PyPortal View Master

Build a digital view master using CircuitPython and PyPortal

by Ruiz Brothers

published March 12, 2019, last edited January 22, 2025

posted in 3D Printing CircuitPython

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Beginner

Project guide

Code

As of CircuitPython 9, a mount point (folder) named /sd is required on the CIRCUITPY drive. Make sure to create that directory after upgrading CircuitPython.

Follow these steps to create the /sd directory

CircuitPython Setup

Your Adafruit PyPortal should already come with CircuitPython but maybe there's a new version, or you overwrote your board with Arduino code! In that case, see the below for how to reinstall or update CircuitPython. Otherwise you can skip this and proceed with the build.

Install CircuitPython for PyPortal

Images on internal flash

The code looks for an "images" folder on the CIRCUITPY drive by default. If it can't find any there, it'll search for images on the SD card.

Images on SD Card

If no images are on the internal storage, the code will search on the microSD card. The microSD card must be FAT32 and contain a folder named "images".

Image file names can be titled arbitrarily but avoid using special characters, hyphens and the sort. Your images must be in the following format and resolution.

Images must be 320 x 240 pixel 16-bit color .bmp files

Download our sample image pack to get you started!

image-samples.zip

Upload Code Files

Click the Download Project Bundle button below and save the zip file to your computer. Connect your PyPortal to your computer via a known good USB data+power cable. The PyPortal should show up as a drive in your file explorer app named CIRCUITPY.

Copy the files from the zip file to the CIRCUITPY drive.

Download Project Bundle

Copy Code

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2019 Anne Barela for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import os
import board
import busio
import digitalio
import storage
import sdcardio
from adafruit_slideshow import PlayBackOrder, SlideShow, PlayBackDirection

# Default location to look is in internal memory
IMAGE_DIRECTORY = "/images"

switch = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.D3)
switch.direction = digitalio.Direction.INPUT
switch.pull = digitalio.Pull.UP

spi = busio.SPI(board.SCK, MOSI=board.MOSI, MISO=board.MISO)
try:
    sdcard = sdcardio.SDCard(spi, board.SD_CS)
    vfs = storage.VfsFat(sdcard)
    storage.mount(vfs, "/sd")
    IMAGE_DIRECTORY = "/sd/images"
except OSError as error:
    print("No SD card, will only look on internal memory")

def print_directory(path, tabs=0):
    for file in os.listdir(path):
        stats = os.stat(path + "/" + file)
        filesize = stats[6]
        isdir = stats[0] & 0x4000

        if filesize < 1000:
            sizestr = str(filesize) + " by"
        elif filesize < 1000000:
            sizestr = "%0.1f KB" % (filesize / 1000)
        else:
            sizestr = "%0.1f MB" % (filesize / 1000000)

        prettyprintname = ""
        for _ in range(tabs):
            prettyprintname += "   "
        prettyprintname += file
        if isdir:
            prettyprintname += "/"
        print('{0:<20} Size: {1:>6}'.format(prettyprintname, sizestr))

        # recursively print directory contents
        if isdir:
            print_directory(path + "/" + file, tabs + 1)

try:
    print_directory(IMAGE_DIRECTORY)
except OSError as error:
    raise Exception("No images found on flash or SD Card")

# Create the slideshow object that plays through once alphabetically.
slideshow = SlideShow(board.DISPLAY, None, folder=IMAGE_DIRECTORY, loop=True,
                      order=PlayBackOrder.ALPHABETICAL, dwell=0)
while True:
    if not switch.value:
        print("Click!")
        slideshow.direction = PlayBackDirection.FORWARD
        slideshow.advance()
        while not switch.value:
            pass

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2019 Anne Barela for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import os
import board
import busio
import digitalio
import storage
import sdcardio
from adafruit_slideshow import PlayBackOrder, SlideShow, PlayBackDirection

# Default location to look is in internal memory
IMAGE_DIRECTORY = "/images"

switch = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.D3)
switch.direction = digitalio.Direction.INPUT
switch.pull = digitalio.Pull.UP

spi = busio.SPI(board.SCK, MOSI=board.MOSI, MISO=board.MISO)
try:
    sdcard = sdcardio.SDCard(spi, board.SD_CS)
    vfs = storage.VfsFat(sdcard)
    storage.mount(vfs, "/sd")
    IMAGE_DIRECTORY = "/sd/images"
except OSError as error:
    print("No SD card, will only look on internal memory")

def print_directory(path, tabs=0):
    for file in os.listdir(path):
        stats = os.stat(path + "/" + file)
        filesize = stats[6]
        isdir = stats[0] & 0x4000

        if filesize < 1000:
            sizestr = str(filesize) + " by"
        elif filesize < 1000000:
            sizestr = "%0.1f KB" % (filesize / 1000)
        else:
            sizestr = "%0.1f MB" % (filesize / 1000000)

        prettyprintname = ""
        for _ in range(tabs):
            prettyprintname += "   "
        prettyprintname += file
        if isdir:
            prettyprintname += "/"
        print('{0:<20} Size: {1:>6}'.format(prettyprintname, sizestr))

        # recursively print directory contents
        if isdir:
            print_directory(path + "/" + file, tabs + 1)

try:
    print_directory(IMAGE_DIRECTORY)
except OSError as error:
    raise Exception("No images found on flash or SD Card")

# Create the slideshow object that plays through once alphabetically.
slideshow = SlideShow(board.DISPLAY, None, folder=IMAGE_DIRECTORY, loop=True,
                      order=PlayBackOrder.ALPHABETICAL, dwell=0)
while True:
    if not switch.value:
        print("Click!")
        slideshow.direction = PlayBackDirection.FORWARD
        slideshow.advance()
        while not switch.value:
            pass

Your CIRCUITPY drive should look like the file directory structure below: