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Getting my daily news from a dot matrix printer 2024

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Why This Matters

This project highlights how vintage hardware like dot matrix printers can be repurposed for modern daily routines, offering a nostalgic and screen-free way to stay informed. It underscores the potential for DIY tech solutions to improve mental well-being and reduce digital fatigue for consumers and enthusiasts alike.

Key Takeaways

For a while now I've started my day by unlocking my phone and scrolling through different news and social media sites to see what's going on. It's not exactly great for my mental health and I've been trying to cut down on screen time for a while. I still want to stay up-to-date though, especially after I get up in the morning.

I recently purchased a dot matrix printer from eBay, and thought it would be a great excuse to have a custom "front page" printed out and ready for me each day. So, that's what I built!

Printer ASMR noises in the video below 👇

I'll take this article to dive in and show you what I used, how I set it up, and the PHP script that powers it all.

Interested in that full source code? Check it out on the GitHub repo!

Purchasing the hardware

The supply list for this project was pretty small, and with the exception of the printer, most of this can be found on Amazon or other online retailers.

Dot matrix printer

Raspberry Pi Zero W [link]

Serial to USB adapter [link]

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