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Working BMO made out of Lego and Raspberry Pi

Lego fan Michael Thomas builds a model of the lovable BMO game console from "Adventure Time" out of Lego. Bonus: it contains a fully functional Raspberry Pi computer.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
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So a teeny-tiny working Mac is pretty cool. And who wouldn't want a 3D-printed portable NES? But a model of the BMO from "Adventure Time," made out of Lego and housing a fully functional Linux-based Raspberry Pi computer? Oh, be still our beating hearts.

Software developer Michael Thomas created this wonder for BrickCon 2013.

"I came up with the idea a few months ago," he told CNET Australia. "I had purchased a Raspberry Pi and was trying to come up with interesting unique projects to make use of it. Being a fan of Lego, I'm also always looking for creative Lego builds to take on. I had seen some other Raspberry Pi Lego cases, and I knew the two fit well together. Around that time, I was also just starting to watch episodes of 'Adventure Time.' It was hard not to enjoy Finn and Jake's lovable electronic companion, BMO. It didn't take much at that point to decide that I should attempt to bring BMO to life, with Lego skin and a Raspberry Pi heart."

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Packed inside BMO's adorable Lego frame is a Model B Raspberry Pi board; a 4GB SD card with the Raspbian Linux OS; a low-profile microSD card adapter; a micro USB cable connecting to an external Mediasonic USB battery pack for power; and a USB connector for the port on the front of the device. The screen is a 2.5-inch TFT display.

"Once I had the idea in mind, it still took some time to make it a reality," Thomas said. "I had to design the Lego build and the electronics. Then, sourcing all the parts took several weeks. Once I had all the parts, it took a couple weeks of plucking away at putting it together (and dusting up on my soldering skills) during my free time."

Like the character in the TV show, Lego BMO is multitalented. It can run video games, play video (including its own show -- recursive!), surf the Web, and play music.

Lego BMO will be on display at BrickCon in Seattle on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6. If you can't get there, you can console yourself with more images on Thomas' Flickr page here, and see Lego BMO playing the "Adventure Time" opening credits in the video below.

(Source: Crave Australia)