Raspberry Pi fans don't just like to make; they also like to modify. You'll often see them deep within the bowels of some electronic device, trying to figure out how it works and how to make it do as they please. But they don't stop there; there have been several instances where people took the screws to furniture and modified it into a Pi machine. So, here are some examples of Raspberry Pi projects that use existing furniture as a base.

Converting an IKEA table into an arcade console

Don't get a backache playing it

IKEA and Raspberry Pis sem will go hand-in-hand. After all, they're both DIY, so anyone who likes building stuff can put both to good use. But what if you modified an IKEA table to make it do whatever you pleased? That's what this guy did when he took an IKEA Lack table and a Raspberry Pi and smushed the two together to make an arcade station. And thus, the "PIK3A" was born.

If you want to learn how to make your own, the creator, Spannerspencer, listed all of the steps on Element14. You're going to need these parts:

• The Cabinet: IKEA Lack coffee table.
• The Brains: Raspberry Pi
• The Controls: Arduino Leonardo
• The Joystick: A classic, four-way ball-top joystick.
• The Buttons: From CPC
• The Display: An old 17" LCD monitor (4:3 ratio is better given the square shape of the table).
• The Sound: A pair of USB-powered computer speakers.
• The Power: A Raspberry Pi 2.5A USB power supply, and a mains extension.
• The Stuff: Cables, connectors, screws.

This creates a table with a built-in screen as a complete kit to game on.

If you'd prefer to use your ultrawide screen over a tiny one on a table, Spannerspencer also made a PIK3A Mk. II that uses IKEA furniture as a base for a fightstick configuration, then hooks it up to a TV for full-screen gaming.

Turning a table into an RFID-reading jukebox

Just pick up the album you want and scan it

One downside of having a digital-only music collection is that you have no physical items to browse through. When you have guests over, it's easy to let them browse through your CD or vinyl collection and pick out something they like the look of; not so simple when all of the albums are just text on a screen.

So, how do you combine the benefits of a physical collection with the ease of a digital one? Simple; make physical representations of your digital collection. That's what tinkerer Hoveeman did with this modified table.

On the inside of the table is an RFID reader attached to a Raspberry Pi. On top of the table are cards, each one with an RFID tag that corresponds to each album. If you want to play songs from a specific artist, just grab the card and scan it on the side. The Raspberry Pi will beam it to the household sound system and play it. You can check out all the code on its GitHub page.

Reviving old jukeboxes with a Raspberry Pi

Giving retro pieces a second life

Speaking of jukeboxes, how about bringing new life into old electronics? Given how far SBCs have evolved, it's entirely possible to have them replace the original hardware in defunct setpieces. It may not be the original hardware, but if the only options for the furniture are adopting a Raspberry Pi or going to a junkyard, it's worth taking that sacrifice.

Jukeboxes are a fantastic example of devices that people can revive using a Raspberry Pi. As long as you know how the inner workings function, you can code a Pi to do the same job that the original processor performed. You can see one example above, where tinkerer Marc Engrie took an old Wurlitzer and made it sing again using a Pi.

Pis can do more than just sit in computer cases

For Raspberry Pi enthusiasts, a non-digital item is simply something that hasn't had a Pi stuck on it yet. There are plenty of ways people put the SBC to use, and adding a board to existing furniture, no matter how old or new it is, is a great way to breathe new life into the normal and ordinary.