It’s the TRMNL. I plan to share my plugin eventually too, but need to develop a few different layouts for different display options before I can submit it, so it’s just a private plugin for now.
I like it a lot! As a software developer that stares at LCD screens all work day, I’m really into e-ink/single-purpose tech outside of work. I found their UI framework docs for custom plugins a bit lacking, but eventually got everything working.
I'm honestly not sure if the developer edition is required to make custom plugins, I got the Clarity Kit upgrade for the battery upgrade, which apparently also includes the developer edition. Probably worth reaching out to them for clarification.
As for my experience, their web UI for making private plugins basically lets you provide an API endpoint for data and an interface to paste in templates (using Liquid templating). So all of my logic is completely outside of the TRMNL system in a custom API I mostly vibe coded and am hosting on a cheap server, which effectively gave me infinite freedom to build whatever I wanted and just have TRMNL handle the UI. So you could really use whatever language you prefer and just return JSON to the TRMNL. Since the logic was decoupled, I also threw together a web version using the same API.
Thanks! TRMNL has a UI framework, and I wanted it to look like it fit within the ecosystem, so I just looked at a bunch of plugins and imitated what I thought would work with the data I wanted to show. Mine's probably the most similar to the Weather plugin.
16 Comments
JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 275d
Nice! Which model of eink display is that?
TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 275d
It’s the TRMNL. I plan to share my plugin eventually too, but need to develop a few different layouts for different display options before I can submit it, so it’s just a private plugin for now.
JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 275d
Ah ok. I wasn't aware it was a product - my bad! Looking for a good eink display for a project lol.
jqubed@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 275d
Never heard of it but poking around their website it looks interesting; how do you like it?
TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 275d
I like it a lot! As a software developer that stares at LCD screens all work day, I’m really into e-ink/single-purpose tech outside of work. I found their UI framework docs for custom plugins a bit lacking, but eventually got everything working.
prettybunnys@piefed.social · 13 pts · 275d
trmnl device looks perfect for my use case ( on the wall output of my greenhouse sensor data ), how do you find the plugin writng?
Is the 20$ developer edition upgrade required?
Would love to know your experience
TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 275d
I'm honestly not sure if the developer edition is required to make custom plugins, I got the Clarity Kit upgrade for the battery upgrade, which apparently also includes the developer edition. Probably worth reaching out to them for clarification.
As for my experience, their web UI for making private plugins basically lets you provide an API endpoint for data and an interface to paste in templates (using Liquid templating). So all of my logic is completely outside of the TRMNL system in a custom API I mostly vibe coded and am hosting on a cheap server, which effectively gave me infinite freedom to build whatever I wanted and just have TRMNL handle the UI. So you could really use whatever language you prefer and just return JSON to the TRMNL. Since the logic was decoupled, I also threw together a web version using the same API.
Here's the API code if you're curious!
unepelle@mander.xyz · 6 pts · 275d
My person, that is amazing ! Well done
xiao@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 275d
Nice
calliope@retrolemmy.com · 4 pts · 275d
What a great idea!
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 275d
Did you design the interface? I like it a lot; it's really elegant
TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 274d
Thanks! TRMNL has a UI framework, and I wanted it to look like it fit within the ecosystem, so I just looked at a bunch of plugins and imitated what I thought would work with the data I wanted to show. Mine's probably the most similar to the Weather plugin.
kalkulat@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 275d
This works something like that: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/
TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 275d
Nice! I used the Astronomy API for planet positions and the 7Timer API for astronomy weather conditions, I wonder if they’re using those as well.
kalkulat@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 275d
TimeAndDate has a lotta money. Really cool that you rolled your own appliance!
marduk@lemmy.sdf.org · 3 pts · 275d
This looks great!