Steampunk Cell Phone Takes Tech Backwards

We love the creativity and innovation (retro-vation?) that comes from Steampunk modifications to modern technology. Some great ideas come from taking a completely new gadget and making it something that looks like, and in this case sort of works like, something from the 19th century. This steampunk cell phone concept has no display. No 3G. No data plan. No games. It doesn't even have a dial pad. You make your calls with binary-coded punch cards, steampunk.

All you get in this rugged brown package is an earpiece, (possibly faux) gauges, visible screws, and a spinning number-counter. Oh, and a hole punch every time you want to order a pizza.

Gotta admit, though, we kinda like the little cards. In the photos, they're labeled and printed with cool images. If the whole world was steampunk, we'd see businesses and executives making their own branded binary punch papers. It would give a new meaning to a "calling card."

From Londoner Arthur Schmitt.

Other Steampunk Posts from Unplggd:

Comments (7)

it's got attitude, i like it

posted by eddie on November 3rd 2008 at 8:28am
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Love to know how he rigged the fone to read Holerith cards. Anybody got any ideas?

posted by Flonker on November 25th 2008 at 1:30pm
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Oh my god . I'm melting...

posted by tulpoeid on December 16th 2008 at 9:38am
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Um, this is only a mock-up by an artist: it isn't actually functional.

And it's hard to imagine why the cards would have 4x11 bits?

posted by vagary on January 26th 2009 at 3:15pm
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why do you say this is only a mock-up? why cant it be real? we certainly have the technology to make a cell phone small enough to fit in this package.

as to 4x11 bits: a 3-bit number will only be as high as 7, therefore a 4 bit number (max of 15) is needed, tho having 6 possibilities unused (could perhaps be used as some sort of configuration)

as far as reading the holes, there are several possibilities:
1) having a small IR LED at each hole position and a IR sensor opposite the card. if there is a hole, the sensor reads IR, if no hole, no sensor.
2) mechanical levers which lay against the card. if there is a hole, they are permitted to lean farther, therby opening or closing their circuit. care would have to be taken to assure that the cards do not catch on the levers.

posted by slithytove2 on January 27th 2009 at 1:34am
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I didn't say it can't be real, but if you actually read the original page it's fairly clear that it's not.

Good explanation on the bits, slithytove2, I totally drew a blank on Britain's 11-digit numbering. :(

posted by vagary on January 27th 2009 at 11:43am
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Hi there guys,

Thanks a lot for your interest!
I've gotta admit the phone is a visual model only...
We kinda put it all together in no time.
(It was our final model for a 4 weeks project with O2 at the RCA looking at 'niche' markets for mobile phones)
We made the speaker part by ripping a tea strainer that was left in the studio appart ;)
But I'd still love to make a real one...
And well done slithytove2 for the explanation about the coding. I couldn't have done better...

Thanks again and please check out my website for more examples of my work. www.tart2000.com
Arthur Schmitt

posted by arthur schmitt on May 18th 2009 at 9:35am
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