Joe Wreford of product design store Mustard Corner has stashed a Raspberry Pi Zero W in this cute desktop weather display. At the click of a button you can look up to 48 hours ahead at what the weather is doing.

Joe reckons this project is perfect for makers of all ages. The casing comprises just five 3D-printed parts that click together easily, the Python code is simple, and the wiring is minimal.

How does it work?

A Python script running on Raspberry Pi Zero W scrapes weather data for the location you have set, and automatically updates the display to show the forecast. Weather API – OpenWeatherMap is the free weather API the script uses to get location-specific data for this build.

Two servo motors, wired up to Raspberry Pi Zero, power the “clock hands”, which move according to the weather data the Python script retrieves. The little button is a nice add-on that you don’t strictly need for this project to work, but it does allow you to cycle through the next 48 hours manually.

Parts list

• Raspberry Pi Zero W or Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (Joe recommends using the newer Zero 2 W if you have one, because it’s quite a bit faster)

• 3D-printed case designed by Joe and available from his shop Mustard Corner for £15, or you can print your own

• SG90 servo motors

• A push button, if you’d like to include it in your build

If you have access to a 3D printer yourself, you can access the STLs on GitHub, rather than buying the parts. There are also really useful instructions in the project guide which you should definitely check out before embarking on a solo print job.

Thanks Joe!

For this project, Joe created one of the most detailed yet easy-to-read build guides we’ve seen in a long time. All of the photos in this blog are appreciatively borrowed from it.

We also really like the Raspberry Pi models used in the product image above for another of the things available from Mustard Corner. Give it a few months and we’ll be in Vogue.