Tickertronix-Open

Open-source real-time financial ticker display system with Raspberry Pi hub and multiple display options

Matrix portal scrolling display (example build).

Overview

Tickertronix-Open is a modular financial ticker system that transforms affordable hardware into professional-grade market displays. The system consists of a Raspberry Pi hub that fetches real-time market data and serves it to various display devices over your local network.

Hub Web UI Screenshots

Preview the hub’s configuration pages to see what the built-in web experience looks like on mobile-sized screens:

Dashboard overview (hub API URL and navigation)
Live Prices (auto-refreshing price cards and scheduler status)
Device management (provisioned device details and settings)
Asset selection (stock search, active status, and selection list)

System Architecture

[Alpaca API] → [Raspberry Pi Hub] → [Display Devices]
   (Free Tier)    (Local Server)      (Matrix/CYD/Custom)

Key Features:

No cloud dependencies - runs entirely on your local network
Free-tier API data (Alpaca Markets)
Multiple display options (LED matrices, LCD screens)
Expandable architecture - build your own display clients
HMAC authentication for secure device communication
Real-time updates for stocks, crypto, and forex

Hardware Components

1. Raspberry Pi Hub (Required)

The central data server that fetches and distributes market data.

Hardware:

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W or newer
MicroSD card (8GB+)
5V power supply

Features:

Fetches data from Alpaca (stocks/crypto) and Twelve Data (forex)
SQLite database for credentials and price history
REST API on port 5001
mDNS support (access via tickertronixhub.local)
Automatic updates every 5 minutes
Web UI for configuration

→ Full Setup Guide

2. Matrix Portal Scroll (LED Matrix Scrolling Display)

Continuous scrolling ticker across one or multiple 64x32 LED matrix panels.

Hardware:

Adafruit Matrix Portal S3
64x32 RGB LED Matrix Panel(s) (1-6 panels)
5V/4A+ power supply 3D Printed Enclosure (3D Files Located at matrix-portal-scroll/3D Files)
4 x M6 X 10mm x 7mm Heat Inserts (2 needed for each additional panel)
4 x M6 x 10mm Button Head Screws (for end caps)
M6 x 25mm Socket Head Cap Screws (2 screws needed for connecting enclosures for each panel)
4 x M2 x 6mm x 3.5mm heat inserts (for mounting Matrix Portal S3 to RH Endcap)
4 x m2 x 8mm Screws (for securing Matrix Portal S3 board to RH Endcap)
5/16 by 1 1/4 inch fluted wood dowels (2 per panel to align enclosures)
20mm rocker switch (for switching A1 to GRND for provisioning)

Features:

Smooth scrolling ticker display
Multi-panel support (chain up to 6 panels)
CircuitPython firmware
WiFi provisioning via captive portal
Customizable fonts and scroll speed
3D printable enclosure
Release bundle: tickertronix-matrix-portal-scroll-v{version}.zip on GitHub Releases (or build locally with ./scripts/build_matrix_portal_releases.sh)

Matrix Portal Scroll multi-panel build.

→ Full Setup Guide | → Setup Instructions

3. Matrix Portal Single (LED Matrix Single-Asset Display)

Shows one asset at a time on a 64x32 LED panel, cycling through your watchlist.

Hardware:

Adafruit Matrix Portal S3
Single 64x32 P3 RGB LED Matrix Panel
5V power supply
3D Printed Enclosure (3D Files Located at matrix-portal-single/3D Files)
4 x M6 X 10mm x 7mm Heat Inserts
4 x M6 x 10mm Button Head Screws
20mm rocker switch (for switching A1 to GRND for provisioning)

Features:

Full-screen single-asset display
Configurable dwell time (default 2.5s)
Asset class ordering (stocks/crypto/forex)
Minimal flicker transitions
4-color palette (black/white/green/red)
3D printable enclosure
Release bundle: tickertronix-matrix-portal-single-v{version}.zip on GitHub Releases (or build locally with ./scripts/build_matrix_portal_releases.sh)

Matrix Portal Single one-panel build.

→ Full Setup Guide

4. CYD Ticker (Cheap Yellow Display)

Touchscreen ticker display with interactive provisioning and stock browsing.

Hardware:

ESP32-2432S028R (Cheap Yellow Display)
USB-C cable for power
Optional: 3D printed enclosure (3D files located in cyd-ticker-il9341/3D Files)
4 x M2 x 6mm x 3.5mm heat press inserts (for enclosure)
4 x m2 x 18mm socket head cap screws (for enclosure)

Features:

320x240 ILI9341 touchscreen display
Touch-based WiFi provisioning
Multi-asset cycling display
Retro-styled UI with color-coded changes
Local hub mode (no cloud authentication)
SD card support for logging
3D printable retro case

CYD Ticker assembled build (ESP32-2432S028R).

→ Full Setup Guide

Quick Start

1. Set Up the Hub (15 minutes)

git clone https://github.com/Tickertronix/Tickertronix-Open.git
cd Tickertronix-Open/raspberry-pi-hub
sudo ./setup.sh
tickertronix setup-credentials  # Enter your Alpaca API credentials
tickertronix start

2. Set Up Your Display Device

Choose one or more display options and follow their respective setup guides linked above.

3. Verify Connection

curl http://tickertronixhub.local:5001/health
curl http://tickertronixhub.local:5001/prices

Releases & Downloads

Pre-built firmware bundles are available on the Releases page.

Available Downloads

Matrix Portal Scroll: tickertronix-matrix-portal-scroll-v1.1.0.zip Drag-and-drop CircuitPython bundle (includes all libraries and fonts)
Matrix Portal Single: tickertronix-matrix-portal-single-v1.1.0.zip Drag-and-drop CircuitPython bundle (includes all libraries and fonts)
Raspberry Pi Hub: tickertronix-raspberry-pi-hub-v1.1.0.tar.gz Source tarball with automated setup script (sudo ./setup.sh)
CYD Ticker: tickertronix-cyd-ticker-source-v1.1.0.zip Arduino source code bundle (compile in Arduino IDE - see CYD README)

Building Release Bundles Locally (Maintainers)

# Matrix Portal devices
./scripts/build_matrix_portal_releases.sh 1.1.0

# Raspberry Pi Hub tarball
./scripts/build_pi_hub_release.sh 1.1.0

# CYD source bundle
./scripts/build_cyd_source_release.sh 1.1.0

Versioning: All components share a unified version number (currently v1.1.0). When cutting a new release, create a git tag (e.g., v1.1.0) and GitHub Actions will automatically build and attach all release assets.

API Documentation

The Raspberry Pi Hub exposes a REST API for custom integrations:

Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
`GET /health`	Health check
`GET /prices`	All tracked asset prices
`GET /prices/stocks`	Stock prices only
`GET /prices/crypto`	Crypto prices only
`GET /prices/forex`	Forex prices only
`GET /prices/{asset_class}/{symbol}`	Specific asset price

Example Response:

{
  "stocks": [
    {
      "symbol": "AAPL",
      "name": "Apple Inc",
      "price": 178.32,
      "change": 2.45,
      "change_percent": 1.39,
      "timestamp": "2025-12-11T14:30:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Prerequisites

Required Accounts

Alpaca Markets (Free)
- Sign up: https://alpaca.markets
- Get API credentials from dashboard
- Free tier includes real-time stock and crypto data
Twelve Data (Optional, for Forex)
- Sign up: https://twelvedata.com
- Free tier: 800 API calls/day
- Only needed if tracking forex pairs

Hardware Requirements by Component

Raspberry Pi Hub: Any Raspberry Pi with WiFi (Zero 2 W, 3, 4, 5)
Matrix Portal: Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 + LED panels
CYD Ticker: ESP32-2432S028R (~$15 on AliExpress)

Project Structure

Tickertronix-Open/
├── raspberry-pi-hub/          # Raspberry Pi data hub
│   ├── docs/                  # Deployment guides
│   ├── scripts/               # Setup scripts
│   └── README.md
├── matrix-portal-scroll/      # Multi-panel scrolling display
│   ├── fonts/                 # BDF fonts
│   ├── lib/                   # CircuitPython libraries
│   └── README.md
├── matrix-portal-single/      # Single-panel paging display
│   ├── 3D Files/              # STL files for enclosure
│   └── README.md
├── cyd-ticker-il9341/         # CYD touchscreen display
│   ├── CYD_Complete_System/   # Arduino/PlatformIO code
│   ├── 3D Files/              # STL files for retro case
│   └── README.md
└── README.md                  # This file

Building Your Own Display Client

The Hub's API is device-agnostic. You can build custom displays using:

ESP32/ESP8266 (Arduino/MicroPython)
Raspberry Pi Pico W
Web dashboards (HTML/JavaScript)
Desktop applications (Python/Electron)
Mobile apps

Authentication Options:

Local Hub Mode: Direct HTTP access (no auth required within LAN)
HMAC Mode: Secure HMAC-SHA256 authentication for cloud/remote access

Reference implementations:

CYD: cyd-ticker-il9341/CYD_Complete_System/api_functions.ino
Matrix Portal: matrix-portal-scroll/api_client.py

Security Notes

Default Credentials: If using the pre-built Pi image, default login is:
- Username: tickertronix
- Password: tickertronix
- Change immediately after first login: passwd
Network Security:
- Hub API runs on local network (port 5001)
- No internet exposure by default
- Consider firewall rules if needed
API Keys:
- Stored securely in SQLite database
- Never committed to git
- Use environment variables for systemd service

Troubleshooting

Hub Issues

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status tickertronix-hub

# View logs
journalctl -u tickertronix-hub -f

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart tickertronix-hub

Display Device Issues

No data: Verify hub URL in device config
WiFi issues: Re-provision device (ground A1 pin on boot for Matrix Portal)
Authentication errors: Ensure hub is running and accessible

Network Discovery

# If mDNS fails, find Pi IP
ping tickertronixhub.local  # Should resolve to Pi's IP
# Or check router DHCP leases

# Test direct IP access
curl http://192.168.1.XXX:5001/health

Contributing

Contributions welcome! This is an open-source project under the MIT license.

Areas for contribution:

New display device implementations
Additional data sources
UI improvements
Documentation enhancements
3D printable enclosures

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Links

Documentation: See individual component README files
Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Acknowledgments

Alpaca Markets for free-tier market data API
Adafruit for Matrix Portal hardware and CircuitPython
ESP32 community for CYD development resources

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 42 Commits
.github		.github
assets		assets
cyd-ticker-il9341		cyd-ticker-il9341
cyd-ticker-st7789		cyd-ticker-st7789
matrix-portal-scroll		matrix-portal-scroll
matrix-portal-single		matrix-portal-single
raspberry-pi-hub		raspberry-pi-hub
releases		releases
scripts		scripts
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
RELEASE_COMPARISON_v1.0.1_to_v1.1.0.md		RELEASE_COMPARISON_v1.0.1_to_v1.1.0.md
RELEASE_INSTRUCTIONS_v1.1.0.md		RELEASE_INSTRUCTIONS_v1.1.0.md
RELEASE_NOTES.md		RELEASE_NOTES.md
RELEASE_NOTES_v1.1.0.md		RELEASE_NOTES_v1.1.0.md

License

Tickertronix/Tickertronix-Open

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Tickertronix-Open

Overview

Hub Web UI Screenshots

System Architecture

Hardware Components

1. Raspberry Pi Hub (Required)

2. Matrix Portal Scroll (LED Matrix Scrolling Display)

3. Matrix Portal Single (LED Matrix Single-Asset Display)

4. CYD Ticker (Cheap Yellow Display)

Quick Start

1. Set Up the Hub (15 minutes)

2. Set Up Your Display Device

3. Verify Connection

Releases & Downloads

Available Downloads

Building Release Bundles Locally (Maintainers)

API Documentation

Endpoints

Prerequisites

Required Accounts

Hardware Requirements by Component

Project Structure

Building Your Own Display Client

Security Notes

Troubleshooting

Hub Issues

Display Device Issues

Network Discovery

Contributing

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Tickertronix LLC

Links

Acknowledgments

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