If you’re a fan of the Fallout series of games, you’ve probably come across a Radiation King radio before. In the game, that is, they don’t exist in real life. Which is precisely why [zapwizard] built one!
Externally, the design faithfully recreates the mid-century design of the Radiation King. It’s got the louvered venting on the front panel, the chunky knobs, and a lovely analog needle dial, too. Inside, it’s got a Raspberry Pi Zero which is charged with running the show and dealing with audio playback. It’s paired with a Pi Pico, which handles other interface tasks.
It might seem simple, but the details are what really make this thing shine. It doesn’t just play music, it runs a series of simulated radio stations which you can “tune into” using the radio dial. [zapwizard dives into how it all works—from the air core motor behind the simulated tuning dial, to the mixing of music and simulated static. It’s really worth digging into if you like building retro-styled equipment that feels more like the real thing.
It’s not just a prop—it’s a fully-functional item from the Fallout universe, made manifest. You know how much we love those. If you’re cooking up your own post-apocalyptic hacks, fictional or non-fictional, don’t hesitate to let us know.
I have a Stromberg-Carlson from like 1948 that looks a lot like that, glows in the front and actually pulls in a couple stations. Except mine is real beige bakelite, and looks more fall-outy than the fallout one.
It was possibly the inspiration for the game prop?
I have a design in mind for something (effectively) similar.
I was actually thinking of using a nylon cord to adjust the needle, but use a rotary encoder to determine the current position.
This would provide the archaic / nostalgic feel to the interface while allowing for programmatic control and “fake” radio stations.
I actually think this basic design would be fantastic for older people, provide a switch for multiple “bands”, and a dial for the “station”. Toss in a couple of buttons for favourites and you have a very tactile device to choose some music playlists.
My intended purpose however was a bit different, I want the radio to be used to tune in multiple CW / Morse Code signals, where the correct signal provides a codeword to be used as part of a broader puzzle.
I was thinking of tossing in some noise/voice broadcasts from the wasteland though.
“My intended purpose however was a bit different, I want the radio to be used to tune in multiple CW / Morse Code signals, where the correct signal provides a codeword to be used as part of a broader puzzle.”
Reminds me of Portal (March 2010 update?) and Portal 2, which has SSTV signals that can be decoded.
There’s a lot of GPIOs on that Pi header. Maybe just hook up an r2r ladder ‘DAC’ to 8 of them and use that to point the meter?
PWM is so easy on the Pico, I’ve done prior tests driving a 2 needle SWR meter.
I just want a more analog feel that I don’t get from a meter. I’d actually like to do ~180 degree rotation and have a multi-band select. I’m looking for a “spy radio” feel to it.
But, to get moving I have to get my 3D printer up and working again, and get some theory into implementation…
Concepts are great, they’re always perfect while they’re on paper…
(And why i appreciate seeing people complete projects like this)
As the saying goes, “In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.”
(or something similar to that)
If theory and practice don’t match, you need a better theory.
Another solution is to have a real capacitor hooked to the dial like a real radio and either have a capacitance meter or an oscillator and a frequency counter. You could aldo piggyback on a real radio and also use the power amplifier, and maybe leave the FM section working.
Yes, a variable capacitor would be cool! AM radios had a 500pf type, I think.
As a substitute, a variable-capacitance diode (vari-cap) with a potentiometer could be used.
Though in practice, as time had moved on, a suitable vari-cap might be harder to get than a variable capacitor.
Also, a modest variable capacitor can be made in DIY fashion.
Needs some alu foil, tape and paper. And a stick.
Here’s a website that describes it:
https://www.b-kainka.de/bastel5.htm
as one of those older people, I can promise you I’d rather be using that radio to work the Pacific on 12 meter CW if it would do that. :-) 73 de AC4RD
Wasn’t Radiation King a joke from the Simpsons?
Yes: https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Radiation_King
Thanks Hackaday for featuring my project. You and I go back to 2006 believe it or not. https://hackaday.com/2006/07/05/.