The Raspberry Pi Simpsons TV That Took the Internet by Storm!

The core of this incredible project is a Raspberry Pi Zero. Pi, often cited as the world’s smallest consumer computer, is a powerhouse for indie designers and developers, and in Brandon’s case it provided the base for his nostalgic recreation of a beloved classic. Combined with a 3D printed television set that looks just like the one that the Simpsons gather in front of before every episode, a bit of soldering, and a few lines of clever code, Brandon’s project is every nostalgic fan’s dream. And yes, in case you were wondering, it is a full functional TV, and that means sound as well — set one of these up on your desktop and you’re guaranteed to get in a lot of laughs and absolutely no work for the whole day (just like Homer!)

Brandon says that it takes him about 13 hours to build one of these little telvisions from start to finish, including the time it takes to 3D print the case on his Ender 3 Pro, and he offers a few additional upgrade options for even more epic TV realism if you’re looking for a challenge (such as ensuring gapless playback of episodes, adding transitions between episodes, and even inserting a little station logo in the bottom corner of the screen).

For those of you who think this is awesome but don’t feel up to making one from scratch, Brandon is offering a limited time raffle of ten mini-TVs, the proceeds of which will all go to a number of awesome charities. So, not only could you have the chance to own an iconic and working replica of television history, but you’ll also be helping make the world better at the same time! Note that these special raffle TVs don’t come pre-loaded with anything — you’ll have to load on your own content, but getting to personalize your mini-TV with your own shows is certain to be half the fun!

Brandon has undertaken a number of other super-cool projects as well, from a 360 VR camera, to a solar tracker, to an absolutely gorgeous van conversion. Check them all out on his website, and maybe get inspired to dive into some projects of your own!