Ryancey started with what appears to be a beautiful TO100 portable radio built by French company Optalix in the mid-’70s. The TO100 is a work of art in it’s own right, and any retro tech enthusiast would be happy to get their hands on one. But, Ryancey wasn’t just looking for a pretty radio, he wanted something that could play his favorite Grand Theft Auto radio stations. To make that possible, he turned to everyone’s favorite single-board computer: the Raspberry Pi.
Rockstar, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto video game series, has graciously made the radio soundtracks available to download as MP3s. So, playing them on a Raspberry Pi is as easy as playing any other music. But, Ryancey wanted to simulate the experience of tuning into a real radio station. So, he used two potentiometers — one for volume, and one for tuning — to recreate that experience with some Python code running on the Raspberry Pi. That makes it feel like you’re actually living in San Andreas when you turn on the radio.
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
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Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!