This Raspberry Pi project makes browsing a physical collection super easy

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Key findings

  • Redditor has created a smart shelving system using RPi4 and ESP32s to easily find vinyl records.
  • Vinyls are initially stored uncategorized on the shelf and assigned to a light after playing.
  • The user is facing challenges with the AZ sorting system and would like to further expand the project.



Owning a huge physical collection is really satisfying, to the point where you have to find a single item in it. Thankfully, technology can help us figure out where our most prized possessions lie. One clever Redditor has created a system that can show where a specific record is in his collection, so he never has to flick through endless sleeves again.

In a post on the unofficial Raspberry Pi subreddit, user /u/OneSourDude showed off their amazing solution to finding the perfect vinyl record. Using a Raspberry Pi 4 and “a bunch of ESP32s,” they created a system that helps them find the vinyl they're looking for in the Discogs app. Once it's found, the colorful strips of lights decorating the collection turn off and illuminate a single white LED. This LED marks where the desired vinyl lies.


/u/OneSourDude also posted the project on the Vinyls subreddit, where they went into more detail about how the project works. When they get a new vinyl, they keep it in an uncategorized state. Then when they want to store it, they put it on a shelf and assign it to a lamp. They state that you can put multiple vinyls under the same lamp, so it's a little less tricky than you might think.


The user stated that they also have an A to Z sorting system for their vinyls, which begs the question: if you add multiple vinyls to a certain letter section and all the vinyls behind it get moved to the next stoplight, how annoying is it to fix that? /u/OneSourDude stated that they weren't sure how to fix that, so it seems the project will continue to grow.

It will be interesting to see how this user will solve this problem, as I imagine collectors of physical objects would really appreciate this project overall. Who knows – maybe someone else will find a solution.


If you want to see more collectors using technology to sort their treasures, check out the case of someone hooked up 444 consoles to a single TV.

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