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Top 10 Raspberry Pi accessories

Think there's a lot you can do with a Raspberry Pi board? With a few low-cost accessories you can get these boards to do a lot more - and thanks to extensive code libraries, you don't need to know much coding.
Serial Plus
1 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Serial Plus

Add a handy RS232 port to your Raspberry Pi board to expand the possibilities of what you can hook up. Not only is this handy if you have a device that has an RS232 port you want to control, but it also allows you to connect to devices you've built yourself.

The sky's the limit!

Price: $17 | More information

Automation pHAT
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Automation pHAT

If you want to put a Raspberry Pi at the center of your automation project, then the Automation pHAT makes that a breeze.

  • 1 x 24V @ 2A relay
  • 3 x 12-bit ADC @ 0-24V
  • 3 x 24V tolerant buffered inputs
  • 3 x 24V tolerant sinking outputs

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, A+, Zero, and Zero W.

There's a Python library available to allow you to start using the Automation pHAT with the minimum of fuss.

Price: $17 | More information

Enviro pHAT
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Enviro pHAT

This is how you add sensors to your Raspberry Pi project. The Enviro pHAT offers four different sensors giving you access to:

  • Temperature
  • Pressure
  • Ambient light level and color
  • 3-axis motion
  • Compass heading
  • Analog inputs

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, A+, Zero, and Zero W.

The Python library means that you don't need to do much work to get the Enviro pHAT working.

Price: $22.50 | More information

Unicorn pHAT
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Unicorn pHAT

A matrix of 32 super-bright RGB LEDs that can be used for all sorts of applications, from mood lighting to status lights.

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, A+, Zero, and Zero W.

Price: $14 | More information

Display-O-Tron HAT
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Display-O-Tron HAT

For those who want a bit more information that a status light can offer, the Display-O-Tron HAT gives you a lot more options.

  • 16x3 character LCD display (full ASCII character set and eight custom glyphs)
  • Fully controllable six zone RGB backlight
  • Six bright white bar graph LEDs (individually dimmable)
  • Six capacitive touch buttons
  • Power, I2C, SPI, UART, PWM, and five GPIO pins broken out
  • SN3218 LED matrix driver chip (drives the RGB backlight)
  • Microchip CAP1166 capacitive touch driver chip

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, A+, Zero, and Zero W.

Price: $31 | More information

Explorer pHAT
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Explorer pHAT

A great way to get into prototyping and handling analog inputs and outputs and controlling motors and Arduinos, without hassles or running the risk of blowing up your board.

  • Four buffered 5V tolerant inputs (perfect for Arduino compatibility)
  • Four powered 5V outputs (up to 500mA total across all four channels)
  • Four analog inputs
  • Two H-bridge motor drivers (up to 200mA per channel)

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3, 2, B+, A+, Zero, and Zero W.

Price: $14 | More information

Flick! HAT
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Flick! HAT

This add on adds what feels like magic to a Raspberry Pi project - 3D gesture sensing at up to 15 centimeters away from the sensor surface using near field gesture technology.

You can even place it behind non conductive material such as wood or acrylic and it will still work.

Compatible with Raspberry Pi A+, B+, 2B, 3B.

Price: $28 | More information

Adafruit PiTFT Plus 320x240 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen
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Adafruit PiTFT Plus 320x240 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen

Forget status lights and add a high-quality, 2.8-inch, 320x240 16-bit color resistive touchscreen to your Raspberry Pi project.

Compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero, Pi 3, Pi 2 or Model A+, B+.

Price: $50 | More information

PiZero USB Stem
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PiZero USB Stem

Add a handy full-sized USB connector to your Pi Zero or Pi Zero W. Not only does this turn your little Pi into a USB dongle, it can also seriously reduce of cabling you need when connecting it to a PC.

Compatible with Pi Zero V1.3 (with camera connector) and Pi Zero W.

Price: $7 | More information

Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2
10 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2

Adding an eye to your Raspberry Pi project has never been easier. This tiny camera connects directly to the camera port that's built onto the Raspberry Pi Zero.

The 8 megapixel camera supports 1080p30, 720p60 and 640x480p90 video and can take 3280 x 2464 pixel stills.

Price: $33.50 | More information

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