Simple Remote CPU Monitor with a LILGO T-Display

Normally when you boot up and start using your computer you have some vague sense about how hard it’s working. This may be based on programs that are open, or even if the fan is spinning wildly. For more info, you can dive into built-in system diagnostics software, or install something like Open Hardware Monitor. What if, however, you want an external display to show what’s going on inside your device’s box – or the one churning away in the basement?

The CPU Monitor Jr. by Rob Latour enables this type of remote monitoring on a Windows computer, using an out-of-the-box LILYGO T-Display S3 with no other hardware. As it provides processing and Wi-Fi capabilities, plus a screen, all you have to is install and run Latour’s sketch on your T-Display, along with the corresponding programming on the monitored computer. One device monitors one computer, but multiple T-Displays can be set up for multiple devices.

The device produces a processing usage graph for the CPU cores, as well as a trend line over time, and indicates the percentage of RAM taken up. It also shows the average or maximum processor core temperature, and time and date.

Source code can be found here on GitHub, with 3D-printable enclosure files. Latour describes the device’s operation and goes through its configuration in the video below. Additional freely available programs Open Hardware Monitor or Core Temp are used along with the project's code to monitor CPU temperatures.