Today, I wanna share something really cool I messed with – Monaco TV. It’s not as fancy as it sounds, but it was a fun little project.
Getting Started
So, the first thing I did was, you know, just think about what I wanted. I had this old monitor lying around, gathering dust. And I thought, “Hey, could I turn this into something neat?” That’s where the idea of Monaco TV came from. I just wanted a simple display, nothing too crazy.
Gathering the Stuff
I needed a few things. Obviously, the monitor was the main thing. Then, I grabbed a Raspberry Pi – I had a Pi 3 lying around, which was perfect. You’ll also need:
- An SD card for the Pi’s operating system.
- A power supply for the Pi.
- An HDMI cable to connect the Pi to the monitor.
- Some basic stuff like a keyboard and mouse, just for the initial setup.
I made sure I had all that stuff within reach before I really got started.
Setting Up the Pi
Next up was getting the Raspberry Pi ready. I flashed the latest Raspberry Pi OS onto the SD card. I just used the Raspberry Pi Imager tool – it’s super easy to use. Popped the SD card into the Pi, connected the HDMI cable, power, keyboard, and mouse, and booted it up.
Once the Pi was running, I went through the basic setup – connecting to Wi-Fi, setting the time zone, that sort of thing. Nothing complicated.
The “Software” Part
Now, here’s where it gets interesting, and it’s also where it’s pretty simple. I didn’t need any fancy coding or anything. I just wanted the monitor to display, well, anything. I thought, why not web page that updates automatically? I used the default browser.
I set the browser to open full-screen on startup. In the terminal.
I made sure to disable the screensaver and any power-saving features so the monitor would stay on.
Putting It All Together
With the software side sorted, I just needed to put everything in place. I positioned the monitor where I wanted it, plugged everything in, and powered it on. Boom! My “Monaco TV” was up and running.
Final Thoughts
It’s not the most high-tech project, but it was a blast to do. It’s amazing what you can create with some basic stuff and a little bit of tinkering. It’s satisfying to take something old and give it a new purpose. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter!
If you’ve got an old monitor and a Raspberry Pi, give it a shot! You might surprise yourself with what you can come up with.
