It would be great to at least open source the Software on the device so we can modify it to publish directly do the tidbyt device without the overall infrastructure. Thanks a lot.
4 Likes
Last year I created a Python script that serves as a Python-based server emulation for managing and displaying WebP images on Tidbyt devices based on certain conditions. The updated (refactore) version allows users to specify device names (helpful if you own multiple devices) and control the logging level through command-line arguments. The script is structured to continuously manage and display different apps based on time conditions and app settings.
Use Cases for the Emulation
- Handle the management for a Tidbyt digital display device
- Use .webp files generated from .star files to render animations
- Ability to display WebP’s for specific durations
- Ability to turn off rendering certain WebP’s based on nighttime when the display should be off or show darker versions
- Ability to queue the order of the Tidbyt apps
- Ability to continuously cycle through the selected apps
- Already have the next WebP ready to be sent to Tidbyt when the current WebP finishes displaying
The main goal of the script is to allow users to control the display of WebP images on a Tidbyt device based on time settings (daytime vs nighttime) and pre-set schedules. It also offers a facility to customize display content and duration for each app. It utilizes command-line arguments to configure the device name, day start/end times, and logging level, making it flexible for different environments and use cases.
The script with its readme file are located on my GitHub repository: GitHub - jekeybl/PythonTidbytServer: Python emulation of the Tidbyt server
4 Likes
This is awesome!
The only problem with this approach is that it still relies on pixlet push and this in turn relies on the Tidbyt Servers. In the event of the servers getting shutdown this will also stop working.
Some folks on Discord are experimenting with custom firmwares and alternatives that would allow the device to fetch the images from a simple http server.
1 Like
I wonder if I can just hijack the existing PR’s for my own fork of community apps. If you want to PR on my repo I’d like to see what kind of clock you made. GitHub - tavdog/tidbyt-apps: A publishing platform for apps developed by the Tidbyt community 🚀
For anyone who wants to jump ship early or just be prepared I present Tronbyt. Here are my two repos for managing your tidbyt without the tidbyt backend. They consist of the custom firmware and a web app.
The custom firmware must be flashed to your tidbyt with platformio. The wifi creds and image_url are hard coded into the firmware before flashing. GitHub - tavdog/tronbyt-firmware-http: A community supported firmware for the Tidbyt hardware 🤓
The web app is designed to be run with docker compose on a local server but will also run happily on the internet although HTTPS is NOT supported. GitHub - tavdog/tronbyt-server
This is a pull only system. The Tronbyt device will pull the webp from the server and the server will render the app if needed before delivering the webp to the device. After the devices waits the app cycle interval it will pull again and the server will deliver the next app in the app list.
The web app has a web insterface for the user to add devices and apps and configure them with the build in web interface of pixlet. The reason docker is used here is to ensure pixlet is installed and working properly.
When an app is added to a device in the web app it is the responsibility of the user to pick a sane app refresh interval. The app will be rendered on this interval so be careful not to set it too short or you might max out some api limits or get your ip blocked.
Any apps using the secrets module will not work on this system. Tidbyt authored apps are not available either.
If there is interest I may stand up a publicly available instance of the web app for people who don’t want to mess with docker.
6 Likes
If you use HomeAssistant, TidbytAssistant does a lot of what this already does with the added benefit of utilizing everything HomeAssistant has to offer (ie triggers based on what going on in your home, sending HA data straight to a Tidbyt, etc).
3 Likes
Greaaaaat. After I just bought their Gen2 Kickstarter. Wtf.
I just logged back in here to see if we could get the stock app back only to find out that Tidbyt is done. If I hadn’t stumbled into this forum I would have never known about the news. Strange way to find out about the company and product. Hopefully the servers are up for a while.
2 Likes