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A Pip-Boy is Fallout’s wrist-mounted personal computer, used in the games to view information such as maps, notes, equipment, and inventory. Real-world DIY versions imitate its look and selected functions by combining a small computer, display, controls, battery, software, and a custom enclosure. What a build can actually do depends on its parts and code; it does not reproduce the fictional device’s full capabilities.
What is a Pip-Boy?
Bethesda describes the Pip-Boy 3000 as RobCo’s wrist-mounted computer and an interface into Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. In the games, it presents information including maps, notes, equipment, and inventory. Bethesda’s licensed replica preserves much of that game content and adds real-world functions such as FM radio, a headphone port, a flashlight, an alarm clock, and the Atomic Command minigame. Bethesda’s November 28, 2025 announcement calls it “your travel companion, your inventory manager, your navigator and a wasteland wanderer’s best friend.”
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A licensed replica and a DIY Pip-Boy are different kinds of projects. The replica is a finished collectible designed to represent the game device. A DIY build is a maker’s computer project: its features come from the hardware and software the maker chooses.
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A typical build puts a small computer inside a wearable shell. A program draws a Fallout-inspired interface on a compact screen, while physical controls let the wearer move through its menus. A rechargeable battery powers the computer and display. Additional hardware can provide functions such as audio, maps, or radio reception.
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Computer and display
Raspberry Pi boards are used in documented builds. The Raspberry Pi Foundation featured a project using a Pi Zero W, while Adafruit’s guide uses a Raspberry Pi Model B+ and a 3.5-inch PiTFT display. A separate open-source design lists a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 and a 4.0-inch HDMI display. Those are examples from particular projects, not a universal parts specification. The board and screen affect enclosure size, wiring, and software setup.
Controls and software
Builds may use rotary switches, encoders, buttons, a touchscreen, or a combination. Adafruit’s design describes an analog rotary switch and an encoder; the open-source Pyp-Boy project describes a knob-driven interface. The software connects those inputs to menus and other functions. Adafruit’s Python application uses OpenStreetMap data, while another maker wrote a Python interface with demonstration screens.
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Power, sound, and optional modules
A rechargeable battery supplies power; makers can add audio hardware, indicator lights, or other modules. Adafruit’s 2016 parts list, for example, includes a 2200mAh lithium battery, a 2.5W mono amplifier, a thin speaker, and a yellow LED. One separate fan project lists GPS, a pulse-oximeter breakout, and software-defined radio. These are project-specific additions, not standard Pip-Boy features, and their presence does not establish reliable navigation, communications, or medical monitoring.
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The enclosure holds the electronics and gives the build its wrist-mounted shape. It can be 3D printed or fabricated by hand: Adafruit documents a printed design, while the Raspberry Pi Foundation covered a maker who welded scrap plastic into a case. The shell needs room for the screen, battery, controls, connectors, and wiring, and must be shaped for the wearer’s arm. The documented examples do not provide a consistent weight or comfort comparison.
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What parts and skills does a DIY build require?
The exact bill of materials depends on the intended features. Adafruit’s guide, last edited February 1, 2016, lists a Raspberry Pi Model B+, 3.5-inch PiTFT, PowerBoost 1000C, 2200mAh lithium battery, amplifier and speaker, rotary switch, encoder, Wi-Fi module, LED, resistor, and audio cable. Its tools and materials include a 3D printer and filament, soldering iron and solder, wire, strippers, pliers, screws, magnets, and adhesives.
That list is a dated design reference rather than a guaranteed current shopping or setup list: the guide says its code is out of date and may require reverse engineering. Check current part availability, driver support, and compatibility before attempting to follow it literally. The Pyp-Boy repository lists a different, project-specific set of parts, including its own display, battery, controls, and optional modules; a simpler build does not need every item on that list.
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- Useful accessory functions: FM radio with added extension antenna cable, ready to tune in to your favourite station, 3.5 mm headphone socket, alarm clock and bright LED torch.
- A faithful replica: Die-cast front metal casing coated with a silk finish green paint with silver-coloured detailing, developed using the in-game geometry and additional details from the original high-poly model.
- Massive content library: Scroll, explore, personalise, customise and dynamically interact with the hundreds of inventory menu entries taken directly from Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas.
- Play minigames: For the very first time play the Atomic Command and Reign of Grelok minigames on your Pip-Boy for real.
- Exhibition display grade: The elegant stand with its solid aluminium machined metal base, displays the Pip-Boy perfectly and also allows it to be used as an awesome desk or nightstand clock.
Expect some combination of fabrication, soldering, wiring, software installation, and repeated fit checks. The Raspberry Pi Foundation described its featured project as “not what we’d call a beginner’s project,” and Adafruit classifies its build as intermediate.
How to choose a build approach
| Choice | What changes | Documented examples |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | A printed shell offers a designed fit for components; hand fabrication allows a maker to shape or adapt available material. | Adafruit’s design is 3D printed; a Raspberry Pi Foundation feature covered a welded scrap-plastic case. Adafruit; Raspberry Pi |
| Computer and screen | Board, screen size, connection type, and operating-system support affect fit, wiring, and software effort. | Examples include a Pi Zero W, a Model B+ with a 3.5-inch PiTFT, and a Pi Zero 2 with a 4.0-inch HDMI display. Raspberry Pi; Adafruit; Pyp-Boy |
| Input method | Touch navigation, rotary controls, or both affect the interface and the space the enclosure must provide. | Adafruit documents rotary controls; Pyp-Boy describes a knob-driven interface. Adafruit; Pyp-Boy |
| Feature scope | A themed menu and map require less integration than adding hardware such as GPS, radio reception, sensors, or custom audio. | Adafruit’s application uses OpenStreetMap data; Pyp-Boy lists GPS, software-defined radio, and a pulse-oximeter breakout. Adafruit; Pyp-Boy |
DIY build or official replica?
Bethesda’s licensed 1:1 Pip-Boy 3000 replica, developed with The Wand Company and based on the geometry from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, is a finished collectible with defined functions. Its Gear Store listing, accessed October 7, 2026, specifies an IPS LCD, die-cast metal front, injection-moulded ABS body, memory-foam cuff, rechargeable LiPo cell, USB-C cable, stand, and a listed weight of 724g. The listing showed a price of $299.99 USD on that access date; both price and availability may change.
Choose a DIY project if the goal is to learn, customize the interface, or build a wearable prop around selected functions. Choose the official replica if the goal is a finished licensed representation with its listed built-in features. A DIY project requires choosing compatible components and assembling and programming them.
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