Pi-Mars-v2

mars-clock-2 snapshot running on an MHS35 3.5“ screen

The clock is finished. If you want to build one yourself (it also tells the time on Earth), complete instructions and source can be found at the repository: https://github.com/stroggprog/mars-clock-2. The clock can also act as a slideshow for your family photos.

This time it comes with a complete menu-driven installation system that can install, uninstall, repair and upgrade. The clock can run on a DietPi operating system, and there are a comprehensive set of instructions on how to prepare a Raspberry Pi 4 for the clock. After that it's just a matter of cloning the repository and running the install menu.

Read on for further details.

Simplified Installation

mars-clock-2 hardware, an MHS35 screen and case with elbow connector for the power supply
mars-clock-2 in operation

It is necessary to attach the necessary hardware (a display such as the MHS35 3.5” TFT Touchscreen or RPI's Official 7“ Touchscreen). For the 7” screen, follow the manufacturers instructions.

For the MHS35 screen, things are slightly different. DietPi is a bare-bones operating system that only installs what you need to perform whatever task you are using the computer for, and is missing stuff the default MHS35 instructions expects. The clock installation instructions tell you what (and how) to install the necessary prerequisites.

The instructions provided by the clock assume a DietPi system, and therefore should work with most other distributions. To see why, visit http://dietpi.com and learn why this operating system is different.

mars-clock-2 snapshot running on an MHS35 3.5“ screen

Once the system has been correctly configured and all the necessary software installed (e.g. a web browser), it is simply a matter of `git clone`ing the https://github.com/stroggprog/mars-clock-2 repository and running the menu.sh script file that can be found in the root of the repository folder. A whiptail menu will then help with the installation.

The installation itself is complicated, but the scripts will do it all for you, so even a novice can get their clock up and running in just a few moments.