doomBox: Classic keys meet tiny screen

posted Mar 1st 2010 2:00pm by
filed under: classic hacks, digital cameras hacks

The doomBox is a dedicated gaming rig for lovers of ID Software’s classic title. [JJ] built this from an old Kodak DC290 camera that had a broken lens. Since this runs the Digita OS, he was able to use the Doom port that already exists. But the camera’s factory buttons were not well suited as controls. By whipping up his own button board, and using the traditional keyboard keys for the button caps, he achieved a much more comfortable (yet squint-inducing) gaming experience. The finished project resides in an all-too-familiar black project box. See him fire it up after the break.

The original Doom for Digita OS pages seem to be down so here’s an alternate if you’re interested.

Update: Looks like the original website is back up.



23 Responses to doomBox: Classic keys meet tiny screen

  • kirov says:

    this is the *SNIFF* doom box *SNIFF SNIFF* *click* *click* *monster groan* *SNIFFF*

  • Fallen says:

    Awesome hack!

  • grovenstien says:

    This kicks demon butt! Come get some. Needs a mouse input though.

  • BitterTait says:

    It’s missing the most used keys (at least when I played), i,d,k,f and a

  • Stu says:

    Wow. Nice!
    This is a story on its own just being able to run Doom on a digital camera!
    What next, Crysis on a microwave oven?

  • osgeld says:

    “Crysis on a microwave oven?”

    jeez imaging how much power that would take, you could cook a turkey 3/4 of a mile away if you weren’t careful

  • geekboxjockey says:

    I don’t see an ALT key… no strafing, no l33t skillz :-P

  • Mikey says:

    @spelunk Actually microwave includes any signal between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. Though you are right, consumer microwave ovens operate in the 2.4ghz range (same range as bluetooth and wifi and many wireless devices, as it’s an unrestricted band in the US) using radiation to heat water molecules in your food.

    Sending a clock pulse with solid state electronics at a certain frequency is MUCH different from broadcasting over radio waves.

  • Paul Potter says:

    Pure awesome!

    Found out about the Kodak cameras being able to do this some years back, and it’s reminded me about it now. Time for eBay…

  • Roadieflip says:

    Blow your nose!!!

  • Stpq says:

    Did anyone else hear the EVP at 1:13!?
    I really wish I had a broken camera now…

  • JJ says:

    Yea, I had a stuffy nose, and the camera was right next to my face…
    Hah!

  • bhartley says:

    Yeah, I heard it. To me it sounds like a woman whispering something like “don’t make this the wrong way”

  • Gecko says:

    @kirov You really made my day :D

  • Einomies says:

    It needs a Brazil style fresnel magnifier in front of the screen.

  • Alastair says:

    Nice but not enough keys to type ‘iddqd’ and ‘idkfa’!

  • schticko says:

    I noticed one of my cameras lcd screens are easily replaced with the screens of my hmd’s, if you were able to replace the lcd with the hmd screen or add an input for it, you could use a virtual 50 inch screen instead of the tiny lcd?

  • sigtermer says:

    Alt! you forgot alt!
    now how are you supposed to sidestep? huh?

  • Mike Szczys says:

    Ha! Congrats JJ, that’s cool.

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