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Use a Raspberry Pi to display a dashboard on a screen
Use a Raspberry Pi to display a dashboard on a screen

The Raspberry Pi is a great, inexpensive, device for running Geckoboard. Install our kiosk script to load your dashboard automatically.

Updated over 9 months ago

This article walks you through setting up a script to run Geckoboard in kiosk mode, ensuring your dashboard/loop launches in full-screen every time the Pi boots up - the script also adds support for color emojis.

Our script supports any Raspberry Pi that runs the latest Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) version. However, we only recommend the Pi 4 Model B and Pi 5. (We’ve tested up to Bookworm, the latest version as of March 2024)

If you’re new to the Raspberry Pi, we recommend buying it as part of a starter kit. These include a case, power supply, micro SD card, and appropriate HDMI cable.

For setup, you will also need a USB keyboard, mouse, and micro SD card reader

Step 1: Set up Raspberry Pi OS

First, you'll need to install the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS on your Micro SD card. This must be done on a separate PC or Mac with a Micro SD port or adapter.

  1. Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager application: https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/

  2. Open the Rasberry Pi Imager application and select your Raspberry Pi device and “Rasberry Pi OS (64-bit)” as the OS. Choose the SD card connected to your computer and then hit next.

  3. At this point, you can click “Edit Settings” to set up the Wi-Fi on the Pi as part of the installation process, but this can also be done later on the Pi itself.

  4. Click Install. This can take 10-15 minutes.

Step 2: Launch your Raspberry Pi

  1. Remove the SD card from your PC and place it in the Rasberry Pi.

  2. Connect the Pi to its power supply, screen, keyboard, and mouse.

  3. Follow any configuration steps and make sure your Pi is connected to the internet (either via Wifi or ethernet)

Step 3: Run the Geckoboard kiosk script on your Raspberry Pi

  1. Open the Terminal on your Raspberry Pi by clicking on the terminal icon at the top of the desktop.

    Raspberry Pi terminal icon
  2. Write the following in your terminal window:
    curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/geckoboard/device-scripts/master/raspberrypi -o kiosk_script; bash kiosk_script
    Then press Enter. You will be asked to confirm whether you’d like to install updates. Overall, this step will take around 5 minutes. There may be a few pauses where it appears as if nothing is happening. After a time, you’ll see a progress bar.

  3. When it’s finished, you’ll be prompted to reboot. Type sudo reboot into your terminal, then Enter to reboot.

  4. After your Raspberry Pi has rebooted, you should see a passcode on your screen.

    Passcode screen for sending a dashboard to a TV
  5. We'll now use the passcode to link to your chosen dashboard.

Step 4: Connect Geckoboard using Send to TV

To use Send to TV to display your Geckoboard dashboard, follow these steps:

  1. On a device different from your Raspberry Pi, log into Geckoboard and click Send to TV in the top right corner of your screen.

    login to your geckoboard account
  2. Enter your passcode under Step 3 in the window that appears. If you already have screens paired, you'll need to click Add new screen first.

    add a new screen modal
  3. Click Connect. The screen is now connected and should be displaying the dashboard you’re currently on.

    To change which dashboard or dashboard loop is displayed or to connect more devices, click Send to TV.

If you need to exit Geckoboard on your Pi, you can do so by right-clicking or pressing F11.

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