Edit Journal Entry

Title

Slug URL-friendly name (e.g., "my-entry-title")

Tags

Main Content <p class="whitespace-normal break-words">un Volumio headless with status displayed on an e-paper display! This is actually a popular setup for audiophile systems where you want minimal visual distraction but still need to see what's playing.</p> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Here's how you can approach this:</p> <h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5">Basic Setup</h2> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Volumio runs perfectly headless - you just need to disable any connected HDMI display and access it through the web interface from another device for initial configuration.</p> <h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5">E-Paper Display Integration</h2> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words">You have several options for the e-paper display:</p> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Hardware Options:</strong></p> <ul class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Waveshare e-paper displays (2.13", 2.9", 4.2", 7.5" etc.) - very popular choice</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Inky series from Pimoroni</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Good Display e-paper modules</li> </ul> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Software Integration:</strong></p> <ol class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-decimal space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Python scripts</strong> - Most common approach using libraries like: <ul class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><code class="bg-text-200/5 border border-0.5 border-border-300 text-danger-000 whitespace-pre-wrap rounded-[0.4rem] px-1 py-px text-[0.9rem]">waveshare-epd</code> for Waveshare displays</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><code class="bg-text-200/5 border border-0.5 border-border-300 text-danger-000 whitespace-pre-wrap rounded-[0.4rem] px-1 py-px text-[0.9rem]">inky</code> for Pimoroni displays</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Volumio REST API to fetch current track info</li> </ul> </li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Existing solutions:</strong> <ul class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>PaperUI</strong> - Specifically designed for this use case</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Volumio Display plugins</strong> - Some community plugins available</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Custom scripts</strong> using Volumio's API</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5">What You Can Display</h2> <ul class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Current track title, artist, album</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Album artwork (converted to monochrome)</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Playback status (playing/paused/stopped)</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Volume level</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Source information</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Time/date</li> </ul> <h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5">Implementation Steps</h2> <ol class="[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-decimal space-y-1.5 pl-7"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Set up Volumio headless</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Connect e-paper display via SPI</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Install display drivers and Python libraries</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Create or install a script that polls Volumio's REST API</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Format and display the information on the e-paper screen</li> </ol> <p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The e-paper display is perfect for this since it's easy to read, consumes minimal power, and the slow refresh rate isn't an issue for music status that doesn't change frequently.</p>

Image View Image

Recreate Card

Back to List