Hi everyone,
I'm working on a project with a Raspberry Pi Zero W and an ILI9431 TFT SPI display. My goal is to display a simple HTML/JS clock I've built, running in kiosk mode on a browser, starting automatically at boot.
I've been trying various tutorials online but feel like I'm going in circles. The closest I've come was using RetroPie, but that feels like massive overkill for just running a clock in a browser.
Ideally, I'm looking for the most lightweight and efficient setup possible. My preferred route would be:
* Raspberry Pi OS Lite (headless): I want to use a minimal OS without a full desktop environment to keep resource usage low on the Pi Zero W.
* SSH Access: Manage the Pi remotely via SSH.
* Browser in Kiosk Mode at Boot: Have a web browser (likely Chromium) launch automatically into kiosk mode upon boot, pointing to my local HTML/JS clock file.
* ILI9431 TFT Support: Ensure the ILI9431 display is properly initialized and functions as the primary display for the browser.
I've struggled with getting the display to work reliably with a headless OS and then layering a graphical environment (even a minimal one like Xorg/Openbox) on top, along with the browser. It seems like there are many potential pitfalls with display drivers, framebuffer setup, and auto-starting the X server and browser correctly.
Could anyone who has experience with a similar setup provide some guidance on the "best route" for this? Specifically, I'm looking for recommendations on:
* Specific steps or tutorials for getting the ILI9431 TFT to work as the main display on Raspberry Pi OS Lite. (I know fbcp is often used, but I'm open to the most stable and performant method.)
* The most minimal graphical environment (e.g., Xorg with a lightweight window manager like Openbox or even just xinit directly) that's sufficient to run Chromium in kiosk mode.
* Reliable methods for auto-starting the graphical environment and Chromium in kiosk mode at boot, ideally without requiring a physical login.
* Any specific config.txt or driver configurations that are crucial for the ILI9431 with a headless setup.
I'm trying to avoid unnecessary overhead and keep the system as lean as possible. Any pointers, example scripts, or links to successful projects would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your help!
I'm working on a project with a Raspberry Pi Zero W and an ILI9431 TFT SPI display. My goal is to display a simple HTML/JS clock I've built, running in kiosk mode on a browser, starting automatically at boot.
I've been trying various tutorials online but feel like I'm going in circles. The closest I've come was using RetroPie, but that feels like massive overkill for just running a clock in a browser.
Ideally, I'm looking for the most lightweight and efficient setup possible. My preferred route would be:
* Raspberry Pi OS Lite (headless): I want to use a minimal OS without a full desktop environment to keep resource usage low on the Pi Zero W.
* SSH Access: Manage the Pi remotely via SSH.
* Browser in Kiosk Mode at Boot: Have a web browser (likely Chromium) launch automatically into kiosk mode upon boot, pointing to my local HTML/JS clock file.
* ILI9431 TFT Support: Ensure the ILI9431 display is properly initialized and functions as the primary display for the browser.
I've struggled with getting the display to work reliably with a headless OS and then layering a graphical environment (even a minimal one like Xorg/Openbox) on top, along with the browser. It seems like there are many potential pitfalls with display drivers, framebuffer setup, and auto-starting the X server and browser correctly.
Could anyone who has experience with a similar setup provide some guidance on the "best route" for this? Specifically, I'm looking for recommendations on:
* Specific steps or tutorials for getting the ILI9431 TFT to work as the main display on Raspberry Pi OS Lite. (I know fbcp is often used, but I'm open to the most stable and performant method.)
* The most minimal graphical environment (e.g., Xorg with a lightweight window manager like Openbox or even just xinit directly) that's sufficient to run Chromium in kiosk mode.
* Reliable methods for auto-starting the graphical environment and Chromium in kiosk mode at boot, ideally without requiring a physical login.
* Any specific config.txt or driver configurations that are crucial for the ILI9431 with a headless setup.
I'm trying to avoid unnecessary overhead and keep the system as lean as possible. Any pointers, example scripts, or links to successful projects would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your help!
Statistics: Posted by Zadarren — Mon Jul 21, 2025 9:09 pm