Project Logs

Collapse

• Software setup

  esenes • 10/13/2024 at 20:20 • 0 comments

  Start with a fresh installation of raspbian OS, with internet access (either via ethernet or setup the wifi connection when you flash the SD card).
  

  During the installation, create a sudo user called clockPi'.

  Make sure that you run
  

  sudo raspi-config

  and select the appropriate time zone !

  Keep the time synchronised:
  

  Install the NTP service to keep the time synchronized via web. In this implementation there is no NTC module, so we will have to rely on the web for that.
  Run in a terminal

  sudo apt-get install ntp

   then configure it (for servers in Italy)

  sudo nano /etc/ntp.conf

  and write inside
  

  server ntp1.inrim.it iburst
  server ntp2.inrim.it iburst
  server time.inrim.it iburst

  then save and exit. Restart the service with

  sudo service ntp restart

  and you should be good. Check the status with 

  sudo service ntp status 

  
  

  Dowload the scripts from github:
  

  Create a folder to host the scripts called "wordClock"

  cd
  mkdir wordClock 

  download the scripts in the Scripts folder at https://github.com/esenes/Word-clock, and copy them inside the wordClock folder in the raspberry pi.
  
  

  Install the Adafruit-Blinka library:
  

  First of all you need to get the Adafruit-Blinka library

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get -y upgrade
  sudo apt-get install python3-pip
  
  sudo apt install --upgrade python3-setuptools
  
  sudo apt-get install python3-full

  then reboot the raspberry pi.
  
  

  Create a virtual environment for the python script to run:

  Move inside the script folder

  cd 
  cd ./wordClock

  and create a virtual environment called "env"
  

  python3 -m venv env --system-site-packages

   once it's done, activate the environment and install the neopixel libraries

  source ./env/bin/activate
  

  
  

  Install the libraries for the neopixel LED strips:

  pip install rpi_ws281x 
  pip install adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel 
  

  And as last touch go to disable the audio on pin 18 if that's what you will be using. Go to /boot/firmware/config.txt and set dtparam=audio=off
  

  Test that everything runs:

  /bin/bash /home/clockPi/wordClock/run_clock.sh

   The clock should light up and visualize the time

  
  

  Enable the script to run at startup:

  Go edit the rc.local file

  sudo nano /etc/rc.local

  and add this line before the exit 0

  /bin/bash /home/clockPi/wordClock/run_clock.sh &

   It's all set
  

  You can reboot the pi and see what happens
  

  sudo reboot 
  

View project log