Vintage TV Becomes a Fallout-Style Retro Computer

While the Fallout universe is heavily inspired by classic post-apocalyptic fiction like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog, it has its own aesthetic flavor that has become quite distinct. That aesthetic is based on the idea of an apocalypse following a retro-future like what was imagined by science fiction authors from the mid-20th century. That includes robots, weapons, and, of course, computers. The most well-known is the Pip-Boy computer that is worn on your character’s arm, but other kinds also exist in-universe. Redditor Xito666 built this fantastic retro computer, dubbed "Crown-boy," out of a vintage portable television set that is inspired by those Fallout computers.

This build started as a vintage Crown Japan 5TV-65R portable TV and radio from the late ‘70s. Xito666 purchased it on eBay without a functional CRT screen, but that was hardly an issue as the plan was to replace that display anyway. Even if they hadn’t, it wouldn’t have only been capable of picking up analog TV signals because they haven’t been broadcast since the switch to digital TV. What was important was the look of the TV, which Xito666 felt fit that important Fallout aesthetic. Next to the display are the radio tuners, and the side-by-side setup resembles retro portable computers like the Commodore SX-64.

Xito666’s first step was to completely gut the TV and remove all of the original electronic components, as none of them were needed for this project. The cathode-ray tube was replaced by a modern 5” 800x480 resistive touchscreen LCD. That connects to a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ via HDMI. An Arduino Uno board is also connected to the Raspberry Pi and is used to monitor the original tuning knobs. Sound is output through an Audiocore AC870 speaker kit, which is powered by USB. On the software side, Xito666 has setup Raspbian with a clock and music player app. Both of those have green-on-black Fallout-style GUIs, and are controlled by the original tuning knobs. The finished computer definitely looks like something out of the Fallout universe, and is sure to provide entertainment and time-keeping service through the nuclear apocalypse.