rpi-7seg-clock

Author: mrccie

Copyright: 2020, mrccie

Date: 21-SEP-2020

Version: 1.0

PURPOSE

rpi-7seg-clock is a package designed to drive a 7-segment clock (and, optionally, a digital light sensor) with a Raspberry Pi. Hopefully this package will let you focus on what's important (cool looking cases) and offload what isn't (the mundane software).

This package will also enable a (very ugly and very basic) web server on the Raspberry Pi that enables you to customize clock settings and even reboot/shut down the Pi.

System Requirements

This solution has been tested on the following hardware:

• Platform: Raspberry Pi 3B+, Raspberry Pi Zero
• OS: Rasbian 10 (buster)
• Clock Display: Adafruit 1.2" 4-Digit 7-Segment Display w/ I2C Backpack (available in multiple colors)
• Digital Light Sensor (optional)

Note:

• Some soldering is required for the 7-segment display and backpack
• Any digital light sensor should work; there's nothing special about the one linked

Raspberry Pi Initialization

If you're installing on a Pi from scratch, you'll need to do a few things first.

Steps to set up a headless RPi

(Optional but Recommended Step) You can also set a static IP.
An example would be to modify the file /etc/dhcpcd.conf to read as follows (for a wireless connection):

interface wlan0
static ip_address=192.168.1.50/24    
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=208.67.220.220 8.8.8.8

Change the password of the user 'pi' if you haven't done so already:

passwd

Update the operating system:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Set your local timezone:

sudo raspi-config
> 5 - Localization Options
>> L2 - Change Time Zone
>>> Pick accordingly
>>>> Finish

Installation: Pre-Requisites and Git

This is just on Git for now.

Pre-requisites:

• Raspberry Pi has internet connectivity
• Terminal access to the Pi (local or via SSH)
• RECOMMENDED: Configure the Pi with a static IP for web reachability

Enable i2c Interface:

sudo raspi-config
> 3 - Interfacing Options
>> P5 - I2C
>>> Would you like to enable... Yes
>>>> Finish

(You may receive an error like 'modprobe: FATAL: Module i2c-dev not found in directory /lib/modules/5.4.83+'; this can be ignored)

Install git:

sudo apt-get install -y git

(Optional) Configure git:

git config --global user.email "<email>"
git config --global user.name "<username>"

Make a directory to clone this repository to:

mkdir git
cd git

Installation

Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/mrccie/rpi-7seg-clock

Go into the repository directory:

cd rpi-7seg-clock

Use the install script:

sudo ./install.sh

What to Do Next?

If you want to customize your clock beyond the default behavior (ie. change brightness scheme, set to 24-hour mode, etc.), open a web browser and navigate to the IP address of your clock. When using the web interface, please be aware that changes you make may take a minute or so to be picked up.