“A fun mini-project to cram a Raspberry Pi-based composite video player/recorder inside a VHS cassette.
The VHS cassette was a popular video recording medium for decades but is rarely used today. When I needed a simple composite video player/recorder for a recent project, I decided to see if I could build my own that fit inside the space of a VHS cassette. Using a Raspberry Pi and a handful of parts, I was able to make it work.
Since the device was housed in a VHS cassette, I wanted it to evoke the feel of 1980s VCRs. I used a set of buttons for the various transport controls (play, stop, fast forward…) and added an orange-ish alphanumeric LED display. Having the left reel in the cassette rotate when playing a video added a nostalgic feel to the player.
Assembly
The block diagram and schematic below give you a pretty good idea of how all the parts should be connected together.”