing and offer something practical and useful at the end.
The ten best Raspberry Pi kits: PiCade, £180/$239
Creating a retro arcade system is a dream for many makers. Building a cabinet from scratch can be a costly and difficult enterprise. Picade makes it all a lot easier, though. Its powder-coated cabinet feels like a real arcade cabinet. It comes with a PCB, joysticks, and 12 arcade buttons. What makes this one of the best Raspberry Pi kits is the finished product, not only is it fun to build but you end up with a fully capable retro arcade machine.
Raspberry Pi 3 Retro Gaming Bundle, £65/$79
If you’re looking for a retro gaming console, then look at this Retro Gaming Bundle from The Pi Hut. It contains a Raspberry Pi 3 and two SNES-style USB gamepads. You also get a long HDMI cable, an official Raspberry Pi power supply, and a 16GB SD card. All you need to do is install RetroPie (retropie.org.uk).
Pirate Radio, £40/$49
This kit has everything you need to create a radio with your Raspberry Pi. It contains the new Pi Zero W and a pHAT BEAT (DAC and stereo amplifier). You also get a 5W speaker. The plastic case has a VU meter so you can view the sound levels. You will need to solder the GPIO header on to the Pi Zero W, and a female header to the pHAT BEAT.
Pi Zero CCTV Kit (Little Bro), £24/$29
Start your mini surveillance state with this sign that houses a Pi Zero and a Camera Module. The camera logo on the sign has a hole for the Camera Module. You need to buy the latter separately, but can combine it with OpenCV computer vision to create a smart CCTV Camera that recognises people.
Mirobot v2, £60/$75
The Mirobot is a small, low-cost robot that you assemble using the packaging it comes in. Once you’ve built the robot, you add a felt-tip pen and use it to move and draw. The Mirobot acts like your average turtle robot. It can raise or lower the pen to draw shapes on paper. Turtle robots have a long history in computing and maker culture, and they’re a great project for learning logic (and to see code in action).
Wildlife Cam Kit, £130/$158
If you’ve ever wanted to record the critters in your garden, then the Wildlife Cam Kit is the way to go. Its PIR sensor detects movement and triggers the Pi Camera Module to take a stealthy snap. It’s ideal for educational use. The Cam Kit is also very versatile and can be used for time-lapse photography, night-time shots (with a Pi NoIR camera and IR LED lighting), or even a live video feed.
LIV PI, £240/$250
LiV Pi comes from Hong Kong, where pollution has been a problem for many years. With air quality increasingly a concern in cities across the world, it’s a great way to learn more about pollution (and keep an eye on levels in your area). Inside the kit are three sensors: carbon dioxide, temperature/humidity, and air pressure. It’s not a cheap project, but it is a professional air-monitoring system.
DiddyBorg, £189/$230
There are many robotics kits for the Raspberry Pi, but PiBorg’s DiddyBorg is perhaps the most comprehensive. It has a robust laser-cut chassis with six 60rpm motors. The DiddyBorg comes with a PicoBorg Reverse motor controller and a BattBorg power management unit. You need to add a Raspberry Pi and Camera Module, and you have the option to control the robot using a PlayStation 3 gamepad.
MeArm, £32.99/$41.21
Not all robots have wheels. The MeArm is a flat-pack robot arm kit that you build. It can then be controlled via Python or directly with a joystick. It’s very easy to assemble, using just a screwdriver, and we think this is a great kit for anyone wanting to step into the world of digital making.
