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DataOrb on Raspberry Pi 5 with HDMI Round LCD

Hardware Setup

Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB or 8GB recommended)
  • HDMI Round LCD Display
  • MicroSD Card (32GB+ recommended)
  • Power Supply (27W USB-C PD recommended for Pi 5)
  • HDMI cable (or micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter)
  • Optional: 3D Printed Case - Download STL files from Cults3D

Advantages Over Pi Zero W + HyperPixel

  • ✅ No GPIO conflicts - WiFi and display work together
  • ✅ Much faster performance (10x+ faster)
  • ✅ More RAM (8-16x more)
  • ✅ HDMI is plug-and-play
  • ✅ Latest OS support
  • ✅ All connectivity works (WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet)

Software Setup

1. OS Installation

# Use Raspberry Pi Imager
# Select: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) - Bookworm
# Enable SSH and WiFi in imager settings

2. Display Configuration

Edit /boot/firmware/config.txt:

# HDMI Configuration for Round LCD
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=87

# For 480x480 round display (adjust based on your display specs)
hdmi_cvt=480 480 60 1 0 0 0
hdmi_drive=2

# Disable overscan for full screen usage
disable_overscan=1

# GPU memory (Pi 5 can handle more)
gpu_mem=128

3. Simplified Installation

Since Pi 5 is much more powerful, installation is simpler:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/internetblacksmith/dataorb.git
cd dataorb

# Install dependencies directly (no memory issues!)
cd frontend
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

# Setup Python environment
cd backend
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cd ..

# Run the application
python3 run.py

4. Kiosk Mode Setup

Create /home/pi/.config/autostart/dataorb.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=DataOrb Kiosk
Exec=chromium-browser --kiosk --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --no-first-run --enable-features=OverlayScrollbar --start-maximized http://localhost:5000
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true

5. Performance Optimizations

Not needed! Pi 5 has plenty of power. You can even:

  • Run development mode
  • Use full Chromium (not Surf)
  • Enable animations
  • Run multiple services

Key Differences from Pi Zero W Setup

What to Remove/Change:

  1. No HyperPixel setup needed - Remove all hyperpixel2r overlays
  2. No memory limits - Remove NODE_OPTIONS memory restrictions
  3. No Surf browser - Use full Chromium
  4. No swap file needed - Plenty of RAM
  5. Simpler WiFi - Works out of the box

What Stays the Same:

  1. DataOrb application code
  2. Flask backend
  3. React frontend
  4. API configuration

Quick Start Script for Pi 5

#!/bin/bash
# Quick setup for Pi 5

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y git nodejs npm python3-pip python3-venv chromium-browser

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/internetblacksmith/dataorb.git
cd dataorb

# Build frontend (no memory limits needed!)
cd frontend && npm install && npm run build && cd ..

# Setup backend
cd backend
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cd ..

# Configure display for HDMI
echo "Configure your HDMI display in /boot/firmware/config.txt"
echo "Then run: python3 run.py"

WiFi AP Mode

Still works but rarely needed since:

  • Ethernet always available
  • WiFi more reliable
  • Can configure via keyboard/mouse if needed

Expected Performance

  • Boot time: ~15-20 seconds (vs 60+ on Pi Zero W)
  • App startup: ~5 seconds (vs 30+ seconds)
  • Page refresh: Instant (vs 2-3 seconds)
  • CPU usage: ~5-10% idle (vs 80-90%)
  • RAM usage: ~500MB of 4-8GB (vs 400MB of 512MB)

Troubleshooting

HDMI Display Not Working?

# Check HDMI status
tvservice -s

# List supported modes
tvservice -m CEA
tvservice -m DMT

# Force HDMI hotplug
# Add to /boot/firmware/config.txt:
hdmi_force_hotplug=1

Display Resolution Wrong?

# Use xrandr to check and set resolution
xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 480x480

Summary

Pi 5 + HDMI Round LCD = Best combination for DataOrb:

  • 🚀 10x better performance
  • 🎯 Simpler setup
  • 🌐 All connectivity works
  • 📺 Better display compatibility
  • 💪 No hardware conflicts