DIYer Creates Tiny Simpsons TV That Plays Random Episodes On Demand

A Redditor who goes by the name "Buba447" recently shared one of the most unique Raspberry Pi projects we've seen in a while: a miniature version of the television from animated sitcom The Simpsons. This is more than a mere model, mind, offering users on-demand access to random episodes of the hit series.

The miniature Simpsons TV, which is a DIY project that has nothing to do with Disney, was created using the popular Ender 3 Pro 3D printer, as well as a Raspberry Pi and few other components. The end result is a retro purple TV — the same one you see in The Simpsons intro — with functional knobs.

The top knob turns on the TV when it is pressed, while the bottom knob can be rotated to adjust the volume. The TV project has a small built-in speaker, a 640 x 480 TFT display, and offers a "classic always-on" experience, according to the creator.

To play the videos, the Raspberry Pi-based TV project features compressed episodes of the series loaded on flash storage. The episode continues to play when the TV is off, meaning that when you turn it back on, you'll be that duration a time farther into the episode — the same as turning off a TV with basic cable.

Buba447 details the build process for the TV, including the hardware and software used, in a comment on their Reddit post. The description may not be sufficient enough for an amateur to replicate, but ultimately the item doesn't appear too difficult to make if you own a 3D printer.