The Raspberry Pi community continues to surprise us with their creativity, and now one maker has transformed a classic Texas Instruments T84 graphing calculator into a handheld gaming calculator with flashy RGB LEDs. The handheld device offers a degree of portability not found in most graphing calculators, and the addition of RGB LEDs gives it a modern gaming rig aesthetic.
Maker and developer Ren wanted to create something fun and mobile, so he added the flashy LEDs to his calculator. He also wanted to stay true to the calculator’s roots and educational roots by keeping the device’s functionality intact.
To achieve this, Ren uses a Raspberry Pi 4 and an Arduino to drive the LED strips. He says he initially considered creating a custom PCB (printed circuit board), but ultimately decided to go with the Raspberry Pi 4 for its power and versatility.
Ren’s calculator features a Raspberry Pi 4, housed inside the T84 calculator. The calculator also features a 2.8-inch Waveshare TFT touchscreen with a resolution of 320 x 240.
The LED strips were added to give the calculator a modern gaming rig aesthetic. Ren says he is aware that the calculator’s battery life won’t hold up to heavy use, but that he has found it to be fine for basic tasks like checking email and browsing the web.
“The Raspberry Pi runs Raspberry Pi OS,” Ren says, “but you could use any other operating systems like Lakka or RetroPie.” He also notes that he has not created a case for the device, and that he recommends using a heatsink for the Raspberry Pi 4’s ARM Cortex-A72 CPU.
Ren says that the calculator has an average battery life of approximately two hours. He says he showcased his creation to his school and even got the opportunity to present it to a Texas Instruments panel at a local fair hosted at his college.
If you’re interested in recreating this project or simply want to see the final product, Ren has shared a detailed video on YouTube documenting the creation process. You can check it out below:
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