[Plugin] PeppyMeter/Spectrum Screensaver for VOLUMIO Bookworm

Plugins
1

@Wheaten

Here is our concept for the 2aCD version of Peppy_meter.
Picture us putting this together unshaven, half‑awake, and somewhere between “quick bite” and “why is this taking so long”. Pure creative chaos at its finest.

Just to be crystal clear: this is only a concept.
Forum support from us? Absolutely not. Not even with charm, snacks, or interpretive dance.

If something isn’t working or you want improvements, congratulations, you’re officially in the driver’s seat.
Open a PR, grab the tools, and make the magic happen.

It also shares the same quirk as the original 2aCD version: you must disable Peppy before performing an OTA. It will also not run on x86 devices without tweaking.
Because of that, this will never make it into the plugin store. Ever. It’s destined to live its life as a free‑range, DIY‑only creation.

If you have already installed a previous version
Uninstall Peppy plugin first:

Next:
cd ~
rm -rf peppy_screensaver

Next:
cd ~
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/foonerd/peppy_screensaver.git
cd peppy_screensaver
volumio plugin install

Have fun!

Screen saver:

Prep-work to make it work:

Disclaimer
This version of Peppy_meter (2aCD concept edition) is provided strictly as-is, with no guarantees, no warranties, and absolutely no promise that it won’t misbehave when you look at it funny. (only tested on rPi, not intended for x86)

@nerd

Dear Volumionauts,

To add to what @Wheaten has already said:

This plugin is provided as-is with no maintenance or development support. It exists as a community resource for those who want to experiment with it. There is no roadmap, no bug tracking, and no commitment to future updates.

If you want to use it - you accept it in its current state.

If you want it to continue or improve - fork the repository and take ownership. The code is available for anyone willing to maintain it. Otherwise, it may simply stop working at some point.

If you need atomic updates - check the repositories. Do not expect announcements to be made.

Installation instructions have already been provided in this thread. If you cannot be bothered to scroll up a few replies and expect instructions served on a silver platter over a red carpet - you are here for a disappointment. If I can spend time writing this, you can spend some time searching for the details first.

For those who need a reliable, actively maintained solution: the PeppyMeter plugin from @balbuze is available in the Plugin Store and remains fully functional.

Kind Regards,

@nerd

The PeppyMeter Screensaver plugin has a GitHub Wiki with documentation for users and template creators.

Wiki Location:

Contents:

  • Installation guide
  • Plugin settings reference
  • meters.txt parameter reference (complete)
  • Spectrum configuration
  • Skin creation guide for template designers
  • Community templates - where to download and how to contribute
  • Troubleshooting

For Template Creators:

The wiki documents all configuration parameters including the new features:

  • Vinyl turntable animation
  • Cassette reel animation
  • Tonearm animation
  • Album art rotation
  • Scrolling text

Community Templates:

Browse and download community templates from the separate repository:

Contributions welcome - see the Contributing guide in that repo.

The README in the main repo remains the quick reference. The Wiki provides expanded documentation.

Kind Regards,

1 Like
3

Hey @nerd @wheaten and other developers.

Thanks for the new peppymeter screensaver for Volumio 4. This has been long awaited by many here on the forum. If I understand it all correctly, you have created a plugin concept, a bit like a statement.
What worries me a little is that you also say that you will not provide any support here but that everyone can try to use your code and make the changes they want to develop the plugin.

It feels a bit strange for me because I am not a developer or coder myself. I have seen several plugins become unusable because they are not maintained and neither updated nor supported.

What is required for it to make it all the way to the Plugin Store. Can’t it at least become a plugin for Raspberry Pi to begin with? There are several others like that in the Plugin Store.
I have no idea how many active members here have sufficient knowledge and desire to maintain and update Peppymeter Screensaver. I only know that I myself do not have the knowledge to do it.
It would be appreciated and also a great Christmas gift! :santa:

Kind Regards

4

Hi @ClaesM,

Just to make sure we’re all marching to the same beat:

I’m one of the forum moderators, and @nerd is the mastermind behind V4. Everything we do here is squeezed in between our actual full‑time jobs, this whole volunteer gig is powered by whatever free time we can rescue from real life. So we pick fun things to tinker with and show what’s possible. Same story with PeppyMeter.

There is a perfectly working, fully maintained version from @balbuze, 100% functional, no drama. (For Metadata you can always fall back to MPD_OLED)

The version you’re referring to has always been a bit of a “pian point” (yes, pun intended). People love it, but it tends to break important parts of Volumio, like OTA updates. So instead of shipping something unstable, we’ve handed the building blocks to the community so everyone can experiment freely.

Just remember: plugins belong to the community, not to Volumio or its volunteers.

4 Likes
5

Hey @Wheaten !

I know that. I’m using it right now. I just shared my thoughts and had some kind of hope for positive respons. Anyway I would like to see a fully Volumio 4 integrated Peppy Screensaver plugin but that will probably not happen, it will only remain as a dream …

Kind Regards/ C

6

I’ve been enjoying the new Wheatnerd PeppyMeter for a while now, and this morning I noticed an update was available. As I usually do before updating Volumio, I tried to disable the PeppyMeter plugin, but this time it gave me an error.

I can always reinstall Volumio, run the update first, and then reinstall PeppyMeter, but I’d like to avoid that if possible.

Andy

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7

Uninstall peppy and perform the update. Strange though as it was tested, with just disabling peppy.

8

For me, disabling Peppymeter allowed the update.

9

It’s very strange, I have version 4.073 installed and when I click check for updates. I receive a message you are already on the latest version.

10

You need to turn on the dev mode by entering the following:

volumio.local/dev [enter]

change the “Update Channel Selection” from “Stable” to “Test”

then goback to Volumio.local, now you will see the most up to date version and be able to update.

1 Like
11

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Thanks for the update. I am currently using PeppyMeter Screensaver 3.0.2 on Volumio 4.082 with an RPi 5.

With Gelo5_1920x1080.120skins, I noticed that some skins have a white background issue.
For example, in 26G5 NAD, the upper background becomes white.

The same issue can also be seen on skins 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, and others.

Has anyone else experienced the same problem?
Thank you.

12

I found the issue that prevented me for the OTA update. It’s about Thai fonts that had to be replaced back with original fonts then the OTA update went fine.

13

I did a fresh install this morning (from foonerd which I think it’s v3.0.2) and had the same issue that you have.

Then I do another fresh install (from WheatenSudo which I think it’s v3.0.0) and don’t have any more issue.

I might be wrong. :slight_smile:

1 Like
14

Hey @naimnatnod

I installed from foonerd this morning but I can´t see any 3.0.2, it’s still on 3.0.0

Kind Regards / C

15

Hi @ClaesM ,

Could be vice versa! I didn’t even realize it’s v3.x.x until @dewen mentioned on his post. I did have the same problem as @dewen and I was trying to find out why I couldn’t do the OTA when I turned the PeppyMeter plugin off. So I did the fresh install again but from WheatenSudo and now it’s working fine and the version is 3.0.0.

Andy

1 Like
16

Hey @naimnatnod ,

Anyway it,s kind of weird.

Regards / C

17

Where can i download PeppyMeter Screensaver 3.0.2?

18

Hi,
Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, the WheatenSudo version I installed is now 3.0.2, and it has the same issue.

Could you let me know where I can find version 3.0.0? Thanks in advance.

19

You can install it via the SSH terminal, but you might want to keep version 3.0.0, since 3.0.2 seems to have some issues.

cd ~
git clone --depth=1 GitHub - foonerd/peppy_screensaver
cd peppy_screensaver
volumio plugin install

20

What I found on 3.0.2 was some of the skins that the time remaining count down doesn’t work on 3.0.0, they work on 3.0.2 but the partial white screen issue present.

I believe @nerd and @Wheaten are doing something behind the scene and hopefully v.3.0.3 or greater will solve the problem.

Andy

1 Like
21

PeppyMeter v3.0.3 was just released.
|
So far, it appears to fix the partial white screen issue, the time remaining counter, and the bug where skin would not move to the next skin when a song ended during random playback on title changes.