Auto-Syncing E-Ink Calendar with Raspberry Pi Zero Battery Power

Originally published on pythonawesome.com

Well, it’s like this: there’s a Raspberry Pi Zero WH with a battery twist (thanks to PiSugar2) that joins forces with Google Calendar and a Waveshare 12.48″ tri-color E-Ink display. Together, they create a cool calendar display that you can hang anywhere. Just a heads-up, this code is tailored for the specific hardware mentioned. If you’re venturing into other E-Ink displays or fancy add-ons, a bit of customization will be your sidekick. So, let’s dive in and kickstart your magic calendar adventure!

Getting the Backstory: Way back in 2019, Nwachukwu Chibuike had this brainwave. They wanted to turn the Android Magic Calendar buzz into reality – but with a twist. They envisioned a battery-powered wonder, a Raspberry Pi Zero WH with the superpowers of PiSugar2, and an E-Ink display that could showcase Google Calendar events. Fast forward to now, and here’s the full package – instructions, codes, and the whole shebang – ready to share with you.

Meet the Players: Let’s introduce the cast of characters:

• Raspberry Pi Zero WH: The star of the show, with those handy header pins.
• Waveshare 12.48″ Tri-color E-Ink Display( PiShop can offer 800×480, 7.5inch E-Ink display HAT for Raspberry Pi): The visual storyteller, though it might be playing hard to get if it’s out of stock.
• PiSugar2 for Raspberry Pi Zero (Tindie): The unsung hero that brings battery and RTC powers to the party.

The Behind-the-Scenes Action: The enchantment happens through the PiSugar2’s web interface. This interface sets up a daily ritual – waking up the Raspberry Pi at 6 AM using its RTC. Once awake, a Python script gets the spotlight, thanks to a cron job. This script swoops in, snags Google Calendar events for the weeks ahead, arranges them all pretty, and paints the picture on the E-Ink display. After its performance, the Raspberry Pi takes a bow and powers down to save energy. And there you have it – the E-Ink display holds onto that calendar snapshot.

The Calendar Vibe: Here’s a glimpse of what this calendar brings:

• Battery life hangs around for a cool 3-4 weeks before needing a juice-up.
• The E-Ink display takes up red to mark the current date and newly added or updated events. Nice touch!
• No long bars hogging space for multi-day events. Just the start and end dates, with cute little left/right arrows.
• The display’s real estate means it showcases 3 events per day, with a tease of more events hidden behind an indicator.
• The calendar starts with the current week, showing the next four (a total of 35 days). If a date falls into a new month, it gracefully switches to grey.

Getting Set Up: Getting things going involves setting up the Raspberry Pi Zero, setting the environment, getting the right libraries for the E-Ink display, and making sure Google Calendar opens its doors for you.

A Shoutout to the Heroes: Nwachukwu Chibuike would like to tip their hat to some fonts and styles that played a role in this project. There’s Quattrocento Font and Bootstrap Calendar CSS, plus a nod to the Reddit community and the InkyCal repository for being stellar contributors.

What’s Next? While Nwachukwu Chibuike might not be the DJ spinning updates for this code, they’re handing you the torch. Feel free to fork, tinker, and make it your own. And hey, while you’re at it, check out other projects swimming in similar waters. There’s plenty to explore, like those swanky E-Ink tablets that can double as your digital notepad. Exciting things are ahead!

P.S. If any steps seem a bit blurry or missing, just give Nwachukwu Chibuike a shout. They’re all ears to fill in the gaps.

So, dive into this coding adventure and let the magic of your very own E-Ink Magic Calendar begin or if you need a more retro theme to your office then why not follow and make a calender with a retro mac aesthetic!

Read more here: E-Ink Magic Calendar that automatically syncs to Google Calendar and runs off a battery powered Raspberry Pi Zero

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