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Hardware Requirements


Required Components

Component Recommendation Notes
Raspberry Pi Pi 4/Pi 5 recommended Must run Raspberry Pi OS (Debian-based). Other models may work but are less validated.
Display LAFVIN 7\" HDMI Touch 1024x600 Kiosk is optimized for touch interaction. This kit includes Raspberry Pi adapters (angled HDMI/micro USB style adapters).
NFC reader PN5180 module (SPI) Current daemon driver targets PN5180 (SPI, manual CS).
Scale ADC NAU7802 module (I2C) Uses I2C bus 0 (/dev/i2c-0, address 0x2A).
Load cell Compatible load cell for your platform Required for live spool weight readings.
Power supply Stable Pi PSU for your model Undervoltage causes unstable kiosk/device behavior.

NFC Tags

SpoolBuddy can interact with:

  • Bambu Lab RFID spools (MIFARE Classic)
  • NTAG213/215/216 stickers/cards for writable custom tags

Wiring Reference

Full pin-by-pin wiring tables and ASCII diagrams are documented on:

PN5180 power pins

The PN5180 board uses both 3V3 and 5V pins for proper operation.
Do not feed 5V into 3V3.

Manual CS

SpoolBuddy uses manual chip-select on GPIO23 (dtoverlay=spi0-0cs) to satisfy PN5180 timing requirements.

SparkFun Qwiic scale AVDD bridge

SparkFun NAU7802 boards require a 3V3 to AVDD bridge. See Wiring Diagrams for the full instruction.


Practical Build Notes

  • Soldering is recommended for best signal quality and long-term stability.
  • Crimped/plugged connections can work, but should be treated as test/experimental until validated in your build.
  • Keep NFC wiring short and clean to reduce signal issues.
  • Ensure Pi user/service has access to gpio, spi, i2c, and video groups.
  • If you use DSI backlight control, video group access is required for brightness writes.

Hardware Validation

After wiring, these checks should pass:

# SPI devices present
ls /dev/spidev0.*

# I2C bus 0 present
ls /dev/i2c-0

# NAU7802 visible on bus 0 (0x2A)
sudo i2cdetect -y 0

Then run SpoolBuddy diagnostics from your install path:

sudo /opt/bambuddy/spoolbuddy/venv/bin/python /opt/bambuddy/spoolbuddy/scripts/pn5180_diag.py
sudo /opt/bambuddy/spoolbuddy/venv/bin/python /opt/bambuddy/spoolbuddy/scripts/scale_diag.py