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The just about magical significance that people placed on inanimate objects is a wierd factor that psychologists wrestle to grasp, however which is simple. There’s a motive {that a} guitar performed by Eric Clapton is value lots of of 1000’s of {dollars}, however an similar guitar utilized by a no one may solely be value a pair thousand — as if the guitar someway retains a few of Clapton’s essence. That motive isn’t rational, as a result of people aren’t rational. Haluskz owns a radio from their childhood that stopped functioning, and the identical energy of nostalgia motivated them to resurrect it with a Raspberry Pi.
This VEF 206 radio, in its pre-restored situation, was almost nugatory to the remainder of the world, however had deep significance to Haluskz because it had been within the household since their childhood. This can be a Latvian radio made throughout the nation’s pressured inclusion within the USSR. It doesn’t obtain most of the frequencies in use at the moment, which relegated it to little greater than ornament. Haluskz needed a means to make use of it once more and located inspiration from Martin Mander’s Dansette Pi web radio mission. Following Mander’s design philosophy, Haluskz rebuilt their classic VEF 206 radio with fashionable parts whereas retaining the unique aesthetics.
Haluskz discarded just about the entire radio’s unique elements and saved solely the case. The dials look unique, however are fashionable elements chosen to match the look of the damaged classic knobs. Inside, every little thing is fashionable. Parts embody a Raspberry Pi 2 Mannequin B, a Pimoroni Pirate Audio 3W stereo amp, a rotary encoder, an RGB LED-capped potentiometer, a Wi-Fi dongle, a small speaker, and a few buttons.
These parts are all customary for an web radio mission like this, however Haluskz’s implementation is particular. They took excessive care to combine all of these elements whereas conserving the outside as unique as doable. They did have to make some cuts into the radio’s enclosure, however you wouldn’t be capable to inform simply by wanting on the completed product. And since it comprises a Raspberry Pi, it may possibly play streaming radio from the web through Wi-Fi. It’s an ideal means for Haluskz to maintain their childhood radio within the household for many years to come back.
