Pi Display

The purpose of this project is to display various data points on an Waveshare 5.83in V2 e-ink display powered by a Raspberry Pi.

This project contains two parts:

1. /python contains all the files needed to retrieve and print all the data for the display.
2. /webapp contains a web app and node.js server that can be used to remotely trigger commands on the display.

Review the READMEs in those respective directories to learn more.

Pi Set Up

This set-up guide assumes you are running Rasberry Pi OS Lite on your Pi and have already set up internet access.

1. Complete the Waveshare instructions under the Working With Raspberry Pi Hardware Connection and Python sections.

2. Install Node Version Manager (NVM).

3. Install NodeJS 14 via nvm on the Pi. Note the unofficial build needs to be used to support the proper architecture of the Pi Zero.

   
   NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR=https://unofficial-builds.nodejs.org/download/release nvm install 14
   

4. Install git

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install git
   

5. Clone this repo to your Pi. For this example, the repo will be stored under a repos directory under the home directory.

   cd ~/repos
   git clone https://github.com/rbitting/pi-display.git
   

6. Complete all prerequisites listed in python/README.md

7. Set up a cron job to run the display refresh at regular intervals. Enter the command crontab -e to edit the crontab file. Then add the following line (this will run the script every 30 minutes):

   */30 * * * * cd /absolute/path/to/python && python3 main.py

   Example: */30 * * * * cd /home/pi/repos/pi-display/python && python3 main.py

8. Set up a cron job to run the display refresh on Pi start-up. Enter the command crontab -e to edit the crontab file. Then add the following line:

   @reboot sleep 30 && cd /absolute/path/to/python && python3 main.py &

   Example: @reboot sleep 30 && cd /home/pi/repos/pi-display/python && python3 main.py &

9. Run npm install and npm run build from in the webapp directory.

10. To launch the web app on Pi start-up, enter the command crontab -e to edit the crontab file. Then save the following line in the file (be sure to update the node-version to what you have installed):

    @reboot sleep 30 && cd /absolute/path/to/webapp && /home/pi/.nvm/versions/node/node-version/bin/node server.js >> /absolute/path/to/where/you/want/logs 2>&1 &

    @reboot sleep 30 && cd /home/pi/repos/pi-display/webapp && /home/pi/.nvm/versions/node/v14.18.2/bin/node server.js >> /home/pi/logs/server.log 2>&1 &

11. Set up a static IP address for your Pi.

12. Install Apache web server on your pi: sudo apt install apache2

13. Update the Apache configuration file to proxy port 3000 requests. This will allow access to the webapp at the Pi's direct IP. Open the file:

    sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

    then append the following within <VirtualHost *:80> under the DocumentRoot /var/www/html line:

    ProxyRequests off
    <Proxy *>
            Order deny,allow
            Allow from all
    </Proxy>
    <Location />
            ProxyPass http://localhost:3000/
            ProxyPassReverse https://localhost:3000/
    </Location>
    

14. Enable the Apache proxy:

    sudo a2enmod proxy
    sudo a2enmod proxy_http
    systemctl restart apache2
    

15. Reboot the Pi for all updates to take effect: sudo reboot

Notes

• All logs are stored under the /logs directory on your Pi

Troubleshooting

• If display is printing incorrect times, you may need to update the timezone of your Pi: sudo raspi-config -> Internationalisation Options -> Change Timezone -> Follow screen directions to change country and time zone

• If you receive errors around the font files, update the font permissions: chmod 744 python/assets/fonts

Shameless Plug

If you've found this code helpful and would like to provide some support, consider buying me a coffee!