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TURN YOUR OLD TV INTO 90S CABLE

Shows that start on schedule, commercial breaks and a channel number you flip like real 90s cable, all running on a Raspberry Pi and your own video files.

by Shane Mason

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

DisplaysAutomation

Built withRaspberry Pi3D printing

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
MPL-2.0
repo
repo ACTIVE1,642 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

FieldStation42 turns a Raspberry Pi or any Linux computer into a 90s-style cable TV. Instead of picking something to watch, you flip channels and land in the middle of whatever is on. Shows play on a schedule, with commercials and station bumps in the breaks. It has a web console for setup, a web remote, IR remote support with a Flirc receiver, on-screen channel banners, a guide channel and a REST API. The software is MPL-2.0 and still actively updated. The companion cable-box repo has two STL files for a 3D-printed box that holds a Raspberry Pi 5, a 3x4 keypad and a TM1637 7-segment display, with wiring tables for each pin. The software setup is a few commands. The real work is collecting and sorting your own videos, commercials and bumps into folders, then building the channel schedules. Safety: the TV is only plugged in as a screen, never opened. Tube TVs hold high voltage inside. Use only video files you have the right to use.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Software (FieldStation42) and cable box hardware (cable-box) are in separate GitHub repos, both MPL-2.0.
  • —FieldStation42 includes an install script, web console, web remote, REST API, IR remote support (Flirc) and on-screen display.
  • —The cable-box repo has STL files CableBox-main.stl and CableBox-bottom.stl, a materials list, pin wiring tables and a Fritzing diagram.
  • —The cable box script is in the FieldStation42 repo at fs42/pi/cable_box.py.
  • —Documentation is at fieldstation42.com.
  • —No TV shows are included; you use your own media.

Parts to buy

9 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Raspberry Pi 5 with active coolerFind
  • 3x4 matrix keypadFind
  • TM1637 4-digit 7-segment displayFind
  • Female-to-female jumper wiresFind
  • Micro-HDMI to HDMI pigtailFind
  • 1/8 inch plexiglassFind
  • 4 M2.5 and 4 M2 screws with nutsFind
  • SuperglueFind
  • Converter if it is a tube TV without HDMIFind

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Can I build this?

PrintCableBox-main.stl (main box, trim pieces, foot screws) and CableBox-bottom.stl. Shane printed in PLA with a 0.4 mm nozzle; ABS should also work.
BuyRaspberry Pi 5 with active cooler, 3x4 matrix keypad, TM1637 4-digit 7-segment display, female-to-female jumper wires, micro-HDMI to HDMI pigtail, 1/8 inch plexiglass, 4 M2.5 and 4 M2 screws with nuts, superglue. A TV, plus a converter if it is a tube TV without HDMI. Optional: Flirc USB IR receiver.
Tools3D printer, small screwdriver, superglue. A Linux terminal for the software setup.
SkillsIntermediate. Basic Linux command line, Python virtual environments, following a pin wiring table, editing channel configuration.
TimeA weekend for the software and box; sorting a big media library can take longer.
Cost$$, mostly the Raspberry Pi 5, plus a TV if you do not have one.
SafetyNever open the TV; tube TVs hold high voltage inside. The TV is only connected as a screen. Use a Pi with an active cooler. Only use media you have the right to play.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

90s Cable Simulator - Recreating Retro Cable TV with a Raspberry Pi18:00

Shane Mason's video (18 min, May 2025): how the cable simulator works, the 3D-printed cable box, scheduling, a tour of his channels and builds by other people.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Install FieldStation42 on a Raspberry Pi or Linux machine. (Quick Start in the README: install mpv and Python, clone the repo, run install.sh, activate the environment, run station_42.py, then open localhost:4242.)
  2. 2.Sort your videos into folders and set up your first channel. (Folder names become tags that the schedule uses. The docs cover channel types and configuration.)
  3. 3.Print and assemble the cable box (optional). (Two STL files plus a materials list: Raspberry Pi 5 with active cooler, 3x4 keypad, TM1637 display, jumper wires, micro-HDMI pigtail, plexiglass, M2.5 and M2 screws, superglue.)
  4. 4.Wire the keypad and display and run the cable box script. (Pin tables are in the cable-box README. You can also skip the box and use the web remote or a Flirc IR receiver.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Underestimating the media work. Content is read from folders and tagged by folder name, so plan your folder structure before you build schedules.
  • Forgetting commercials and bumps. Shane recommends collecting plenty of era-appropriate commercials, bumpers and station IDs of different lengths so the breaks fill correctly.
  • Skipping the active cooler. The cable-box README says the Pi 5 needs an active cooler or it will likely heat up and throttle.
  • Expecting HDMI on a tube TV. Most old TVs need a converter (composite or RF) between the Pi and the set.
  • Missing the driver setup for the cable box. The keypad and display need Adafruit Blinka plus the matrix keypad and tm1637 Python packages; the README also has a fix for the 'Cannot determine SOC peripheral base address' error.
  • Opening the TV. Do not. Tube TVs hold high voltage inside even when unplugged.

Do I need to provide my own video files?

Yes. FieldStation42 schedules and plays your media; it does not come with shows or download them. In the video Shane uses content he owns and digitised from his own VHS and DVDs, and asks viewers to check their local copyright laws.

Can I run this on Windows?

Through WSL, yes. The README lists Raspberry Pi, any Linux machine, or Windows via WSL.

Is the cable box required?

No. You can also change channels with the web remote from your phone, or with any IR remote and a Flirc USB receiver. The 3D-printed box is for the real cable-box feel.

Can I use a modern flat-screen TV?

Yes. The Raspberry Pi outputs HDMI, so any HDMI screen works. An old tube TV usually has no HDMI input, so you need a converter; one builder in the video used an HDMI-to-RF converter to feed an analog TV.

Can I stream live IPTV channels?

Yes. IPTV streams are one of the channel types, next to network TV, movie, guide, radio and looping channels.

How does it know what to play when?

You put videos into folders; the folder name becomes a tag. Each channel's schedule says which tags play in which time slots, and commercials and bumps fill the breaks. Scheduling hints can limit content to certain months or times of day.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Shane's channels include a movie channel, a cartoon channel and even a home shopping network. Which 90s channel would you rebuild first?

CompareeTEAM14h ago

Practical notes from our check: the software and the cable box live in two separate repos, both MPL-2.0, and FieldStation42 is still getting updates. The cable box uses female-to-female jumper wires and superglue, so no soldering is needed for the standard build. The biggest time cost is your media library, not the Pi. Use content you own, and check your local copyright rules.

Shane Mason

Shane Mason (YouTube channel wrongdog reckons) first built FieldStation42 as an over-the-air broadcast TV simulator. After people from around the world started using the code and asking for cable features, he and the community built it out into a full 90s cable simulator. He also designed and 3D-printed a cable box with a keypad and a red 7-segment channel display, and shared the models on GitHub.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

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