#twatch

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#twatch with LCD back in stock

July 17, 2010 in #twatch by Ian | 2 comments

The #twatch is a Twitter scrolling, networked LCD screen. Not into Twitter? That’s ok, that #twatch has a backdoor server that works with a bunch of user submitted scripts and plugins.

After a long hiatus, the #twatch with an LCD attached is back in stock at Seeed Studio.

There are still a couple #twatch ethernet LCD backpacks PCB only available too, this is a good option if you have your own LCD.

An assembled #twatch with LCD is $45, and the #twatch PCB only (no LCD) is $30, prices include worldwide shipping.

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#twatch: Winamp plugin update

May 4, 2010 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

Yves released an updated Winamp plugin that controls the #twatch ethernet LCD screen:

Changes include : custom char to display current playing status, new look for the progress bar, improved error condition handling (still not bullet proof but getting there), and my part for the environment, the backlight is now turned off when the playing status is stopped.

We covered the previous version here. There’s a lot of other scripts in the #twatch SVN folder too.

There are still a few #twatch ethernet LCD backpacks (PCB only) available for $30, including worldwide shipping. You’ll need to add your own 4*20 LCD screen, like this one from Seeed Studio.

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#twatch Winamp plugin

April 9, 2010 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

yvesp123 has been hard at work on a WinAmp plugin that supports the #twatch ethernet LCD:

For me, the main reason for getting a #twatch in the first place was to display the currently playing song info from WinAmp. Since I received it, I’ve been working on a native plug-in for WinAmp. So here it is, the first release. Still fairly in beta state, but I think it might use some testing from others.

In it’s current state, it displays the artist name in the first row, the song title in the second, the album name and year in the third and finally, the playing status, progress bar and time (played or left) in the fourth. It also display the shuffle state using a custom char.

You can get this script, and a lot of others, in the #twatch SVN folder.

The #twatch as a PCB only (add your own LCD) is shipping now for $30, including worldwide shipping.

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#twatch Python script for weather, time

March 30, 2010 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

trobbinsmilne posted a Python #twatch script that shows the weather and time:

Here are a couple of photos of my twatch. It’s showing the time for 15 seconds, then 5 seconds of either today’s date + weather, or 5 seconds of the weather forecast for the next few days.

You can get this script, and a lot of others, in the #twatch SVN folder.

The #twatch as a PCB only (add your own LCD) is shipping now for $30, including worldwide shipping.

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Winamp Status on Twatch

February 12, 2010 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

Andrew wrote a Python script to display Winamp playlist info on an ethernet-connected #twatch LCD:

It’s pretty basic at the moment, but I thought people might like to see. I’ve got some speakers in my lounge room driven by my computer (long wires), this lets me know what’s playing.

It shows artist on row 1, title on row 2, and a test string on row 3. Long stuff scrolls at a rate proportional to its length. The winamp code has hooks to add a play/pause indication, times, and a bunch more.

There’s also a copy in the #twatch script folder of the SVN repository.

You can buy an assembled #twatch with LCD for $45, including worldwide shipping. Seeed isn’t currently shipping due to the Chinese spring holiday, but your order will ship ASAP after they return on February 22.

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Xymon server and network stats on the #twatch

December 29, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

Xymon, previously “Hobbit”,  monitors server and network up-time, provides real-time monitoring, availability reports, downtime alerts, etc.

noxin submitted a Perl script that displays Xymon data and alerts on the #twatch networked LCD screen. You can browse all the #twatch scripts in the project SVN.

The #twatch is currently in stock at Seeed Studio: $30 for the bare board, and $45 with an LCD attached, prices include worldwide shipping.

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#twatch PHP library

December 5, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

Joost De Cock created a PHP control library for the #twatch. This video gives an overview of the features.

Thanks Joost!

Edit: Philippe Alexandre has an updated #twatch Perl control library as well.

The #twatch Twitter scrolling, ethernet LCD backpack is currently in stock at Seeed Studio for $30, or $45 with an LCD attached. Prices include worldwide shipping. An acrylic frame is $2.50.

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#twatch frame

December 3, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

Twitter user Tinyblob tweeted a photo of the #twatch in an acrylic frame.

The #twatch Twitter scrolling, ethernet LCD backpack is currently in stock at Seeed Studio for $30, or $45 with an LCD attached, including worldwide shipping. The acrylic frame is $2.50.

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#twatch: PCBs available at Seeed

November 30, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | 8 comments

Seeed Studio has v2 Twitter Watcher #twatch PCBs for $6, be sure to get the right ethernet jack ($1.90). These are the extra boards from our Fusion PCB service order (formerly propaganda PCB service).

Assembled versions of our Twitter ticking, ethernet LCD backpack are also available for immediate shipment. A #twatch with LCD is $45, an assembled #twatch PCB is $30, prices include worldwide shipping.

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#twatch Perl library

November 26, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

philalex wrote a Perl library to control the #twatch. You can leave suggestions and comments in the forum.

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Perl script feeds to #twatch

November 18, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

lme shared a Perl script that feeds text files to the #twatch through the Matrix Orbital-compatible TCP/IP server.

The project SVN has several example scripts for the #twatch, if you’ve got something interesting we’d like to host a copy.

Thanks for the tip! Via the forum.

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Personal Twitter timeline on the #twatch

November 14, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

python-twatch

twonk submitted an awesome Python script that pushes your personal Twitter timeline to the #twatch.

We’ve added a new folder with a few user-contributed scripts for the #twatch in Python, Perl, etc. If you come up with a script for the #twatch, please share it in the #twatch forum.

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#twatch firmware with backlight enabled

November 13, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | 1 comment

twatch-unbox2

The white-on-blue screen that shipped with the #twatch really requires the backlight to be visible. Here’s an updated firmware that has the backlight on at power-up. The new firmware is loaded over the network using tools already available in most operating systems, Windows instructions here.

We apologize for the lack of refinement. We prototyped with a cheap grey-on-green screen that didn’t normally require the backlight. The firmware posted to the Google Code project page went into the Seeed #twatches unmodified to ensure that yours matched the original. Everyone would probably have preferred that the #twatch ship with the backlight enabled by default.

In the next update we’ll tweak the refresh rate and scrolling speed. Do you have any other specific requests for the standard #twatch firmware?

Image by andrewholmes.

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#twatch scripts folder

November 12, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

python-twatch

We’ve added a folder to the SVN with a few user-contributed scripts for the #twatch in Python, Perl, etc. If you come up with a script for the #twatch, please share it in the #twatch forum.

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Creative #twatch holder

November 11, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

twatch-unbox3

Another #twatch picture from Twitter user andrewholmes.

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Ping the #twatch

November 10, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

ping

The #twatch has a simple ICMP (ping) server that shows if the #twatch is alive and kicking on your network, and how long it takes to respond.

First, get the #twatch IP address from the LCD screen or the announcement packet.

Next, start a ping client and ping the #twatch IP address. Windows has a built-in ping client that’s available from the command prompt (Start->run. Type ‘cmd’, press enter. Type ‘ping’, followed by the IP address).

The ping results show basic statistics like how many pings were successful, and how long the #twatch took to reply.

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Another #twatch unboxing

November 9, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

twatch-unbox2

Twitter user andrewholmes posted a #twatch unboxing pic.

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#twatch forum

November 7, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

twatch-forum

If you have questions or comments about the #twatch, the forum is a great place to post them. We get notified of new questions right away, and it’s easy to aggregate the posts into a helpful FAQ later.

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#twatch network firmware upgrades

November 7, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | No comments

bootload

See the latest version on the documentation wiki.

The #twatch can be updated from a PC on the local network thanks to Microchip’s network bootloader. Bug fix updates, new features, and alternate functions can be programmed into the #twatch using the bootloader. The 18F ethernet PICs can only be programmed an average of 100 times, so upgrades are somewhat limited.

This guide is taken from the main #twatch article. Read about the update procedure after the break.

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Compile the #twatch firmware

November 7, 2009 in #twatch by Ian | 2 comments

mplab

See the latest version on the documentation wiki.

You don’t need a Microchip programmer to develop firmware for the #twatch. You can use Microchip’s free development tools and upload code through the network bootloader. It’s a mini PIC 18F67J60 development board, but remember that the chip is only rated for 100 program cycles.

Compile instructions follow the break.

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