• Tag Archives pip-boy
  • Pip-boy fonts…

    Lots of online sources claim multiple different fonts for the pip-boy.

    Here are two of the major contenders prefaced by an in-game closeup of the same text for comparison. First is Gothic 821 BT Condensed (pay) and second is Monofonto (free):

    Font Comparison: In-game vs Gothic 821 and Monofonto
    Font Comparison: In-game vs Gothic 821 and Monofonto

    I can’t really imagine Bethesda using a free font, and the kerning/spacing on Gothic looks much better to me…but I’m not 100% convinced. I’ve seen a couple OCR fonts that look really close as well, including one that is already converted for use in the LCD I’m getting. Once I get the LCD I’ll see what that looks like. While I’m totally about authenticity in this stuff, there is diminishing returns: 90% accuracy for little work is more worthwhile that 100% accuracy for a lot of extra work. Time I could spend doing something else on the project…like making the background of scanlines work.


  • Yet another project…working Pip-Boy!

    I haven’t posted recently due to some medical issues, but I’m itching to get back into things now!

    There is a series of video games called “Fallout” set in a post-apocalyptic future, where the tech is based on 1950s style things, but often with a humorous twist. One of the key features is that some people survived the nuclear war in special “Vaults” (made by Vault-Tec). Each Vault member (called “Vault Dwellers”) wore a wrist computer called a “Pip-Boy” — it had a GPS, stats, giger counter, etc, etc.

    Pip Boy Closeup

    Several people have made them for cosplay, either with an entirely fake screen or using looped video on an ipod Touch. I know that with an Arduino I could control a real usable screen, so that’s the goal!

    It will need:

    1. Light-up LED buttons for the buttons across the bottom of the screen
    2. Working rotary encoders for the wheel on the left side of the screen and the select switch (lower left)
    3. Speaker and mp3 player (playing sound effects and radio stations found in the games)
    4. Screen that works and is programmable!

    I’ve ordered a bunch of stuff for it:

    1. LED tactical buttons that might work (they may be too small)
    2. A couple of rotary encoders to play with
    3. Really nifty 3.2″ TFT LCD screen complete with touch interface and SD card slot and an Arduino Shield for it
    4. An Arduino Nano (its *tiny*) and an mp3 shield for it
    5. A resin casting of the Pip-Boy case

    As stuff arrives, I’ll detail it!