Review
(^176) The Official Raspberry Pi Projects Book raspberrypi.org/magpi
pi-top
PULSE brings
the arts
into STEAM
pi-top
Maker
Says
PI-TOPPULSE
PI-TOPPULSE
e love the pi-top range
of computers. They
provide true PC or laptop
conversion kits for the Raspberry
Pi, customisable with plug-in
modules and aimed at educational
users. Usually these add-ons
are designed to enhance the
experience of using the pi-top,
but that’s all changing with their
latest and most ambitious add-on,
the pi-topPULSE.
It may be ambitious, but it is
also very cool. From the top, it’s
an unassuming white plastic
square. It includes a 7×7 LED
display under the plastic, plus a
microphone and speaker. The PCB
is visible on the underside, but it
is lovely and well designed.
On its own, it can be plugged
into a pi-top using the special
magnetic rails inside the slide-out
compartment, but it can also be
used as a HAT on the Raspberry Pi.
You’ll need to plug in a header to
the underside of the PULSE before
popping it on the Pi, but it works
with Raspbian after installing a
single piece of software.
It’s a very tight fit on the
Pi. The case barely misses the
Ethernet port, and the connectors
for the pi-top hang over the
board, increasing the footprint
of the Pi. As an educational tool
it is excellent, with a very robust
Python library for creating light
displays and games.
The microphone and speaker
give you access to other functions.
The PULSE acts as a fully
integrated speaker for Sonic Pi,
and is even optimised for use with
Amazon Alexa on the Raspberry
Pi. There’s a great demo on the
product page that shows how it
can be used with Alexa.
It is a little tricky to get your
head around the programming,
but there are plenty of examples
that helped us figure out how to
use everything.
All in all, it’s one of the most
fun HATs we’ve seen in a while,
allowing users to explore many
amazing project ideas.
A new multimedia add-on that brings lights and sound
to a pi-top or a Raspberry Pi. Rob Zwetsloot takes a look
W
UNICORN
HAT HD
With its
programmable
16×16 RGB LED
display, this
is a great HAT
that is easy to
code and fun to
use in a range
of projects.
magpi.cc/UniHATHD
Related
£32 / $35
magpi.cc/2vXvQDb
Last word
An amazing idea with great
execution – we just wish it
was slightly easier to program.
With a bit of practice you can
create some astounding things
with the PULSE.
£40 / $50