Evolution of the Homebrew Star Trek LCARS Interface for #RaspberryPi

We blogged this first video of the LCARS interface a couple years ago. It was the video that went viral and no doubt inspired many others to experiment with LCARS on various screen devices. But the maker and YouTube user Boltzmann138 went on to create a few other videos that demonstrate the further capabilities of LCARS, from further simulating Star Trek-like experiences to controlling home automation and music player functionalities.

Here’s the evolution of those videos over time – 18 months from start to finish. No new videos have been uploaded by Boltzmann138 for quite a while. Another iteration of LCARS using Pygame is still very much alive and being continually developed here on GitHub.


This first video catapulted Boltzmann138 into Star Trek star-dom:

(LCARS stands for Library Computer Access/Retrieval System by the way – it’s the operating system used in Star Trek, first appearing by name in The Next Generation.)


This video demonstrates the ‘red screen alert’ function:


And these other videos demonstrate using LCARS to control everything from Squeezebox to lamps to webcams, to running on mobile device screens and even touchscreens. Basically everything you dreamed about while watching Star Trek and imagining using their touch-panel interfaces is actually possible!


 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB9SAZhRhUI
 

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV7ffmKDKr4
 


See the LCARS interface for Raspberry Pi using Pygame here on GitHub.


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Happy New Year 2025
Happy New Year from Adafruit!

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A Fabulous Year for Python on Hardware and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Same-day delivery, not for convenience, but customer loyalty

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — Level Conversion Hack

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.