This Gorgeous Smart Desk Was Built with a Raspberry Pi and Arduino

Imagine your dream desk and think about the kind of features it would have. You’d almost certainly want it to be attractive, but you would…

Cameron Coward
5 years agoProductivity

Imagine your dream desk and think about the kind of features it would have. You’d almost certainly want it to be attractive, but you would also want something that will help improve your productivity. Maybe it will even include controls to help you get your work more efficiently. YouTuber Behackful’s DIY smart desk does all of that, and turned out beautifully.

This desk has a number of drool-worthy features, including a hidden LCD that pops out of the desk with a 3D-printed stepper motor mechanism. The LCD was upcycled from an old laptop, and is connected to a Raspberry Pi. It displays data from a voice-controlled multimeter, which is a very cool idea. There is also a wireless smartphone charger built into the desk, NeoPixel-style individually-addressable RGB LEDs, a bench top power supply, and gesture-sensing buttons.

The project started with a simple rough wooden desk, and Behackful used a handheld router to cut pockets into the surface for the various components. After fitting the components, the entire surface was covered in a thin vinyl wrap to give it a finished look. All of the edges were spray painted black, and the wiring was completed. An Arduino controls the LEDs and the gesture controls, while theRaspberry Pi handles the voice controls and the pop-up LCD display. The result looks amazing, and has all of the features a geek could want in a desk.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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