LCARS touchscreen interface for your Raspberry Pi
I was invited to a dinner at Queens’ College in Cambridge a few weeks ago. I got talking to another attendee, and said enthusiastically:
“Do you know, I don’t think I’ve been here since I was an undergraduate. Back then I was here every week.”
“Supervisions?”
“No. This is where the Star Trek society met.”
My mother despaired of me: a 21-year-old woman who had a giant crush on a yellow android, went around in public with a communicator keyring that went “burbleburble” and wore a Bajoran earring. (Everything turned out OK in the end.)
So this project…let’s say it really appealed to me.

REAL nerds know it stands for Library Computer Access/Retrieval System.
This is the first finished, publicly available LCARS interface we’ve seen for the Pi (and it works with a touchscreen as well); Toby Kurien has made this adaptable for any project you’re running on your Raspberry Pi, so you can substitute your own retro-future display for whatever dull desktop you’ve been using up until now. Everything you need is on Toby’s GitHub. Toby’s using one of our official displays here, and the finished product looks (and sounds) great.
While Toby’s using this interface to monitor and control different parts of his automated house, he’s made it easy for you to swap in your own project. Go and take a look at the code, and report back if you end up using it!
This is not a Rob Z post, but I am going to pretend it is.
19 comments
Pete
Bajoran earring ….. PHOTOS Please!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!….there MUST be photos of that …. PLEASE!!
awesome work btw
IrishFramboise
I would have been so disappointed if there wasn’t a JL PI-card Gif at the end of that. I’m sure Rob Z will understand, though he’ll make you pay ;o)
Gonna have to take this great project for a spin.
Liz Upton
Rob has to be nice to me; I have a package of Japanese curry products which I won’t give to him if he’s horrid. So there.
Bob H
It doesn’t actually interface to anything though, it is just a series of graphics. Not sure I would call it “finished”.
Michael Horne
It’s a really great implementation of LCARS – really well done.
When I was at Warwick, I was the President of the Star Trek Society for two years. And proud of it! :-)
Liz Upton
KINDRED SPIRITS.
Zak Zebrowski
/me Giggles, very happily.
cDave
I doubt it’ll be up for long.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lcars+cease+and+desist
paddyg
Lovely design.
PS, you probably know, but were incorrected by your spell-checker, there was more than one queen involved so s’
Liz Upton
*Wincing* – thank you!
shannon
Never belonged to a Star Trek club, but my brothers and I formed many away parties exploring the class m planet known as Grandma and Grandpa’s farm back in the 70’s.
Get Eben to hurry up on that pi 3A, and maybe I’ll try making a TOS tri-corder.
W. H. Heydt
Ummm….does it count that my wife was the one that started the original Star Trek Concodence? The one that had the 3rd season added to it and then published by Bjo Trimble?
W. H. Heydt
Ummm….does it count that my wife was the one that started the original Star Trek Concordence? The one that had the 3rd season added to it and then published by Bjo Trimble?
SplatWorks
I’m using it!
Finley Watson
I love the little Trek gifs! It should become standard on all web blogs!
Jon Davis
Now, to couple this with Android Auto for my 1992 Mustang coupe.
Bill Engfer
Does it run on the Pi Zero?
Jim Julian
Is it me, or does it look a lot like some of the microwave oven control touch panels of the ’70s?
….yes, I’m a boomer.
Paul
I do hope there will be a programm for the medical tricorder. I am looking for a way to have a touchscreen for this version: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/n57ucvuy6v1wjhnf6o2c.jpg
Anyone who has an idea to make it work?
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