Apr 7, 2016 | By Andre
Through the years, one of the coolest things that gets 3D printed over and over again is the Pip-Boy communication console from the always evolving hit video game series Fallout. Since 2013, we’ve covered a number of different versions of the game's wrist-based control interface.
It seems that with every 3D printed iteration, something more sophisticated or novel about the design is brought in to play. In fact, the newest Pip-boy 3000 Mark II, which was just released with full instructions and media on Instructables, has me convinced that pretty soon we’ll just end up with the real device as forecast by the game. And as you can see in the video below, Instructables user will.sweatman has created what he hopes to be the most advanced Pip-Boy 3000 on planet earth.
On top of the 3D printed (and laser cut) external casing, he has incorporated into his design a touch display, GPS, audio player, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, pressure and temperature sensor, flashlight, methane gas sensor, laser, photon light detector, TV-B-Gone device and more.
Thankfully, in the true maker spirit, if you want to follow in his steps and build your own, you absolutely can, as everything he’s put together is 100% open source. This of course includes all of the 3D print files and code needed to make sure it all runs smoothly once assembly is completed.
From a 3D print perspective, you’re looking at roughly 25 hours of printing, PLA was used but ABS should be fine, and you can easily access the files that were utilized from Ytec.
While support structures are needed for some of the components, they appear to be relatively easy to remove and you don’t need a large build plate to get the job done. This means most consumer range desktop 3D printers would suffice if you’re up for the challenge of building your own Pip-boy 3000.
I’m not going to get into every bit of assembly detail for the project (as everything you need is documented already) but based on what I see, this isn’t a project for complete beginners. Soldering, a familiarity with Arduino, datasheets, voltmeters and surface finishing (if you’re going for that Fallout finish) are all part of the necessary skill set if you plan to complete the project.
In the end, I’m not entirely surprised this specific maker went through the effort to create his impressive bit of technology. He already spent much of 2014 working on a this Pip-boy 3000 Mark I and I’m almost convinced he’ll construct the version actually worn by the Vault Dweller when Fallout eventually takes place in the not-too-distant-future.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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