Post 636788 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
(DIR) More posts by kelbot@fosstodon.org
(DIR) Post #633760 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T04:05:52Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
It has been on for over 5 hours so far. Running from a single 18650. I'm going to leave it running over night with a clock and uptime on screen so i will know when it runs out of juice. That's the beauty of epaper. I will know exactly what it was doing and when it loses power because it will stay on screen. (ง ื▿ ื)ว
(DIR) Post #636784 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T12:55:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
7 hrs on one 18650. However, I was checking top and the python service that enables the terminal on the epaper display was keeping the cpu at 50-70% load. I'm not sure if that is normal or if something is fishy there. 7 hrs on one battery with that kind of load is pretty impressive though. There are also a couple things I think I can tweak to reduce power consumption slightly.
(DIR) Post #636785 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T13:43:54Z
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I think the pi zero CPU is just not powerful enough to run the service without a significant load. A practical way to deal with this may be to have a gpio button to trigger starting the service when I want to have a terminal. When not using it I can just have some information periodically update or have a second button to trigger some useful information.
(DIR) Post #636786 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T13:50:00Z
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I could see this being a companion device that I keep with me. Keep a large micro SD in it and have some things locally for when I'm without a connection. Have it sitting next to me when I'm stationary for a bit and showing me some info on the display.Terminal available for emergency SSH server admin.
(DIR) Post #636787 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T14:11:49Z
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On boot, a script that runs and prints some general system info, clock and maybe something else I think up if there is space. Have it update once a minute. Then a button triggered script that kills that script and starts the terminal service. Then I just need a command or second button that stops the terminal service and restarts the info script.
(DIR) Post #636788 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T14:27:02Z
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I think all said and done (if I actually finish this project :-P) this will be a very satisfying and beginner friendly project. I'm using entirely off the shelf and inexpensive components that don't require any advanced skills to assemble. The header on that Pi 0 is even a hammer header from Pimoroni that requires no soldering. Gpio buttons might require soldering but could be omitted if you just wanted a terminal. The software setup is not too involved either for someone familiar with linux.
(DIR) Post #636789 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T14:29:43Z
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Please feel free to throw suggestions at me or ask questions about this project. It's just for fun and I have no critical purpose for it other than I have been wishing I could carry a tiny computer running linux around with me for tinkering.
(DIR) Post #636790 by Ninjatrappeur@social.alternativebit.fr
2018-10-19T14:40:50.189980Z
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@kelbot that,s really cool! How are you emulating the terminal?
(DIR) Post #637087 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-19T14:54:31Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@Ninjatrappeur Via this amazing python module.https://github.com/joukos/PaperTTY
(DIR) Post #637180 by Ninjatrappeur@social.alternativebit.fr
2018-10-19T15:04:15.564010Z
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@kelbot nice
(DIR) Post #667523 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-21T04:31:01Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Pocket Pi battery life update: After making sure the battery is fully charged and making a script that only updates the screen once a minute I'm seeing even better endurance. 8.5 hours and still going.
(DIR) Post #673986 by kelbot@fosstodon.org
2018-10-21T13:32:22Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Wow, powered by 1 18650 it finally ran out of juice after 10 hrs and 3 min!
(DIR) Post #1389972 by DHeadshot@xkcd.network
2018-11-22T01:50:30Z
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@kelbotIf you only use partial updates for too long you get screen burn on your epaper display!