Hobbyist Creates Portable Wide-Screen Electromechanical TV with 4K by 20 Resolution

Introduction of the Scanwheel

A hobbyist has constructed a portable, wide-screen electromechanical television, dubbed the Scanwheel. This device achieves a resolution of 4,096 pixels horizontally by 20 pixels vertically, utilizing a rotating drum mechanism.

Technical Construction

The Scanwheel's design incorporates a 3D-printed drum that spins, controlled by a driver board. A Raspberry Pi Pico manages the driver board and the LEDs, which are positioned within a 3D-printed casing. As the drum rotates, holes in the drum pass over the LEDs, creating the visual display.

Historical Context of Electromechanical TV

Electromechanical television, pioneered by John Logie Baird in the 1920s with the Nipkow disk, was the first practical form of television. This technology used a rotating disk with a spiral of holes to scan images, with varying light brightness creating scan lines. Commercial broadcasts using this method were available in the UK in the 1930s before cathode-ray tubes replaced them in the 1940s.

Modern Hobbyist Revival

Despite its obsolescence, electromechanical television technology continues to be a subject for hobbyists. Previous projects include a desktop-sized 3D-printed color version. The creator of the Scanwheel previously built a traditional Nipkow disk display and returned to the concept while exploring volumetric displays and light field creation.

Motivation and Development

The project evolved from an initial intention to create a clock, as high resolution is not required for displaying digits. The creator was interested in reversing the process of plenoptic cameras to create light fields, using a 2D electromechanical display as a preliminary step before expanding to 3D concepts.