If you first get your Raspberry Pi, you primarily have a robust little pc with the fundamentals wanted to function.
However what if you wish to broaden its potential?
That’s the place HATs are available in.
What’s a HAT?
HAT stands for {Hardware} Connected on High, and it is an add-on board designed to take a seat completely on high of your Raspberry Pi.
HATs present a neat, standardized technique to broaden your Raspberry Pi’s capabilities with issues like shows, sensors, audio controllers, and even NVMe storage on Pi 5.
They had been created to resolve that drawback by providing a standardized answer that makes {hardware} tinkering as accessible as software program improvement. Consider them as equal to browser plugins or GNOME extensions.
The introduction of HATs allowed folks to focus extra on the enjoyable half like constructing initiatives, relatively than spending time on tedious setups.
You wish to use Pi as NAS? Get a SATA HAT and concentrate on getting your NAS prepared as a substitute of determining how you’ll join 4 SATA HDDs to the Pi.
We reviewed a Raspberry Pi-based canine equipment earlier. That, too, was utilizing a customized HAT developed by the equipment maker.
Raspberry Pi HATs are additionally electrically protected, that means they arrive with an EEPROM chip that tells your Pi what {hardware} is linked, lowering the possibilities of frying your board by chance.
Meeting?
Placing your HAT in your Raspberry Pi is as simple as pie! đŸ˜‰
Simply align the pins on the HAT with those in your Pi, gently press them collectively, and that is it! It is like snapping a puzzle piece into place.
No soldering or difficult wiring required. As soon as it is linked, your Pi will routinely acknowledge the HAT and also you’re prepared to start out exploring its new functionalities.
Official Raspberry Pi HATs
Listed here are just a few HATs Raspberry Pi have launched:
Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+
The Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ means that you can join M.2 peripherals like NVMe drives and AI accelerators to your Raspberry Pi 5.
This allows quick knowledge switch speeds of as much as 500 MB/s. It helps units with the M key edge connector within the 2230 and 2242 kind components.
The HAT can present as much as 3A of energy to linked units. It’s auto detected by the most recent Raspberry Pi software program/firmware and may be simply put in utilizing the supplied stacking header and threaded spacers.
PoE+ HAT
The Raspberry Pi PoE HAT allows your Raspberry Pi to obtain energy by means of its Ethernet port, eliminating the necessity for a separate energy provide.
It’s appropriate with Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3B+. You may want a PoE+ power-sourcing tools to make use of this HAT.
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Sense HAT
The Sense HAT is an add-on board that gives your Raspberry Pi with sensors for monitoring strain, humidity, temperature, shade, orientation, and motion.
It additionally options an LED matrix for visualizing knowledge and a joystick for person interplay.
Raspberry Pi DAC+
The Raspberry Pi DAC+ is a high-quality audio HAT that connects on to your Raspberry Pi’s GPIO header.
It gives stereo analog audio output and is appropriate with all Raspberry Pi fashions with a 40-pin GPIO header.
Unofficial Raspberry Pi HATs
Let me listing another HATs that aren’t developed by Raspberry Pi however you should utilize them along with your Pi units.
Inventor HAT Mini
Inventor HAT Mini is a flexible enlargement board on your Raspberry Pi. It simplifies the method of including motors, servos, sensors, and LEDs to your initiatives.
With its pre-soldered headers, Qw/ST connector, and Python library, you may rapidly and simply create interactive and interesting initiatives.
Whether or not you are constructing a robotic, a kinetic sculpture, or a customized automation, Inventor HAT Mini gives the mandatory instruments to carry your concepts to life.
Picade X HAT USB-C
It transforms your Raspberry Pi right into a retro gaming console. With built-in joystick and button inputs, a 3W I2S DAC/amplifier, and a mushy energy swap, it is the proper answer for DIY arcade cupboard builds.
It is Raspberry Pi 4 and includes a handy USB-C energy connector.
Merely plug in your energy provide, join your controls, and set up our driver to start out having fun with basic video games in your Raspberry Pi.
Adafruit BrainCraft HAT – Machine Studying for Raspberry Pi 4
The BrainCraft HAT for Raspberry Pi is designed for constructing edge-based machine studying initiatives with microcontrollers and microcomputers.
It includes a 240Ă—240 TFT IPS show for inference outcomes, a digital camera connector for imaging initiatives, twin microphones, stereo audio output, and a joystick for enter management.
With its DotStar RGB LEDs, STEMMA connectors for servos or NeoPixels, and a fan for cooling throughout intensive duties, it is preferrred for audio/video AI initiatives.
Google Voice Package (V1)
The Google Voice Package v1 means that you can create a pure language recognizer and join it to Google Assistant utilizing the AIY Initiatives voice equipment.
With this equipment, you may add customized question-and-answer interactions alongside every thing Google Assistant already gives, all packed right into a neat cardboard dice powered by Raspberry Pi.
The equipment features a Voice HAT board, a microphone board, a speaker, an arcade-style push button, and important cables, making it simple to construct your individual voice-controlled assistant.
If you do not have the equipment, you may nonetheless combine Google Assistant utilizing the official SDK.
Cooling HAT with OLED Show
Out there for Pi 4 and Pi 3, this cooling fan HAT comes with OLED show to indicate the CPU and RAM utilization and CPU temperature. This will increase the usability for my part.
Greater than only a HAT. Pironman is an awe-inspiring case of your Raspberry Pi. You get NVMe SSD slot, correct HDMI slots and extra.
Pironman 5 Case With Tower Cooler and Fan
This dope Raspberry Pi 5 case has a tower cooler and twin RGB followers to maintain the gadget cool. It additionally extends your Pi 5 with M.2 SSD slot and a couple of normal HDMI ports.
Discover Pironman 5
Ultimate Ideas
HATs are a implausible technique to broaden your Raspberry Pi’s capabilities, however they don’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all answer.
Earlier than including a HAT to your setup, fastidiously think about your undertaking’s particular necessities, the compatibility of the HAT along with your Pi mannequin, and the potential trade-offs when it comes to energy consumption and bodily measurement.
The chances are countless with HATs. So, what is going to you create subsequent?