Chapter 16:

DYNAMIC BADGE/LABEL

Setting Up a Dynamic Badge/Label with Raspberry Pi

To create a dynamic badge or label using a Raspberry Pi, follow these steps:

Step 1: Enable SPI Interface

Enable the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) interface on your Raspberry Pi by running the following command:

sudo raspi-config

Navigate to the "Interfacing Options" and enable SPI.

Step 2: Install bcm2835 Library

Download and install the bcm2835 library:

wget http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/bcm2835/bcm2835-1.60.tar.gz

tar zxvf bcm2835-1.60.tar.gz cd bcm2835-1.60/

sudo ./configure

sudo make s

udo make check

sudo make install

Step 3: Install WiringPi Library

Install the WiringPi library. For Raspberry Pi 4, you may need to update it with the following commands:

cd /tmp

wget https://project-downloads.drogon.net/wiringpi-latest.deb

sudo dpkg -i wiringpi-latest.deb gpio -v

Make sure the version displayed is 2.52 if installed correctly.

Step 4: Install Python Libraries

Install the necessary Python libraries for both Python 2 and Python 3:

For Python 2:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install python-pip

sudo apt-get install python-pil

sudo apt-get install python-numpy

sudo pip install RPi.GPIO

sudo pip install spidev

For Python 3:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install python3-pip

sudo apt-get install python3-pil

sudo apt-get install python3-numpy

sudo pip3 install RPi.GPIO

sudo pip3 install spidev

Step 5: Set Up e-Paper Hardware

Refer to the documentation provided by Waveshare for instructions on setting up your specific e-Paper HAT. The link to the documentation is:

https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/2.13inch_e-Paper_HAT

Follow the hardware setup and wiring instructions for your e-Paper display.

Once you have completed these steps, you should have a dynamic badge/label set up on your Raspberry Pi, capable of displaying content according to your needs. Be sure to consult the specific documentation for your e-Paper display for further details on how to use it.