I saw this “C64 LCD Cassette Slideshow” whilst browsing through my twitter feed one night a few weeks ago. The moment it caught my eye I knew I had to have one for my man cave. Today it finally arrived and I’m over the moon with it so thought I’d share some photos and info about it.
Slideshow in action – note the timings are greatly sped up in this GIF.
It’s made from a real cassette tape box and has a 4″ LCD panel mounted inside, framed by a Commodore styled inlay. I’m not entirely sure what is driving the screen (and I’m not going to risk breaking it by opening it up) but I suspect it’s probably a Raspberry Pi. The slideshow comes ready to go with ‘over 2500 images of nostalgic games’ according to its’ creator. Each image is on display for around 5 seconds before moving onto the next automatically (my animated GIF has sped up the timings greatly).
Side view
It’s mounted on a stylish Commodore themed perspex base that features the iconic Commodore blue and white stripes and the words ‘Commodore 64 1982-1994’. Around the back there is a decent length USB cable which provides power for the device. The cable is permanently attached and incorporates an inline power switch so it can be turned on and off without unplugging the cable which is a useful feature.
Rear view – note the inline power switch on the USB cable
The C64 LCD Cassette Slideshow is completely hand crafted to order but has been completed to a high standard. It would have been nice to have access to some sort of timer facility to have it automatically turn on and off at preset times but that probably would have added to the complexity and cost. At £80 for the 4″ version including postage it’s not a cheap item but I think it’s a very fair price for what I received. There is a 3.5″ version that is £5 cheaper but don’t know why anyone would choose that over the larger screen for the sake of saving a measly £5.
A closer look at the back of the device
EDIT (June 2021) – The sellers Etsy shop has now closed so it’s no longer possible to buy these.
Finally here’s a few more photos of some cassette covers…
Do you just kill the power to turn it off. A raspberry pi sd card won’t last long treated like that…
Yes unfortunately. Bit of a design flaw to day the least. Had I realised this whilst it was still working I’d have just kept it running 24/7.
Ah that’s a shame. If it was a “pi zero w” you could of supplied him with your WiFi details and then used your phone to send a shutdown command..
Did it not last long?. I’ve never seen this item before only pics I can find are on your website.
Lasted less than a year which is a real shame. I’ve still got it somewhere, waiting for the day when I get round to fixing it, or sticking a new Pi in it or something.