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
  * This section is currently being overhauled. We found a supplier on Alibaba (see wisecoco below) that has panels in 2k and 4k resolution ranging in size from 6 inches to 15.6 inches. We will be contacting them for samples and LCDs for testing and verification. Others have used this supplier with great success and we plan on working with them for PiFrame panel sourcing as appropriate. We will update this section of the docs after we've had a chance to get feedback from the supplier.
* 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/)
* Cooling is being *tested* presently. Our original fan choice turned out to be more problematic than it's worth.
* 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`
Update hardware docs and main readme 2020-08-20 21:58:07 +00:00			`* This section is currently being overhauled. We found a supplier on Alibaba (see wisecoco below) that has panels in 2k and 4k resolution ranging in size from 6 inches to 15.6 inches. We will be contacting them for samples and LCDs for testing and verification. Others have used this supplier with great success and we plan on working with them for PiFrame panel sourcing as appropriate. We will update this section of the docs after we've had a chance to get feedback from the supplier.`
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/)`
Remove pimoroni fan shim, see ticket 39 for why 2020-08-23 06:12:30 +00:00			`* Cooling is being tested presently. Our original fan choice turned out to be more problematic than it's worth.`
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`