piframe/hardware.md

# Bill Of Materials / Hardware Assumptions

This is a surprisingly straight forward project that has minimal in the way of hardware requirements. Below you'll find a list of everything we recommend / assume.

* [Raspberry Pi 4](https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/) with at least 2Gb of RAM
  * An equivalent board with at least 2Gb of RAM capable of running Ubuntu 64bit Linux can be used instead but we do not support anything but the Raspberry Pi 4 at this time
  * **Please note: RAM usage is significantly affected by source image resolution /and/ panel size. 2Gb of RAM should be enough for a 2k screen and 20Mpx source images. If you're not sure get a 4Gb Raspberry Pi.**
* HDMI Monitor (Verified Working)
  * Please note: **these are the panels we KNOW WORK** ; do not deviate unless you want to fiddle with a lot of boot loader configuration
  * [wisecoco 6" 2k lcd + driver board](https://wisecoco.en.alibaba.com/)
    * This is the *portrait* panel with 1440x2560 resolution
* HDMI Monitor (TESTING)
  * Please note: **these are the panels we are TESTING** ; do not use these unless you'd like to help us sort the settings needed for use
  * [wisecoco panels](https://wisecoco.en.alibaba.com/)
* Fan/Cooling
  * The [Argon Fan Hat](https://www.argon40.com/argon-fan-hat-for-raspberry-pi-4-raspberry-pi-3b-and-raspberry-pi-3-b.html) is a nice adjustable fan setup for the Raspberry Pis. We recommend this as the fan to use.
  * *Please Note*: The Pimoroni Fan Shim *will cause problems*. Do **NOT** use it for your PiFrame build. We promise, it's unwise due to the pinout and more.
* USB to Serial adapter
  * There are a lot of options, choose one you know that will work well
  * Adafruit and SparkFun are good choices for serial to usb adapters
* HDMI cable that will work with your panel and the Raspberry Pi. You can use an adapter if needed.
* USB disk (thumb drive / ssd) for storing pictures
  * This is optional but will help prevent micro sd card wear if regularly changing photos or running backups
  * The Sandisk Ultra Fit USB disks are great options and work well with the Raspberry Pi boards
* 1x micro sd card
  * Must be **at least** 16Gb. The base install of software consumes almost 8Gb of storage, you'll want more than 8Gb to properly buffer updates and upgrades
* Power supply (at least 2.4A to avoid voltage issues)
  * We have used the [Anker PowerPort II 2](https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powerport-ii-2/A2027121) successfully
Add basic notes about hardware / bom 2020-08-01 00:48:18 +00:00			`# Bill Of Materials / Hardware Assumptions`

			`This is a surprisingly straight forward project that has minimal in the way of hardware requirements. Below you'll find a list of everything we recommend / assume.`

			`* [Raspberry Pi 4](https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/) with at least 2Gb of RAM`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* An equivalent board with at least 2Gb of RAM capable of running Ubuntu 64bit Linux can be used instead but we do not support anything but the Raspberry Pi 4 at this time`
Add note about RAM use 2020-08-11 00:19:38 +00:00			`* Please note: RAM usage is significantly affected by source image resolution /and/ panel size. 2Gb of RAM should be enough for a 2k screen and 20Mpx source images. If you're not sure get a 4Gb Raspberry Pi.`
Add new monitors, update docs to layout which monitors are being tested/verified working and remove panels that are not going to be supported over time 2020-08-13 18:33:41 +00:00			`* HDMI Monitor (Verified Working)`
			`* Please note: these are the panels we KNOW WORK ; do not deviate unless you want to fiddle with a lot of boot loader configuration`
Add info on how to configure wisecoco 6'' 2k portrait LCD 2020-09-02 22:12:01 +00:00			`* [wisecoco 6" 2k lcd + driver board](https://wisecoco.en.alibaba.com/)`
			`* This is the portrait panel with 1440x2560 resolution`
Add new monitors, update docs to layout which monitors are being tested/verified working and remove panels that are not going to be supported over time 2020-08-13 18:33:41 +00:00			`* HDMI Monitor (TESTING)`
			`* Please note: these are the panels we are TESTING ; do not use these unless you'd like to help us sort the settings needed for use`
Add wisecoco to lcd testing notes 2020-08-20 20:59:13 +00:00			`* [wisecoco panels](https://wisecoco.en.alibaba.com/)`
Add note about argon fan 2020-09-04 18:16:17 +00:00			`* Fan/Cooling`
			`* The [Argon Fan Hat](https://www.argon40.com/argon-fan-hat-for-raspberry-pi-4-raspberry-pi-3b-and-raspberry-pi-3-b.html) is a nice adjustable fan setup for the Raspberry Pis. We recommend this as the fan to use.`
			`* Please Note: The Pimoroni Fan Shim will cause problems. Do NOT use it for your PiFrame build. We promise, it's unwise due to the pinout and more.`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* USB to Serial adapter`
			`* There are a lot of options, choose one you know that will work well`
Update hardware docs and main readme 2020-08-20 21:58:07 +00:00			`* Adafruit and SparkFun are good choices for serial to usb adapters`
			`* HDMI cable that will work with your panel and the Raspberry Pi. You can use an adapter if needed.`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* USB disk (thumb drive / ssd) for storing pictures`
Add basic notes about hardware / bom 2020-08-01 00:48:18 +00:00			`* This is optional but will help prevent micro sd card wear if regularly changing photos or running backups`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* The Sandisk Ultra Fit USB disks are great options and work well with the Raspberry Pi boards`
			`* 1x micro sd card`
			`* Must be at least 16Gb. The base install of software consumes almost 8Gb of storage, you'll want more than 8Gb to properly buffer updates and upgrades`
Add note about anker power brick 2020-08-23 18:46:59 +00:00			`* Power supply (at least 2.4A to avoid voltage issues)`
			`* We have used the [Anker PowerPort II 2](https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powerport-ii-2/A2027121) successfully`