We talk a lot about micro-computer and micro-controller mods here, and that's mainly because we think they're awesome. Every week, if not every day, we see more amazing and inspirational mods on how to use these inexpensive little devices in cool and creative ways. Or, we just see someone who decides to make a great case mod out of some retro tech.
Today, we've got a case mod from some retro tech that looks quite incredible. Using a classic VTech Talking Whiz-Kid Redditor u/ThisIsTheNewSleeve posted up what they call the Ceres 1. For our European readers, though, we should point out that there is no relation to the classic Swiss Ceres Workstation by Niklaus Wirth from 1987. Funnily enough, though, the Talking Whiz-Kid that was used was also from 1987.
How the Talking Whiz-Kid Started Before the Raspberry Pi Mod
ThisIsTheNewSleeve, helpfully decided to
document their progress as they made their progress on building out this fun little Raspberry Pi powered device. The first step being gutting the Whiz-Kid, of course. After pulling out all of the components of the classic educational device and 3D printing some new brackets to mount the Raspberry Pi, cyberdeck, keyboard, and screen it's ready to go. You've got yourself a nifty little portable Pi device, great for gaming on the go too!
Add a touch of black paint and this beautiful little retro device has turned into a Raspberry Pi game station like next to no other. While we can't guarantee the availability of a Talking Whiz-Kid from 1987, if you have some retro tech you could definitely build your own fun little retro products with similar hardware. The creator used a combination of some simple Cherry MX Red Switches they found on aliexpress. The keyboard itself is a combination of a 5x5 module keyboard
explained here and a Gherkin 30-Key keyboard,
explained here.
All the parts of the mod broken down in a photo
In combination with this, there was, of course a Raspberry Pi in the mix, which can easily be purchased from
Amazon. There are definitely other components mixed in as well, but the creator did not post up a parts list. Though from the image above we can definitely see a small screen, a board with additional IO, a speaker, a battery, what looks like an extra board to drive the sound better, and a small fan for cooling. Check out the
complete gallery.
