6 simple Raspberry Pi crypto projects that are interesting to watch

The Raspberry Pi is a credit card-sized computer with a plethora of cryptographic capabilities. Tiny computers are regularly used as media centers or network connection controllers. But did you know that you can use your Raspberry Pi as the hub of a cryptocurrency project?

Here are six Raspberry Pi crypto projects you can dive into right now!

Required equipment

Before delving into the Raspberry Pi's list of ideas, make sure you have the following equipment:

• Raspberry Pi. Obviously, but you need a Raspberry Pi to complete the following tutorials. Many tutorials use the Raspberry Pi 3 and variants. However, some advise using the latest Raspberry Pi 4, while others advise using an earlier Raspberry Pi 2.
• Storage. Many of the following projects require a large storage device; consider at least a 128GB Micro SD card or larger if you want to interact with the Bitcoin blockchain.
• Power cable. For your Raspberry Pi; some projects require hardware to stay online
• Ethernet cable: 100 percent is not required if you have a Raspberry Pi with Wi-Fi support, but a wired device works better than a wireless device.
• Input Devices: for the most part, you will interact with the Raspberry Pi directly through the mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

Raspberry Pi operating systems vary in different manuals, but most use the Raspbian Linux distribution.

 

Download: Raspbian Buster  ZIP | Torrent link (is free)

1. Use Raspberry Pi to mine cryptocurrency

The Raspberry Pi 4 (latest model) is a significant upgrade over the previous version. If you think you can't turn your Raspberry Pi into miner Bitcoin - there are alternatives. There are several altcoins that you can mine with your Raspberry Pi such as Storj , Magi , Verium и Raven .

You will be able to mine a small amount of cryptocurrency per day. However, many of the cryptocurrencies you can use with your Raspberry Pi are also Coins Proof of Stake ... As cryptocurrency accumulates, these coins will also work.

Also, don't be fooled by other guides who promise incredible Raspberry Pi bang for your buck. The vast majority of these articles advise connecting expensive mining hardware to the Raspberry Pi. In this they are not mistaken; they are simply wrong.

2. Bet on cryptocurrency using Raspberry Pi

Following on from mining cryptocurrency using a Raspberry Pi, you can also use a device to store cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies that use Proof of Stake algorithms (PoS) instead of the energy-intensive Proof of Work (PoW) algorithms, they return energy to end users, rather than huge mining pools.

The beauty of using a Raspberry Pi for storage is its low power consumption. You can leave your Raspberry Pi plugged in for a few days without noticing significant energy costs, making your cryptocurrencies work for you, without increasing your electricity bills or requiring expensive hardware.

As mentioned above, you can mine and then store cryptocurrency using your Raspberry Pi. But if you already have PoS tokens, you can put them on the Raspberry Pi, leaving your tokens online 24/7. This means you can shut down the power-consuming computer and leave the tiny Raspberry Pi online while storing coins and earning extra cryptocurrency.

3. Launch Full Bitcoin Node on Raspberry Pi

You can run the full Bitcoin node on your Raspberry Pi to check and protect your transactions, as well as help process network transactions of other Bitcoin users.

It's important to note that running a full Bitcoin node does not bring you Bitcoin. Your bitcoin wallet will not swell with every transaction. However, you are contributing to the security and authenticity of the Bitcoin network, which is a vital Bitcoin service.

Running a full Bitcoin node requires downloading the Bitcoin blockchain, which at the time of writing is over 225 GB. At a minimum, you need a 256GB Micro SD card, but a larger card will keep the Bitcoin node running longer with more room to grow (remember that the Bitcoin blockchain is constantly growing).

Initial synchronization can also take a very long time (many prefer to synchronize the Bitcoin blockchain before adding it to the Raspberry Pi).

To install a full-fledged bitcoin node on the Raspberry Pi, you can use two tutorials:

1. Raspnode DIY Bitcoin Node no longer updated, but the tutorial works fine.
2. Site Raspberry Pi Full Node I didn’t receive updates for some time, but, again, the tutorial works fine.

Finally, the RaspiBolt Beginner's Guide to Lightning on the Raspberry Pi contains detailed instructions for installing a complete node and node Lightning Network - very convenient for the next section.

4. Launch the Bitcoin Lightning Network with RaspiBlitz

The Bitcoin Lightning Network is an off-chain payment processing protocol. This greatly speeds up bitcoin transactions. Instead of a transaction taking ten minutes, it takes several seconds.

In February 2019, the developer Christian Rotzoll Bitcoin Lightning Node released version 1.0 for Raspberry Pi. The landmark event included the definitive instructions on how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a Lightning host. The tutorial includes details on how to install an optional LCD screen at an additional cost. You can, however, replace the LCD screen for a conventional monitor.

The RaspbiBlitz tutorial isn't just for beginners. Many Lightning Network users are already using RaspiBlitz as an inexpensive and cost-effective way to operate a Lightning Network node. Like Bitcoin full node, Lightning Network full node operators contribute to secure and reliable network operation.

5. Raspberry Pi Crypto Ticker

You can program your Raspberry Pi to act as a cryptocurrency ticker, displaying the latest cryptocurrency trading rates throughout the day. Kieranc Project on Hackaday easy to implement, requires minimal tools and is configured for the cryptocurrencies you want to track (by default, these are Bitcoin and Monero).

6. Create Raspberry Pi Crypto Wallet

A secure hardware wallet remains the best option for protecting your Bitcoin. However, a new Trezor or Ledger will set you back at least $ 60, if not more. But if you have a Raspberry Pi and a micro SD card, you can make a hardware wallet for cryptocurrency.

Following Bitcoin Forum Guide guides you through this process using a popular wallet Armory .

The DIY Raspberry Pi Wallet is a great project. However, we highly recommend using a secure hardware wallet for any major cryptocurrency.

Want to know more? Look at the seven safest bitcoin wallets you can get right now .

The best cryptocurrency projects of Raspberry Pi

For the most part, Raspberry Pi cryptocurrency projects are all about learning. You can mine cryptocurrencies using Raspberry Pi, but not on a massive scale. If you want to use your Raspberry Pi for bitcoin mining, you will need expensive additional hardware.

However, many Bitcoin and Raspberry Pi blockchain projects perfectly illustrate the versatility of a tiny computer.