@ Erebus:
The "sensor pod" is now going to be just USB. This is reflected in my later posts. However the Uddo Neo will still keep its WIFI and Bluetooth capabilities. At this time I am not using a BeagleBone Black, it was too slow running Android. The Udoo Neo Android release isn't out yet, so I still don't know for sure if it will run the companion app.
However, there are some enterprising programmers working on a stand-alone, Java based, Pip-Boy application. If their work pans out I may not have to use the companion application, and I could run Linux. I could also possible integrate the real-world functions into their application and provide a more seamless interface. In theory I could go back to the BeagleBone Black. There are a few advantages that the BeagleBone still has over the Udoo Neo. It is far easier to interface with the hardware, and it can run a LCD screen directly without a converter, and it can run off a 3.7V battery. Either way, all of the software is still very much up in the air.
The holotape is 59.4 x 48.6 x 9.3mm. This is the scale needed for the Holotape to match the game accurate model I am working on currently. There is simply no room for a cellphone backup charger inside. And I like that it now doesn't' require any physical electrical connection. An modulated optical connection will be far more robust and won't require exact alignment or pressure.
That knob you have linked to is about three times the size of the small knob near the radio. There also isn't any room behind the knob for the required circuitry attached to that knob.
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This weekend I finished up most of the major changes to make the game accurate model back into a functional design. Most of the hardware remains the same, but the entire CAD model was re-built from scratch.
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I am able to overlay the raw in-game model over my design to double check my work as I go. I also constantly refer to video and images from the game, since the textures add a lot of little details which are obscured in the raw model.
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The holotape caddy, knobs, buttons, everything was made as close to the game model as possible. The only exceptions are the hinge (game model is actually impossible to open), the display screen, and the slightly smaller illuminated buttons.
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The end result is a design which is about as accurate to the game as you can get with today's technology.
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Inside there is still more work do to. I have to finish the holotape caddy mounting points, and figure out a way to squeeze cable connectors onto the Udoo Neo. It unfortunately uses a odd connector for the LCD screen interface. Also visible here is the USB module. It's placement affects the signal quality, any nearby metal can affect it.
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I have made room for a hidden external power cable. This is because the Udoo Neo is not as power efficient as the BeagleBone Black. In fact, as far as I can tell it can't run off of a 3.7V Lithium Polymer battery. I have to add a boost circuit in order to use a battery. So this external connection will probably be required for anyone wanting to run their Pip-Boy for an extended period of time.
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Here is my sort of marketing image, showing just how much stuff is crammed into the design. Now that all the external details are done, I will probably pop-out some more photo-real renderings.