We prepare the SD card (in this case, I’m using a 64 GB one). For that, we use Raspberry Pi Imager. Make sure to select the following options:

In the hostname field, I make sure to set argentv.local (we’ll use it later, but you can choose any hostname you like).

Make sure to configure the Wi-Fi credentials, language, and region. Leave SSH enabled so you can access the Raspberry Pi remotely later on:

Click Install, and we’ll meet again in a few minutes 😉 […] Once the flashing process is done, insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi. If you see the following screens, you’re on the right track:

Next, we’ll try to access the Raspberry Pi remotely. Open your command console and type:

ssh argentv.local

You might see the following message:

If that happens, try this:

ssh-keygen -R argentv.local

Once done, try again with ssh argentv.local, and this time you should see something like this:

After typing yes, new certificates will be installed, and the SSH connection to the Raspberry Pi will be established.

During the setup, my username was “rs”. Yours might differ — keep that in mind for the next steps.

Since this is the very first boot after formatting the SD card, let’s run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade –y

 Now let’s clone the GitHub repository. Before that, we need to configure our SSH keys.

If you already have SSH keys, skip this step

ls -l ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub 2>/dev/null || true

 Generate a new key (ED25519). Choose a helpful comment:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "pi@argentv"

 Press Enter to accept the default path (~/.ssh/id_ed25519). You can leave the passphrase empty (just press Enter) or add one for better security.

Show the public key (this one goes to GitHub)

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

 (Optional) Load it into the SSH agent so you don’t have to enter your passphrase every time

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

 Copy that public key and add it to your GitHub account: GitHub → your avatar → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key → paste the key.

Test the connection with GitHub (it should greet you with your username)

ssh -T git@github.com

Now let’s prepare the directory where we’ll clone the repository.

The folder /srv usually exists by default, but if it doesn’t, you can create it:

sudo mkdir -p /srv

Next, give ownership of that folder to your current user (replace rs with your own username).

This allows you to write inside /srv without using sudo all the time:

sudo chown -R rs:rs /srv

 Option A – Clone using HTTPS (easiest)

This is the recommended method if you haven’t set up SSH keys in GitHub.

cd /srv
git clone https://github.com/rsappia/TVArgenta-Release.git tvargenta
cd /srv/tvargenta

 Option B – Clone using SSH (for advanced users)

Use this if you already have an SSH key configured in your GitHub account.

cd /srv
git clone git@github.com:rsappia/TVArgenta-Release.git tvargenta
cd /srv/tvargenta

 Tip:

If you get an error like Permission denied (publickey) it simply means you’re trying the SSH method without having SSH keys set up. In that case, just use the HTTPS version above — it works exactly the same.

Run:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip && python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip && python3 -m pip install Flask

 Let’s also prepare what’s needed to compile the encoder .c file:

sudo apt install -y build-essential libgpiod-dev pkg-config

Change directory to compile the encoder .c file:

cd /srv/tvargenta/software/app/native

 Once there, run the compiler:

gcc encoder_reader.c -o encoder_reader $(pkg-config --cflags --libs libgpiod)

 If everything goes well, you should now see the compiled .bin file next to the .c one:

Now let’s set the proper permissions:

chmod +x encoder_reader
cd /srv/tvargenta/software
chmod +x scripts/*.sh

 At this point, we can run a first test to make sure everything’s working. Go to:

cd /srv/tvargenta/software/app $

 and then run:

python main.py

 If everything’s fine, you should see an intro video, followed by the playback of channels — which for now will be empty and in their default state, meaning you’ll see a “black screen.”

Try turning or pressing the encoder knob to bring up the menu.

Let’s add a few videos to make sure everything’s working properly. You can use the videos already included in:

/srv/tvargenta/software/app/assets/Splash/videos

These come by default in the GitHub repo.

On the hardware side, the only handmade element is a small connection board I built using a double-sided solderable protoboard. It handles the wiring for the audio interface, rotary encoder, and other peripherals, and brings everything together through JST XH 2.5 mm connectors. This makes the installation much cleaner, modular, and safer to maintain. I also assembled all the cables myself, cutting and crimping them to the exact lengths needed for a tidy internal layout.

Encoder

For the encoder, the following connection shall be done:

CLK ➔GPIO 23, Pin 16

DT ➔GPIO 17, Pin 11

SW ➔ GPIO 27, Pin 13

GND ➔ pin 14

3V3 ➔ pin 17

For the audio interface the following pinout applies:

DIN➔ GPIO 21 (pin 40) 

BCLK➔GPIO 18 (pin 12) 

LRC➔ GPIO 19 (pin 35) 

GND➔ Pin 39 

5V➔ Pin 2 

Connect the following pins to the LED using a 4.7k resistor on one of the pins to lower the current and ensure the LED doesnt shine like a laser pointed at your ayes ;)

LED Anode ➔GPIO 25 , pin 22

LED Catode ➔GND, pin 20