FLWD-Pi

My inspiration:

• http://pbxbook.com/clocks/B7971_flw.html (has video of startup message)
• http://www.oocities.org/tokyo/8908/fourletterword/index.html
• http://pbxbook.com/clocks/pdf/FLW-UM-2.5.pdf

Video showing original segment-based hangman mode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UGYAl4RTpc

The display board I used:

Adafruit Quad Alphanumeric Display - Red 0.54" Digits w/ I2C Backpack

• https://www.adafruit.com/products/1911 ($10)

• http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2X4JEW/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_c4ZIwb0SV9F0G (Ah, Amazon Prime)

• https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-4-gpio-setup/overview

• https://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=83885&p=423018&hilit=backpack+alphanumeric+54#p423018

• https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-led-backpack/0-54-alphanumeric

• https://learn.adafruit.com/led-backpack-displays-on-raspberry-pi-and-beaglebone-black/usage

• https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-led-backpack/changing-i2c-address

• https://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/CID2379.pdf

Breakout Board Options

http://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Extension-Breakout-Header-T-Cobbler/dp/B00NY2EBBK http://www.amazon.com/T-Cobbler-Breakout-Raspberry-GPIO-Cable/dp/B00JE1T1WY/

Trello board for backlog:

https://trello.com/b/GAjtxf5i/flwd-pi

My modifications from the original:

• hardware pushbutton to change mode on the fly (was dip switches)
• portability - original is fragile and high-voltage
• command-line flag to skip startup message

Pi-related things I've had to learn for this project:

• Driving an LED
• Reading hardware switches
• displaying words on the adafruit
• Trapping ctrl-c to shut down GPIO politely as program ends.
• Python
• Breaking python into multiple files (via import)
• Dictionary mapping for functions - use this strategy to replace multiple if()s and the absence of a switch command.
• Make a python program launch on Pi power-up (via crontab)
• Python program command-line args
• ssh'ing into the Pi via wifi
• Transferring files between Mac and Pi (via rsync)
• Shell out to turn off system LED(s) then shell out to turn back on just before exiting

Other skills needed for someone to reproduce what I did:

• basic breadboarding
• unix commands
• git

What Things Might YOU Do with It?

• Stream song lyrics
• Show spelling words
• make a list of synonym pairs

Things I might need to make a zero work:

• Raspberry Pi Zero ($5)
• NOOBS micro SD - http://www.adafruit.com/product/2767 ($12)
• Mini HDMI to HDMI adapter https://www.adafruit.com/products/2819 ($3)
• USB On the Go (OTG) cable https://www.adafruit.com/products/1099 ($3)
• 40 pin header to solder on https://www.adafruit.com/products/2822 ($1) or just individual jumper wires

Zero might not end up being cheap ( b/c of all the parts needed to add from the basic Pi), and more work to set up so not as good for students.