I invited strangers to message me through a receipt printer
7 months ago
- #Creativity
- #DIY
- #Tech
- Sam's anonymous message feature inspired a physical version using a receipt printer.
- Used an Epson TM-T88IV thermal receipt printer, which prints via heat on coated paper.
- Printer communicates via ESC/POS commands, requiring intermediary hardware (Raspberry Pi 4).
- Built a Laravel-based website to send messages, with validation for character limits and special characters.
- Messages are printed directly via PHP using a package for ESC/POS commands.
- Hosted the site on the Raspberry Pi with Cloudflare Tunnels for internet access.
- Received over a thousand messages globally, with positive and creative responses.
- Messages included ASCII art, poems, recipes, and location-based greetings.
- Created a world map to pin message locations, fostering a sense of global connection.
- Project highlights the joy of whimsical, physical connections in a digital world.