At some point in almost every YouTube video the host will ask you to consider subscribing. To make sure you are, one YouTuber creator has put together a Raspberry Pi device to keep track of those subscriber numbers in real time.

For YouTube content creators, Subscriber Count isn’t just a hollow metric, subscriber count is a factor in how likely your channel is to be pushed by YouTube’s infamously opaque algorithm. One creator designed and built a small device which could track those all-important numbers in real time, without you needing to refresh the page every five minutes.

You can make your own subscriber count tracker

YouTuber and creator Never Code came up with the concept and shared it on his blog and YouTube channel. Thankfully for those who might be interested, the device is small, the materials needed are cheap and easily obtained.

You will need:

• Raspberry Pi Pico W ($6–$10): The Wi-Fi-enabled version of the Pico.
• 1602 LCD Display with I2C ($5–$8): A 2-line, 16-character screen.
• Piezo Buzzer ($1–$2): A little speaker. Passive ones work fine.
• Jumper Wires: A handful to connect everything.
• Computer with USB Port: To program the Pico.
• Wi-Fi Network: For the Pico W to connect to the internet.
• Google API Key: Free to set up
• Your YouTube Channel ID

The entire project will only cost a maximum of $25, assuming you don’t have some of the required bits in a drawer somewhere already. The instructions on Never Code’s blog are already easy to follow and require a minimum of soldering.

The result will be a Raspberry Pi-powered tiny device that can scan your YouTube stats and play a happy little tune when a new person subscribes – or a sad one if someone unsubscribes.

Though the initial setup updates every eight seconds, Never Code recommends setting it to update every five minutes for longer-term use.

About the Author

Rebecca Hills-Duty

Writing and journalism experience at VRFocus, UploadVR, The Escapist, HTC, PC Gamer, Tech Radar+ and Dexerto. Can sometimes be found playing with retro tech.