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
  * [CONFU 5.5" 2k (1440x2560)](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/CONFU-HDMI-to-MIPI-5-5_62010868927.html)
  * [Electric Magic 8.9" 2k (2560x1600)](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082YFY8PW)
* 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
  * [Generic 5.5" 1080p panel](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Low-price-5-5-inch-Sharp_62399659373.html)
* [Geekworm Armor Case](https://geekworm.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b-armor-aluminum-alloy-case-protective-shell)
  * If you would like an always on fan, select the model with the integrated fan option
* [Pimoroni Fan SHIM](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/fan-shim)
  * This has better cooling as well as on/off support
  * You probably want this instead of the Geekworm armor case with fans
  * This will **NOT** require soldering to use but assumes you have room to slip the fan all the way down on the main header
* USB to Serial adapter
  * There are a lot of options, choose one you know that will work well
* Mini HDMI to HDMI adapter
* HDMI cable
* 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 3A to avoid voltage issues)
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`
			`* [CONFU 5.5" 2k (1440x2560)](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/CONFU-HDMI-to-MIPI-5-5_62010868927.html)`
			`* [Electric Magic 8.9" 2k (2560x1600)](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082YFY8PW)`
			`* 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`
Added generic 1080p panel to lcd's being tested 2020-08-13 03:08:23 +00:00			`* [Generic 5.5" 1080p panel](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Low-price-5-5-inch-Sharp_62399659373.html)`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* [Geekworm Armor Case](https://geekworm.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b-armor-aluminum-alloy-case-protective-shell)`
			`* If you would like an always on fan, select the model with the integrated fan option`
			`* [Pimoroni Fan SHIM](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/fan-shim)`
Add note about fanshim causing problems with uart during early boot that can prevent the system from starting ; tweak docs WRT armor case and fan shim, recommend fan shim over armor case as it's a more flexible solution 2020-08-11 20:22:54 +00:00			`* This has better cooling as well as on/off support`
Updated BoM / hardware setup 2020-08-06 21:45:31 +00:00			`* You probably want this instead of the Geekworm armor case with fans`
Add note about fanshim causing problems with uart during early boot that can prevent the system from starting ; tweak docs WRT armor case and fan shim, recommend fan shim over armor case as it's a more flexible solution 2020-08-11 20:22:54 +00:00			`* This will NOT require soldering to use but assumes you have room to slip the fan all the way down on the main header`
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`
Add basic notes about hardware / bom 2020-08-01 00:48:18 +00:00			`* Mini HDMI to HDMI adapter`
			`* HDMI cable`
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 basic notes about hardware / bom 2020-08-01 00:48:18 +00:00			`* Power supply (at least 3A to avoid voltage issues)`