“Turing Smart Screen” is a low-cost 3.5-inch USB-C display that connects to systems with a USB port, and works with Windows, Linux (including Raspberry Pi), MacOS, and other operating systems that support Python3.
But contrary to my initial assumptions, it does not exactly act as a second monitor, and instead, it is an information display, originally designed to show resource utilization, e.g. CPU and memory usage, in Windows, and controlled through commands send to the USB port.
Turing Smart Screen specifications:
- 3.5-inch IPS display with 480×320 resolution, portrait and landscape support
- MCU – WCH CH552T 8-bit E8051 core MCU for USB devices
- Host interface – USB Type-C interface
- Auto start on power on
- Dimensions
- Product: 85 x 55 x 8 mm
- Display area: 74 x 49 mm
The manufacturer says it works with Windows only using its own software, and not AIDA64. The Windows software features functions to change the theme, adjust brightness, display the weather forecast, and so on. (Also see mirror download link on MEGA)
It’s only after trying to findout which USB display solution it used that I discovered the CH522T MCU and the name “Turing Smart Screen”. If it’s just receiving commands over USB, it should be easy enough to reverse-engineer with a USB sniffer, and Matthieu Houdebine has already taken care of that with the “Turing Smart Screen Python” project hosted on Github. The Python 3.x implementation means it works in Windows, Linux, macOS, and other operating systems that support Python 3.x.
The display is shown as a serial device in the host system, and the open-source software can display a custom picture, text, and a progress bar, as well as clear or turn off the screen, reset the display, and set brightness, but screen rotation is not implemented yet.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
