entityhomecomputingstatus: owneddemo
Hallway Display
Hallway Display
Summary
A battery-powered e-ink status panel by the front door. Shows the day’s calendar, outside temperature, and whether the bins go out tonight. Built 2026-08-20; the build record is at hallway-display-build.
Current State
Overwritten in place when something changes. For how it got here, see § Change History.
| Board | ESP32-C6 |
| Firmware | ESPHome 2026.7.2 — pinned, see below |
| Display | 4.2” e-ink, partial refresh, full refresh every 20 updates |
| Power | 5000 mAh LiPo · measured 41 µA sleep current |
| Wake interval | 15 min |
| Expected battery life | ~5 months at current interval |
| Config | scripts/hallway-display/ |
Firmware is pinned to 2026.7.2. 2026.8.x changed the display component’s sleep handling and sleep current went from 41 µA to 1.2 mA — roughly four days of battery instead of five months. Do not upgrade without re-measuring with a meter; the logs look identical either way.
Operations
- Reflash: OTA from the config directory. The device is only reachable in the ~8 s window after a wake, so start the flash and wait for it to catch one.
- Battery check: reported as a sensor; a reading below 3.4 V means about a week left.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Panel shows a stale screen | Wake failed, board still asleep | Power-cycle; check battery voltage |
| Ghosting builds up | Full-refresh counter reset | Force one full refresh |
| Battery draining in days | Sleep current regression — see the pin above | Roll back firmware, re-measure |
Change History
- 2026-08-27 — Pinned ESPHome to 2026.7.2 after 2026.8.1 raised sleep current from 41 µA to 1.2 mA. Caught by a battery reading, not by logs.
- 2026-08-22 — Wake interval 5 min → 15 min. Projected life 6 weeks → ~5 months; the data doesn’t change faster than that anyway.
- 2026-08-20 — Built and mounted. Initial sleep current measured at 41 µA (hallway-display-build).