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What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
It turns out, after rejigging a few things and.not implementing other plans, that I have a few spare Raspberry Pi's.
I have one 3, two 3Bs, two 4s and an 8gb Pi5. I was going to use one of the 4s as a Retro pi arcade machine and am now using the 3 as a Xilinx chip programmer but don't have any plans for the others yet. I do use another 3 to run Octopi on my 3d printer, which is invaluable and also have an original model B+ somewhere but that things just took old now.
What do you guys do with your Pis?
I have one 3, two 3Bs, two 4s and an 8gb Pi5. I was going to use one of the 4s as a Retro pi arcade machine and am now using the 3 as a Xilinx chip programmer but don't have any plans for the others yet. I do use another 3 to run Octopi on my 3d printer, which is invaluable and also have an original model B+ somewhere but that things just took old now.
What do you guys do with your Pis?
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
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Hellraiseruk
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
Kodi box/media player/mini nas, maybe a PiHole?
JD
JD
- rubber_jonnie
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
I have a couple that are sitting gathering dust, including an original one. Most of my usage these days is for things like A8 PicoCart, Analog V2 cards in my Apple, PicoMEM all stuff like that. Trouble is that's almost entirely Pi Pico's or variants thereof.
I did use one of my proper PI's to reinstall IRIX on one of my SGI Octanes but that's a bit of an edge case. Maybe build one as a workbench machine and fit it behind a display VESA style to save space?
I did use one of my proper PI's to reinstall IRIX on one of my SGI Octanes but that's a bit of an edge case. Maybe build one as a workbench machine and fit it behind a display VESA style to save space?
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
- chronicthehedgehog
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
Nothing too exciting.
Print server
MT32-PI
and another attached to my STs modem port for networking via PPP
Print server
MT32-PI
and another attached to my STs modem port for networking via PPP
- rubber_jonnie
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
MT32-PI sounds like a great idea.chronicthehedgehog wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 11:42 am Nothing too exciting.
Print server
MT32-PI
and another attached to my STs modem port for networking via PPP
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
All good suggestions so far.
I did used to have a NAS and media server but knocked that on the head when I could watch just about anything online these days and when a couple of the HDDs started to fail.
I used one of the PIs to set up and SGI as well but once that's done it's kind of redundant.
I do have a few picos as well left over from work projects that got shelved but have a few retro ideas for those.
I've got the PIs set up in a cluster type case, just to keep them all tidy whilst I think what to do with them.
I did used to have a NAS and media server but knocked that on the head when I could watch just about anything online these days and when a couple of the HDDs started to fail.
I used one of the PIs to set up and SGI as well but once that's done it's kind of redundant.
I do have a few picos as well left over from work projects that got shelved but have a few retro ideas for those.
I've got the PIs set up in a cluster type case, just to keep them all tidy whilst I think what to do with them.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
- chronicthehedgehog
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
Yes it's pretty cool. I'm using a PI3 but using a PI4 allows you to load larger sound fonts IIRCrubber_jonnie wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 11:56 amMT32-PI sounds like a great idea.chronicthehedgehog wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 11:42 am Nothing too exciting.
Print server
MT32-PI
and another attached to my STs modem port for networking via PPP
Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
I'm quite spoilt with Sound modules here already and recently sold a CM32L, butight consider making an MT-32 pichronicthehedgehog wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:02 pmYes it's pretty cool. I'm using a PI3 but using a PI4 allows you to load larger sound fonts IIRC
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
- rubber_jonnie
- Site Admin

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- Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
- Location: Essex
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Re: What to do with my spare Raspberry Pi's
Yeah, I've been meaning to build one too, but I keep getting other projects in the way...PhilC wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:18 pmI'm quite spoilt with Sound modules here already and recently sold a CM32L, butight consider making an MT-32 pichronicthehedgehog wrote: Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:02 pm
Yes it's pretty cool. I'm using a PI3 but using a PI4 allows you to load larger sound fonts IIRC
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
