American makes 3D-printed mini TV that plays Simpsons episodes

An American engineer and software developer has created a mini TV that only plays random episodes of the TV series The Simpsons from the first 11 seasons. There are buttons on the housing that also function.

The engineer, Brandon Withrow, hasn’t released exact specs on his Reddit post, but unless he has giant hands, the case is about the size of an apple. The episodes can be viewed on a TFT screen of 640×480 pixels. That 4:3 ratio was common in the early seasons of The Simpsons. Sound comes from a recycled 1″ speaker.

Inside the case is a Raspberry Pi Zero with Jessie Lite on it and an SD card with all the episodes on it. When a user flips the button, the power goes on to the device and the Pi Zero selects a random file to play. When that’s done, a new file starts again. The function does not require internet.

All parts are made with a 3d printer. Withrow has not yet put designs and manuals online, but promises to do so. That would take about a week.