Adafruit contributor Tim C clearly has fond memories of whipping the llama’s ass (a quote from the app’s sample file that would play the first time Winamp was launched) so they turned the $55 Adafruit PyPortal—a Python-powered IoT device similar to a touchscreen smart alarm clock but endlessly configurable and hackable—into a standalone Winamp device.
Although it’s begging for a custom case to make the PyPortal Winamp MP3 Player easier to pocket and safer to carry around all day, Tim C has shared a detailed tutorial on how to turn the PyPortal into the ultimate late ‘90s throwback device, even if the standalone MP3 players of the time were hopelessly basic compared to this.
But before you yell at the Adafruit store to shut up and take your money, it’s important to note that this isn’t a full implementation of the Winamp user interface. You can tap on the top of the screen to pause and resume music playback. Tapping on either side of the playlist editor at the bottom advances to the next or previous track. The individual buttons all over the classic Winamp UI simply don’t work, nor do the sliders on the graphic EQ. Further complicating things is that playlists can only be built and modified by editing a JSON file on a computer. But at least it still replicates the stuttered scroll of the track name currently being played.
Tim C has released their code to the public domain, so there’s a chance that someone may take this idea and run with it all the way, completely recreating the Winamp experience on a portable device. When that time comes I’ll have my credit card at the ready.