“In this Instructable, I’ll show you how to build your own Youtube Subscriber Counter using an e-paper display, and a Raspberry Pi Zero W to query the YouTube API and update the display. E-paper displays are great for this type of project as they have great readability, even in bright sunlight, and can be viewed from almost any angle, like paper.
The display should be updated a minimum of once per day to prevent burn-in on the display, but I’ve set mine to update every three hours.
This counter uses very little power as the display is only powered when it is updated, the rest of the time it is essentially off. The Raspberry Pi Zero W runs continuously on the back of the frame and uses around 0.6W while idle.
Supplies:
All you need for this project is a Raspberry Pi Zero W, an SD card and a Waveshare E-Ink Display, make sure that you order the display which includes the hat display controller for the Raspberry Pi. You’ll also need a frame or shadow box to build the display into.
Raspberry Pi Zero W - Buy Here
Micro SD Card - Buy Here
Waveshare 7.5” HD E-Paper Display (B) With Hat Controller - Buy Here
6x8” Shadow Box Frame - Buy Here (This is not the same frame, but the closest I could find on Amazon)
Keyboard, Mouse & Monitor For Setup (Or Connect Through SSH)”