Derek Woodroffe from Extreme Electronics is working on a portable VOIP handset called the Pi Tele Cow, which utilizes the Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller. This innovative device features a 15-key keypad, microphone, speaker, and display, all powered by a rechargeable battery. Woodroffe describes the Pi Tele Cow as a straightforward VOIP/SIP handset that uses the Raspberry Pi Pico W’s Wi-Fi for connectivity, aiming to provide a basic yet functional handheld phone experience. The design takes inspiration from the classic British Telecom style and the Raspberry Pi Pico W's nickname, "PiCow."
The Pi Tele Cow incorporates the Raspberry Pi Pico W’s dual-core RP2040 microcontroller, an SD card for storage, a microphone, a speaker, a 15-key keyboard, an SSD1306-based I2C LCD display, and a USB-rechargeable internal battery. Unlike traditional phones, it doesn't support landline connections or cellular networks but instead uses Wi-Fi to connect to a network and a SIP server for making VOIP calls. The project, still in development, faces several challenges such as intermittent speech loss, the inability to cancel outgoing calls before they are answered, and the need to reboot before making another call. Despite these issues, the project demonstrates the potential of the Raspberry Pi Pico W to power a handheld VOIP phone, with the source code available on GitHub for further development and exploration.
