wraggster
April 2nd, 2013, 15:38
http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/kindle-weather-and-recycling-display.jpg?w=580&h=435
We’ve seen a fair number of hacks like this one that reuse a Kindle basically just for its ePaper display. [HaHaBird] has this device hanging on his refrigerator to display the weather and remind him about recycling day (http://imgur.com/a/17Y89). It kind of make us wonder why we’re not seeing cheap ePaper modules on the hobby market?
The concept isn’t new, but [HaHaBird] does move it along just a little bit. He started by following the guide which [Matt] wrote after pulling off the original Kindle weather display hack (http://hackaday.com/2012/09/17/turning-a-kindle-into-a-weather-display/). It uses a separate computer running a script that polls the Internet for weather data and generates a vector graphic like the one seen above. The Kindle then loads the image once every five minutes thanks to a cron job on the rooted device. But why stop there? [HaHaBird] tweaked the script to include a reminder about his municipality’s irregular recycling schedule.
Don’t overlook the quality of the hardware side of this hack. With its prominent place in the kitchen he wanted a nicely finished look. This was achieved by building a frame out of cherry and routing passages on the back to make room for the extension cable (so it could hang in landscape orientation) and a toggle to hold the Kindle firmly in place. Additional information on the build is available here (http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1b94nf/kindle_weather_recycling_station/c94qfwu).
http://hackaday.com/2013/04/01/kindle-weather-and-recycling-display/
We’ve seen a fair number of hacks like this one that reuse a Kindle basically just for its ePaper display. [HaHaBird] has this device hanging on his refrigerator to display the weather and remind him about recycling day (http://imgur.com/a/17Y89). It kind of make us wonder why we’re not seeing cheap ePaper modules on the hobby market?
The concept isn’t new, but [HaHaBird] does move it along just a little bit. He started by following the guide which [Matt] wrote after pulling off the original Kindle weather display hack (http://hackaday.com/2012/09/17/turning-a-kindle-into-a-weather-display/). It uses a separate computer running a script that polls the Internet for weather data and generates a vector graphic like the one seen above. The Kindle then loads the image once every five minutes thanks to a cron job on the rooted device. But why stop there? [HaHaBird] tweaked the script to include a reminder about his municipality’s irregular recycling schedule.
Don’t overlook the quality of the hardware side of this hack. With its prominent place in the kitchen he wanted a nicely finished look. This was achieved by building a frame out of cherry and routing passages on the back to make room for the extension cable (so it could hang in landscape orientation) and a toggle to hold the Kindle firmly in place. Additional information on the build is available here (http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1b94nf/kindle_weather_recycling_station/c94qfwu).
http://hackaday.com/2013/04/01/kindle-weather-and-recycling-display/