HackSpace_-_April_2020

SPARK

Left

Finally! A use for

our obsolete Now

That’s What I Call

Music... collection

Cassette scroller

artin Mander, aka Old Tech. New Spec, gives

life to obsolete technologies, usually by

sticking a computer in them and connecting

them to the internet. In this example of the

upcycler’s craft, he’s turned a cassette (an ancient,

rubbish way of recording music) into an IoT

notification reader.

The thing is powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero W powered by a

150mAh LiPo battery via a Pimoroni LiPo SHIM. There’s an Adafruit

Micro-Lipo in there to make recharging possible, and notifications

are displayed on an 11×7 LED matrix.

Software-wise, Martin’s used the IFTTT service to grab updates

from the internet, and Adafruit IO and a bit of Python to make

the notifications appear on the screen. It’s a simple project,

masterfully done.

M

By Martin Mander Kyliemander.com