I've wanted to build this myself for a long time but couldn't figure out how to overcome the spicy pillow problem.
Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but I thought it was risky to leave a phone plugged in all the time. Does it need to be a modern version of Android OS that has the smart charging that stops at like 85%?
Usually I replace a smartphone because it has some hardware fault that makes it unusable and it is hard to repair or the cost of repair vs capability is not very favorable.
Even if I was replacing smartphone before they died, I would probably sell them anyway. Do people really have various phones in working order waiting in a drawer?
NeuroWinter 2 hours ago [-]
I will upgrade when my device is many generations out of date. So no one really wants to buy one and I will then buy not the latest but a generation or two “out of date” so it’s cheaper. So I have a heap of phones over the years that no one wants. Not even me.
buibuibui 2 hours ago [-]
Oh wow, although I submitted it some days ago, I somehow got on the front page! Thanks for that!
Also as a note: this platform is nowhere near finished! I had this idea in my mind for a long time that I wanted to reuse my old phones and tablets as displays in my home. I also know that finding the right apps for these old platforms is a challenge in itself, that's why I went the route of creating an ES5 (that nobody writes anymore!) web app that most of these devices still support. The client's whole purpose is to display canvas and media files that the server dictates on-demand via websocket, while keeping a synchronized clock.
On Instagram I always saw these very cool widgets like retro clocks, split-flip boards, YouTube subscriber counters that I felt urged to buy. But I thought to myself that the old phones I already have could also do the same.
I am a long-time software engineer myself, but could never take the time to validate whether my ideas work. So I thought, why not try it out with Codex. After long prompting, supervising and correcting, I got a very usable solution that I now pleasantly use myself at home.
buibuibui 1 hours ago [-]
You can also vibe-code your widget if you want! You are not restricted to use the built-in ones. Just copy the "Canvas Widget Guide" you find under "Left Sidebar > Create > Smart Widget > Tutorial" and copy that article in ChatGPT or Claude while describing what your widget should display.
You are able to send JSON data to your widget via an API.
It's all just canvas and old Javascript code!
rippeltippel 35 minutes ago [-]
Very nice project, thank you for sharing it on HN!
May I ask why login is required, and how are emails/passwords stored?
buibuibui 8 minutes ago [-]
An account is necessary to couple your devices to your wall. And auth is implemented via Better-Auth. I stopped Codex immediately when he tried to implement the login stuff from scratch. :)
buibuibui 4 days ago [-]
The oldest device I found that works with ScreenWall as a widget display, is an iPad 3 (2012)!
Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but I thought it was risky to leave a phone plugged in all the time. Does it need to be a modern version of Android OS that has the smart charging that stops at like 85%?
Even if I was replacing smartphone before they died, I would probably sell them anyway. Do people really have various phones in working order waiting in a drawer?
You are able to send JSON data to your widget via an API.
It's all just canvas and old Javascript code!
https://github.com/mitmedialab/Junkyard-Jumbotron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUtSVSTbzU