YAPP - boat display

lustyd

lustyd

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Ok this one is a little pointless I’ll admit, but it’s been raining so I needed a hobby.

Hardware is:
Raspberry Pi Zero 2WH
Waveshare 7.3” full colour eInk screen
Cheap photo frame

Software is Linux, Python, Jinja and a few other bits and bobs like fortune for a fun quote.

This connects to various things including a weather service API (using boat GPS) but mostly I have it using the SignalK server on the Cerbo to get NMEA data and Victron data. The screen here shows fuel level and remaining litres, inside and outside temperature and humidity and battery SOC. I plan to add a barometer graph to the bottom shortly.
Because it’s epaper this uses next to no power and it can run from USB or a battery and I’m considering a 12v converter to run from boat power. It’s a picture frame so can stand on a desk or attach to the bulkhead. The display changes every 5 minutes and rotates through the various screens I’ve made.
IMG_1085.jpeg
 
Hello lustyd. You seem to be using down time in winter to good effect. Just wondering how you get video in to photo frame. I have one here not being used. Seems to only have an input from USB memory stick with photos or memory card slot. ol'will
 
It’s not video or a digital photo frame. The display is an epaper display board which I connected to a Raspberry Pi computer, it “draws” the display every five minutes based on data collected. I do intend to document it in more detail as I imagine at least some folk will be interested.
 
lustyd said:
It’s not video or a digital photo frame. The display is an epaper display board which I connected to a Raspberry Pi computer, it “draws” the display every five minutes based on data collected. I do intend to document it in more detail as I imagine at least some folk will be interested.
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Ah thanks I think you mean photo frame as the "wood " surround. ol'will
 
Yes that's right. Waveshare also sell a digital photo frame like what I imagine you have, but I built this "from scratch". Using quotes there as there's only one cable :)

Computer Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £24.39
Display Panel Waveshare 7.3inch 6-Color E-Paper Screen With Driver Board, E-Ink Display(E Type), Low Power Consumption, 800x480 Pixel, SPI Communication, Suitable For Price Tag, Asset/Equipment Tag, Shelf Label...: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science £92.99
Photo Frame https://www.next.co.uk/style/su424172/au5525 (in the shop you can buy one for £3.50)

I connected these up and installed Linux. The screens are html which are rendered to images then loaded to the frame. Data is copied from Internet and Cerbo over wifi using Python scripts which execute through a cron job. The html is also added to a web server which lets me access the pages on my phone, but the screen is surprisingly useful to glance at in the saloon.

If anyone is interested I can share the code used in the project. Also worth looking at InkyPi GitHub - fatihak/InkyPi: E-Ink Display with a Raspberry Pi and a Web Interface to customize and update the display with various plugins
 
Lusty, I've thought about something similar - in part because my brass barometer has died and if I remove it there's two screw holes on the bulkead looking for something to cover them. I hadn't looked at colour e-ink displays, they obviously add a chunk of cost. How good is the display? The last colour eInk I actually saw in real life reminded my of 24 pin colour dot matrix printing of the mid 90's (if you are old enough): good for communicating a message, but noticeably not "photo" quality. Does it flicker as it refreshes? The in-laws have one of those digital photo frames, and if it's in the corner of your eye constantly scrolling I find it distracting.
 
It's certainly not photo quality, but the colours are good. Dithering can be poor depending on the mix of colours but pure colours look very good, as does black text, and from a little distance all looks pretty good. The dithering algorithm dates to 1970 and would very likely have been used in dot matrix printers in the 80's and 90's.
Yes, it flickers for a few seconds each time, first to clear then to load. I actually like this as it draws the attention enough to know it's happening. For an information display this is acceptable. We're cycling between boat data, weather, youtube channel stats, and random inspirational quotes, with boat data taking every other 5 minutes and the rest taking in turns on the alternate 5 minute block.

I'm finding the boat data as shown to be very useful, especially real temperatures inside and out, and a fuel display that's always visible is great. It's early days, I'm sure the pages will evolve over the coming months.
 
And here is the weather display, updated using boat GPS so will always display local weather with no input required. The Cerbo remembers its last location so continues working in port even when plotters etc. are off
IMG_1089.jpeg
 
ylop said:
Nice touch.
Need to get wind speed and direction on there! Forecast which miss that are frustrating.
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It is in the data from the API, but I wanted a weather overview on this one. I may put another page together a bit like windguru though.
I have access to the NMEA wind instrument too but only while it’s on. I’m considering adding it to the realtime data screen alongside temperature and humidity. Still need to get the barometer graph working too which may be more challenging.
 
lustyd said:
And here is the weather display, updated using boat GPS so will always display local weather with no input required. The Cerbo remembers its last location so continues working in port even when plotters etc. are off
View attachment 206137
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Can this be programmed only to show good weather?
Unfortunately with good weather unlikely to see the screen as will probably be on deck, whether sailing or at anchor.
When able to see screen probably because wet and windy on deck - and the last thing I want to see on a screen is a forecast showing another week of wet and windy weather !
 
It’s sunlight readable and can run from battery so I am considering moving it on deck in summer.
Sadly since I made it the forecast has been rain every single day. Can’t remember such a wet miserable winter
 
Bit of a thread drift, but a project of interest might be an analogue to nmea 2k for engine instruments and tank levels. C£400 seems the minimum for a commercial system and the Chinese box is low cost and reviews are very mixed as regards reliability.
 
If anyone is interested I've now got the code in a state suitable for sharing and am starting to write instructions on how to set the system up. Let me know and I'll share the repository.
DipperToo said:
Bit of a thread drift, but a project of interest might be an analogue to nmea 2k for engine instruments and tank levels. C£400 seems the minimum for a commercial system and the Chinese box is low cost and reviews are very mixed as regards reliability.
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I don't think it would suit this project due to the slow refresh but I'd certainly be interested if someone could make something to connect an older engine to the Cerbo/NMEA. Might be a good YAPP for @AngusMcDoon who actually does understand the electronics side. I've just been plumbing the bits together so no hope of something like that :)
 
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