What are the easy to follow Raspberry Pi crypto projects? The blockchain technology comes with a number of neat applications. It can be used in voting systems, to create smart contracts, and much more.
However, when you talk about cryptocurrency, you are instantly reminded of blockchain technology since it is used extensively in this field.
Talking about cryptocurrencies, there is a large number of different types of crypto coins available on the market. The list includes, and is certainly not limited to, some of the major types of crypto coins such as:
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum and
- Litecoin.
There are also a few other ‘joke’ crypto coins such as Dogecoin as well as a few new entrants in this space such as Chia and more.
In short, there are lots of crypto coins that you can invest in or mine. And, there are also several different crypto projects that you can build.
This is where a Raspberry Pi will come into play. Check out Best Crypto Tools.
Yes, a Raspberry Pi can be the focal point of a crypto project and you can start working on one immediately if you have the required hardware at your disposal.
However, you will need to know about some of the best crypto projects that you can make at home so that you choose the right one and start working instead of wasting your time, effort, and money on trials and errors.
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9 Easy to Follow Raspberry Pi Crypto Projects
A Raspberry Pi is a computer that is as small in size as a credit card. You can see it being used in media centers or as a Network Attached Storage Controller. However, it also comes packed with a lot of crypto potential.
A Raspberry Pi is quite good to use for a crypto project but it may not be one of the most lucrative options if you want to mine conventional crypto coins.
However, it is good to mine some specific Altcoins such as Chia. It is even better if you use it for several other cryptocurrency projects that do not involve mining coins. You can use it to create anything like:
- A crypto coin price tracker
- A cold storage wallet and even
- A mining rig.
Here are some of the best Raspberry Pi cryptocurrency projects that you can create at home making the best use of the versatility of this tiny computer.
However, do not expect anything in large volume without spending a lot of additional money on additional hardware.
1. Mining Crypto Coins
You can make the best use of a Raspberry Pi to create a mining rig to mine specific crypto coins.
For this, the latest Raspberry Pi 4 is the best bet due to its major upgrade from the previous Raspberry Pi versions.
Though you will not be able to use it for mining Bitcoins and other major crypto coins, it is still a good option to mine a lot of different smaller Altcoins by using a Raspberry Pi.
For better returns stick to Magi, Storj, Raven, and Verium and other crypto coins that use Proof of Stake algorithm.
Your miner will enable you to mine a few cents of currency each day and when these accumulate you can put them to work as well.
However, do not expect an incredible return in mining with Raspberry Pi. For that you will need expensive mining hardware.
2. Staking Crypto Coins
You can also stake crypto coins by using a Raspberry Pi. The best thing is that it will cost you much less in terms of energy.
Ideally, the crypto coins that use Proof of Stake algorithms are much less energy consuming than those that use Proof of Work algorithms.
When you use these coins it will be much more efficient to empower the end-users in comparison to the massive mining pools.
There will be very little power expense even if you let your Raspberry Pi plugged in for days.
This means that your cryptocurrencies will work day and night with any significant power expense and increase in your monthly electric bill.
And, to top it all, you will also not need to use any expensive hardware for that, letting you enjoy double benefits while making some extra crypto coins in the process.
3. Running a Full Bitcoin Node
A Raspberry Pi can also be used for running a full Bitcoin node on it. It will be easier to secure as well as validate your transactions.
Apart from that, it will also help in processing the transactions made through the specific network of the other Bitcoin users.
However, at this point you should know that when you run a Bitcoin node it does not summarily mean that you will earn Bitcoin as well with each transaction made.
Instead, in this process you simply contribute to the vital aspects of Bitcoin trading – authentication and security.
To run a Bitcoin node successfully, you will first need to download the Bitcoin blockchain.
It will consume about 225 GB of your hard disk space, meaning you will need at least 256 GB of space in your device or use a micro SD card with that much storage capacity.
However, to accommodate the ever-growing Bitcoin blockchain as well as to keep your node online for a longer time, you will need much larger storage space for that.
Also, make sure that you sync the blockchain before adding it to your Raspberry time because it will take a lot of time otherwise for an initial syncing process.
4. Running a Bitcoin Lightning Network Node
If you are not much interested in running a full Bitcoin Node with your Raspberry Pi, you can also use it to run a Bitcoin Lightning Network Node. This is actually a Payment Processing Protocol that works off-chain.
This protocol expedites the process of transactions dramatically so much so that a transaction that would have taken ten minutes to complete would now take just a few seconds to be completed.
Apart from that, this protocol also ensures the safety and security aspects of the network while operating.
However, to make your Bitcoin Lightning Node run successfully, you should go through a few tutorials to know how exactly you should install the additional LCD screen or a monitor and all.
This project, however, may not be very convenient if you are a beginner in this field.
5. Work Like a Crypto Ticker
You can use a Raspberry Pi and make it work just like a crypto ticker. For that, you will need to do some programming on your device.
When you successfully create a crypto ticker you will be able to see all of the latest crypto coin trading rates of the entire day.
There are a few specific projects that will require a minimum set of tools and hardware.
There are even some specific projects, like the Kieranc’s project, that you can customize as well according to the specific type of cryptocurrency that you want to see other than the default.
6. Creating a Crypto Wallet
Creating a crypto wallet is also quite easy by using a Raspberry Pi. Since a crypto hardware wallet is the best option to store your Bitcoin, you can create one by using your Raspberry Pi and a micro SD card.
Though this is a great project to go for, you should however remember that if you are dealing with a considerable amount of crypto coins, you should use a very secure cryptocurrency hardware wallet.
Therefore, do a little bit of research first to know about some of the best cryptocurrency hardware wallets to store Bitcoins.
7. Bitcoin Tracker
If you want to know more than the rates of the crypto coins traded during the day, you should use a crypto tracker instead of a crypto ticker.
As you may be aware of the fact that the crypto market is extremely volatile and the price fluctuates in varying degrees and amounts.
There are several different reasons for it and if you want to know about them all you will need a crypto tracker which you can also create very easily using your Raspberry Pi.
This will help you to gather info on the price changes, the number of coins left to mine as well as those in circulation, the hash rate, and a lot of other valuable metrics and analytics.
For this crypto project, apart from a Raspberry Pi board, you will need an LED matrix for the display.
Once set, all you have to do is adapt the code and monitor the data of Bitcoin as well as track other crypto coins such as Litecoin and Ethereum.
8. Address Monitoring Tool
If you are very serious about crypto assets, you will need an address monitoring tool, and a Raspberry Pi will also allow you to create that.
This tool will help you to monitor the crypto wallets along with the price of different crypto coins and the balance in a specific Bitcoin address.
For this project you will need a Raspberry Pi board, a monitor, a variety of cables, and some software.
9. Solar Mining Rig
Finally, if you are into small-time mining, you can create a solar-powered crypto coin mining rig using a Raspberry Pi.
This will work much better than a standard mining rig with a Raspberry Pi.
In addition to that, a solar powered crypto mining rig will enable you to avoid using your home energy thereby reducing your energy bills.
This means that, whatever yield the solar-powered rig provides, it will not be offset by higher energy bills.
Just make sure that you choose a profitable crypto coin to mine with your solar-powered mining rig. This project is also a good one to consider in another and a better way.
It will be useful to earn some monetary rewards and at the same time gain a lot of knowledge about Raspberry Pi hardware and software as well as the crypto world on the whole.
Hardware Required to Start with a Raspberry Pi Crypto Project
Now that you know about the specific DIY crypto projects that you can build with a Raspberry Pi, you should look into the hardware requirements so that there are no interruptions in the process.
- Raspberry Pi – This is quite obvious. You can use any variant of a Raspberry Pi but remember that the functionality of the latest Raspberry Pi 4 will be better than the Raspberry Pi 3 variant, and far better than the earlier Raspberry Pi 2 version.
- Storage – Most of the crypto projects mentioned above will need quite a lot of storage space in the device. If it does not come with a large storage space, you may consider using a micro SD card of at least 128 GB of storage space, where more is better, so that you can interact with the crypto coin blockchain.
- Power source – For a few specific types of Raspberry Pi crypto projects you will need your hardware to have a constant source of power.
- Ethernet cable: This will be required if you are using a Raspberry Pi that comes with Wi-Fi compatibility. However, you must know at this point that a wired device will function much better in comparison to a wireless device.
- Accessories – These include both input as well as output devices such as keyboard, mouse and monitor. These will help you to interact directly and easily with your Raspberry Pi.
Finally, you will need a compatible operating system to run your Raspberry Pi crypto project.
Though operating systems may vary depending on your personal preference and convenience in using, be informed that it is Raspbian Linux distro that is widely used for this purpose.
There are also quite a lot of other Linux distros that you can use for your Raspberry Pi crypto project. Choose one that suits you and your needs the best after conducting a thorough research.
Conclusion
You can use Raspberry Pi to create your own crypto projects only if you know what and how to do so. The list above will clarify most of your doubts though some additional research is necessary to create a successful crypto project.
I have special interest in crypto and intend to help common people to gain knowledge about the digital asset as well as its potential. Follow Me at Linkedin.
