Bergen - Arduwatch Design

I am a fan of tiny portable handhelds, and one if the coolest and smallest, is the Arduboy, a 1-bit miniature game system. It’s the size of a credit card and features this impossibly crisp display. I bought a Arduboy a long time ago and still enjoy playing around with it today. I have also been making mock Arduboy game graphics for a years and I guess I saw this project as a chance to combine a number of new skills and interests with some legacy designs and assets to see what would come of it.

The Arduwatch is an imagined “fantasy” product design that combines the screen and internals of an Arduboy with the form factor of a wristwatch. The Arduboy’s form factor and further reduced by eliminating all but the systems directional buttons. I imagined different games and applications that could work with this reduced control set.

As an aspiring watch designer, my hope is this design would resonate both with vintage tech and a watch enthusiasts alike.

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Arduwatch - Brights Line - Slime and Pink

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Arduwatch - Black (Brights), White (Naturals)

When the design was complete, I started to play around with different colourways. The Naturals Line features muted Autumn and Winter tones inspired by nature. The Brights Line is about 90’s toys and youthful energy. Each palette combo pairs beautifully with the super sharp high contrast Arduboy display.

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Arduwatch - Green Detail - BC’s Quest for Tires.

This design was modelled using a combination of Fusion 360 and Cinema4D. These images were rendered using Adobe Substance Stager. I prefer Fusion’s geometry for building solid surfaces but I am more familiar with Cinema’s interface and toolkit for any finessing that may need to be done. Cinema also seemed to be the logical choice when it came to creating a flexible strap (one can only avoid the beginner’s modelling traps for so long). My computer is not really powerful enough to handle Substance’s requirements and “too much” model geometry causes some very glitchy behaviour. This is not the end of the world, I can still concentrate on building better, more viable models, though the output quality may need to be adjusted.

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Arduwatch - Naturals Line

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Orange Detail - Casio Homage LCD

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Pink Detail - Tamawatchi

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Arduwatch - Brights Line

I hope you enjoyed having a look at this Arduwatch design. I had a great time with this concept and I might even revisit it again another time. Do you have an Arduboy? Would you wear an Arduwatch? Do you recognize any of the games on the watches? What games would you add? Any colour combos? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Box - Mini Outdoor Community Libraries

I was first inspired to create an outdoor library kiosk one afternoon back last summer while going for a walk around my neighbourhood. I stumbled upon a house that had a “tiny library” box in their front yard. I always like to take a peek into these libraries whenever I run across one. It then dawned on me that I had never seen a standardized/manufactured example of one of these boxes so after some confirmation on Google that these were not commonly available, I set out to create my own design.

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Book Box features an LED light box to welcome users and to provide any desired information.

Book Box are enclosed steel shelving structures design to hold books safely in a variety of weather conditions. These kiosks are most ideal for public spaces such as parks, community centres, plazas, schools, walking neighbourhoods. Rolling shutters can be used to securely close the unit in after hours or extreme weather conditions.

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Book Box has shutters that can be used in after hours and bad weather scenarios.

This design was created using Autodesk’s Fusion 360 software under their Hobbyist license. This license gives a user near unfettered access to the software and is highly recommended to anyone who might want to dip their toes into the manufacturing space with a minimum amount of spend or effort.

Personally, I really dig the surreal aspects of bringing something novel and foreign into the world. With my current toolkit, moving from inspiration to representation is easier and faster than ever.

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Would you like a Book Box in your area? Where would you put them? What opportunities for design improvement can you see? Any concerns? Please leave a comment below and let’s have a discussion about this.

Commodore 65 - Laptop Design - 65-LT

I was approached by a company back in 2010 to help develop a portable computer in the spirit of the Commodore 65. While I wish the experience had been more positive, I ultimately left the team and took my design with me. Now, over 10 years later, I finally have the 3D modelling skills to more fully flush out some of my old designs. The 65-LT is a love letter to the Commodore 64C design era.

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As this is a design from over 10 years ago some of the modern port standards are a little out of date.

I always loved my Commodore 64C. I grew up with the breadbin like most kids, but I liked the refresh even if it wasn’t much of a value proposition. Ultimately for me, it was a last hurrah for the mighty machine. The design sensibilities also lent themselves to a cool laptop aesthetic.

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Keyboard is the hybrid of all the Commodore keyboards of the era and beyond.

I looked at all the keyboards Commodore developed from the C64-C era onward, including the PC laptops Commodore released. I feel the layout represents the best balance between legacy and function.

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Right side ports.

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Left side ports.

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65-LT - Case closed.

I would love to continue to develop this one. Nowadays it would be pretty easy to create an authentic yet modern C64/65 experience with a Raspberry Pi or a MiSTer board. Plastic injection molds are not exactly cheap but it sure would be cool to have a modern and fully portable machine dedicated to the experience.

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Gaming in the home office.

Would you be interested in one of these machines? If there is anyone out there in a position to discuss further development on this machine I am interested in hearing from you. In any case, I am very excited that I was finally able to show of the design in full. Please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Commodore PET Keyboard Design

I mentioned in a previous post, that my high school Computer Science teacher lugged his old PET machine to out school back in 1992 and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s easy to forget that without the ubiquity of the internet, the world was full of secret wonders. Even though I have grown up with a Commodore 64, I had never laid eyes on the psychedelic wonder that was the PET.

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Emulating the worst of all worlds.

I always loved the colours of the PETs original chicklet keyboard and thought it would be interesting to recreate the typing experience for a modern audience. I made a 2D design back in 2012 but have only recently gained the 3D chops to be able to render out the idea more fully. I posted these to a PET Facebook group a while back and two factions quickly rose up. One faction telling me this must be made, the other telling me this must NOT be made. In any case, I get the impression that a nice 3D render is good at eliciting an emotional response.

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Probably best as a render.

Now that I have a basic grasp of 3D, I am looking forward to transforming some of my old 2D designs into the 3D space. While I mostly view this keyboard as a joke, part of me wishes it could be real. Imagine firing up VICE and reliving that finger strain or putting a Pi Zero in the case and using it as a stand-alone computer. Let me know what you think. Would you rock one of these?

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Original 2012 2D design

Bergen Watches - New Vintage Chronograph Design WIP

I am pleased to present my latest New Vintage Chronograph watch design. I am very happy how this design turned out. This is also the first example of a design that I have brought into the third dimension with Cinema4D. I am new to C4D and basically 3D in general, but the individual elements of watches are made up of basic enough shapes which allowed me to learn the software and produce these renders in 5 days of spare time. These 3D renders allow the viewer a better representation of the overall shape and feel of the design.

The Bergen NV Chrono features the following:
- 316L Stainless Steel case construction
- 40mm diameter case (42mm with crown)
- Seagull ST19 movement
- Double-domed Sapphire
- 20mm strap size
- 46mm lug-to-lug
- 11.5mm thickness (hopefully)

Great proportions and overall legibility.

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Side view - “B” mark on crown.

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Display case showing off the ST19 movement.

Everything on this watch including all fonts and styling is completely scratch built. I find it a bit annoying when I see very expensive watches using off-the -shelf type-styles. The hope is that with each successive design I will begin to further hone in on my brand’s DNA.

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Lume shot.

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Close up of the dial.

Below you can see the design roadmap. Before I started learning C4D, this would have had to be considered a complete design. Now that I am beginning to gain my own 3D skills, I will be in a better position to show concepts more fully, both to the general audience and to myself. I look forward to have more time to play around with different materials and finishes and ultimate really “sell the design”. This first attempt has been an amazing growth experience for me personally.

If you like what you see, please consider leaving a like and a comment below. I am open to hearing any thoughts you may have.

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Bergen - New Vintage Chronograph Design

I am starting to see some positive momentum on the watch design front. Each time I re-approach this octagonal case shape, I happier with the refinements. The latest design in this series is a unique take on a vintage bicompax-style chronograph. This design is meant to house a Seagull ST19 chronograph movement, a clone of the Venus 175.

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Seagull ST19, Venus 175, Vintage Breitling faceplates

Through the development process, I compared a good cross-section of the current-day chronographs that use Seagull ST19 and vintage watches that made use of the Venus 175. Whether it was new Hong Kong Ed or a vintage Breitling Toptime, none of these chronographs was using a case shape this unique.

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Bergen “New Vintage” Chronograph is designed to use Seagull’s ST19 movement.

The movement fits nicely inside the case design. I will concede that the irregular case shape may impact the functionality of the minute track as it stands but I will take some time away from this design, hoping I will revisit with fresher eyes.

Below are some of the latest iterations of the New Vintage Sports (formerly the Octo) watch design, more specifically the 100th iteration.

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Bergen Octo - Stainless Steel Sports Watch Design

The Bergen Octo is an octagonal watch design I have been playing around with for the past few months now. Pictured above is the most recent version of the design to pass judgement at the “Bergen Watch Factory” which only really exists as an ongoing design exercise. Watches while simple to grasp as an object require a great deal of refinement to feel like an everyday accessory. This design has undergone roughly 60 iterations since I sketched the basic octagonal sketch over my lunch break back in January.

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Bergen Octo - Watch face and bezel development

One of the challenges I face is working in Adobe Illustrator. If I had it to do over again, I most certainly would be learning Solidworks and earning a Product Engineering degree. Everytime I need to make an adjustment to a bezel edge, I am doing so manually. Rather than going completely from scratch, I am building the watchcase, face, bezel and other items to work with actual movements using accurate measurements. This limits some of the case shapes possible helps to grow my understanding of case design.

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Bergen Octo - Case shape and styling -- Evolution

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Paper mock-ups to help provide a sense of scale.

When I decided I was going to spend more time with watch design, I told myself I was going to start conservatively and respect the classics. So how did I land up with this decidedly retro and kitschy piece loud steel? I guess, I am not very good at following instructions, especially when they come from myself. I guess at the end of the day, I am happy to follow my bliss and hope to develop my watch design language along the way.

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Bergen Octo - Bracelet and lug development

I got in touch with a few Chinese manufacturers to see about the logistics of building watches from these designs and they seemed to think it would be possible, so that is encouraging. I have considered having a buddy help me 3D print a basic case shape so that I could strap it to my wrist and get a better sense of presence.

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Bergen Octo - Early Quartz iteration - Colorway considerations

While the top most image in this post represents the most refined example of these designs, there are things that I like about each of these designs. Ultimately, I am looking for the design that conveys the most harmony and is free from visual tension. Lots of pushing and pulling of assets in terms of scale and contrast.

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Bergen Octo - Blueskying other potential derivative designs

For every good idea, there has to be a dozen weird ones. Glad I have enough time in the day to think of a few of those too. Below please behold the Tamawatchi.

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Bergen Octo - Tomawatchi

I need to see this watch with “fresh eyes” which means I will be putting this project down for a few weeks and work on another retro paper craft project. So please stay tuned for that coming out near the end of this month if everything goes according to plan!

Atari 520 ST - Papercraft Design

I am happy to present a new papercraft design, the Atari 520 ST. This design is free to download and build, a link can be found at the bottom of this post. It is the perfect way to start a miniature computer museum in your home.

I have also created many other retro computers papercraft models, to see them all click here.

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I chose to create an early Atari ST design, this machine does not have a built-in disk drive.

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The left side of the computer had a cartridge slot.

I have created seven retro machines and I thought it was time to build an Atari. I have always been a big fan of the Atari 2600 and the many arcade tiles released by the company. I also purchased a pristine Atari 800XL at a local flea market for the bargain price of $20.

But my experience with the ST line is largely limited to a few remote school yard conversations about which was better the Amiga or the PC. The Atari might have been mentioned for its superior MIDI capabilities but in grade 9 in 1991, this had no real life application to our lives.

It’s only much later in my life through YouTube that I have been reintroduced to the ST and it’s many hidden gems.

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Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters has some amazing graphics.

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Many manufacturers produced Atari’s SC1224 monitors. This is the Goldstar version.

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Atari SC1224 rear view. My papercraft monitors are becoming more true to the original designs.

Whenever I add extra geometry into the models I design, I always try to maintain an degree of simplicity. Typically these extra folds provide more strength, are more true to form, and do not add much extra difficulty. Be patient, these monitors look great when complete.

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Atari 520ST - Rear. Atari’s were known for their superior MIDI capabilities out the box.

While less familar with the Atari ST than some of the other computers I have rendered in paper, I am very pleased with how this design turned out. Typically my favorite design is the last one I completed and the Atari ST came together amazingly. I am proud to share it with the Atari ST and greater retrocomputing community.

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While the computer may lack an internal hard drive, it has a much smaller footprint than it’s Amiga 500 counterpart.

As with all of my retrocompter designs, the monitor has eight interchangeable screenplates, so you can further customize your desktop experience.

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Atari SF354 - Floppy Drive. This is my first time to make time 3 1/4” disks.

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The pattern includes a “functional” drive bay door.

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Atari 520ST - Dungeon Master

If you like these designs and would like to see more papercraft computers in the future please feel leave a like below or free to leave a comment below. I read them all.

The Atari ST 520 papercraft pattern can be found here.

Dicky's Diamonds - Arduboy Mockup

Start Screen

Option Menu

Making Arduboy mockups of classic Commodore games is great way to spend an evening. Dicky's Diamonds was a game published in 1983 by B. O'Shaugnessy for the Commodore 64. The game scales down handsomely to the Arduboy's scale and 1-bittyness.

Watch Colourways

Watch design recoloured.

Puyo Puyo SharpSCII

Puyo Puyo Tetris is available for the switch, but this Madou Monogatari spinoff got its start back in 1991 for the MSX and the Famicom Disk System. I think Puyo Puyo would look pretty handsome as a MX-700 port.

Another SharpSCII Mock-up

Wonderboy is one of my favorite games! It was pretty fun trying to recreate a familiar scene in SharpSCII.

Sharp MZ-700 Super Mario Bros Mockup

I grew up making PETSCII illustrations on my C64 so I had to try my hand at some SHARPSCII.

BC's Quest for Tires - Arduboy Mock-up

BC's Quest for Tires is another favorite I can enjoy on the Commodore 64, Colecovision, and the Atari 8-bit. I am really happy with how my Arduboy mock-up turned out.