Pi Zero Recipe Kiosk

Why do you want to have a tiny $5 Linux system on a chip? Because you can cram it into a discarded LCD monitor and you’ve got a useful device. [zarderxio] did just that, satisfying the age-old dream of the kitchen computer with junk that was lying around in the basement.

There’s not much to this hack. The Raspberry Pi Zero needs a 5V power supply and the screen has 12V, so a step-down converter takes care of that. [zarderxio] hard-wires the monitor out of the Zero straight up to the monitor’s input jack, and hot-glues a USB hub to the outside of the monitor for a keyboard and mouse. (Because if there’s one thing we know, it’s that the Raspberry Pi Zero needs more USB ports: see exhibit A and exhibit B just for example.)

Now you’re all thinking, “USB keyboard and mouse?!?! I want a touchscreen!” Do you really? In the kitchen, with sticky fingers? Well, the screen in [zarderxio]’s junk box didn’t have a touchscreen, and this makes it more flexible, so we’re on the side of the quick hack done. Who knows, maybe he’ll hack yet another Raspberry Pi Zero into a smudge-proof recipe controller?

[via reddit.]

16 thoughts on “Pi Zero Recipe Kiosk

  1. There is very likely a 5V source inside the monitor, I did this with an old monitor as well so it was all contained and no parts needed aside from the hdmi cable…

    As far as touch screen I’d go resistive and use cling wrap film to keep it sanitised as capacitive glitches with wet drippy fingers and won’t work at all through mitts

    1. Most small LCDs are 9 to 12v so just add a 5V regulator preferable something switch mode though if you have big 2 amp or more power brick you probably can get away with using a LM7805.

  2. WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE KEEP GETTING THESE RASPBERRY PI ZEROS FROM!?
    Sorry to ‘shout’, but they’ve been sold out since before Christmas. Even in the UK where they’re made! Very frustrating.

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