Hi, I recently came across an interesting project PiArtFrame, which transforms a Raspberry Pi and an e-paper display into a frame displaying cool fractals. The idea is simple: Raspberry Pi runs a script that generates and displays amazing fractal art, periodically refreshing the image.
The design immediately caught my attention, so I decided to build my own frame using a small 2.13-inch e-paper display I had on hand. The result was fantastic! The device fit my desk perfectly, used almost zero power, and added a unique touch to my workspace.
Why e-paper?
E-paper displays are a great choice for projects like this. Unlike traditional screens, they only use power when refreshing, making them extremely energy efficient. High contrast and crisp images make fractal art look amazing.
Building the project
For this setup I used:
- Raspberry Pi Zero 2W
- 2.13-inch e-paper Waveshare display
- I printed the case and stand on a 3D printer
The code comes from the PiArtFrame project onGitHub, which can be found here: runezor/PiArtFrame
Setup was easy. I loaded up the Lite version of the Raspberry Pi operating system, connected the display, installed the required dependencies, and configured the script to run on startup.
You can see the entire build process, step by step, and the final result in my video on YouTube. If you want to try to create something similar, you will find all the information you need there:
Scaling up, testing on a larger screen
After using the small display for a while, I started to wonder, how will it look on a larger screen? Since the script was designed to support multiple display sizes, I decided to try it on a 7.3-inch e-paper display.
To my surprise, the transition was seamless. The only thing I had to adjust was the configuration to match the new resolution and display type. The same Python script worked flawlessly, generating the same amazing fractal ART, only on a larger screen. Here’s a video of PI ART FRAME on a larger screen:
If you are wondering which e-paper displays are compatible with this project, you can check the list here: robweber/omni-epd: An EPD (electronic paper display) class abstraction to simplify communications across multiple displays types.
Final Thoughts
This project is a great way to explore digital art, automation, and the Raspberry Pi in a creative way. Whether you use a small or large e-paper display, the results are very impressive.
If you are interested in building your own, be sure to check out the original GitHub repository: runezor/PiArtFrame.