Twittertape Machine brings antiquated charm to social networking

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The Twittertape Machine features a network-enabled Arduino-style microcontroller running custom code in the base

Adam Vaughan told us that the Twittertape Machine may never have been made were it not for determination spawned by a lukewarm reception to the idea from friends

Coming together nicely, the Twittertape Machine begins to take shape

Assembling the proof of concept prototype

The proof of concept, completely stand-alone prototype is powered by two AC adapters, but this will be reduced to one in any future production model

The Twittertape Machine prototype from Adam Vaughan connects to his Twitter account via Ethernet, checks for updates twice every minute, and prints out a hard copy of any new Tweets without the need for printer ink

New Tweets are printed out onto a roll of cut-down thermal till receipt paper using a tiny thermal printer hidden in the base

Adam Vaughan used some old brass clock parts found online and spent many late evenings working with a rotary tool to shape the various components

Adam Vaughan says that the design evolved during production into something he feels proud to display on his desk

The Twittertape Machine has been programmed to check Vaughan's Twitter account every 30 seconds for new Tweets, and prints out any new messages onto cut-down thermal till receipt paper using a tiny thermal printer

Article Summary

The stock ticker was invented around 150 years ago and was still in use as recently as the late 1960s, when computers and television caused its obsolescence. It kept traders up to speed on the latest prices in readable text on a thin strip of paper and, by necessity, messages were very short. These days, many of us receive short news updates via Twitter on a computer or smartphone screen. Adam Vaughan's Twittertape Machine elegantly brings those two worlds together in a device that connects to his Twitter account via Ethernet, checks for updates twice every minute, and prints out a hard copy of any new Tweets without the need for printer ink.

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