#157 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine for September 2025

 

Cover Story: Starter Electronics

The main feature this month is a fantastic guide to "Starter Electronics". The goal is to get you comfortable with building and programming your own circuits.

• The tutorial uses

  CircuitPython, which is great because the same code can run on both a regular Raspberry Pi and a Pico.

• You'll learn the basics of connecting components to the GPIO pins, starting with simple inputs like

  buttons and outputs like a single

  LED.

• It then levels up to using

  addressable WS2812B LEDs (NeoPixels), which let you control many RGB LEDs from a single pin.

• To bring it all together, you'll build a fun, one-dimensional game where you have to press a button to "jump" a pixel over an obstacle.

Awesome Projects and Tutorials

This issue is brimming with cool builds. Here are some of the highlights:

• Build a Face Recogniser: There's a deep-dive tutorial on creating a real-time facial recognition system using a Raspberry Pi 5, a Camera Module, and the new AI HAT+. It's a powerful project that uses two different AI models: one to detect a face and a second to identify it against faces you've registered.

• DOOM on the SNES... in 2025! In a fantastic bit of retro-hacking, a team has re-released DOOM for the Super Nintendo. To pull this off, they are using a Raspberry Pi

  RP2350 chip to emulate and upgrade the console's original Super FX co-processor. This allows them to improve performance and even add 14 new levels.

• Dive into Marine Technology: A major feature explores how Raspberry Pi is being used under the sea. It showcases professional projects like monitoring coral reefs , tracking sea turtles , and a deep-sea seismograph from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The feature also includes a great DIY guide to building your own

  Tiny Open-source Underwater Vehicle (TOUV) using a 3D-printed frame, a Pico, and some small DC motors that cleverly run right in the water.

• A Dementia Aid: A very thoughtful project called Supersense SenS2 uses a Raspberry Pi 4 and radar to unobtrusively monitor the daily activity of someone with dementia. It helps families get peace of mind by learning routines and flagging deviations without using intrusive cameras.

Hardware News and Reviews

On the hardware front, there are some exciting updates:

• New RP2350 and RP2354 Chips: Raspberry Pi has introduced new "A4 stepping" variants of the RP2350 microcontroller, which fix security issues found during their Hacking Challenge. They also launched the

  RP2354, which is a pin-compatible version that adds 2MB of flash memory right in the package.

• Argon ONE Up Laptop Preview: There's a preview of a sleek new laptop built around the Compute Module 5. It's a fully modular, upgradable, and repairable machine with a 14-inch IPS display and an aluminum alloy chassis.

• Build HAT Goes Open Source: Raspberry Pi has now fully open-sourced the firmware for the Build HAT, which lets you control LEGO Technic motors and sensors.

• Pico Add-ons: A roundup highlights some of the best add-on boards for the Raspberry Pi Pico, including displays, robotics controllers like the Robo Pico, and audio packs.

All in all, it’s a fantastic issue for anyone who loves to build things, whether you're just starting with electronics or looking for your next advanced project!