Project Pip Boy

TechieTransGirl

Beta member
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United States

Greetings, Salutations, and all other forms of Hellos to all of you beautiful people out there. I'm Jessica, the TechieTransGirl, and let's start this off with a question. How many people here have played any game in the Fallout series? If you are one of the millions who are addicted to the game, then I got a project for you that I can use a little help on and need any input I can get!

I'm pretty sure every Fallout fan already knows what I'm going to say: Pip Boy. You're right, you saw right through me, I'm making a Pip Boy. But not just a shell that holds your Smart Phone, because that's kinda boring. What I plan on making is a smart watch that connects to your phone via Bluetooth, tracks your steps and heart rate, lets you read and write messages, has a voice assistant built in, a few other cool things, and looks like a Pip Boy from the Fallout universe.

If this sounds crazy, then I don't want to be sane. But here's the problem, other than using a Raspberry Pi, a 3D printer, and a few coding languages, I don't know where exactly to start. My plan is easy to say on paper, but when it comes to actually making the thing, I'm in the dark right now.

That's why I'm posting it here. I want input from anyone who thinks anything about this project, good or bad, no wrong answers unless you're telling me not to do it. I'm willing to post any progress I make, collaborate with others to make this, or just receive some input on how to go about doing this.

I'll keep everyone posted on this project when I start working on it, but for now, gonna go do some googling to see where to start with this.
 
I got a raspberry pi with the intention to build network analysis and penetration testing toolsets for security purposes. But I got the dang thing and immediately installed about 15,000 roms from nes, snes, n64, psx, gbc, gba, gamegear, atari.. But I can't talk about that here because the forum rules.

If you're anything like me all of your best intentions will be thwarted by video games!

Besides everything you're describing can be found in most smartwatches and would be nearly as expensive and no where near as bulky. :/

Why dontcha get a smart watch and 3d-print a case for it so it appears to be a pipboy!
 
I got a raspberry pi with the intention to build network analysis and penetration testing toolsets for security purposes. But I got the dang thing and immediately installed about 15,000 roms from nes, snes, n64, psx, gbc, gba, gamegear, atari.. But I can't talk about that here because the forum rules.

If you're anything like me all of your best intentions will be thwarted by video games!

Besides everything you're describing can be found in most smartwatches and would be nearly as expensive and no where near as bulky. :/

Why dontcha get a smart watch and 3d-print a case for it so it appears to be a pipboy!


This project isn't about getting a smart watch, this project is about me doing something from start to finish just to see if I can do it. I admit, I did use a Raspberry Pi as an emulation station before, but that was too easy to be fun when I can do the same on a desktop way easier.

This is about me and two of my friends getting together every week, working on something no one in their right mind would do, and upon completion of all the printing, programming, and preparation, we have something to show for it and can have a blast along the way.
 
Sounds cool. And the motive is good too - learning is always advocated. The whole Balance of Value equation is what I question:

Value = Benefit - Cost

Most don't factor Time into the variable of Cost in this equation. Since the Benefit value would be high from learning, building something cool, and doing it all yourself and with your team - these are all good pluses for the Benefit value but I don't see it outweighing the Time portion of the Cost which, to me, makes the overall Value really low. It goes even lower when you consider the Cost of hardware and materials a project like this will require.

But either way, as far as logistics go... I would start with your preferred flavor of linux on the Raspberry, an SSH client, configure wifi hotspot and the firewall, then connect your computer, tablet, or phone to the hotspot just to at least establish a remote cli interface so you can further configure it remotely and establish connectivity for some of your desired functions.. With SSH opened and in use, it could also be used to share data between your apps like you were describing in your OP. Since you may be sharing health information (steps and heartrate) you prob won't want to use an unencrypted protocol.

I remember seeing an HDMI screen for ~80$ that was very lightweight and thin that could be used as your primary display in the pipboy. Don't remember the model but there are likely raspberry pi guides that will mention such products. A more expensive screen might have a touch screen, which if you're trying to make an authentic pip-boy then you are going to either want a touch screen with a more GUI-based linux flavor.. Either that or you're going to spend a lot of time configuring USB buttons and switches to interface with specific functions in the OS to get a more authentic fallout universe pip boy.

As for the 3d model are you planning on designing the case to hold the raspberry pi, a battery, and a screen? Sounds like its going to get bulky quick, especially if the model will be holding that and strapping to a wrist.

Don't let your dreams be discouraged by realism. Most pessimists think the glass is half empty, most optimists think the glass is half full... Most realists realize the glass contains piss.
 
Sounds cool. And the motive is good too - learning is always advocated. The whole Balance of Value equation is what I question:

Value = Benefit - Cost

Most don't factor Time into the variable of Cost in this equation. Since the Benefit value would be high from learning, building something cool, and doing it all yourself and with your team - these are all good pluses for the Benefit value but I don't see it outweighing the Time portion of the Cost which, to me, makes the overall Value really low. It goes even lower when you consider the Cost of hardware and materials a project like this will require.

But either way, as far as logistics go... I would start with your preferred flavor of linux on the Raspberry, an SSH client, configure wifi hotspot and the firewall, then connect your computer, tablet, or phone to the hotspot just to at least establish a remote cli interface so you can further configure it remotely and establish connectivity for some of your desired functions.. With SSH opened and in use, it could also be used to share data between your apps like you were describing in your OP. Since you may be sharing health information (steps and heartrate) you prob won't want to use an unencrypted protocol.

I remember seeing an HDMI screen for ~80$ that was very lightweight and thin that could be used as your primary display in the pipboy. Don't remember the model but there are likely raspberry pi guides that will mention such products. A more expensive screen might have a touch screen, which if you're trying to make an authentic pip-boy then you are going to either want a touch screen with a more GUI-based linux flavor.. Either that or you're going to spend a lot of time configuring USB buttons and switches to interface with specific functions in the OS to get a more authentic fallout universe pip boy.

As for the 3d model are you planning on designing the case to hold the raspberry pi, a battery, and a screen? Sounds like its going to get bulky quick, especially if the model will be holding that and strapping to a wrist.

Don't let your dreams be discouraged by realism. Most pessimists think the glass is half empty, most optimists think the glass is half full... Most realists realize the glass contains piss.
Good point. It doesn't always have to make sense in dollars. If you are learning something in the process, that is awesome. I have to say that I might take some time to think of another idea though since there are already so many things available that do what you are talking about. However, it doesn't sound like you are going to be talked out of this, so I hope you have a blast!
 
Good point. It doesn't always have to make sense in dollars. If you are learning something in the process, that is awesome. I have to say that I might take some time to think of another idea though since there are already so many things available that do what you are talking about. However, it doesn't sound like you are going to be talked out of this, so I hope you have a blast!

Thanks. I still have to discuss the idea with the friends I plan on making this with, and if they say no and suggest something else I'll be up for it, but for now I just wanted to think of a project we could do that would challenge us for a few weeks/months, and the first thing to come to mind when I got my hands on my raspberry pi out of storage was "What about a pip boy?"

I don't know why that was the first thing to come to mind, but I kinda rolled with it, and as soon as the others reply to the plan I have so far, they and I will decide whether or not we should go with it.
 
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