AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.1

AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.1

A small update with fixes for custom rotation colors and the Doom Fire options, and a 12-hour format without AM/PM. Settings are kept on an OTA update. To go back, upload the OTA_ONLY image of 2.4.0 on the Firmware Update page.

What's new

• Time format gains "12-hour without AM/PM", which hides the indicator in every clock style. Saved as hideAmPm and part of the configuration export and import (#15).
• The wiring guide has a diagram for a level shifter (4x SN74AHCT125N) between an ESP32-S3-Zero and the panel, for panels that need 5V logic or show ghosting on 3.3V signals. The README and wiring guide also cover the NONDK P2.5 128x64 panel, which needs driver 0 and 5V logic (#16).

Fixes

• Custom rotation now draws each clock in that clock's own digit color. Before, colors set for a clock were ignored once it ran in the rotation. The separate rotation digit color picker is gone (#18).
• The Doom Fire flame options and colors stayed visible after switching to another clock style (#17).

Install

• New device: use the web flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/ or flash firmware-v2.4.1-<board>.bin (or -games) at 0x0. The flasher erases the whole board.
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.1-<board>.bin, or OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.1-<board>-games.bin for game mode, on the clock's Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe is the same companion as in 2.4.0.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini = ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB), waveshare = Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix (32 MB). Each has a -games twin with game mode. Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.0

AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.0

Game mode, more weather views and a safer web interface. Every board now has a clock-only image and a -games image with game mode. Settings are kept on an OTA update. To go back, upload the OTA_ONLY image of 2.3.2 on the Firmware Update page.

Breaking changes

• The weather API key setting is removed. The free Open-Meteo endpoint needs no key and its limit is far above the clock's one fetch every 10 minutes. A saved key is deleted on the next settings save; old backups that contain one still import.
• Endpoints that change or erase something refuse requests a browser sends from another site's page (see Security). Factory reset (/reset), pad forget (/api/game/forget), score reset (/api/game/hiscores?reset=) and setting the WiFi power (/api/wifi/txpower?dbm=) now take POST only; reading scores and the WiFi power stays GET. curl, Home Assistant, scripts and the companion are otherwise not affected.
• /api/export no longer sends Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *, so another site's page cannot read the configuration. Reading it from a script works as before.
• The burning room ambient effect is removed. A clock that had it selected shows Space Invaders instead.

What's new

• Game mode: play Falling Blocks, Snake, Bricks, Space Rocks, Runner, Defenders and Light Cycles on the panel with an Xbox Wireless Controller (model 1708 or newer, controller firmware 5.x) over Bluetooth LE. Start it from the Game mode page or GET /api/game/start. The page lists best scores with reset buttons and has rumble, idle timeout and Falling Blocks options; the game list shows the pad's battery. Best scores travel with the configuration export and import. While a game runs the panel drops to 5 bits per colour and the night schedule is paused. Game mode ends after 2 minutes without a pad, 60 seconds after the pad is lost, after the idle time, or from the page.
• Game mode ships as a separate firmware. Bluetooth keeps about 29KB of internal memory reserved once it is in the firmware, even when nobody plays, so the clock-only image stays the recommended one. The Maintenance page shows which variant a clock runs, and the update page asks before installing the other one. The web flasher lists every board in a "Clock only" and a "Clock + game mode" section.
• Weather clock forecast layouts: the next three days as rows or columns, the next 12 hours as a temperature curve over rain chance bars, or tomorrow in focus with a large animated icon.
• Richer weather icon animations, with night (moon) and wind variants; the small forecast icons are animated too.
• New colors: one Date + AM/PM color for the date, weekday and AM/PM marker in every style, and a Details row color for the Weather clock.
• Display panel options on the Maintenance page: driver chip, data clock, latch blanking, clock phase, colour depth and minimum refresh rate, with live test patterns. For panels from other batches that stay dark, flicker or show ghosting. They are part of the configuration export and import.
• WiFi transmit power setting on the Maintenance page (19.5 down to 8.5 dBm, also POST /api/wifi/txpower?dbm=). Some small boards, such as the ESP32-S3-Zero, connect and serve the portal much faster at 11-13 dBm.

Security

• Any page open in a browser on the home network could reset the clock, flash firmware or change settings without a click. Settings save, import, rename, panel options, notifications, animation upload, firmware update, factory reset, WiFi power, pad forget and score reset now take POST and refuse requests from another site's page. Animation delete still answers GET for the companion, and the display, brightness, style, mode and reboot controls stay open for home automation. Thanks to NickoScope for the report (#11).

Fixes

• A POST to the update or animation upload endpoint that was not a file upload crashed and restarted the clock, and a firmware update request without a file restarted it as if updated. Both now answer with an error.
• /api/export produced invalid JSON when a device name, metric label or NTP server contained a quote.
• The 12-hour time format and static IP selections were not shown after reloading the portal (#13).
• Dark flashes on panels whose refresh rate is close to the animation frame rate: a frame is no longer cleared before the panel has finished showing it.
• The brightness ramp test pattern lights every column.
• Game mode leaves with an error instead of crashing when Bluetooth cannot start.

Install

• New device: use the web flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/ or flash firmware-v2.4.0-<board>.bin (or -games) at 0x0. The flasher erases the whole board.
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.0-<board>.bin, or OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.0-<board>-games.bin for game mode, on the clock's Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe is the same companion as in 2.3.2.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini = ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB), waveshare = Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix (32 MB). Each has a -games twin with game mode. Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.0-beta1

AnimatedPixelClock v2.4.0-beta1

This is a beta. It brings game mode, which still needs testing on more
controllers and boards. The clock itself runs the same code paths as 2.3.2
plus the changes listed below. Feedback and bug reports are welcome in the
issues. To go back, upload the OTA_ONLY image of 2.3.2 on the Firmware Update
page; settings are kept.

What's new

• Game mode: play Falling Blocks, Snake, Bricks, Space Rocks, Runner, Defenders
  and Light Cycles on the panel with an Xbox Wireless Controller (model 1708 or
  newer, controller firmware 5.x) over Bluetooth LE. Start it from the new
  Game mode page or GET /api/game/start. The page lists best scores with
  reset buttons and has rumble, idle timeout and Falling Blocks options; the
  game list shows the pad's battery. Best scores travel with the configuration
  export and import. While a game runs the panel drops to 5 bits per colour and
  the night schedule is paused. Game mode ends after 2 minutes without a pad,
  60 seconds after the pad is lost, after the idle time, or from the page.
• Game mode ships as a separate firmware: every board now has a clock-only
  image and a -games image. Bluetooth keeps about 29KB of internal memory
  reserved once it is in the firmware, even when nobody plays, so the
  clock-only image stays the recommended one. The Maintenance page shows which
  variant a clock runs, and the update page asks before installing the other
  one.
• Display panel options on the Maintenance page: driver chip, data clock, latch
  blanking, clock phase, colour depth and minimum refresh rate, with live test
  patterns. For panels from other batches that stay dark, flicker or show
  ghosting. They are part of the configuration export and import.
• WiFi transmit power setting on the Maintenance page (19.5 down to 8.5 dBm,
  also GET /api/wifi/txpower?dbm=). Some small boards, such as the
  ESP32-S3-Zero, connect and serve the portal much faster at 11-13 dBm.

Changes

• The burning room ambient effect is removed. A clock that had it
  selected shows Space Invaders instead.
• The web flasher always erases the whole board on install. Keeping data never
  worked: the full image overwrote the settings anyway.

Fixes

• Dark flashes on panels whose refresh rate is close to the animation frame
  rate: a frame is no longer cleared before the panel has finished showing it.
• The brightness ramp test pattern lights every column.

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.4.0-beta1-<board>.bin at 0x0. The web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/ keeps offering the stable 2.3.2.
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.0-beta1-<board>.bin, or
  OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.4.0-beta1-<board>-games.bin for game mode, on the
  clock's Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe is the same companion as in 2.3.2.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB), waveshare = Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix
(32 MB). Each has a -games twin with game mode. Verify downloads against
SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.3.2

AnimatedPixelClock v2.3.2

What's new

• Optional WS2812B LED strip: a glow under or behind the panel on one spare GPIO,
  off until enabled. Effects: Solid, Wave, Rainbow, Fire, Meteor, Scanner, Hour
  sweep, Weather and Audio VU. It follows the panel's power and dimming schedule
  and has a current limit. Wiring, pin choice and settings are in the README
  under "LED strip (optional)".
• Matrix Rain now falls in real mirrored katakana, the way the film does, and the
  changing digit scrambles through the same glyphs.
• Matrix Rain options: "Smooth fall" lets the leading character slide down a pixel
  at a time instead of jumping a whole cell, and "Small clock" draws the time in
  the top-right corner so the rain fills the panel. Transparent digits are the new
  default; existing devices keep their setting.
• The web portal loads 3-5x faster and no longer makes the clock stutter while it
  loads.
• Diagnostics: the last crash is reported in /api/info and the diagnostics
  download, so a reboot no longer leaves no trace.

Fixes

• Saving settings no longer freezes the display for about a second.
• Settings export and import now include the Matrix Rain settings.
• The WiFi link watchdog no longer restarts WiFi when the board is only short of
  memory, which could take the clock off the network over and over.
• More free internal memory: TLS buffers use PSRAM on boards that have it, and the
  weather fetch releases its memory between fetches.

Thanks to @NickoScope for contributing.

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.3.2-<board>.bin at 0x0, or use the web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.3.2-<board>.bin on the clock's
  Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: download and run pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe, no Python needed.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB), waveshare = Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix
(32 MB). Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.3.1

What's new

• New board: the Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix driver board is now supported and
  can be flashed from the web flasher. It carries the HUB75 header and the output
  buffers, so there is no per-GPIO wiring; the ribbon cables and panel power still
  get connected. Its 32 MB flash leaves 23 MB for custom animations.
• New clock style: Doom Fire. The PSX Doom fire effect, with the digits as
  heat sources burning white-hot over a fire line; a changed digit burns away
  before the new one re-ignites.
• The README now has a gallery of every animated style rebuilding all four digits
  at the hour rollover.

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.3.1-<board>.bin at 0x0, or use the web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.3.1-<board>.bin on the clock's
  Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: download and run pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe, no Python needed.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB), waveshare = Waveshare ESP32-S3-RGB-Matrix
(32 MB). Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.3.0

What's new

• Two new audio visualizer styles: Oscilloscope, which draws the live waveform on
  a lab-scope graticule, and Starfield Overdrive. The Oscilloscope needs the
  companion app from this release.
• The audio visualizer has its own page in the web interface, with the effect and
  its colors split into separate cards.
• Custom NTP servers on the Network page, so the clock can use a local time source
  instead of the public pool. A Test button checks that each one answers.
• Weather screen no longer gets stuck on "Fetching weather...".
• Fixes: the ambient screen and the corner clocks no longer blink out for single
  frames, and the PC counts as online only when its stats actually arrive.
• Companion app: two companions can no longer end up sharing one web UI port and
  saving into each other's settings, a config that will not parse is kept aside
  instead of being overwritten, and one Save button now applies the connection and
  the layout together.

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.3.0-<board>.bin at 0x0, or use the web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.3.0-<board>.bin on the clock's
  Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: download and run pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe, no Python needed.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB). Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.2.0

What's new

• Two new clock styles: Bomberman and TRON
• Stability fixes

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.2.0-<board>.bin at 0x0, or use the web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.2.0-<board>.bin on the clock's
  Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: download and run pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe, no Python needed.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB). Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.

AnimatedPixelClock v2.1.0

First stable release. An animated retro-arcade clock for two 64x64 HUB75 panels
driven by an ESP32-S3, with the Windows PC companion.

Highlights

• Twelve clock styles plus Cycle All, ambient screens and a custom GIF player
• Weather, notification API and scheduled brightness
• PC companion with live stats and a music visualizer

Install

• New device: flash firmware-v2.1.0-<board>.bin at 0x0, or use the web
  flasher at https://pixelclock.stolaris.dev/
• Existing device: upload OTA_ONLY_firmware-v2.1.0-<board>.bin on the clock's
  Firmware Update page. Do not upload a full image as an OTA update.
• Windows: download and run pc_stats_monitor_v4.exe, no Python needed.

Boards: wroom = ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 (16 MB), supermini =
ESP32-S3-Zero / Super Mini (4 MB). Verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.txt.