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Volco v1.2

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@github-actions github-actions released this 12 Oct 13:43
v1.2
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🎚️ Volco 1.2

A smaller, friendlier Volco. The download shrinks from 52 MB to about 21 MB. Volco can start when you sign in, and opening it again brings the running window to the front instead of starting a second copy. The settings menu has been tidied up, and the screen timers now go down to one second.

⚠️ This release needs new controller firmware. After updating, open Hardware and choose Update firmware. Your controller's setup is kept.

📦 What's in the box

File What it is
Volco.exe The app. One self-contained file for Windows 10/11 (x64), nothing to install, now about 21 MB (was 52 MB). It carries the matching controller firmware inside it.
volco-firmware-esp32-1.2.zip The same firmware on its own, for flashing with your own tools, plus its licence notices and the LGPL relink bundle. Most people won't need it.

✨ New

🚀 Start at sign-in, one Volco at a time

  • "Start Volco when you sign in" in General → Startup. Volco starts quietly in the tray. No admin rights are needed, and it shows up in Task Manager's Startup apps. If you turn it off there, the toggle shows Off.
  • Opening Volco shows its window. Double-clicking Volco.exe or starting it from the Start menu opens the settings window. A start at sign-in stays in the tray.
  • Only one Volco runs. Starting it again brings the existing window to the front instead of adding a second tray icon.

🪶 A much smaller download

  • Volco.exe went from 52 MB to about 21 MB. Unused parts of .NET and the UI toolkit are trimmed away, and only the Windows parts are included.
  • The UI now draws on the CPU instead of through a GPU layer. This is more reliable across graphics drivers and looks the same.

🧭 A tidier settings window

  • New menu order: General, Hardware, Sliders, Buttons. The window opens on General.
  • Devices (nicknames and screen icons) is now a section of General.
  • The Controller page is now called Hardware, and its inner Hardware section is now Layout.
  • Connect / Reconnect / Disconnect sit on the Connection card's header.
  • About moved to the sidebar. The version, a GitHub link and Notices sit at the bottom-left, above the connection state. The third-party notices open in a dialog.
  • General → Troubleshooting shows where your settings file is (config.json), with an Open folder button next to it, under the log file.

🖥️ Screen timers

  • "Dim when idle", "Turn off when idle" and "Pixel shift" now accept 1 s and up (the minimum was 10 s). Needs the new firmware.
  • The rows explain themselves: "Dim when idle after 120 s", "Turn off after …", "Pixel shift every …". Dimmed brightness has its own row.
  • Number boxes take a plain number. Type 30, 30s or 30 s. Before, a box like "120 s" refused a bare number.

🌍 Volco is open source

The repository is now public: github.com/ToMeRhh/volco. It has a new README with photos of the controller, a contributing guide, issue forms and a security policy. If you'd like to support the project, there's a Sponsor button.

🚧 Known issues

  • Programs and scripts don't run over Wi-Fi or WebSocket until the controller can be authenticated (#89). Media actions work on every connection.
  • A script can't yet set its own button's light or screen text (#91).
  • Only the ESP32 (not the S2, S3 or C3) is supported, and the app is Windows only.
  • Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time you run Volco.exe, because it isn't code-signed. Choose More info → Run anyway.

Found something odd? Please open an issue. The log at %APPDATA%\Volco\volco.log helps a lot.

Full changelog: v1.1...v1.2

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