The MagPi - February 2020

M

artin Mander is no stranger to

repurposing outdated tech. “I started

converting and upcycling vintage

technology about ten years ago, after a brief stint

blogging for Wired’s GeekDad column,” he tells

us. Discovering he enjoyed documenting projects

as much as building them, he began specialising in

giving new purpose to broken old tech - “especially

items I remember being ‘the latest thing’ during

the 1970s and 1980s when I was a child.”

Martin became enamoured of all things

Raspberry Pi-flavoured in 2014. Looking for a one-

box alternative to a PC for converted gadgets, he

was tipped off by a reader that Raspberry Pi might

work. He duly made a Raspberry Pi-powered VCR.

Numerous ‘fruitful’ projects followed. There’s now

a sizeable archive at magpi.cc/oldtechprojects.

A shiny music box with a clear door for a screen proves an ideal

upcycling candidate for an eighties tech fan keen to keep tabs

on the weather. Rosie Hattersley hears more

Martin

Mander

Martin works in

the Intelligence

& Analytics

Department at

Norfolk County

Council. He’s

passionate about

giving old tech

a new lease of

life, especially

projects involving

Raspberry Pi.

magpi.cc/

oldtechprojects

MAKER

The Walkman, of course, fits that description

to a tee. Sony alone sold 200 million, while other

brands of cassette player were also legion.

Press play

Martin’s chance to ‘rescue’ one came when his

mother-in-law sent him a broken old Hitachi

player that she found during a clear-out.

“I immediately fell in love with it,” Martin

recalls. “It had a great retro look that drew me in”.

On closer examination he realised the window in

WeatherMan

I immediately fell in love

with it... It had a great

retro look

08 magpi.cc WeatherMan

PROJECT SHOWCASE