PLEASE NOTE:
We launched our DIY Displays in 2006 and it was a great run! But we're now supporting it as a legacy service
only. We won't be making changes. Our future development efforts are focused on the Real BART API which
provides more flexibility and more updated information. Check out the Real BART API today!
You can receive real time BART departures on your computer and on your wireless device. But that's not enough! We want to show BART departures everywhere: on the wall in your office, in your lobby, where you shop ...
Obviously we can't put real time BART departures everywhere. That's your job, silly! And we're making it easy. Just find any old computer with a current browser (Linux, Mac, PC, whatever), download a file, tweak some settings and you're off. Don't forget to read the License Agreement.
Please Note: this requires some technical ability!
If you can't follow these instructions then consult a help screen, an owner's manual or someone who knows what they're doing. All of these steps are important.
Here's what you do:
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Find a computer and a monitor, hook it up to the Internet and download an up-to-date browser.
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Set up a power scheme where the monitor won't go to sleep, screen saver is turned off; hard disk won't power down; and system never enters standby or hibernation.
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Disable all browser caching.
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Adjust the browser for "kiosk" or "full screen" presentation.
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Download this file and unzip it to the desktop. Edit the .html file by following the commented instructions. This file will automatically refresh the page to recover from dropped connections and other errors.
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Set the file as your browser's startup homepage.
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Adjust the browser text size setting so the page fits your monitor (it's optimized for a 24-inch display but you can play around with the size).
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Set the browser to launch automatically at startup.
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Push restart and bask in the glow of your accomplishments (or start troubleshooting).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you doing this?
We want to foster innovative applications, reach a broader audience and encourage more people to choose BART. Plus we'd love to see ETAs on the wall where we buy our coffee every morning. Of course we don't bring our coffee onto the train, but that's another story.
Will you help me troubleshoot?
If we help you, it's only fair that we help everyone else, too. We simply don't have the resources for that. We expect you to provide accurate information to our customers and we expect you to keep your display working well.
What are your plans for future development?
All of our developer services are created on what we call "BART one percent time." So within that context we're doing our best to fix problems, add new features and keep it all going. Drop us a line with your suggestions and learn about changes through the RSS feed, the opt-in email list or the BART Developers Google Group.
