Maker Michael Darby had two simple goals for his next project: emulate Windows 98 on a Raspberry Pi, and make it ‘wrist-wearable’.
Using a list of components including a Pi 1 Model A+, a LiPo battery, a touchscreen and a few more components from a bits box, he managed to pull it off.
The Windows 98 emulation was handled with QEMU and a legitimate copy of the OS which he used to get the .img file.
As for the size of the watch and how well the emulation was pulled off, well, there’s mixed results. You can see the completed watch in the video below and share a good few chuckles over the botched game of Minesweeper and the “about half a frame per second” screensaver.
You may have actually seen this project pop up on Reddit last week when Darby posted it to the popular message board. We’re picking it up again now because he’s also written up a detailed guide on hackster.io for everyone hoping to replicate the project, or improve upon the premise.
Darby actually posted his project to three different subreddits – the one dedicated to Raspberry Pi, the cyberpunk one, and a subreddit that needs a little more explanation: r/DiWHY.
r/DiWHY is your source for DIY projects that leave you asking “why?”. A kind of parody of the popular (and rather excellent) r/DIY subreddit, and home to misguided attempts at home improvement, such as this sea shell basin and this USB shovel.