The Atomic TV

Ryan · Jun 10, 2020

I had a bunch of spare parts left over from two other tech projects and decided to make a TV - sort of. It's actually a little all-in-one computer that's coded to automatically loop and play videos that are loaded onto a thumb drive. And while it's...

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Jeff Ivers · Jun 10, 2020

Ryan,

Just watched your video on your "retro tv". Well done! I am glad to see that I am not the only one that gets turned around on his projects and glues something up wrong. Where did you come across the switch guards? Or is that one of those classfied secrets? I have almost lost count on my Covid projects - is it 7 or 9 now? My projects are much more mundane than your tv.

Ryan · Jun 10, 2020

Jeff Ivers said:
Ryan,

Just watched your video on your "retro tv". Well done! I am glad to see that I am not the only one that gets turned around on his projects and glues something up wrong. Where did you come across the switch guards? Or is that one of those classfied secrets? I have almost lost count on my Covid projects - is it 7 or 9 now? My projects are much more mundane than your tv.

Scotty from Legacy Industrial tipped me off to a vintage NASA auction a few months back. I couldn't afford anything, but got lucky on these two switch guards! I paid $20 each for them. I wish I had more, cuz they are amazing!

bujoojoo · Jun 10, 2020

Hey Ryan - love the project. The retro NASA vibe really sets the piece. So what did you put on the Pi to make it play the videos? I want to do something like this for my mom - she lives in a senior living facility and loved the show MASH. I thought I would get all the episodes and put them on a Pi and just let them randomly play. That way she could turn the TV to the input channel it is hooked up to and watch it anytime she likes...

Ryan · Jun 10, 2020

bujoojoo said:
Hey Ryan - love the project. The retro NASA vibe really sets the piece. So what did you put on the Pi to make it play the videos? I want to do something like this for my mom - she lives in a senior living facility and loved the show MASH. I thought I would get all the episodes and put them on a Pi and just let them randomly play. That way she could turn the TV to the input channel it is hooked up to and watch it anytime she likes...

Yes. It’s super easy to do... and you could it with any tv that has an HDMI setup.

The Cobbler · Jun 10, 2020

That's a cool project!

larry4406 · Jun 10, 2020

Ryan

Cool video and thanks for posting. Your video skills are excellent.

-larry

casmurbax · Jun 11, 2020

Ryan,

very nice.

I sometimes "Rage Build" as well...

Never heard of Ready Patch or Plutonium spray paint, thanks for education on those.

HAHA you actually took here cake stand. You didn't did you?

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 11, 2020

NASA Switch-Guards, brilliant!

akpingel · Jun 11, 2020

Hey Ryan, your TV is awesome! I love this idea and want to do one myself now. Beautiful execution with it.
Alex

Alcology · Jun 11, 2020

Ryan, man, that's sweet. Thanks for sharing. Also, I appreciate laying out your mistakes and the "rage build". We all know what it's like! Nice details, like the watch...and some other easter eggs. I like your sense of humor and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Which I guess I do!

All around nice aesthetic, cool build, thought out design choices. Rock on man.

Ryan · Jun 11, 2020

casmurbax said:
Ryan,

very nice.

I sometimes "Rage Build" as well...

Never heard of Ready Patch or Plutonium spray paint, thanks for education on those.

HAHA you actually took here cake stand. You didn't did you?

I did. I'm ashamed... It was a bad decision, but in my defense she hadn't used it in years.

akpingel said:
Hey Ryan, your TV is awesome! I love this idea and want to do one myself now. Beautiful execution with it.
Alex

Thanks so much man.

Alcology said:
Ryan, man, that's sweet. Thanks for sharing. Also, I appreciate laying out your mistakes and the "rage build". We all know what it's like! Nice details, like the watch...and some other easter eggs. I like your sense of humor and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Which I guess I do!

All around nice aesthetic, cool build, thought out design choices. Rock on man.

Until just a couple of years ago, I had never touched a table saw in my life. As such, I make a lot of mistakes. It's part of the (my) process.

Alcology · Jun 11, 2020

Ryan said:
Until just a couple of years ago, I had never touched a table saw in my life. As such, I make a lot of mistakes. It's part of the (my) process.

We all do. If you didn't make a mistake with that tablet, this project might have never appeared. Important part of any process. Just more material for projects!

NUTTSGT · Jun 11, 2020

Cool project and it does look like a micromicrowave.

Aren't most switches mounted "up is on" & "down is off" ?

The Pi's are interesting, guys here were mentioning them when I was looking to get a new computer.

Ryan · Jun 11, 2020

NUTTSGT said:
Cool project and it does look like a micromicrowave.

Aren't most switches mounted "up is on" & "down is off" ?

The Pi's are interesting, guys here were mentioning them when I was looking to get a new computer.

Yes on the switches. Two reasons for this:

1. I am a bit obsessive compulsive... and being this thing is going to be on all the time, I wanted the switches to be facing the same direction when it was on.

2. So why didn't I mount the momentary switch up top the other way around? This is stupid, I know... But while reading the NASA Apollo wiring standards, I came across a line that reads, "All momentary switches must be mounted with the resting state down."

I know... I know... but it's my TV... err... whatever this thing is...

As for Rpis... They are amazing. I probably have 10 to 15 around my shop doing different things. And yes, if you aren't creating content and only consuming, they are great little computers. Browsing the internet, streaming video, email, etc... The Rpi 4 can do it all.

In fact, this little "TV" would actually make a great iMac replacement. Just add a keyboard and a mouse.

oberst · Jun 11, 2020

Tom Sachs has "Bullet Points".
Your manifesto - "Sugar-fueled rage as a means to focus"

(Your ideas are as cool as anything that comes from Sachs, plus the fit and finish are far superior.)

Love this project.

Interesting to see how 2 of your spray bombs have bottoms that are bulged out...I've never ever seen that happen and you have it on 2!

mcflyatl · Jun 11, 2020

Loved the project! I have a few questions:

* What are you using to play the movies? VLC? OMX Player?
* Do you have a script to automatically launch this and play the movies?
* What are your 'favorite movies' that play on loop?

Love your attention to detail. Keep up the great work!

mybigwarwagon · Jun 11, 2020

The TV is cool and all, but what kind of watch is that?

Ryan · Jun 11, 2020

oberst said:
Tom Sachs has "Bullet Points".
Your manifesto - "Sugar-fueled rage as a means to focus"

(Your ideas are as cool as anything that comes from Sachs, plus the fit and finish are far superior.)

Love this project.

Interesting to see how 2 of your spray bombs have bottoms that are bulged out...I've never ever seen that happen and you have it on 2!

I've got nothing on Mr. Sachs... He's an obvious inspiration. He saw my keyboard... and gave me some shoes!!! So rad.

mcflyatl said:
Loved the project! I have a few questions:

* What are you using to play the movies? VLC? OMX Player?
* Do you have a script to automatically launch this and play the movies?
* What are your 'favorite movies' that play on loop?

Love your attention to detail. Keep up the great work!

OMX players... Here's the script:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...video-looper&usg=AOvVaw3uFSM8ZKN6TfOsffpKlol6

And right now, the movies loaded are:

1. Le Mans
2. Endless Summer (favorite movie of all time)
3. Mavericks
4. Rocky
5. Jaws
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
7. The Life Aquatic
8. Blue Hawaii
9. A whole mess of Jacques Cousteau shows... Not a fan of his, but love the visuals on the screen.
10. The Aviator
11. C'était un rendez-vous
12. Goodfellas
13. Viva Las Vegas
14. Fear & Loathing Las Vegas
15. Kill Bill 1 & 2
16. Raging Bull
17. Hot Rod Girl
18. Bonnie & Clyde
19. Citizen Kane
20. 2001: A Space Odyssey
21. The Great Escape
22. Juno
23. Ferric Bueller's Day Off
24. MLK's "I had a dream" speech
25. There's about 10 to 15 short films and just various clips that I like...

Everything is in 1080p, so I have space for a ton of movies on the 256GB thumb drive. I think I am around 75% full right now. And I put everything in Final Cut and reformatted each movie for 16:9 to utilize the whole screen. In some cases, there is cropping... but I don't care... it's art.

And I should mention - even with the art glass about .75" in front of the screen, the picture is really great. I've heard putting glass in front of an LCD is a bad idea because it creates glare and reflection, but I wanted that glassy look of an old gauge or monitor... and I don't think it has effected the picture at all.

mybigwarwagon said:
The TV is cool and all, but what kind of watch is that?

So my dad collected watches... and when he died, he left me the collection. The one in the video is an Omega Speedmaster that he bought on the day I was born in 1976.

Jeff Ivers · Jun 11, 2020

I'm surprised you don't have "The World's Fastest Indian" on that playlist. For Halloween, will you set this up to play continuous reruns of the "Twilight Zone"?

Ryan · Jun 11, 2020

Ewww. Fastest Indian would be a good one. I’m on it!

mybigwarwagon · Jun 12, 2020

Ryan said:
So my dad collected watches... and when he died, he left me the collection. The one in the video is an Omega Speedmaster that he bought on the day I was born in 1976.

That's awesome
The story is better than the watch.

My wife thought I was nuts because I paused the video and was right up against the tv trying to figure it out.

LegacyIndustrial · Jun 12, 2020

Ryan said:
Scotty from Legacy Industrial tipped me off to a vintage NASA auction a few months back. I couldn't afford anything, but got lucky on these two switch guards! I paid $20 each for them. I wish I had more, cuz they are amazing!

Trapps · Jun 12, 2020

"Rage Building" post pilot error? :headscrat

Nope, I know nothing of this. Not ever. :rant:

Super cool project Ryan!

mybigwarwagon · Jun 13, 2020

My wife asked why you would play movies with no sound. I asked her if she remembered my dad and I watching John Wayne in The War Wagon with no sound and enjoying it. She shook her head and said, "men!".

Ryan · Jun 14, 2020

mybigwarwagon said:
My wife asked why you would play movies with no sound. I asked her if she remembered my dad and I watching John Wayne in The War Wagon with no sound and enjoying it. She shook her head and said, "men!".

The idea was that it’s interesting to glimpse at the thing a couple of times a day just to see what scene from one of your favorite movies is playing... and I’ve noticed that every now and then, it will be a scene that I love and I’ll turn up the volume and watch it a bit.

I’ve really enjoyed it actually... so much so, that I’m building another out of a raspberry pi 0 and a 1940s era radio case I had on hand. This one, however, will have a 4.5” 4:3 format display.

y'sguy · Jun 24, 2020

Love this idea. Wish I had the tech skills to understand what the heck you're even doing with the electronic side of things.

A suggestion on the design if it were mine(and it's not) would be to cut a hyperbolic radius on the inner frame that surrounds the screen. Ala 50's model TV sets. Hey speaking of that why doesn't this thing have a "clicker"? ; )

Ryan · Jun 24, 2020

y'sguy said:
Love this idea. Wish I had the tech skills to understand what the heck you're even doing with the electronic side of things.

A suggestion on the design if it were mine(and it's not) would be to cut a hyperbolic radius on the inner frame that surrounds the screen. Ala 50's model TV sets. Hey speaking of that why doesn't this thing have a "clicker"? ; )

If you want to do one, I'd be happy to help you with the tech. It's crazy easy... Certainly easier than doing a hyperbolic radius with a wide format LCD display!

It does have a clicker... a modern credit card looking deal... I am gonna rebuild it though with a slab look - baltic birch of course.

y'sguy · Jun 24, 2020

Ryan said:
If you want to do one, I'd be happy to help you with the tech. It's crazy easy... Certainly easier than doing a hyperbolic radius with a wide format LCD display!

Haha, yeah, just do it with that scary table saw. I have one just like it.

And Thanks BTW for the offer, I've got project lined up now I can't seem to get all done.

Ryan · Jul 1, 2020

y'sguy said:
Ryan said:

If you want to do one, I'd be happy to help you with the tech. It's crazy easy... Certainly easier than doing a hyperbolic radius with a wide format LCD display!

Haha, yeah, just do it with that scary table saw. I have one just like it.

And Thanks BTW for the offer, I've got project lined up now I can't seem to get all done.

Click to expand...

No sweat man.

Vintage Veloce · Jul 2, 2020

Ryan, question on the power switch...
Why is the down position "on"?

Typically, up is on.

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Ryan · Jul 2, 2020

Vintage Veloce said:
Ryan, question on the power switch...
Why is the down position "on"?

Typically, up is on.

I've since switched it... But here's the reasoning:

I followed NASA guidelines for switches. And one of the rules listed was that all momentary switches should be positioned down in their natural state. And since the TV is going to be on 99.9% of its life, I wanted the switches to be in the same orientation for aesthetic reasons.

In any case, it was bothering me... so screw NASA... I turned the momentary upside down and put the on/off switch in its rightful position.

Ryan · Jul 2, 2020

Proof!

Vintage Veloce · Jul 2, 2020

Ah, much better. ;-)

Outlander · Jul 2, 2020

Great project, Ryan! Just added it to my RPi list (which is growing by the minute!)

Vintage Veloce · Jul 2, 2020

Ryan said:
I followed NASA guidelines for switches. And one of the rules listed was that all momentary switches should be positioned down in their natural state.

Oh, I will add, having been involved with that kind of stuff... I find that odd. Momentary switches toggle are typically "off" when not activated, aren't they? But it does depend how you think about it. You can be activating the off command to the RPi, or you can be pushing the switch to the off position.
I'd be staring at the question way too long!

Ryan · Jul 2, 2020

Outlander said:
Great project, Ryan! Just added it to my RPi list (which is growing by the minute!)

You're telling me... I'm actually getting ready to start another TV. This one is based off a 4" square hyperpixel display and a vintage Predicta speaker enclosure.

I then have another rpi sitting in a box waiting on my PRUSA 3D printer to get here...

And finally, a buddy of mine and I are contemplating putting one up in the air to assist in some autonomous flights we've been working on with our model airplane.

Pure nerd **** man.

nadogail · Jul 2, 2020

Thanks for sharing.

Outlander · Jul 2, 2020

Well, confinement gave me time to get my act together and prepare. My "home lab" setup includes a RPi4-4GB (breadboard, IoT, arduino development) ; RPI4-8GB (desktop machine) ; RPi3 (test bed, currently my samba server).

There are boxes full of components to be bread boarded and assembled beyond the temp & humidity sensors in the picture

For incentive, I included IoT in my Individual Development Plan. No, I'm not inviting my boss over to my basement to grade me

Ryan · Jul 2, 2020

Outlander said:
Well, confinement gave me time to get my act together and prepare. My "home lab" setup includes a RPi4-4GB (breadboard, IoT, arduino development) ; RPI4-8GB (desktop machine) ; RPi3 (test bed, currently my samba server).

There are boxes full of components to be bread boarded and assembled beyond the temp & humidity sensors in the picture

For incentive, I included IoT in my Individual Development Plan. No, I'm not inviting my boss over to my basement to grade me

Right on!!! You got an 8gb? Good score... those seem to be hard to get ahold of.

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