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Raspberry Pi 400 + Grok AI = AMAZING

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Adventures in The Shed: Raspberry Pi 400, AI Magic, and 100 Exploding Balls Hey folks, Lonnie here! Welcome back to The Shed—my little eBay hub by day, and my weekend playground for all things tech. Today, I’m diving into a project that’s been rattling around in my brain for a while: turning my Raspberry Pi 400 into a creative hub, with a little help from my Raspberry Pi Pico W and some serious AI wizardry courtesy of Grok from xAI. Spoiler alert: we’re not writing a single line of code ourselves, and it ends with 100 balls exploding on screen. Let’s get into it! Step 1: Waking Up the Pi 400 I’ve had this Raspberry Pi 400—a full computer crammed into a keyboard—sitting around for about four years, barely touched after its first hour of glory. It’s a steal at $80 from Adafruit (or $90 for the Pi 500 version from CanaKit if you’re feeling fancy), and I figured it was time to dust it off. First task? Get a fresh OS onto a beefy 128GB SD card, ditching the measly 32GB one it cam...
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Build the Ultimate DIY Smart Clock with Raspberry Pi Pico W - GrokClok Tutorial!

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GrokClok: A Multifunctional Clock with Raspberry Pi Pico W Project Overview The GrokClok is a feature-rich clock project built on the Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, developed as a collaboration between NeverCode (YouTube: NeverCode ) and Grok (xAI). It combines precise timekeeping, environmental sensing, and user interaction into a compact, DIY-friendly package. Key features include: Dual LCD Displays : Time and temperature on the top LCD, menu and status on the bottom LCD. DS3231 RTC : Accurate timekeeping with battery backup. DHT11 Sensor : Temperature monitoring in Fahrenheit. 4x4 Keypad : Intuitive menu navigation and settings input. Wi-Fi & NTP Sync : Internet connectivity for automatic time updates. Buzzer : Audible alerts for timers and alarms. Modes : Timer, stopwatch, alarm, stats display, and timezone adjustment. This documentation provides everything you need to build, program, and use the GrokClok, including hardware connections, softwa...
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No-Code Pi Pico W: AI Powered Electronics for Everyone #1

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Building Cool Stuff with the Raspberry Pi Pico W – No Coding Required! Welcome to an exciting new journey! I’m kicking off a video series (and now a blog post!) all about the Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller. This tiny powerhouse is perfect for hobbyists who want to create awesome projects without diving deep into the world of coding. What sets this series apart from the countless Raspberry Pi tutorials out there? We’re letting AI handle all the coding for us. That’s right – not a single line of code will come from me, and I’ll show you how you can do the same! Why AI? Honestly, I’ve been using it to generate code for a while now, and it’s clear I’ll never be as fast or precise as it is – and it’s only getting better. For folks like me (and maybe you), who have day jobs and just want to tinker with tech as a hobby, this is a game-changer. You don’t need to become a computer scientist to build something cool. In this series, we’ll explore how to make fun, practical...
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Build Your Own IoT Weather Station: Log Temperature and Humidity to Google Sheets with a Raspberry Pi Pico Introduction Imagine turning a tiny Raspberry Pi Pico into your very own internet-connected weather station! In this project, you’ll harness the power of MicroPython to read temperature and humidity data from a DHT11 sensor, optionally display it on a sleek I2C LCD, and beam it straight to a Google Sheet for real-time tracking—all over WiFi. A clever Google Apps Script acts as the bridge, catching data from your Pico and neatly logging it into rows. Whether you’re monitoring your room’s climate, experimenting with IoT, or just geeking out over data, this guide walks you through every step. It’s designed for hobbyists with a bit of experience—like familiarity with MicroPython or Arduino—who want to level up their skills. Let’s dive in and bring your sensor data to life! Part 1: Hardware Setup on the Raspberry Pi Pico What You’ll Need Raspberry Pi Pico...
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Control LEDs with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Arduino Uno via UART

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Control LEDs with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Arduino Uno via UART If you’ve ever wanted to make two microcontrollers talk to each other, this project is a perfect starting point! In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll show you how to connect a Raspberry Pi Pico W to an Arduino Uno using UART (serial communication) to control LEDs with button presses. Press a red button on the Pico, and a red LED lights up on the Arduino—same for blue and green. It’s simple, fun, and a great way to dip your toes into microcontroller communication. Since you’ve already got MicroPython installed on your Pico W and have some basic experience, we’ll jump right into the setup. I’ll walk you through the wiring, share the code, and explain how UART works—plus why the Pico’s 3.3V signals play nice with the Arduino’s 5V expectations. Let’s get started! What You’ll Need Raspberry Pi Pico W (with MicroPython installed) Arduino Uno 3 Push Buttons (momentary switches) 3 LEDs (red, blue, green) ...
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LaunchPico v0.95: A Rocket-Themed Launcher for Your Pi Pico

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LaunchPico v0.95: A Rocket-Themed Launcher for Your Pi Pico Say hello to LaunchPico v0.95, a custom launcher I built for the Raspberry Pi Pico W using MicroPython! If you’ve got a Pico W, a small LCD, and a few buttons, this project turns your microcontroller into a program-launching hub with a fun rocket ship vibe. It’s perfect for beginners who’ve flashed MicroPython and want to level up. Let’s break it down! What Is LaunchPico? LaunchPico v0.95 is like a mini menu system for your Pico W. When you power it on, it boots to a 16x2 LCD showing "LaunchPico v0.95," then loads a list of programs you can scroll through and run with buttons. Here’s how it works under the hood: Startup: The LCD flashes "LaunchPico v0.95" for 3 seconds, then shows "R:Up B:Dn G:GO!" with "Press Green" below it. This is your entry point—press Green (GP14) to jump into the menu. File Scanning: LaunchPico searches the Pico W’s root directory (/) for .py files....
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