I just solved one of my biggest Raspberry Pi headaches

The Raspberry Pi continues to be one of my favorite gadgets. There’s something so versatile about a small, self-contained computer that fits onto a single board.

I keep being amazed by what they can do. 

Yes, I know that Raspberry Pis are hard to come by at the moment (“unprecedented times, supply chain issues, COVID-19,” I’ve heard all the excuses), so if you see one going cheap, grab it. 

Hopefully, the supply will increase to satisfy the demand in 2023. If you’re looking for one, the best advice I have is to keep looking — I grabbed a few 4GB and 8GB boards the other day for the retail price (not the normal x2 or x3 the price).

Also: I’m running my own Mastodon server on a Raspberry Pi. Here’s what I’ve learned

But one of the big features of the Raspberry Pi can also cause problems. I’m referring to its minuscule size.

I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve built something with a Raspberry Pi (or some other small single-board computer like the Adafruit Feather) only to then not be able to get easy access to the microSD card slot where fingers are big and the microSD card is, well, very micro.

It’s annoying to say the least.

But there’s a solution — a microSD card extender cable. 

It’s a simple solution — a ribbon cable with a microSD card socket on one end and a microSD card connector on the other.

Pop the connector into the card slot on the Raspberry Pi, and the card the other end.

Job done.

Also: The 5 best Raspberry Pi alternatives

And if you find that at the end of building your project that you can access the microSD card slot without hassle, you can remove it.

These are so useful — and cheap — that I keep a few in stock now for projects.