If streaming your favorite 90’s jams through your flashy smartphone no longer feels authentic to you, perhaps you should consider turning your outdated payphone into an oldschool boombox.
And this is precisely what self-proclaimed digital alchemist FuzzyWobble has done in his latest video. The resourceful YouTuber has figured out a way to hack an old payphone machine to spin records like a legitimate boombox.
To build the improvised music box, FuzzyWobble copped an old payphone mechanism online and pimped it up with an Arduino Mega processor as well as a few other components like Adafruit speakers and an amplifier.
What’s notably cool about the boombox is that it additionally packs a sensor that triggers the payphone to ring anytime it detects passers-by. Once someone picks up the call, the phone is programmed to instruct the recipient how to select and put on one of the pre-loaded songs.
The <3 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
FuzzyWobble has also designed a convenient mini-booklet where you can browse all tracks stored in the payphone along with the corresponding number you can dial to play them.
In case you want to build your own 90s-inspired payphone boombox, FuzzyWobble has uploaded a detailed step-by-step guide on Instructables.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.