E-Paper Quote Display (german)

This project utilizes a 5.83-inch black and white E-Paper display from Waveshare, driven by a Raspberry Pi. The display is designed to show a different quote every day, primarily in German. The project consists of generating the required bitmaps using the generateBitMaps.py script, and then displaying the quotes on the E-Paper.

For that to you can compile a C programm found here or use the Python script found here.

WARNING! The C programm doesn’t work currently, the display does not change.

Installation

To set up the E-Paper display project, follow the steps below:

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi with an operating system installed (e.g., Raspbian)
• Waveshare 5.83 inch E-Paper display
  • https://www.waveshare.com/5.83inch-e-Paper.htm
• Optional (but recommended):
  • E-Paper with a HAT to drive it

Software

• Enable SPI Interface on Pi

  sudo raspi-config
  Choose Interfacing Options -> SPI -> Yes Enable SPI interface
  sudo reboot
  You can use ls /dev/spi* to check whether SPI is occupied. If the terminal outputs /dev/spidev0.1 and /dev/spidev0.1, SPI is not occupied.
  

• Install BCM2835, see waveshare manual

• Python 3.x installed on the Raspberry Pi

• For Python: Install the function library, see manual above

Links:

• E-Paper
• E-Paper with HAT

Hardware Setup

Connect the Waveshare E-Paper display to the Raspberry Pi following the manufacturer's instructions.

Usage

Clone or download the project repository to your Raspberry Pi

git clone https://github.com/MaestroOnICe/quotes.git

Navigate to the project directory.

cd quotes

Install the required Python packages by navigating to the python directory and installing required dependecies:

pip install setup.py

Generate the bitmaps required for displaying the quotes using the generateBitMaps.py script. This script will generate bitmap files for each entry in the quotes json file.

python generateBitMaps.py

All 365 bitmaps should be in the /bmp folder

Option 1: Compile the C program using the provided Makefile in the C directory.

sudo make clean
sudo make
sudo ./epd

Option 2: Run the Python script directly.

python showQuotes.py

Scheduling a Cron Job

To automatically refresh the E-Paper display at 3 AM every night, you can schedule a cron job on your Raspberry Pi. Here's how:

Open the cron table for editing.

$ crontab -e

Add the following line to the cron table:

0 3 * * * /path/to/python /path/to/showQuotes.py

Save and exit the cron table.

Cron will now execute the showQuotes.py script at 3 AM every day, refreshing the E-Paper display with a new quote.

ToDo

• enclosure for the photo frame, 3D printing

Acknowledgments

The E-Paper display is manufactured by Waveshare. Visit their website for more information about the display and additional resources. This project was inspired by the idea of displaying daily quotes and is meant for educational purposes.