Raspberry Pi Now Comes In an LCARS Flavor
LCARS, courtesy of Raspberry Pi. Image: Rob, meWho_System47.
NOVEMBER 9, 2022 - Raspberry might or might not be your favorite pie, but if you’re into computing at all, the series of small, single-board computers known as Raspberry Pi might be up your alley. And if you’re a Star Trek fan who is into computing, Ash Hill over at tom’sHARDWARE has some good news for you.
The Raspberry Pi is a device that can be used to control LED displays, and two developers have found a way to use it to control a functional Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS) display, like those seen on board starships since Star Trek: The Next Generation. (The displays for the LCARS were originally designed by Mike Okuda.)
The developer named Rob, who created the web version of the display, worked with James Mitchell to get it to work with Raspberry Pi. The display “includes a cross-section, known as a Master System Display (MSD) of the USS Cerritos ship found on the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks. Users can find images from the real-life James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and interact with an alarming Red Alert system….”
The display also includes a functional clock that can be changed between 12- and 24-hour displays and adjustable color schemes. Oh, yeah, and a rubber duck.
For more on the LCARS display, including a link to the web version that you can manipulate yourself, head over to tom’sHARDWARE.
David is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. He is a librarian, baseball fan, and book and movie buff. He has also written for American Libraries and Skeptical Inquirer. David also enjoys diverse music, but leans toward classical and jazz. He plays a mean radio.
