Fork of PiClock v1 by n0bel that uses custom dark maps from MapBox, for better contrast between the weather radar and the maps, with an additional map overlay so that rain/snow clouds do not obscure map information, such as labels, boundaries, and roads.
The radar windows consist of three layers:
- Bottom layer is a plain MapBox dark map with no labels, boundaries, or roads.
- Middle layer is the weather radar imagery.
- Top layer is a transparent MapBox map with only labels, boundaries, and roads.
This fork was rewritten in Python 3 and PyQt5, so it will run on Raspberry Pi OS version Bullseye or later (Bookworm, Trixie...)
A newer version, PiClock3 by n0bel, is now available, which is more modular and can be customized with your own plugins.
A lot of the weather and radar services this was built on have come and gone, or been restricted.
Radar now comes from LibreWXR,
while RainViewer is still selectable in your Config.py via the userainviewer setting.
The current weather conditions and forecasts come from METAR and/or Open-Meteo
so no weather signup is needed, unless you put an API key in your ApiKeys.py for
OpenWeatherMap or
Tomorrow.io. Both are virtually free.
An API key is still required for either MapBox or
Google Maps
in your ApiKeys.py for the maps under/over the radar. Both are virtually free.
If you want to build your own, I'd suggest starting with the overview: Overview of the PiClock
To install the PiClock on your Raspberry Pi, follow these instructions (all the extra hardware (IR Remote, GPIO buttons, Temperature, LEDs) is optional): Install Instructions for PiClock
If you want to use the PiClock on a different desktop (not your Raspberry Pi), I'd suggest using these instructions: Install Instructions for PiClock (Clock Only)
Of course, you can jump to the hardware guide anytime: PiClock Hardware Guide
Original PiClock v1 description by n0bel
A Fancy Clock built around a monitor and a Raspberry Pi
This project started out as a way to waste a Saturday afternoon. I had a Raspberry Pi and an extra monitor and had just taken down an analog clock from my living room wall. I was contemplating getting a radio sync'ed analog clock to replace it, so I didn't have to worry about it being accurate.
But instead, the PiClock was born.
The early days and evolution of it are chronicled on my blog: NØBEL Blog - Raspberry Pi Clock