This 3D-Printed Map of Manhattan Displays Subway Train Locations in Real-Time, via a Raspberry Pi
RGB LED matrices and some carefully threaded optical fibers deliver 30-second updates across the entire island.
Pseudonymous maker and train enthusiast "bicapitate" has 3D-printed a map of Manhattan designed to display the location of subway trains in real-time — powered by a Raspberry Pi single-board computer and some optical fibers.
"I made this map of Manhattan that displays the real time location of subway trains," bicapitate explains of the project. "It's mostly 3D printed and it uses optical fiber to show two lights per station, one for each direction. I can show all trains or isolate some and also show or hide stationary and in transit trains."
The software behind the map relies in pulling data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) application programming interface (API), updated every 30 seconds, and decoding it to locate each train currently active within the confines of Manhattan's borders. "The software side was by far the easy part," bicapitate admits — with the hardware taking a fair while longer to finish.
The map was designed initially as a two-dimensional drawing, then programmatically converted to a series of 3D-printable models in OpenSCAD. Optical fibers run from the surface map to a pair of 8×32 RGB LED matrices hidden behind and driven by a Raspberry Pi single-board computer — converting the regular rectangular grid of the LEDs to positions on subway tracks.
Bicapitate has shown the device off in a Reddit post, but has not shared design files or source code. "Unfortunately," the maker suggests, "I think it's too fragile for me to consider selling them. Not to mention I'd have to provide software support for an indeterminate amount of time. Maybe it could be sold as a DIY kit so people can build them themselves."