Delivering your message with a slice of Pi
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Daniel Messer discusses the benefits of using Raspberry Pi for digital signage as a cost-effective, efficient alternative to traditional systems. He highlights the low costs associated with Raspberry Pi compared to other digital signage solutions and emphasizes the ease of updating and managing content through free open source software. The presentation also offers practical tips for setting up and utilizing this technology for libraries.
![Credits
Shinjuku image
By Ray Tsang from Irvine, USA (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia
Commons
Blade Runner image
Directed by Ridley Scott. Performed by Harrison Ford. USA: Warner, 1982.
Film.
Pixabay](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitalsignageazla-keynote-151116215041-lva1-app6891/85/Delivering-your-message-with-a-slice-of-Pi-21-320.jpg)
Delivering your message with a slice of Pi
- 1. Delivering your message with a slice of Pi Raspberry Pis and digital signage Daniel Messer – Cyberpunk Librarian Web Content Manager Maricopa County Library District danielmesser@mcldaz.org
- 2. Hello. You’re supposed to say a little about yourself, so… • 20 years in the library field • 29 years geeking out on computers • A slider with a broad background in tech • Podcaster • Cyberpunk Librarian • Intragalactic Librarian • Author • Hyperlinked History • All My Rattling On • Musician • The View from Amalthea • Sonoran Standard Time
- 3. Take it easy… You can write a bunch of stuff down if you want, or you can just go to: cyberpunklibrarian.com/digital-signage Notes, links, slides, walkthroughs, podcasts…
- 4. I’m recording this. Speaking of podcasts… Welcome to Episode 39 of Cyberpunk Librarian!
- 5. Let’s talk digital signage… Why bother? • Save on paper, ink, printing costs, etc • Easily updated and duplicated • Multimedia • Compelling content
- 6. Also, it’s kind of everywhere.
- 7. You might even say it’s the future.
- 8. Potomac Digital Signage • $800+ per screen • $1,000+ central server Overpowered hardware • Small PCs running Windows 7 • Tucked behind a big screen TV • Far too much power to run a simple slideshow Buggy software • Java based management app running on a self-signed server • Worked only in Internet Explorer • Firefox, Edge, and Chrome quite literally would not open the site Outdated • Fedora 14 (Currently on 22) • Kernel 2.6.35 (Currently on 4.3rc2) What we had, and why it was horrible.
- 9. Raspberry Pi 2 (Electric Boogaloo)
- 10. • Inexpensive (~$60 - $80) • Small (credit card sized) • Highly hackable (Let’s build robots!) • Runs on FOSS (Free Open Source Software) • Operating system runs on microSD card (Raspbian = LOVE) The raspberry what now?
- 11. But why Pi? • Inexpensive, 10% of the cost of a Potomac box • 18 Potomac boxes: $14,400 + server cost • 18 Pis: $1,440 + no server cost because we reused an old server • Runs on FOSS • Debian Linux derivative called Raspbian • Central content server runs Ubuntu Server • Screenly OSE • Energy efficient • Fanless • Low power • microUSB • Small and easy to hide behind a monitor
- 12. Gearing up You could run the content server on an old PC or a netbook Raspberry Pi - CanaKit (www.canakit.com) Dell PowerEdge 1950 (~6 years old)
- 13. Setting up Download & install Screenly OSE • screenlyapp.com/ose Once set up, create a master image • Win32 Disk Imager • sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/
- 14. Building solutions District wide slide deck • Use an internal website that flips images Central control • Modified Bootstrap template with sidebar
- 16. Stand Alone Why surplus when you can reuse? • Pairing Pis with older monitors Single image signs or using a browser. • Chromium in kiosk mode displaying local content • Remember that website that flips images? It’s portable! • Update in the background with rsync
- 18. Alternatives It doesn’t have to be a Pi. You can do a lot with a simple slideshow. • A PC running LibreOffice Impress, PowerPoint or Google Slides full screen. • Use a full screen website and computers calling the content in a full screen browser. (Chrome/Chromium) • Hack around with a Chromecast or Roku. • Heck, a screensaver will do it. • Commercial options exist and vary wildly in prices and features. Shop around.
- 20. Thank you. Daniel Messer Cyberpunk Librarian Notes available at: cyberpunklibrarian.com/digital-signage danielmesser@mcldaz.org @bibrarian cyberpunklibrarian.com
- 21. Credits Shinjuku image By Ray Tsang from Irvine, USA (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Blade Runner image Directed by Ridley Scott. Performed by Harrison Ford. USA: Warner, 1982. Film. Pixabay