Turn Your Raspberry Pi Into a TV Stick
Turn your Raspberry Pi CM5 into an HDMI streaming stick that hides behind your TV while powering retro gaming and 4K media for $35.
Some of the more popular uses for a Raspberry Pi involve entertainment. These little computers make excellent DIY streaming boxes or retro game emulators. However, a bare circuit board sitting next to the TV isn’t the aesthetic most people are going for, especially when we are used to commercial devices with similar capabilities that squeeze all of the hardware into a tiny stick that plugs directly into an HDMI port and completely disappears behind the TV.
Now, you can do the same with a Raspberry Pi. Magic Blue Smoke has developed the Raspberry Pi CM5 TV Stick. As the name implies, this gadget turns a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 into a stick that plugs right into a TV’s HDMI port. Aside from that, it only needs power via a USB-C cable, and it is good to go.
The board is compatible with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Lite and eMMC variants, and it is perfect for RetroPie or Batocera arcades, custom smart TVs or media centers, and digital signage. It can also be used for general computing on the go. Just pull it out of your pocket, plug it into a monitor, and you’re all set.
Despite its compact size, the CM5 TV Stick doesn’t skimp on connectivity. It includes two USB 3.0 Type-A ports with current-limited power output, allowing users to attach peripherals like controllers, keyboards, or external storage. The USB-C port handles power delivery and also exposes USB 2.0 data lines, enabling gadget mode functionality such as acting as a USB mass storage device or a network adapter.
An onboard infrared receiver connected to GPIO17 allows for remote control functionality, making it ideal for living room setups. There’s also a user-configurable button on GPIO14, status LEDs for power and activity, and a dedicated fan connector for active cooling in more demanding applications.
For those interested in customization, the board exposes pins for addressable RGB LEDs, supporting WS2812 or WS2801 strips. This opens the door for Ambilight-style effects that sync lighting with on-screen content, adding another layer of immersion.
The Raspberry Pi CM5 TV Stick Lite is available now for $35.
R&D, creativity, and building the next big thing you never knew you wanted are my specialties.