Family schedules can be complicated to manage. Thankfully, we have geniuses like Caspar von Wrede who took the time to create an open-source solution for all of us. Using our favorite SBC, Raspberry Pivon Wrede created a custom panel that he calls elephant to aid your family have straightforward access to all kinds of significant data.
The project is essentially a Raspberry Pi that displays a custom panel on its screen. This panel can be customized and integrated with other tools to meet individual needs. In this case, von Wrede uses it to track chores, events, and schedules. It’s not an interactive project, but it acts as a stationary screen that family members can check throughout the day.
The dashboard runs on a web server that von Wrede created himself. It displays the current date, generates recurring tasks like a chore schedule, and shows a countdown of upcoming events and holidays. All the settings and customizations are done on the backend server side using a YAML file.
A project like this doesn’t require a lot of power, but it does require internet access to run. You can easily apply the latest Raspberry Pi 5, but that’s overkill for a project like DinkyDash. Even something petite like the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W would work in its place. As for the display, you can display the data on any screen of your choice, as long as it’s compatible with the Raspberry Pi.
As we mentioned, von Wrede was kind enough to open source the project, meaning the code is fully available to anyone who wants to try it out. It uses a combination of Python, Flask, and HTML. The source code is available, along with instructions on how to set it up. If you want to take a closer look, Raspberry Pi Projectcheck out the DinkyDash project page on GitHub.
