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Turn your Raspberry Pi into a TRMNL

a theme is emerging. it's called "you asked, we listened."

this year more than 10,000 people made the decision to stay informed (but not distracted) with TRMNL. and these creators have a few requests:

  • use their own server, check
  • build their own plugins, check check
  • use their own firmware, check
  • build their own hardware, <<you are here>>

context

since launching our Bring-Your-Own-Device license (docs, shop) last month we've been blown away by early implementations.

BYOD - 1st build in TRMNL history
BYOD + Waveshare (ruohki)
BYOD on a small screen
BYOD + IKEA frame
BYOD + Bambu Lab (JackR)
OK not BYOD, just TRMNL inside a Macintosh (Jerrod Hofferth)

with poor documentation, a handful of DIY tinkerers created their own TRMNL.

but therein lies the wrinkle -- BYOD was only accessible to experienced hackers.

until now.

introducing trmnl-display

this is a simple utility that converts any Linux based device (Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, etc) into a TRMNL. just add screen.

get the code:
https://github.com/usetrmnl/trmnl-display/

when you run the `trmnl-display` command you'll be asked to input an API Key, accessible from TRMNL > Device > Edit. this also works with BYOS clients, so you don't need to pay TRMNL a penny.

enjoy
your RPi will render content just like other TRMNL devices.

TRMNL on a Waveshare screen
TRMNL on an LCD screen (Dark Mode)


with over 60 million Raspberry Pi in circulation, we hope this build will encourage at least a few of them to discover a new use case.

and for the 7.9 billion non-developers in circulation (probably accurate?), we hope this build can help you stay focused, without needing to learn to code.

Ryan Kulp

Founder