Raspberry Pis are a series of beloved single-board, open-source Linux computers originating from the United Kingdom. With a Raspberry Pi at your side, the sky’s the limit. You can play retro video games, interact with robots, and simplify household tasks with this small but mighty board.
In this article, we present some of the best Raspberry Pi tutorials available. There’s a lot out there when it comes to Raspberry Pi, which can make it challenging to zero in on some truly worthwhile videos or written tutorials that will help up your microcontroller game. In addition to ensuring a range of experience levels and topics, we also considered clarity, brevity, replicability (if applicable), and positive user feedback to compile a list of the best tutorials.
With that said, here are our picks!
Introduction to Raspberry Pi
New to the Pi? These structured, comprehensive tutorials will help you dip your feet into the world of this wonderful board, whether through videos, written instructions, or follow-along photos.
Waveshare
For users interested in highly informative demos that break down information into manageable chunks, these introductory Raspberry Pi tutorials are an excellent choice. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn everything from accessing your Pi to dealing with infrared remote control.
The tutorials also offer the official documentation for Raspbian operating system installation and relevant installation links needed for each step. Helpful captioned photos illustrate what users should see on their screens as they set up their Pi. Free, simple, and straightforward, these tutorials should be bookmarked by every Pi newbie!
- Tutorial page: Waveshare
- Type: Written
- Level: Beginner
- Cost: Free
SparkFun
Seeking a free, thorough, and comprehensive introductory series of video tutorials to Raspberry Pi? SparkFun Electronics is here to help. In the initial tutorial videos, engineer Shawn shows users how to set up their Pi with basic installation. The subsequent tutorials cover subjects including Wi-Fi, Python, and an initial project setting up a weather station.
These videos are simple to follow along with for users of all ages and abilities, and it’s a nice bonus that you get to execute a project at the end. The visuals and audio tracks are clear and well thought out.
- Tutorial page: YouTube
- Type: Video
- Level: Beginner
- Cost: Free
Udemy
To truly commit to learning all the ins and outs of your Raspberry Pi, consider taking a paid course with multiple modules. This Udemy Raspberry Pi beginners’ course is updated with everything you need in 2023 and has numerous glowing reviews.
Containing 10 hours of on-demand video and even a certificate of completion, this course will cover virtually every topic related to setting up the Raspberry Pi and doing basic tasks, like sending an email or web applications. There is even a final project and 25 downloadable resources for users. Overall, it’s great value for the money.
- Tutorial page: Udemy
- Type: Written/Video
- Level: Beginner
- Cost: ~$130
Project Tutorials
Once you’re feeling confident with the Pi basics, you’ll want to start making cool projects, and we’re here to help. Check out these project tutorials appropriate for a wide variety of user experience.
The Drone Pi
This fun and creative tutorial will let you use your Raspberry Pi to power a quadcopter drone. The project’s creator has put together a comprehensive list of materials needed, and something particularly notable is there are additional explanations about some of the the ones utilized. Note that from this list, it’s one of the “higher budget” projects but still quite affordable when it comes to drones.
Photos, graphics, a video demo, and written instructions make it user-friendly and easy to follow. Plus, this project has eight makes, so it’s absolutely replicable.
- Tutorial page: Instructables
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Written/video
- Cost: Free, materials not included
Retro Gaming Rig
Fans of retro gaming and microcontrollers, here’s the project for you! In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to utilize RetroPie software and Raspberry Pi to play old-school games on your retro video game emulator, whether it’s Atari, Genesis, or another brand.
You’ll need the RetroPie software package and a few other elements like the Flirc case and your gamepad, but the creator’s got you covered with a thorough list of materials. Clear, well-written instructions with plenty of photos plus embedded links to “how-to” certain aspects of this project make it straightforward to follow along. The project’s creator is also available for questions, should any arise.
- Tutorial page: Howchoo
- Level: Intermediate/advanced
- Type: Written
- Cost: Free, materials not included
Smart Mirror
This creative and innovative DIY project is a great concept for anyone looking to test out making “smart” furnishing in their home with the help of a Raspberry Pi. This video even encourages younger Raspberry Pi makers to get involved.
The thorough tutorial walks users through the process step by step to make the smart mirror and includes a materials list. If successfully completed, the smart mirror can display the time and temperature. The creator is also quite responsive to comments and questions from makers.
- Tutorial page: YouTube
- Level: All levels
- Type: Video
- Cost: Free, materials not included
Installation and Accessory Tutorials
No matter your Raspberry Pi experience level, it’s a good idea to learn how to use Raspberry Pi accessories like cameras and touch screens. In addition, installation tutorials for various software or Pi capabilities can be practical. We’ve included both types of tutorials here for you!
Wireless Access Point
If you’re looking to utilize your Raspberry Pi board as a wireless network access point, look no further than this concise and practical tutorial. It’s a very low-budget, bare-bones project, so it’s appropriate for Raspberry Pi users with a wide variety of experience levels. Another plus is that it’s not a terribly time-intensive project.
Project creator Gus walks users through the materials and steps they’ll need to make Raspberry Pi an access point with the use of two packages. He also offers some additional tips to make the functionality smoother and answers users’ questions in the comments.
- Tutorial page: PiMyLifeUp
- Level: All levels
- Type: Written
- Cost: Free, materials not included
Detecting Objects
The Raspberry Pi camera is one of the most fun and practical accessories for your Pi. In this tutorial aimed at all levels of users, you’ll learn how to detect an object in photos that you take with the Pi camera, so that it can be labeled in the cloud.
Tutorial creators have made a straightforward process for users. You’ll need the Raspbian for Robots, so make sure you have that handy. Another thing to be aware of is the project’s integration of the Google Cloud Vision API, which could incur charges depending on the number of features used per month.
- Tutorial page: Instructables
- Level: All levels
- Type: Written
- Cost: Free depending on use, materials not included
GPIO 101
While not free of charge, it’s worth the fee to master the practical ins and outs of your Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins with this LinkedIn Learning course. Since the output ports of a Raspberry Pi are such a key element of the board, it makes a lot of sense to get in-depth instruction about how to make them work for you.
In this course, you’ll go over topics like the GPIO pins, programming languages, and stepper motors. You’ll also complete a project and be provided with exercise files to practice on your own time. The course creator provides a list of materials you’ll need to follow along with the course.
- Tutorial page: LinkedIn Learning
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Written/video
- Cost: ~$42
Pi-hole Ad Blocking
Tired of seeing ads pop up on your screen? Put your Raspberry Pi to work with the installation of Pi-hole, an ad blocking system that operates on your Pi board. In this tutorial, you’ll learn all the essentials of putting Pi-hole on your system. Core Electronics makes the installation simple to understand and demonstrates all of the Pi-hole capabilities with helpful visuals.
An added bonus is that the creator is very responsive to user questions. As it’s a relatively recent tutorial, it’s the most up-to-date information possible. What are you waiting for? Get ad blocking!
- Tutorial page: YouTube
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Video
- Cost: Free, materials not included
License: The text of "10 Best Raspberry Pi Tutorials of 2022 (Many Are Free)" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.