Introduction
Bitcoin—the decentralized digital currency once valued at $19K—was poised to revolutionize global payments. With fewer than 3,585,825 Bitcoins left to mine, tracking its metrics has never been more relevant. Inspired by the idea of a "Bitcoin Clock" counting down remaining coins, I created Bitcoin Bar: a physical LED dashboard displaying real-time Bitcoin data like price, remaining supply, block halving countdown, and hash rate.
👉 Explore Bitcoin trends with Raspberry Pi
Step 1: Components & Tools
Electronic Components
- Raspberry Pi 3
- LED Matrix Display (SPI interface)
- 10mm White LED
- 100-ohm Resistor
- 5V USB Power Adapter
Tools
- Soldering Iron
- Solder Wire
Materials
- 5mm MDF & Acrylic
- Glue, Paint
Step 2: Electronic Design
Connect the LED display to the Raspberry Pi via SPI pins:
| Raspberry Pi 3 | LED Display |
|---------------------|-----------------|
| 5V | VCC |
| GND | GND |
| GPIO 10 (MOSI) | DIN |
| GPIO 8 (SPI CE0) | CS |
| GPIO 11 (SPI CLK) | CLK |
Step 3: Software Setup
Dependencies
- Python Requests (HTTP library)
- Beautiful Soup 4 (HTML/XML parsing)
- Luma.LED_Matrix (MAX7219 driver for Raspberry Pi)
Configuration
Clone the Bitcoin Bar GitHub repo, then run bcbar.py. Customize displayed parameters (e.g., price, remaining supply) by editing:
show_message(device, disp[i], fill="white", font=proportional(LCD_FONT), scroll_delay=0.02) Key Features:
- Dynamic scrolling speed adjustment
- Rate-limited API calls (1 request/hour)
- Autostart on boot (
rc.local)
👉 Optimize your Bitcoin tracker setup
Step 4: Mechanical Assembly
- Laser-cut MDF enclosure (download files here).
- Front Panel: Slots for LED display + acrylic diffuser.
- Back Panel: USB power cable hole.
- Bottom Panel: Mount Raspberry Pi with bolts.
Step 5: Painting & Decoration
- Paint MDF to protect against humidity.
- Add a Bitcoin logo sticker to the acrylic diffuser for backlit branding.
Step 6: Final Assembly
- Solder the 10mm LED with a resistor.
- Mount components and connect per the schematic.
- Power up—Bitcoin Bar auto-displays metrics on boot!
FAQ
Q: Can I use a Raspberry Pi Zero?
A: Yes! Future laser-cut files for Pi Zero will be added to the repo.
Q: How often does the data update?
A: Default is hourly to avoid API overuse. Adjust in bcbar.py.
Q: Can I add custom parameters?
A: Absolutely—modify the disp[] array in the code.
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