One fan made an awesome Star Trek: The Next Generation mini-computer that you have to see.
Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987 and over 33 years later is still influencing an entire generation of people, from tiny miniatures of the bridge to entire sects of fan fiction that have existed before the internet. Trek fans are often some of the most creative, intelligent, and cunning people out there. It’s always impressive to watch as fans come together and create something that takes your breath away.
Enter Darian Johnson, a YouTuber with an affinity for tech.
Johnson took the idea of making a Next Generation mini-computer from the Adafruit PyPortal Star Trek themed alarm. The look is the same, though the alarm only has a singular button, while Johnson’s mini Trek computer looks just like a unit that would be sitting on Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s desk.
In the YouTube bio, Johnson says he uses an ESP32 feather, with a 3.5 TFT Featherwing, and has the AWS cloud for APIs to news, weather, and fitness.
Johnson mentions that his love of Star Trek is what inspired him to make the computer.
"I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’ve always wanted to build a Star Trek themed device, so I finally got around to remixing one of my old projects to make a Star Trek Display Terminal."
The device has singular button prompts for the weather, both indoors and out, as well as news, a schedule function, the ability to track one’s fitness, and power and measurement tools. Most are run through apps and websites, like the news coming from News.org or the National Weather service for the temperature.
He even snuck in some personal easter eggs, like a nod to NASA astronaut Ron McNair, and his favorite Trek film (Wrath of Khan).
You can make your own by using the instructions he posted at instructables.com