Raspberry Pi Timechain Calendar Kiosk

A plug-and-play Bitcoin Timechain Calendar display using a Raspberry Pi 4 and 3.5" touchscreen. Perfect for displaying the Timechain Calendar as a dedicated kiosk device.

Features

• ✅ Full-screen Timechain Calendar display
• ✅ Touch-enabled 3.5" LCD interface
• ✅ Auto-start on boot (no keyboard/mouse needed after setup)
• ✅ Clean kiosk mode (no browser UI elements)
• ✅ Low power consumption
• ✅ Compact form factor

Hardware Requirements

Required Components

• Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB RAM minimum, 4GB recommended)
• 3.5" TFT LCD Touchscreen with XPT2046 touch controller and ILI9486 driver
  • Compatible models: Waveshare 3.5" RPi LCD, similar SPI displays
• MicroSD Card (16GB minimum, Class 10 recommended)
• Power Supply (Official Raspberry Pi 5V/3A USB-C power supply)

Optional Components

• Case for Raspberry Pi + display
• USB keyboard/mouse (for initial setup only)

Software Requirements

• Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (32-bit) - Legacy or standard version
• Internet connection for initial setup

Installation

Step 1: Flash the Operating System

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager

2. Insert your microSD card

3. In Raspberry Pi Imager:

   • Choose Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit) (Bookworm)
   • Select your microSD card
   • Click the gear icon for advanced options:
     • Enable SSH
     • Set username: pi (or your preference)
     • Set password
     • Configure WiFi (optional)
   • Click Write

4. Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on

Step 2: Initial System Setup

SSH into your Raspberry Pi or connect a keyboard/monitor:

ssh [email protected]

Update the system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Configure the Display

Edit the boot configuration:

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

Add these lines to the [all] section at the bottom:

[all]
dtparam=spi=on
dtoverlay=piscreen,drm,speed=18000000

Save and exit (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter).

Step 4: Configure Auto-Login

Run the Raspberry Pi configuration tool:

sudo raspi-config

Navigate to:

1. System Options (S5)
2. Boot / Auto Login (S5)
3. Select Desktop Autologin (B4)
4. Finish and reboot when prompted

Step 5: Configure the Touchscreen

Create the touchscreen input configuration:

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-touchscreen.conf

Add this content:

Section "InputClass"
    Identifier "ADS7846 Touchscreen"
    MatchProduct "ADS7846"
    MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event0"
    Driver "evdev"
EndSection

Save and exit.

Step 6: Install Required Software

Install Chromium and screen blanking prevention:

sudo apt install chromium-browser unclutter -y

Step 7: Configure Chromium Kiosk Mode

Create the autostart directory:

mkdir -p ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/

Create the autostart file:

nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

Add this content:

@lxpanel --profile LXDE
@pcmanfm --desktop --profile LXDE
@xscreensaver -no-splash
@xset s off
@xset -dpms
@xset s noblank
@unclutter -idle 0
@chromium-browser --kiosk --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --no-first-run --disable-pinch --overscroll-history-navigation=0 --app=https://timechaincalendar.com

Save and exit.

Step 8: Reboot

sudo reboot

After rebooting, your Raspberry Pi should automatically display the Timechain Calendar in full-screen kiosk mode!

Customization

Changing the Display URL

To display a different website, edit the autostart file:

nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

Change the URL in the last line:

@chromium-browser --kiosk ... --app=https://your-website-here.com

Adjusting Display Rotation

If your display is rotated incorrectly, edit /boot/firmware/config.txt:

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

Modify the piscreen line to include rotation:

dtoverlay=piscreen,drm,speed=18000000,rotate=90

Options:

• rotate=0 - No rotation (default)
• rotate=90 - 90 degrees clockwise
• rotate=180 - 180 degrees
• rotate=270 - 270 degrees clockwise

Touchscreen Calibration

If touch coordinates are inaccurate, you may need to calibrate. The calibration file should exist at:

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-calibration.conf

Install the calibration tool:

sudo apt install xinput-calibrator -y

Run calibration from the desktop:

DISPLAY=:0 xinput_calibrator

Follow the on-screen prompts to tap calibration points.

Troubleshooting

Display Not Working

Issue: Display shows console but no desktop appears

Solutions:

1. Verify /boot/firmware/config.txt has the correct piscreen overlay
2. Check that you're using Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (not Trixie/Debian 13)
3. Ensure you selected "Desktop Autologin" in raspi-config
4. Check that lightdm is running: systemctl status lightdm

Issue: "Failed to start session" error on display

Solution: Edit /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf:

sudo nano /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

In the [Seat:*] section, ensure:

user-session=LXDE

NOT LXDE-pi-labwc or LXDE-pi-x.

Touchscreen Not Responding

Issue: Touch input doesn't work

Solutions:

1. Verify the touchscreen config exists: cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-touchscreen.conf
2. Check if touch events are detected: sudo evtest /dev/input/event0 (tap the screen)
3. Install evdev driver if missing: sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-evdev -y
4. Reboot after making changes

Issue: Touch coordinates are inverted or wrong

Solution: The calibration values in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-calibration.conf may need adjustment. Use xinput_calibrator to recalibrate.

Chromium Not Auto-Starting

Issue: Desktop loads but Chromium doesn't launch

Solutions:

1. Verify autostart file exists: cat ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/autostart
2. Check the file path is correct (capital LXDE)
3. Ensure chromium-browser is installed: which chromium-browser
4. Check for errors: Look in ~/.xsession-errors

Display Shows Wrong OS Version Warning

Issue: LCD-show scripts don't work with newer OS versions

Solution: This project uses the native piscreen kernel driver, NOT the older LCD-show scripts. The LCD-show repository is outdated and incompatible with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm. Stick with the instructions in this README.

System Date/Time Wrong

Issue: Repositories show "invalid for another X days" errors

Solution:

sudo date -s "2025-11-19 12:00:00"
sudo systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd
sudo systemctl start systemd-timesyncd

Bluetooth Keyboard Won't Pair

Issue: Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID won't pair

Solution: Magic Keyboards with Touch ID use proprietary Bluetooth protocols that don't work reliably with Linux. Use a standard Bluetooth keyboard without Touch ID, or a USB keyboard.

File Structure

raspberry-pi-timechain-kiosk/
├── README.md                          # This file
├── configs/
│   ├── config.txt.snippet            # Boot configuration snippet
│   ├── 10-touchscreen.conf           # X11 touchscreen configuration
│   └── autostart                     # LXDE autostart configuration
├── scripts/
│   └── install.sh                    # Automated installation script
└── docs/
    └── images/
        └── kiosk-preview.jpg         # Project preview image

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Known Limitations

• Touch calibration may vary between different 3.5" display manufacturers
• Some Apple Bluetooth keyboards (with Touch ID) are not compatible
• Display brightness cannot be adjusted via software on most SPI displays
• Display refresh rate is limited by SPI bus speed

Credits

• Timechain Calendar - The displayed Bitcoin block time calendar
• Raspberry Pi Foundation - For the Raspberry Pi platform
• Linux kernel developers - For the piscreen/fbtft display drivers

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section above
2. Open an issue on this GitHub repository
3. Consult the Raspberry Pi Forums

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Enjoy your Bitcoin Timechain Calendar Kiosk! 🚀₿