A presentation system client for Raspberry Pi that communicates with a server via MQTT to display presentations, videos, and web content in kiosk mode.

Features

📡 MQTT communication with server
📥 Automatic file downloads (presentations, videos)
🖥️ Automated display management with dedicated Display Manager
🎯 Event-driven content switching (presentations, videos, web pages)
⏰ Time-based event scheduling with automatic start/stop
🔄 Graceful application transitions (LibreOffice, Chromium, VLC)
📸 Screenshot capture for dashboard monitoring
👥 Group-based content management
💖 Heartbeat monitoring

Quick Setup

1. Flash Raspberry Pi OS

Use Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) with Desktop
Enable SSH and configure WiFi in Pi Imager
Boot Pi and connect to network

2. Install Development Environment

# Run on your Raspberry Pi:
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RobbStarkAustria/infoscreen_client_2025/main/pi-dev-setup.sh | bash

3. Configure MQTT Broker

cd ~/infoscreen-dev
nano .env
# Update MQTT_BROKER=your-server-ip

4. Test Setup

./scripts/test-mqtt.sh          # Test MQTT connection
./scripts/test-screenshot.sh    # Test screenshot capture
./scripts/test-presentation.sh  # Test presentation tools

5. Start Development

# Terminal 1: Start MQTT client (receives events)
./scripts/start-dev.sh          

# Terminal 2: Start Display Manager (controls screen)
./scripts/start-display-manager.sh

# Or use interactive menu:
./dev-workflow.sh

Important: You need both processes running:

simclient.py - Handles MQTT communication and writes events
display_manager.py - Reads events and controls display software

See DISPLAY_MANAGER.md for detailed documentation.

Development Workflow

Daily Development

cd ~/infoscreen-dev
./dev-workflow.sh    # Interactive menu with all options

Menu Options:

Start development client (MQTT)
Start Display Manager
View live logs
Test Display Manager
Test screenshot capture
Test MQTT connection
Test presentation tools
Git status and sync
Restart systemd services
Monitor system resources
Open tmux session

Remote Development (Recommended)

# From your main computer:
# Add to ~/.ssh/config
Host pi-dev
    HostName YOUR_PI_IP
    User pi

# Connect with VS Code
code --remote ssh-remote+pi-dev ~/infoscreen-dev

File Structure

~/infoscreen-dev/
├── .env                         # Configuration
├── src/                         # Source code (this repository)
│   ├── simclient.py            # MQTT client (event receiver)
│   ├── display_manager.py      # Display controller (NEW!)
│   ├── current_event.json      # Current active event
│   ├── DISPLAY_MANAGER.md      # Display Manager documentation
│   └── config/                 # Client UUID and group ID
├── venv/                       # Python virtual environment
├── presentation/               # Downloaded presentation files
├── screenshots/                # Screenshot captures
├── logs/                       # Application logs
│   ├── simclient.log          # MQTT client logs
│   └── display_manager.log    # Display Manager logs
└── scripts/                    # Development helper scripts
    ├── start-dev.sh           # Start MQTT client
    ├── start-display-manager.sh  # Start Display Manager (NEW!)
    ├── test-display-manager.sh   # Test display events (NEW!)
    ├── test-mqtt.sh           # Test MQTT connection
    ├── test-screenshot.sh     # Test screenshot capture
    └── test-presentation.sh   # Test presentation tools

Configuration

Environment Variables (.env)

# Development settings
ENV=development
DEBUG_MODE=1
LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG

# MQTT Configuration
MQTT_BROKER=192.168.1.100    # Your MQTT server IP
MQTT_PORT=1883

# Intervals (seconds)
HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL=10        # Heartbeat frequency
SCREENSHOT_INTERVAL=30       # Screenshot capture frequency
DISPLAY_CHECK_INTERVAL=5     # Display Manager event check frequency

MQTT Topics

Client → Server

infoscreen/discovery - Client registration
infoscreen/{client_id}/heartbeat - Regular heartbeat
infoscreen/{client_id}/dashboard - Screenshot + status

Server → Client

infoscreen/{client_id}/discovery_ack - Registration acknowledgment
infoscreen/{client_id}/group_id - Group assignment
infoscreen/events/{group_id} - Event messages with content

Event Format

The Display Manager supports three event types:

Presentation Event:

{
  "id": 1,
  "title": "Company Overview",
  "start": "2025-10-01 08:00:00",
  "end": "2025-10-01 18:00:00",
  "presentation": {
    "files": [
      {
        "url": "https://server/presentations/slide.pptx",
        "name": "slide.pptx"
      }
    ],
    "slide_interval": 10,
    "auto_advance": true
  }
}

Web Page Event:

{
  "id": 2,
  "title": "Dashboard",
  "start": "2025-10-01 08:00:00",
  "end": "2025-10-01 18:00:00",
  "web": {
    "url": "https://dashboard.example.com"
  }
}

Video Event:

{
  "id": 3,
  "title": "Promo Video",
  "start": "2025-10-01 08:00:00",
  "end": "2025-10-01 18:00:00",
  "video": {
    "url": "https://server/videos/promo.mp4",
    "loop": true
  }
}

See DISPLAY_MANAGER.md for complete event documentation.

Debugging

View Logs

tail -f ~/infoscreen-dev/logs/simclient.log

MQTT Debugging

# Subscribe to all infoscreen topics
mosquitto_sub -h YOUR_BROKER_IP -t "infoscreen/+/+"

# Publish test event
mosquitto_pub -h YOUR_BROKER_IP -t "infoscreen/events/test-group" -m '{"web":{"url":"https://google.com"}}'

System Service (Optional)

# Enable automatic startup
sudo systemctl enable infoscreen-dev
sudo systemctl start infoscreen-dev

# View service logs
sudo journalctl -u infoscreen-dev -f

Hardware Requirements

Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (recommended Pi 5 for best performance)
SSD storage (much faster than SD card)
Display connected via HDMI
Network connection (WiFi or Ethernet)

Troubleshooting

Display Issues

export DISPLAY=:0
echo $DISPLAY

Screenshot Issues

# Test screenshot manually
scrot ~/test.png
# Check permissions
sudo usermod -a -G video pi

MQTT Connection Issues

# Test broker connectivity
telnet YOUR_BROKER_IP 1883
# Check firewall
sudo ufw status

Development vs Production

This setup is optimized for development:

✅ Fast iteration (edit → save → restart)
✅ Native debugging and logging
✅ Direct hardware access
✅ Remote development friendly

For production deployment with multiple clients, consider containerization for easier updates and management.

License

This project is part of the infoscreen presentation system for educational/research purposes.