The Bitcoin Block Clock

Raspberry Pi Full Node with 32 x 32 RGB LED network visualizer

https://TheBitcoinBlockClock.com

Dependencies:

• python-bitcoinrpc: https://github.com/jgarzik/python-bitcoinrpc (modified, included in this git as bitcoinrpc.py)

• Henner Zeller's RGB LED matrix driver: https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix

Be sure to install the Python bindings as well as the core library: https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix/tree/master/bindings/python

• PyQRCode: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/PyQRCode:

$ sudo pip install pyqrcode

• PIL (now maintained as Pillow):

$ sudo apt-get install python-pil

• Bitcoin Core with the following lines added to ~/.bitcoin/bitcoin.config (see Installation below, the paths should match):

blocknotify=python /home/pi/ClockBlocker/block.py %s
walletnotify=python /home/pi/ClockBlocker/tx.py %s

Installation:

First, ensure home directory is accesible to root:

$ chmod 755 /home/pi

Clone this repository in $HOME and make easy-to-type command to start clock:

$ cd ~
$ git clone https://github.com/pinheadmz/ClockBlocker.git
$ sudo ln -s ~/ClockBlocker/ledbits.py /usr/local/bin/ledbits
$ sudo chmod 777 /usr/local/bin/ledbits

Copy (and modify, if desired) the Bitcoin Core configuration file from this repo:

$ mkdir ~/.bitcoin
$ cp ~/ClockBlocker/bitcoin.conf ~/.bitcoin

...then from any command line you can start the clock by entering:

$ ledbits

API passwords:

• Bitcoin: create file bitcoinAuth.py which contains:

USER = "YOUR-BITCOIN-RPC-USERNAME"
PW = "YOUR-BITCOIN-RPC-PASSWORD"

• IP geo-location service: Sign up for API key at http://www.ipinfodb.com/ip_location_api.php

...then create file ipInfoAuth.py which contains:

api_key = 'YOUR-API-KEY'

Customize Logo:

Replace the file imgs/logo.bmp with your own 32x32 BMP image!

Hardware & Parts:

All electronic components, acrylic enclosure and miscellaneous hardware needed to build The Bitcoin Block Clock is listed on this spreadsheet. I always try to buy parts from adafruit.com or purse.io so I can spend Bitcoin!

Owner's manual

Usage instructions are printed out and shipper to buyers with their order.