Tiny Lego Computers
James Brown, a WETA Workshop engineer, created some itty-bitty LEGO computer displays that actually display stuff. What it takes to build a tiny Lego computer...
He has a account btw
https://mastodon.social/@ancientjames
https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/20/23308217/lego-brick-computer-james-brown
@Natasha_Jay
Oh man, what I'd give for some of those.
@Natasha_Jay glorious!
@Natasha_Jay Seen some of the videos months ago... but never had the ressources to redo those boards myself.
Also, I'd prefer some µC that's not an RPi.
Yes, I saw that article when it first came out. Those computer bricks are made out of solidified coolness. I want them.
@Natasha_Jay my eight year old self would've fought with my little brother over these *so hard*
@Natasha_Jay that reminds me of the PolyKybd (Displays In Your Keycaps) https://hackaday.io/project/190256-polykybd-displays-in-your-keycaps
@mcrocker @Natasha_Jay its creator, @thpoll is also on here!
@Natasha_Jay it brings me a deep joy every time I remember that these exist!
@Natasha_Jay
Considering that some Retina displays are over 450 pixels per inch, it should be just about theoretically possible to put a full retro computer display in there.
@Natasha_Jay @MOULE I think I recognise the screens from the game Elite (the C64 version from the ‘80s)
@Geeky_sebastian
Closest one certainly looks like Elite, you can see the docking port. Not sure on the other two tbh (and I played it on the C64)
@MOULE
@Natasha_Jay @Geeky_sebastian @MOULE The middle one is an animated version of one of official LEGO "control panel" bricks.
A friend recently reposted this article which I vaguely recall reading years ago so I had the designs in fresh memory.
https://interactionmagic.com/UX-LEGO-Interfaces/
Scroll all the way to the bottom for photo of three bricks (yellow, gray, white), it matches the white, even the two lights/buttons under the numeric readout.
Good chance the left one is the targeting computer from the Death Star bombing scene from A New Hope, but it might also be a riff at the gray brick from the same photo in the article.
@Natasha_Jay that is awesome.
And good resolution aswell
@Natasha_Jay I think @_elena could be interested in this .
That would be a Lego x Raspi project
@Natasha_Jay @TinyGo @conejo @deadprogram These are "small places"
@Natasha_Jay General purpose computing for the win!
@pluralistic
@Natasha_Jay i suppose it's not just a computer in a lego brick?
@Natasha_Jay 10yo me wants those for an Enterprise bridge.
@Natasha_Jay @martin wow, that is amazing