BJORN Manager

What is it? BJORN Manager is a desktop companion for the Bjorn project that discovers devices on your network/USB/Bluetooth, then helps you install, update, and control Bjorn from a single UI.

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Table of Contents

• Features
• Requirements
• Download and Launch
• Quick Start (Recommended)
• How Discovery Works
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing and Feedback
• License

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Features

• Auto-discovery of Bjorn devices on:
  • LAN
  • USB gadget (172.20.2.x)
  • Bluetooth network (172.20.1.x)
• Multilingual UI (I18n):
  • English (default), French, Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian
  • Language can be changed from the bottom-left selector
  • Language choice is remembered between launches
• Smart device naming (Bjorn 1, Bjorn 2, ...)
• Stable device list between scan cycles
• Install workflows:
  • Online
  • Local package archive
  • Debug bundle
  • Optional advanced/custom installer
• Remote controls:
  • Restart Bjorn service
  • Reboot target
  • Change EPD type
  • Live logs
• More Actions behavior:
  • If an action requires SSH and you are not connected yet, Manager attempts to connect automatically first

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 or Linux desktop
• Target Raspberry Pi reachable on your network
• SSH enabled on target
• For hostname discovery: mDNS (UDP 5353) should be allowed

Download and Launch

• Download the latest release artifact for your OS.
• Windows: run the .exe.
• Linux:
  • Preferred: install the .deb
    • PC Linux (x86_64): sudo apt install ./bjorn-manager_<version>_amd64.deb
    • launch with app menu or bjorn-manager
  • Alternative: standalone binary
    • x86_64: BJORN_Manager_v<version>_linux
    • chmod +x <binary> then ./<binary>
• Linux GUI runtime note:
  • BJORN Manager uses pywebview, which needs a GUI backend.
  • The .deb declares required dependencies on Debian/Ubuntu.
  • Current release .deb uses the Qt backend by default.
  • If launch fails on a minimal Linux desktop, install missing runtime libs:
    • sudo apt install -y libglib2.0-0 libnss3 libx11-6 libxcomposite1 libxcursor1 libxdamage1 libxext6 libxfixes3 libxi6 libxrandr2 libxrender1 libxtst6 libxkbcommon-x11-0 libdbus-1-3 libasound2
  • The .deb launcher sets PYWEBVIEW_GUI=qt and QT_API=pyqt6 unless already defined.
  • Manual debug launch:
    • PYWEBVIEW_GUI=qt QT_API=pyqt6 bjorn-manager
    • if it still fails, run ldd /usr/lib/bjorn-manager/bjorn-manager-bin | grep "not found"
• Allow firewall access on first launch if prompted.

Quick Start (Recommended)

1. Prepare your Pi:
   • enable SSH
   • use a Bjorn-compatible hostname (bjorn, bjorn-...)
2. Launch BJORN Manager and wait for detected devices.
3. Click a device card to auto-fill target host.
4. Choose install settings (EPD, mode, options).
5. Connect, then install.
6. Watch progress and logs in the terminal panel.

How Discovery Works

• mDNS + SSH probing + periodic WebUI checks
• Discovery/diagnostic backend logs shown in the terminal are localized by UI language when possible
• Interface tags:
  • 172.20.2.x -> USB
  • 172.20.1.x -> Bluetooth
  • others -> LAN
• Same Bjorn device across multiple interfaces keeps the same alias index.

Troubleshooting

• No devices found:
  • verify SSH is enabled
  • verify network/firewall access
  • verify target hostname is Bjorn-compatible
• Install fails:
  • check internet access (online mode)
  • verify SSH credentials
  • retry with a fresh image if needed
• Web UI icon missing:
  • test http://<target-ip>:8000/
  • restart service or reboot from Manager

Contributing and Feedback

Issues and pull requests are welcome.

For bug reports, include:

• Pi model and OS
• connection path (LAN/USB/Bluetooth)
• EPD version
• relevant logs/screenshots

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

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BJORN Manager is part of the Bjorn ecosystem. Use only on systems and networks you own or are explicitly authorized to test.

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