Nano Banana Dashboard uses Google's Gemini AI to transform your existing TRMNL plugin data into imaginative scenes rendered directly on your e-ink display.
Step 1 - Get a Gemini API Key
Ccreate an API key from Google AI Studio and add your billing details.
Without billing setup, the image generation will fail as google does not have a free tier any longer.
Visit aistudio.google.com/apikey to generate one. Copy and keep it handy for Step 3.
Step 2 - Add Data Source Plugins
Nano Banana Dashboard visualizes data from your other TRMNL plugins. Before configuring the dashboard, make sure the plugins you want to display are already added to your playlist.
For example, if you want your dashboard to show today's weather and upcoming calendar events, ensure the Weather and Google Calendar plugins are already set up in your account.
Step 3 - Configure the Dashboard
Inside TRMNL, navigate to Plugins > Nano Banana Dashboard and fill in the following:
Required Settings
API Key: Paste the Gemini API key from Step 1. This is stored encrypted and never shared.
Model: Choose between Flash (faster, lower cost) or Pro (higher quality output). Flash is a great starting point.
Plugin 1, 2, 3: Select up to 3 of your existing plugin instances as data sources. The dashboard will pull live data from these plugins and weave it into the scene.
Optional Settings
Custom Text: Text that will always appear prominently on every generated dashboard. Great for a name, motto, or daily reminder.
Data Instructions: Tell the AI which data to feature or skip. For example: "Show today's calendar items only and highlight the weather forecast."
Style / Theme: Choose a visual scene theme that defines how your data is presented. Options include:
None — Minimal framing, data-focused
Scenic Landscape — Data integrated into a natural scene
Daily Briefing — Classic newspaper-style layout
Retro Comic — Comic book panel aesthetic
Technical Blueprint — Engineering schematic style
Vintage Poster — 1930s art deco design
Cozy Cafe — Chalkboard menu style
Space Mission — Mission control aesthetic
Japanese Ink — Sumi-e brush painting style
Library Study — Scholarly, book-lined backdrop
Steampunk Workshop — Gears and brass instruments
Ocean Depths — Underwater observatory theme
Minimalist Grid — Clean, structured grid layout
Random — Surprise me! Picks a different theme each time.
Style Customizations: Additional instructions for the visual style. Be as imaginative as you like. For example: "Make it look like a hand-drawn sketch" or "Use a dark moody atmosphere."
Aspect Ratio: Choose the image dimensions (16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 1:1, or 21:9).
Color Palette: Controls the colors in the generated image. Options range from Black & White (2 shades) up to Full 24-bit color. Any palette works since the TRMNL image pipeline will optimize it for your device.
Example Configuration
Model: Flash
Plugin 1: Google Calendar
Plugin 2: Weather
Custom Text: Good morning!
Data Instructions: Show today's calendar items only as well as the weather
Style: Cozy Cafe Style
Customizations: Warm and inviting with a hand-lettered feel
Color Palette: 4 shades grayscale
This would generate a chalkboard-style cafe scene showing your day's calendar events and weather forecast, with your custom text displayed prominently.
How Caching Works
To avoid unnecessary API calls, Nano Banana Dashboard caches your generated image. A new image is only generated when your settings or plugin data change. If nothing has changed since the last render, a new image is not generated.
Tips & Best Practices
Start with Flash model while experimenting. It's faster and costs less. Switch to Pro once you've dialed in your preferred style.
Use Data Instructions to focus the output. Without guidance, the AI will try to include everything from your selected plugins. You can even instruct the creation of different images based on your data.
The Random theme is a fun way to keep your display fresh. It picks a different visual style on each generation.
4 shades grayscale is the sweet spot for 2-bit OG TRMNL devices, but feel free to experiment as the image pipeline handles the conversion so all formats work.
If generation fails, the dashboard will continue showing your last successfully generated image.
Step 4 - You're Done!
Based on your device's refresh settings, you'll begin seeing AI-generated scenes on your TRMNL very soon.
Stay focused (and artistic)!