Posted on 3 Comments

Wearable Raspberry Pi Part 1

Overview
Overview

Here is the project I’m currently working on. A completely wearable computing platform based on the Raspberry Pi & the WiFi Pineapple.

Above can be seen the general overview of the current unit.

On the left:

  • Alfa AWUS036NHA USB High Power WiFi Network Interface
  • 512MB Model B Raspberry Pi, 16GB SD card, running Raspbian & LXDE Desktop. Overclocked to 1GHz.

On the right:

  • WiFi Pineapple router board
  • USB 3G card.

The WiFi, Pineapple & 3G all have external antenna connections for a better signal & the whole unit locks onto the belt with a pair of clips.
The Raspberry Pi is using the composite video output to the 7″ LCD I am using, running at a resolution of 640×480. This gives a decent amount of desktop space while retaining readability of the display.

The case itself is a Pelican 1050 hard case, with it’s rubber lining removed. The belt clips are also a custom addition.

Connections
Connections

Here are the connections to the main unit, on the left is the main power connector, supplying +5v & +12v DC. The plug on the right is an 8-pin connection that carries two channels of video, mono audio & +12v power to the display.
Currently the only antenna fitted is the 3G.

Connectors
Connectors

Closeup of the connections for power, audio & video. The toggle switch is redundant & will soon be replaced with a 3.5mm stereo jack for headphones, as an alternative to the mono audio built into the display.

Test Run
Test Run

Current state of test. Here the unit is running, provided with an internet connection through the Pineapple’s 3G radio, funneled into the Pi via it’s ethernet connection.

Pi Goodness!
Pi Goodness!

Running on a car reversing camera monitor at 640×480 resolution. This works fairly well for the size of the monitor & the text is still large enough to be readable.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I will build the power supply unit.

 

3 thoughts on “Wearable Raspberry Pi Part 1

  1. Chances are the display only needs 5V, the first thing inside them tends to be a DC:DC converter.

    1. That is correct, the panel itself is 5v/3.3v levels, but the 12v supply is required elsewhere in the LCD, for the backlight LED string. The Pineapple router is also much more stable at 12v DC input rather than 5v. 🙂

      1. That is useful to know; I should set up my own pineapple at some point

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