Reflecting on the Past

Taking a stroll down memory lane from time to time by hauling an old Atari game console or Commodore computer out of storage is something that many of us like to do. And then there are those, like hardware hacker Chris Combs, that like to imagine a time gone by that never actually quite existed. Combs has designed and built what he calls the Mirrortron, a 1980s-esque digital mirror — or at least what a 1980s digital mirror might have looked like if there had been digital mirrors in the 1980s.

The tabletop device “reflects” whatever is in front of it, but in a very low-resolution sort of a way. The Mirrortron uses a camera to capture a steady stream of images, which are then downsized to 20 by 8 pixels before being shown on its display. Yes, you heard that right — 20 by 8 pixels! Furthermore, those pixels are only capable of producing black, white, cyan, and red colors. That is not sufficient to make out a lot of detail, but should be just about enough to be able to pick out the colorful triangles, squares, and other primary shapes of a Huxtable sweater.

While most of the components are modern, the display itself is a vintage 1980s Noritake VFD. As you might expect, no off-the-shelf solutions still exist for controlling this display, so Combs designed a custom PCB to do the job. The hardware is enclosed in a period-correct case that has some wear to it to give it the proper aesthetic. The design was finished off with a handful of accent lights hidden inside the case.

Only scant details are available at this time, however it should not be too challenging to reproduce this project if you don’t mind using a more modern display. The Mirrortron would definitely make for an interesting desk toy or conversation piece in anyone’s home.