From zero coding background to hardware hacker: How Cursor + a Raspberry Pi makes AI fun

Key takeaways

Building hardware projects can be accessible and fun by combining AI with physical devices, even if you lack formal coding skills.
Using tools like Cursor’s agent view helps in the brainstorming, planning, and verification phases of hardware projects, making complex ideas more manageable.
Building for fun and experimentation often leads to innovative and unique devices that foster human connection, like message printers and personal APIs.
It's okay to take unconventional, circuitous routes in hacking legacy systems or outdated technology—imperfect, playful hacking can lead to delightful results.
Approaching AI troubleshooting with questions and verification, rather than frustration, encourages growth and learning, making the process enjoyable rather than frustrating.

Summary

Maddie's Journey into Hardware and AI Fun

The episode begins with Maddie Reese sharing her story of transitioning from a lack of coding confidence to becoming an avid hardware hacker. Inspired by her dad's introduction to Lovable, Maddie immersed herself in hardware projects, blending her love for AI with physical devices. She discusses her approach to project development—using Cursor's agent view to brainstorm, plan, and verify parts before purchase. Maddie's work includes creating a thermal receipt printer that accepts messages globally, a personal API for sharing details like coffee orders, and a Twitter pager that uses a Raspberry Pi. Her philosophy emphasizes building for fun, not practicality, which fuels her creativity and innovation.

Building Interactive Hardware Projects with AI

Maddie describes her creative process of merging hardware with AI, such as her thermal printer connected via Bluetooth to a Raspberry Pi, which allows people worldwide to send messages. She emphasizes brainstorming with Cursor, asking questions about project requirements, and triple-checking before making purchases. Her projects include a digital messaging device using outdated paging technology and a personal API that consolidates information like pet details and favorite snacks. Maddie sees AI as a tool for fun and connection, turning physical objects into interactive touchpoints that foster human interaction.

The Philosophy of Fun and Imperfect Engineering

Throughout the conversation, Maddie advocates for building projects for fun rather than practicality, embracing the imperfect, experimental nature of hardware hacking. She shares her willingness to explore non-conventional setups, like multiple steps to hack a legacy pager network, because the joy and creativity behind these experiments outweigh strict practicality. She also discusses her approach to troubleshooting AI failures—asking the AI to double-check its work, understanding that her knowledge is growing, and viewing mistakes as part of the learning journey. Her attitude encourages a playful and curious approach to technology.

Future Hardware Dreams and Creative Ideas

Maddie fantasizes about her dream hardware: a dot matrix banner printer, which she envisions using to print large banners for meetings. She discusses her fascination with retro hardware, inspired by projects that combine nostalgic tech with modern AI. She also explores new ideas like printing banners or quotes at meetings, and creating playful, physical displays of digital content. Maddie’s ongoing projects demonstrate her passion for merging the old with the new, using AI not just as a tool but as a catalyst for creative expression.

Show notes

Maddie Reese is a vibe coder, hardware tinkerer, and builder. She builds things at the intersection of software and hardware, including a thermal receipt printer that people around the world can message directly, a fully functional Twitter pager running on a Raspberry Pi, and a personal API that tells you her coffee order so you don’t have to ask. Maddie approaches hardware the same way she approaches software: dump the idea into Cursor, let it interview her, get a shopping list, triple-check the parts before buying, and build. She got her start after her dad introduced her to Lovable, and she locked herself in her room and didn’t come up for air.

What you’ll learn:

How Maddie built a thermal receipt printer that accepts messages from anywhere in the world using a Raspberry Pi and Bluetooth
How to use Cursor’s agent view to brainstorm a hardware project
What belongs in a personal API and why agents, not just humans, will be the ones using it
How to read just enough code to do some damage, without needing to understand all of it
Why building for fun, not practicality, is the fastest path to actually shipping physical projects

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Brought to you by:

Firecrawl—Power AI agents with clean web data

Customer.io—Build customer engagement campaigns from a single prompt

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Intro

(02:00) Maddie’s AI pill moment

(03:53) The thermal receipt printer: live demo and how it works

(11:10) The pager project

(17:23) Why she uses Cursor’s clean agent view instead of terminals and browsers

(19:05) The personal API: coffee order, pets, favorite snacks, and more