Mad HAT-Er – 7 of the Best HATs for Your Raspberry Pi

You can use the Raspberry Pi to build robots, create games, play music, control home appliances, and much more. In addition, you can also get creative with its accessories – and all of this can be achieved by improving the functionality of your software. Wondering how to achieve this? Then read on for all you need to know!

What Is A Raspberry Pi HAT?

A hat (or Hardware Attached on Top) is an expansion module, available from a reputable available from a reputable maker store that fits over the top of your Raspberry Pi. This allows you to extend the capabilities of your device without having to buy a whole new one. 

Best Raspberry Pi HATs

Some of the best Raspberry Pi HATs on the market include: 

1. Adafruit Feather M0 Wi-Fi HAT

The Adafruit Feather M 0 Wi-Fi HAT is one of the most versatile Raspberry Pi Hats out there. It supports both 2G and 3G networks, so you can use it to make calls from your Raspberry Pi using apps like Skype. You can even run a web server on it by installing Node.js. If you have any experience with Arduino, you’ll feel right at home with this hat.

2. Adafruit Feather HAT

The Adafruit Feather HAT is another great Raspberry Pi Hat. With it, you can turn your Raspberry Pi into a wireless access point. This means you can share internet connections wirelessly with multiple devices. It also includes a built-in battery charger which makes it easy to charge your Raspberry Pi while away from power outlets.

3. Adafruit Feather 32u4 Bluetooth LE HAT

If you’re looking for a simple way to add Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity to your Raspberry Pi, the Adafruit Feather 32U4 Bluetooth LE HAT might just do the trick. It works with the same Adafruit Feather 32 uHAT board, but adds Bluetooth 4.0 support.

4. Adafruit FeatherWing

This is a small, lightweight Raspberry Pi HAT designed specifically for wearable projects. It contains a WiFi antenna and a rechargeable LiPo battery, making it ideal for running a variety of wearables including fitness trackers, smart watches, and head-mounted displays.

5. Adafruit Feather WIFI HAT

This is a smaller version of the Adafruit Feather HATS. While it doesn’t include Bluetooth, it does come with a microSD card slot, allowing you to expand the memory of your Raspberry Pi.

6. BeagleBone Black

The BeagleBone Black is a powerful development platform based around the ARM Cortex-A8 processor. It comes with 512MB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash storage, two Ethernet ports, four USB ports, HDMI video output, audio I/O, and a 40 pin GPIO header. It’s perfect for building robotics or creating interactive art installations.

7. BeagleBone Green

The BeagleBone Green is a smaller, cheaper alternative to the BeagleBone Black. It has the same number of peripherals, however, it only has 256MB RAM and 8GB eMMC storage instead of the 512MB RAM and 16GB eMMC storage of the BBB.

Final Thoughts

Each Raspberry Pi HAT has its own pros and cons, and most tend to be best suited to a particular task or function. With a little research, you will be able to find the best HAT to enhance any project – and then the possibilities of Raspberry Pi really come to life!