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  • 1.  Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-17-2018 04:03 PM
    Edited by Cody Cook 07-17-2018 04:06 PM

    Hello Museum Community,

    I have an exhibits related question that I would like to know more about for our exhibits team.  Are there any museums on here that use inexpensive Raspberry Pi micro computers as an alternative to the standard BrightSign player, for instance?  I am also interested in knowing if anyone has used a Raspberry Pi for a touch screen kiosk or a push-button video monitor, with automatic return to an attract screen.

    What software or operating systems are you using on your Pi for exhibit use?  Are there any other purposes or ideas that you have come up with for using your Raspberry Pi computer within your museum?

    Thanks for any assistance and information that you have about implementing Raspberry Pi's at your museum or educational institution.

     

    Thank you,

     Cody Cook



    ------------------------------
    Cody Cook
    Interpretation Specialist
    Kalamazoo Valley Museum
    Kalamazoo MI
    ------------------------------
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 2.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-18-2018 08:45 AM
    Edited by Bruce Spero 07-18-2018 02:16 PM
    Cody,

    We've just installed several exhibits that use Raspberry Pis for video playback, touch screen functionality, etc. A visitor can break the attract loop, make choices on screen and see videos/images based on their selections. At the end, it returns to the attract loop. There is a fairly robust tool for making touch screen interactive programs called PiPresents. 

    https://pipresents.wordpress.com/download/

    It has a ton of built in functionality and would enable fairly rapid development of some touch screen applications. It does require some Linux know-how and there are things that Brightsigns may do better, but overall we had good luck with it. Happy to provide more info if you'd like.

    ------------------------------
    Bruce Spero
    Principal/Creative Director
    Trivium Interactive
    bruce@triviuminteractive.com
    (617) 686-1281
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 3.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-18-2018 09:42 AM

    Hi Cody,
    I can second Bruce's recommendation for PiPresents.  I've had successful kiosks running with it for a number of years.  We recently installed a 24 screen synchronized video presentation using Raspberry Pis and Omxplayer-sync. We took 6 5K cinemascope videos and spanned each across sets of 4 screens mounted in a portrait orientation.  It also requires a little linux legwork but has worked out remarkably well so far. 
    https://github.com/turingmachine/omxplayer-sync


    I'm happy to share any other info that might be helpful.

    Thanks,
    John Peel



    ------------------------------
    John Peel
    Exhibit Production Supervisor
    Bullock Texas State History Museum
    Austin TX
    [512-936-4660]
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 4.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-18-2018 11:04 AM
    I have not used a Raspberry PI as of yet and it is something that I have thought about in the past and there is software available for use in a museum environment.  I use a mix of Android mini PCs and micro Windows PCs and Windows tablets.  I decided to go with the Android/Windows environment because development of software is done at a higher rate than on the Raspberry PI platform.  Meaning that you would find more software (Free or purchase) to do anything you want but on a Raspberry PI this it may not exist. Lately, I have been running local web servers and using WordPress/HTML/CSS/Javascript (which I am sure Raspberry PI can do too).  Running a Web Interactive with an attract screen, this gives you the flexibility to use HTML programmers to build your interactive.  I have created my own Windows lockdown to prevent users from accessing the OS I also use the built-in tablet camera to detect motion to help avoid screenburn (dims the screen if the gallery is empty and brightens when visitors walk by) I also created my own Bluetooth motion sensor for devices that don't have a camera.  I now use this type of setup for Video loops and all Interactive content at a much lower cost then using a Brightsign player.

    Note: the cost is not really in the device it's getting a good touchscreen monitor that will last.

    I am sure whatever device you use you will have success using the cheaper platform.  In addition, this website is a great resource to help you achieve your goals.

    ------------------------------
    Raymond Stivala
    Manager of Web/Multimedia Development
    The Newark Museum
    Newark NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 5.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-18-2018 02:07 PM
      |   view attached
    Hi Cody, 

    You may also want to take a look at Videotel Digital's PUSH solution.  It does exactly as you want it to do.  The solution works out of the box and the price is $458.00 and includes the industrial grade looping media player with a one-button harness and one LED push button.  They also offer PUSH solutions with up to 99 buttons. Videotel Digital has been serving the museum community for over 38 years and has an impeccable reputation for both the quality of its products and for their exceptional customer service.  PUSH Interactive Digital Signage Solution Including VP71XD
    Videotel Digital remove <g class="gr_ gr_1039 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="1039" data-gr-id="1039"><g class="gr_ gr_1037 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="1037" data-gr-id="1037">preview</g></g>
    PUSH Interactive Digital Signage Solution Including VP71XD
    VP71S5 Interactive Digital Signage Solution
    View this on Videotel Digital >


    ------------------------------
    Lisa Schneider

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    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    PUSH-Spec-Sheet.pdf   539 KB 1 version
    Original Message
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  • 6.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-18-2018 05:18 PM
    Hello,

    We use the "Pi Video Looper" for looping video. It's been stable, and I have several Pis running constantly for a couple years now without problems.

    Overview | Raspberry Pi Video Looper | Adafruit Learning System

    For Digital Signage, I use Screenly OSE. This allows the users to control the content via a web interface:
    Screenly - Open Source Edition (OSE)

    For more complex scenarios, such as pushing a button to control the audio, the setup was slightly more complicated. I believe this was the article I used:
    Build a Raspberry Pi Pushbutton Switch

    In total, it looks like I have about 23 Pis in production right now - with very few problems!

    As far as a touchscreen kiosk with interactivity, I have not found the Pi to have enough horsepower to run complex web applications smoothly (which is how I create interactive displays). For this setup, I have recently switched to using Ubuntu and slightly more expensive computers such as the Zotac C series. For example, I recently purchased one for a kiosk that has 8GB/64GB with a Celeron processor for $230. Yes, more than the Pi, but for running webapps as a kiosk it's phenomenal. I recommend the C series specifically because I didn't have driver problems with Ubuntu. Someday I am planning on writing a blog post about how to create an Ubuntu kiosk since most of the tutorials on the Internet are outdated. It's not horribly complicated but there are a few "gotchas."

    ------------------------------
    Seth Johnson
    I.T. Technician
    Buffalo Bill Center of the West
    Cody WY
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
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  • 7.  RE: Raspberry PI Use In Museums

    Posted 07-19-2018 01:40 PM
    I have purchased computers that had less CPU power before and for that one exhibit they may work fine but as things develop e.g. smooth 4K video and any other technology that might emerge you will find that you wished you got the better CPU and RAM.  I rather spend a little more on the computer so I can use it for other applications.  I like using the Intel NUC with either an i5 or i7 processor with at least 8 GB RAM and for storage, I go with the smallest cheapest (but good) SSD drive (You can always expand storage with an SD-Card).  I also use Android PCs because they have good CPUs and graphics cards powerful enough to handle 4K in a really small size and if you get a good one it will handle Web sites and Web Apps.  I use them because they are so cheap (just about sub $100) and hurts less if they become obsolete. I have been using Android PCs for about 3 years without issue and Android/Windows tablets for 2 years.


    ------------------------------
    Raymond Stivala
    Manager of Web/Multimedia Development
    The Newark Museum
    Newark NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


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