turing-smart-screen-python

How to get this project to work:

This is basicaly functionality that I wrote on top of the turing_smart_screen-python project, which had a couple enhancements made.

To get this to work:

1. Be a WinAmp & Python user 😉

2. Buy one of the usb screens below ($13 on AliExpress as of 2024/08/15)

3. Change WinAmp's title formatting so that we can parse artist & band properly:

   • Go into WinAmp->Preferences, to the Titles section (the 5th line on the left).
   • Look for the Advanced Title Formatting section on the right
   • Make sure Use Advanced title formatting when possible is checked
   • Change the hypen (-) after %artist% into an en-dash (–). VERY IMPORTANT.
   • CAUTION: It's entirely possible this situation will break if you deviate too much from the WinAmp title format that I use. The most important thing is that there is an en-dash separating the band from the song title. Lord help you if the song title itself has an en-dash in it — But fortunately most song titles that have dashes either use hyphens (in modern times) or em-dashes (in the days of wax cylinder records). Anyway, just in case it matters, this is the advanced title display format I use:
     [%artist% – ]$if2(%title%,$filepart(%filename%))') (This is done because there are many song names and band names that have hyphens in them, and it can be confusing where to split something like "One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six". Is it a band named "One - Two - Three - Four" who has a song named "Five - Six", or is it a band named "One - Two" who has a song named "Three - For - Five - Six"? The ambiguity disappears if you use a wider en-dash (–) to separate the artist from the track title. And frankly it looks better.)

4. Configure WinAmp to save the song info & album art of the current song playing song to a file. This allows us to grab that information with fewer resources than sending it through API calls. And allows one to get the same feed on a different computer.

   • Unzip Aldviva's NowPlayingToFile plugin into your WinAmp base folder, right next to WinAmp.exe.
   • Restart WinAmp
   • Go into WinAmp->Preferences, to the Plug-ins section (closer to the bottom)
   • Expand the Plug-ins section to locate the General Purpose settings (5 lines underneath)
   • In the right pane, your plugins should be listed, and you should see Now Playing To File v2.2.0 as one of the plugins.
   • Click Configure selected plug-in to open up the Now Playing To File plug-in configuration pop-up.
   • If you change the format of the plugin's info file, please only add new stuff to the end 🙏🏻
   • Take note of the Save album art as location — whether you changed it or not.
   • Go to the next song in WinAmp and verify that the new album art correctly saved to that location

5. Let this program know where those files are.

   • set an environment variable called NOW_PLAYING_SONG_INFO to point to the location of the txt file
   • set an environment variable called NOW_PLAYING_ALBUM_ART to point to the location of the jpg file

   rem EXAMPLE:
   set NOW_PLAYING_ALBUM_ART=c:\mp3\lists\winamp_now_playing.jpg
   set NOW_PLAYING_SONG_INFO=c:\mp3\lists\winamp_now_playing.txt

1. Configure options in the ```winamp_dashboard.py`` script. At this point, relevant instructions in the configuration section at the top of that file, and more likely to be up-to-date and accurate there. Set things like:
   • Do you want to blur the background cover art to make information easier to read? How much?
   • Do you want to colorshift the background cover art to make information easier to read? Which colors and how much? Green font? Shift green down 40 by setting colorshift to (0,0,-40)!
   • Is your frame upside-down or not? (because the cable comes out in the wrong direction for your situation)
   • Do you want the clock in the corner? Do you want it to display the seconds as well?
   • What color(s) do you want the progress bar to be?
   • Do you even want a progress bar? [if you don't: might want to expand–and–move-up cover art by 40px]
   • What font do you want the information to be?
   • Do you want it to tell you what you're watching in VLCplayer too?
   • How long do you want to wait after drawing each element?

You're done! But there are some potential bonus features:

1. For VLC functionality (experimental):
   • make sure vlc.exe is always called with the --extraintf http --http-password password options to open access to VLCplayer
   • install the python-vlc library with pip install python-vlc
   • if you see a bunch of stale plugins cache errors, you can fix with "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc-cache-gen.exe" "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\plugins" (found the answer here])
   • Enable the HTTP Interface in VLC:
     • Open VLC and go to Tools > Preferences.
     • At the bottom, select All under Show settings.
     • Search for lua in the search box. (Alternate instructions are to navigate to Interface > Main interfaces and check the HTTP checkbox, but I think searching is easier.)
     • Under Interface > Main interfaces > Lua, you can set a password for the HTTP interface. Use winampdashboard as a password if you don't want to change what I've hardcoded already
     • Set the port to 8080. My default was something else, but the python-vlc library instructions mention port 8080 a
     • The HTTP interface will run on localhost:8080 by default, or whatever alternate port you just chose.

### ⚠️ DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ ⚠️

This project is **not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Turing / XuanFang / Kipye brands**, or any of theirs subsidiaries, affiliates, manufacturers or sellers of their products. All product and company names are the registered trademarks of their original owners.

This project is an open-source alternative software, NOT the original software provided for the smart screens. **Please do not open issues for USBMonitor.exe/ExtendScreen.exe or for the smart screens hardware here**.
* for Turing Smart Screen, use the official forum here: http://discuz.turzx.com/
* for other smart screens, contact your reseller
---


A Python Winamp monitor program for **small IPS USB-C (UART) displays.**    

Supported operating systems : macOS, Windows, Linux (incl. Raspberry Pi), basically all OS that support Python 3.8+  

### Supported smart screens models:

| ✅ Turing Smart Screen 3.5"                           | ✅ XuanFang 3.5"                                   | ✅ Turing Smart Screen 5"                    |
|------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| <img src="res/docs/turing.webp"/>                    | <img src="res/docs/xuanfang.webp"/>               | <img src="res/docs/turing5inch.png"/>       |
| also improperly called "revision A" by the resellers | revision B & flagship (with backplate & RGB LEDs) | basic support (no video or storage for now) |

| ✅ [UsbPCMonitor 3.5" / 5"](https://aliexpress.com/item/1005003931363455.html)                       | ✅ [Kipye Qiye Smart Display 3.5"](https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803899049957.html) |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <img src="res/docs/UsbPCMonitor_5inch.webp" width="60%" height="60%"/>                              | <img src="res/docs/kipye-qiye-35.webp" width="60%" height="60%"/>                       |
| Unknown manufacturer, visually similar to Turing 3.5" / 5". Original software is `UsbPCMonitor.exe` | Front panel has an engraved inscription "奇叶智显" Qiye Zhixian (Qiye Smart Display)        |

### [> What is my smart screen model?](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Hardware-revisions)  

**Please note all listed smart screens are different products** designed and produced by different companies, despite having a similar appearance. Their communication protocol is also different.  
This project offers an abstraction layer to manage all of these products in a unified way, including some product-specific features like backplate RGB LEDs for available models!

If you haven't received your screen yet but want to start developing your theme now, you can use the [**"simulated LCD" mode!**](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Simulated-display)

### Not (yet) supported / not tested smart screen models:

| ❔ _Turing Smart Screen 8.8"_                                                                                                                     | ❔ _Turing Smart Screen 2.1"_                                                                                                                     | ❌ _[(Fuldho?) 3.5" IPS Screen](https://aliexpress.com/item/1005005632018367.html)_                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <img src="res/docs/turing8inch.jpg"/>                                                                                                            | <img src="res/docs/turing2inch.webp"/>                                                                                                           | <img src="res/docs/fuldho_3.5.jpg"/>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Very similar protocol than the 5". [Support planned in a future version.](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/issues/264) | Very similar protocol than the 5". [Support planned in a future version.](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/issues/264) | Managed by [proprietary Windows software `SmartMonitor.exe`](https://smartdisplay.lanzouo.com/b04jvavkb). Cannot be supported by this project: [see here](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/discussions/298). Use alternative library https://github.com/braewoods/hidss |

| ❌ _Waveshare [2.1inch](https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/2.1inch-USB-Monitor) / [2.8inch](https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/2.8inch-USB-Monitor) / [5inch](https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/5inch-USB-Monitor) / [7inch](https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/7inch-USB-Monitor) USB-Monitor_                                                                                                            | ❌ _[GUITION Smart screen](https://aliexpress.com/item/1005006169962183.html)_                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <img src="res/docs/waveshare-21inch-28inch.png"/>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          | <img src="res/docs/guition.webp"/>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Sold on [Waveshare shop](https://www.waveshare.com/2.8inch-usb-monitor.htm) or [Aliexpress](https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005006071685067.html). Managed by [proprietary Windows software "Waveshare PC Monitor"](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Vendor-apps#waveshare-pc-monitor---vendor-app). Cannot be supported by this project: needs a firmware. | Managed by [proprietary Windows software "GUITION Smart screen"](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Vendor-apps#guition---vendor-app). Cannot be supported by this project: [see here](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/issues/426). |

| ❔ _[SmartCool Lcd](https://aliexpress.com/item/1005005443609423.html) / [GeekTeches AD35](https://aliexpress.com/item/1005004858688084.html) / AIDA64 / AX206_                                   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <img src="res/docs/ax206.jpg" width="30%" height="30%" /> <img src="res/docs/geekteches_ad35.jpg" width="30%" height="30%" /> <img src="res/docs/smartcool_lcd.webp" width="30%" height="30%" /> |
| Not supported. Produced by multiple manufacturers, all use the same [Appotech AX206 hacked photo frame firmware](https://github.com/dreamlayers/dpf-ax). Supported by AIDA64 and lcd4linux       |

## How to start

### [> Follow instructions on the wiki to configure and start this project.](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki)

There are 2 possible uses of this project Python code:
* **[as a System Monitor](#system-monitor)**, a standalone program working with themes to display your computer HW info and custom data in an elegant way.
[Check if your hardware is supported.](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-hardware-support)
* **[integrated in your project](#control-the-display-from-your-python-projects)**, to fully control the display from your own Python code.

## System monitor

This project is mainly a complete standalone program to use your screen as a system monitor, like the original vendor app.  
Some themes are already included for a quick start!  
### [> Configure and start system monitor](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-how-to-start)
<img src="res/docs/config_wizard.png"/>  

* Fully functional multi-OS code base (operates out of the box, tested on Windows, Linux & MacOS).
* Display configuration using GUI configuration wizard or `config.yaml` file: no Python code to edit.
* Compatible with [3.5" & 5" smart screen models (Turing, XuanFang...)](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Hardware-revisions). Backplate RGB LEDs are also supported for available models!
* Support [multiple hardware sensors and metrics (CPU/GPU usage, temperatures, memory, disks, etc)](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-themes#stats-entry) with configurable refresh intervals.
* Allow [creation of themes (see `res/themes`) with `theme.yaml` files using theme editor](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-themes) to be [shared with the community!](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/discussions/categories/themes)
* Easy to expand: [custom Python data sources](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-themes#add-custom-stats-to-a-theme) can be written to pull specific information and display it on themes like any other sensor.
* Auto-detect COM port based on the selected smart screen model.
* Tray icon with Exit option, useful when the program is running in background.

### [> List and preview of included themes](res/themes/themes.md)
<img src="res/themes/3.5inchTheme2/preview.png" height="150" /> <img src="res/themes/Terminal/preview.png" height="150" /> <img src="res/themes/Cyberpunk-net/preview.png" height="150" /> <img src="res/themes/bash-dark-green-gpu/preview.png" height="150" /> <img src="res/themes/Landscape6Grid/preview.png" width="150" /> <img src="res/themes/LandscapeMagicBlue/preview.png" width="150" /> <img src="res/themes/LandscapeEarth/preview.png" width="150" /> ... [view full list](res/themes/themes.md)
### [> Themes creation/edition (using theme editor)](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/System-monitor-:-themes)
### [> Themes shared by the community](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/discussions/categories/themes)
<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/79225820/203648707-6f043068-5c9d-454d-9c0a-3d9ea02ece77.jpg" height="150" /> <img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/121983479/210663324-994c987a-6489-4482-8883-db74ef566014.jpg" height="150" />
<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/120036534/208128675-897f60cd-5647-40b7-b074-b56b67e775dd.png" height="150" /> <img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/65172896/217549510-149913ac-ef4e-4f61-8f5e-6d768483a02c.png" height="150" /> and more... Share yours!

## Control the display from your Python projects

If you don't want to use your screen for system monitoring, you can just use this project as a module from any Python code to do some simple operations on the display:
- **Display custom picture**
- **Display text**
- **Display horizontal / radial progress bar**
- **Screen rotation**
- Clear the screen (blank)
- Turn the screen on/off
- Display soft reset
- Set brightness
- Set backplate RGB LEDs color (on supported hardware rev.) 

This project will act as an abstraction library to handle specific protocols and capabilities of each supported smart screen models in a transparent way for the user.
Check `simple-program.py` as an example.

### [> Control the display from your code](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Control-screen-from-your-own-code)

## Troubleshooting
If you have trouble running the program as described in the wiki, please check [open/closed issues](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/issues) & [the wiki Troubleshooting page](https://github.com/mathoudebine/turing-smart-screen-python/wiki/Troubleshooting)

## They're talking about it!

* [Hackaday - Cheap LCD Uses USB Serial](https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/cheap-lcd-uses-usb-serial/)  


* [CNX Software - Turing Smart Screen – A low-cost 3.5-inch USB Type-C information display](https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/04/29/turing-smart-screen-a-low-cost-3-5-inch-usb-type-c-information-display/)


* [Phazer Tech - Turing Smart Screen Python ](https://phazertech.com/tutorials/turing-smart-screen.html)

## Star History

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