APPENDHUB PROJECT
Retro TV
A DIY television project built around a Raspberry Pi, Arduino controls, and a reused HDMI display. The current repository includes the TV app, controller firmware, enclosure design files, setup notes, and a project log.
Decorative illustration, not a photograph of the build.
About the project
Retro TV uses a Python/GTK interface with mpv for IPTV playback. Its home screen includes Live TV, TOD, and web-app tiles; the channel list is loaded from an M3U playlist. An Arduino Uno supplies joystick navigation and volume-knob input. A separate button connected to Raspberry Pi GPIO3 is documented for safe shutdown.
Features in the current source
- Play M3U channels with mpv in the TV application window.
- Navigate the home tiles and channel list with the Uno joystick.
- Add web apps to the home screen by name and URL; entering the details requires a keyboard.
- Use a separate GPIO3 shutdown button. It connects to Pi GPIO3 (physical pin 5) and GND, not to Arduino D4.
The repository also documents a Windows launcher. On Windows it uses keyboard controls and opens web apps in the normal browser; the Arduino bridge is not used there.
Build and project status
- The README describes a Raspberry Pi 4 and a reused 22-inch HDMI monitor. The frame is reported complete, but its as-built measurements are not recorded in the design review.
- The 22-inch enclosure files are a provisional CAD configuration. The design review says the monitor dimensions are placeholders and the drawings are not ready for cutting or drilling.
- The Pi setup guide installs the TV app and Arduino bridge. The separate GPIO3 shutdown service is not installed by that setup script; its physical operation still needs checking on the Pi.
- The latest project log says playback testing on the replacement Pi remains pending.
For setup and implementation details, see the Raspberry Pi setup guide, TV app source, current Arduino firmware, and 22-inch enclosure design review.
Photos and enclosure images
No physical build photographs were found in the current repository. The images below are CAD renders of the provisional 22-inch enclosure model, not photographs or manufacturing-ready drawings.
See the 22-inch enclosure source and project log for the current design history.
Presentations
Open the Retro TV Project Fair deck
More `.pptx` files can go in /projects/retro-tv/presentations/. Add a matching “Open in AppendHub Present” link here, passing the file path in the ppt parameter and a title and return path in title and back.