Prepare the memory card

Write the operating system

1. On your computer, install Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software and open it.
2. Device: choose Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
3. Operating system: open Raspberry Pi OS (other) and choose Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit). Lite has no desktop, which is what you want: less software on the wallet.
4. Storage: choose your microSD card. Everything on it will be erased.
5. In the customisation step, set:
   • Hostname: diywallet
   • User account: a username and a password you will remember. You’ll need them in the next steps.
   • Wireless LAN: your home Wi-Fi. It is only used during setup and is switched off at the end.
   • Remote access: turn on SSH with password login.
6. Write the card and wait until Imager says it’s done.

Put it together

1. Put the memory card into the slot on the Pi.
2. Push the screen board onto the Pi’s 40 pins, screen facing up, so the two boards sit on top of each other with the same outline. Press evenly until it’s fully on.
3. Plug the micro-USB cable into the Pi’s port marked USB (the one in the middle, not the one at the corner marked PWR) and the other end into your computer. That one cable powers it and, later, carries the wallet’s data.

The screen stays dark for now. That’s expected: nothing drives it yet.

Log in to the Pi

Give it about two minutes for its first start. Then open a terminal on your computer:

Connect, replacing you with the username you chose:

ssh you@diywallet.local

Type yes if asked whether to trust the device, then your password. You’ll see a prompt ending in diywallet:~ $. From now on, commands marked On the Pi go into this window.