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Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

macwright.com

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Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#41

Post by edelhans »

stankot wrote: post #22
edelhans wrote: post #16

I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect. I've also managed to implement OTA firmware updates and a similar Wifi based setup as this product has. If anyone is interested I'm happy to put it on Github. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajAbJ3fqqYQV5sd98 https://photos.app.goo.gl/PHzq1P7uWkJgAtP…

Love it! I did a similar thing, 64x64 pixels with a LED diffuser. Everything is packed up in the IKEA picture frame: https://imgur.com/a/cLXGWWd I'm lazy, but I plan to do the full write up and to open source everything. I use it to display pixel art, and during the night it automatically switches to the clock mode. I love yours as well and it would be great if you can put the code on GitHub. Mine is using ESP32 as w…

As promised, here is the repo: https://github.com/hanneslinder/esp-pixel-matrix

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#42

Post by edelhans »

mendelmaleh wrote: post #24
edelhans wrote: post #16

I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect. I've also managed to implement OTA firmware updates and a similar Wifi based setup as this product has. If anyone is interested I'm happy to put it on Github. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajAbJ3fqqYQV5sd98 https://photos.app.goo.gl/PHzq1P7uWkJgAtP…

Please do!

There you go: https://github.com/hanneslinder/esp-pixel-matrix

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#43

Post by puzzlingcaptcha »

firephonestival wrote: post #14

Am I reading this correctly? It sounds like the product is an LED matrix which requires third-party cloud servers to update the display? That doesn't sound right. Also, the author uses 2x 32x32 panels @$97 each as a price peg, but you can get a raw 64x32 panel from Adafruit (a quite expensive supplier) for $50.

Waveshare sells one for $25

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#44

Post by stankot »

edelhans wrote: post #40
edelhans wrote: post #16

I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect. I've also managed to implement OTA firmware updates and a similar Wifi based setup as this product has. If anyone is interested I'm happy to put it on Github. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajAbJ3fqqYQV5sd98 https://photos.app.goo.gl/PHzq1P7uWkJgAtP…

As promised here is the source code, PCB Gerber file and the STEP files for the case: https://github.com/hanneslinder/esp-pixel-matrix Hope you find it useful and don't be too harsh with the code quality as this was my first time writing C++ :)

I won't judge, especially as I don't know cpp either :)

It seems great and way more user friendly than what I have. I might steal your code for the next iteration.

I'll write a proper readme and make my repo public today.

EDIT: Here it is: https://github.com/Stanko/retro-frame

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#45

Post by konschubert »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #6

I don’t have a problem with the low resolution but the contrast on that is absolutely horrendous. It’s almost impossible to see which pixels are lit and which aren’t in bright lighting, and that’s even visible in the OP’s post. Additionally - and I don’t know if it’s part of the charm - the space between adjacent pixels being as wide as a pixel itself also limits the ergonomics of the display in a way that a similar…

If you prefer eink:

I am making an e-paper display that works in a similar way - you can configure it with a mobile app to pull an image from any url you want.

https://www.invisible-computers.com/programmable-e-paper-scr...

This means you’re completely free in designing your layout.

There is also a pre-configured calendar layout available that syncs with google calendar.

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#46

Post by arinlen »

edelhans wrote: post #16

I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect. I've also managed to implement OTA firmware updates and a similar Wifi based setup as this product has. If anyone is interested I'm happy to put it on Github. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajAbJ3fqqYQV5sd98 https://photos.app.goo.gl/PHzq1P7uWkJgAtP…

> I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect.

This is why HN is so special. Not only is the submission very interesting and inspiring, there's also someone who already done something similar sharing their work.

Thank you for sharing.

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#47

Post by konschubert »

onphonenow wrote: post #36

I've seen these. They are family partner / family friendly. They are not too bright (you can turn them down) so they don't annoy everyone. You can set apps (ie, stock) to only show on weekdays (fantastic). Weather is great. When's the next bus is good.

I’m working on a similar thing for eink.

So far it can only show a google calendar or a user-defined custom layout.

But I want to support many more ready-to-use layouts in future

https://www.invisible-computers.com/

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#48

Post by nmstoker »

These displays make for very approachable projects. Check out this repo if you're interested in controlling them from a raspberry pi. Adafruit and others sell a variety of sizes.

https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix

They can run video too (obviously quite pixelated but good for certain styles, eg manga/comic imagery) and there are examples online of projects such as an album cover display that syncs with your music.

Once tip: ensure you've got a good power supply if using one of the bigger 64x64 versions especially if you have it on bright with most/all pixels lit at the same time.

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#49

Post by nmstoker »

nmstoker wrote: post #48

These displays make for very approachable projects. Check out this repo if you're interested in controlling them from a raspberry pi. Adafruit and others sell a variety of sizes. https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix They can run video too (obviously quite pixelated but good for certain styles, eg manga/comic imagery) and there are examples online of projects such as an album cover display that syncs with you…

For a great example, here's a recent YouTube video for a digital dashboard project with a Pi:

https://youtu.be/A5A6ET64Oz8

Re: Tidbyt hardware display device: a review

#50

Post by slowraise »

edelhans wrote: post #40
edelhans wrote: post #16

I'be build pretty much the same thing using an esp32 an 3d printed enclosure and a small custom pcb. You can connect via websocket from a browser and upload images, text, ect. I've also managed to implement OTA firmware updates and a similar Wifi based setup as this product has. If anyone is interested I'm happy to put it on Github. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajAbJ3fqqYQV5sd98 https://photos.app.goo.gl/PHzq1P7uWkJgAtP…

As promised here is the source code, PCB Gerber file and the STEP files for the case: https://github.com/hanneslinder/esp-pixel-matrix Hope you find it useful and don't be too harsh with the code quality as this was my first time writing C++ :)

Awesome, there are some really cool ideas here. Are you planning on adding any sort of license? Would love to use some of the feature ideas in another github repo.
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