IDEA: Fully Functioning Pipboy 3000, am I crazy?

[NalydRelwof]

I'm sure I'm not the first person to think about making one, but my idea is to create a fully functioning Pipboy 3000 from Fallout 3/NV. I'm not into cosplay, and I'd rather have it as an over-the-top watch of sorts. I've put quite a bit of thought into it, and I'm still not sure if it is possible. I am looking at the resin cast of the Pipboy 3000 from Fallout 3's Survival Edition (http://forgeprops.bigcartel.com/product/pip-boy-3000), but instead of doing what many have done, which would be to place an iPhone 3GS or 3" or smaller Android device where the screen is supposed to go, I want to place a homebrew device inside the cast, with a 2.8" touch screen. I don't want to lay out all of my plans, especially since I have no plans to build this until sometime next summer.

But here are the pertinent concerns:

-I am looking at the 3" BeagleBoard ARM SoC/Motherboard combo as the platform for the software side of things. Software isn't much of a concern, since there are many ARM compatible, lightweight OS's to choose and mod. Size and power are huge concerns for such a small, arm-mounted device.
-A touch screen doesn't seem to be a problem. However, the main question control-wise is how would I get the tactile controls to work (I.e. the large knob, light up buttons, vertical scroll, etc.)?
-And, just how strong is resin? Would it hold up to everyday wear-and-tear?

Like I said, I won't be working on this until summer at the earliest. But any words of advice would be great, and thanks in advance for those who will help! I'm a total n00b when it comes to replica design (which is why I'm placing this in the n00b Forum), so just keep that in mind when replying!

 

[Liamthedevastator]

I think it is a reasonable idea, although there will be many technical hurdles to overcome for sure. What functions do you want it to have?

As for the resin, I would look into casting with Smoothon. It will be hugely superior to a pure resin cast, and if you plan to make an ad hoc Pipboy 3000 OS then I imagine you can easily spend the extra time a dollars to protect your money and time investment with a more rugged casting material.

As for your 'n00b' skills in replicas, here is my advice: don't buy any fancy tools or materials (until the casting stage): make it out of whatever you have around you, and don't stress about conforming to any particular method of fabrication (pep, sculpting, scratch). Keep it simple, and most importantly don't be discouraged if it is not 100% game accurate. The nature of your plan will require you to take some artistic liberties to make everything fit properly and aesthetically. Just figure out the technical component before you make the replica or you'll be up the creak with no place to put your power button

Good luck.

 

[NalydRelwof]

@Liamthedevestartor, thanks for the materials tip, looks like the Smooth-on Smooth-cast 60D sounds right (rigid and durable plastic molding). As for the functions, I plan for it to function similarly to the one in game (but not the same, like why would I need a weapons inventory screen? ), so I would need to make the 3 section buttons (Stats, Items, Data), the vertical scroll, and tab knob (for switching between tabs within sections). Another question about the cast, does anyone have any good 3D models of the Pipboy (taken from the G.E.C.K. Fallout SDK or otherwise)? If so, then I could probably save some money and just get the necessary molding and casting materials and do it myself.

As for the technical end of things, I'm getting closer to figuring it out. The BeagleBoards are definitely what I want to use on the electronics side. They're capable of running OS's like Android or even a full Linux OS like Ubuntu ARM edition. It's a good thing I can program, so the interface shouldn't be impossible if I can find some decent documentation.

I might download the Android SDK and some documentation, and begin coding and testing within the Android emulators, see if it is even possible.

 

[mrtattootoyou]

hey NalydRelwof i know this might sound weird at first but for the computer if you have one an ipod would work great when i did fallout a few halloweens ago i used a pipboy 3000 theme i worked on and i had everything on it from stat screens to the radio station but i used the pipboy clock casing i just popped the clock out and installed my iphone into it would of been easier building it and a lot lighter if you need any links at all ill pm them to you

 

[Metalfire]

This looks like its going to be an interesting build. I know its going to be a while since you start working on it, but I will be keeping an eye on this.

 

[NalydRelwof]

Wow, thanks for the support guys! mrtattootoyou: I've seen some of the iPod Touch powered Pipboy replicas but here are some of my concerns with regards to an iPod:
1) Software is difficult (at best) to modify. I could create a custom jailbreak of sorts, but I'm no expert on the security flaws of iOS 5. Moreover, I have seen some of the limitations of Pipboy "apps" (though, if your app is any indication, perhaps they're getting better). That's why I picked Android, because even un-rooted I could create an interface faster with the Android SDK, and do it in such a way that doesn't use a security exploit to do so.
2) I currently don't own an iPod Touch, nor do I have any plans to buy one so since I already own a Zune (which is funny considering I use Linux on my desktop and laptop).
3) The goal of my project is to get the Pipboy as close as possible to the in game version. That said, I would need a way to create the tactile controls (scrollwheel, section selector buttons (the yellow buttons near the screen), and the tab selector knob (notched knob on the far left of the device).

In my mind, the BeagleBoard -xM and Android seem like a flexible option for creating a custom device. But, I'd like to see how yours turned out, maybe it could change my mind as to how to go about this.


Metalfire: if and when I get started on this, I will make sure to post another thread with my progress. Thanks for the interest!

 

[NalydRelwof]

Spent some quality time on Google, and I stumbled across this little instructable gem. That right there is a link leading to an instructable for creating, in essence, a knob and/or scroll wheel by gutting an old mouse for the scrollwheel encoder. The only problem is, that it requires soldering/desoldering equipment, but I think that was in the list of 405th essentials. Luckily, my grandfather has most of the required items, and I have one mouse I suspect has the proper component inside...now if I could just find another...