Ryan Angelo

TRMNL MBTA

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TRMNL MBTA

A command-line application that fetches real-time MBTA schedule data and displays it on TRMNL e-ink displays. The application provides continuous monitoring of transit schedules with configurable update intervals and support for all MBTA routes.

Features

  • Real-time MBTA schedule data with configurable update intervals (default 30 seconds)
  • Support for all MBTA routes: subway lines, bus routes, and special services
  • E-ink optimized display formatting
  • Multiple operation modes: single run, continuous monitoring, custom intervals

Usage

# Run once and exit
python cli.py --once

# Run continuously with default 30-second intervals
python cli.py

# Custom update intervals
python cli.py --interval 60

# Switch routes dynamically
python cli.py --route Red --once

Technical Implementation

Stack

  • Python 3.7+ with type hints
  • Environment-based configuration
  • pytest testing framework
  • Docker containerization
  • CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Architecture

  1. MBTA API integration for real-time data
  2. Data parsing and formatting for e-ink displays
  3. Webhook delivery to TRMNL displays
  4. Configurable update intervals and error handling

Setup

# Environment configuration
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with MBTA_API_KEY and TRMNL_WEBHOOK_URL

# Verify configuration
python scripts/verify_env.py

# Test run
python cli.py --once

Deployment

Systemd Service:

sudo cp examples/systemd-service.txt /etc/systemd/system/trmnl-mbta.service
sudo systemctl enable trmnl-mbta

Cron Job:

*/5 * * * * cd /path/to/trmnl-mbta && python cli.py --once

Docker:

docker-compose up -d

Configuration

Environment Variables

  • MBTA_API_KEY: MBTA API key
  • TRMNL_WEBHOOK_URL: TRMNL display webhook URL
  • DEBUG_MODE: Enable debug logging

Supported Routes

  • Subway lines: Red, Orange, Blue, Green (B, C, D, E branches)
  • Bus routes: Local (1-747) and express (501+)
  • Special services: Silver Line, ferry, commuter rail

Development

# Setup
make setup-dev

# Testing
make test

# Linting
make lint

# Debug mode
DEBUG_MODE=true python cli.py --once

Quality Assurance

  • Unit and integration tests with pytest
  • Automated linting with flake8 and pre-commit hooks
  • Environment validation scripts
  • Development container support

Design Considerations

  • Reliability: 24/7 operation with error handling and automatic retries
  • Modularity: Clean separation of concerns for easy maintenance and extension
  • Production-Ready: Comprehensive deployment options and monitoring tools
  • Developer Experience: Full development container support and automated testing

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