Last week, we noted that it was possible to run a web server on a disposable vape through its USB-C port, and now I’ve been shown DOOM on an even more overpowered vape acting as a secondary display, which is a bit larger in size than the WeAct Display FS 0.96-inch USB display we just covered. Perhaps I should add a ‘vaporware’ category on CNX Software…
The new hack was done by Aaron Christophel (ACT1441) using an Aspire PIXO Vape with a Cortex-M4F MCU, a small color LCD, a USB-C port, Bluetooth LE connectivity, and a battery.
Aspire PIXO vape hardware specifications:
- MCU – Puxa PY32F403XC Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 144 MHz with 64KB RAM, 256KB Flash
- Storage – External 16MB SPI Flash
- Display – 323 x 173 LCD
- Wireless – WS8000 BLE chip
- USB – 1x USB Type-C port
- Misc
- Heating Coil
- Vape microphone (designed to detect airflow from inhalation/puff)
- Vibration Motor
- External hardware watchdog connected to PC6
- Battery
Aaron has made a habit of running DOOM on various exotic devices, but the vape does not quite have enough RAM (100KB+ needed), so instead, he developed custom firmware for the PUYA microcontroller to use the device as a secondary display over USB-C.
You’ll find dumps of the original firmware, the custom C firmware, and the WebTool to manage the screen share on GitHub. The video below shows DOOM on the vape’s display using the keyboard and mouse from the PC, and a video played back from the PC at about 6 FPS.
The Aspire PIXO vape/pod kit sells for about 30 US/Euros on the company’s website, Amazon, and other places.
Via Hackaday
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
