An ESP32 Computer Squeezed Into an Altoids Tin
The latest star of the maker world is an ESP32 computer that lives entirely inside an Altoids tin, lid and all. Shared by creator SuperRadMaker on the ESP32 subreddit, the build turns the famously pocketable mint box into a fully fledged, if tiny, laptop. Inside, a compact display is mounted in the lid while the base houses the ESP32 board, battery, speaker, and a handmade Altoids tin keyboard you can actually type on. It is not meant for writing your thesis, but the fact that a complete, self-contained computer fits in such a constrained volume is the point. The project joins a long-running tradition of mint-tin hacks, yet it pushes the concept further than simple consoles or gadgets by combining compute, screen, audio, and human input into a single ultra compact computing platform.
Yes, the Altoids Tin Keyboard Computer Runs DOOM
Despite its whimsical form factor, this Altoids tin keyboard computer is no mere trinket. Thanks to the ESP32’s capabilities and smart software choices, it runs DOOM via a PrBoom port, satisfying the classic question every hardware hacker expects. Beyond DOOM, it also handles NES and Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulation, turning the mint box into a micro retro-gaming console. Over Wi-Fi, it can stream internet radio from services like SomaFM or any Icecast HTTP stream, effectively becoming a pocket music terminal. One of its most striking tricks is an “ask” mode that accesses Grok AI chat through xAI’s API, speaking responses aloud through the built-in speaker. That mix of local emulation, streaming, and cloud AI shows how DIY miniature devices can now juggle tasks once reserved for much larger machines.
Ultra Compact Computing as a Maker Frontier
Packing a full computer into an Altoids tin highlights just how far ultra compact computing has evolved in the DIY scene. Boards like the ESP32 offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and enough processing power for games, emulators, and basic productivity, all while staying small and energy efficient. The real challenge has shifted from raw compute to clever integration: designing printable or handmade Altoids tin keyboards, routing wiring in millimeters of clearance, and balancing battery life with usability. These trade-offs make builds like SuperRadMaker’s ideal as travel companions, demo pieces, or conversation-starting cyber toys rather than daily drivers. Yet each project serves as a test bed for new input layouts, enclosure ideas, and power solutions that could influence future commercial ultra portable devices—especially as people crave tools that are more personal and expressive than anonymous black rectangles.
From Cyberdecks to Mint-Tin PCs: The Arts-and-Crafts-ification of Computers
The Altoids ESP32 computer also fits into a broader movement popularized by DIY cyberdecks. Inspired partly by science fiction terminals, makers now build one-off computers into clutches, shells, toys, and other found objects, often sharing them on platforms like TikTok. Creators like Annike Tan, known for her whimsical “mermaid cyberdeck,” helped show that hardware hacking can be aesthetic, playful, and approachable, encouraging more women and beginners to pick up soldering irons. As the definition of a cyberdeck has loosened, anything from a moss-covered terminal to a plant “Tamagotchi” can count as cyberdeck-adjacent. In that context, an Altoids tin keyboard machine that runs DOOM is less a novelty and more another expression of the arts-and-crafts-ification of computing: personal, stylized, and built to do just a few things delightfully well.