DeskOS MeshCore

A bright, touch-first MeshCore desk for the SenseCAP Indicator D1L.

DeskOS 1.7.10 is the current full-feature production firmware for the SenseCAP Indicator D1L. Download v1.7.10 from the GitHub release. The Actions release is compiled with the immutable full_feature profile and conditional SD history mode.

DeskOS is a standalone, dark, touch-first MeshCore client. Firmware is built and packaged by GitHub Actions. The release provides the ESP32 update and full-clean images, the complete RP2040 SD-bridge UF2, checksums, a signed local update bundle, and end-user instructions.

What 1.7.10 fixes

DeskOS 1.7.10 is a radio-to-screen reliability and usability patch:

• a top-button double press queues one flood advert without blocking the UI, then reports whether it was sent or failed;
• BLE repeat pairing replaces only the connecting client's stale bond, while a smaller Wi-Fi receive pool preserves internal memory for encrypted companion requests;
• Contacts sorts compact indexes, snapshots contact state once, and copies only the bounded visible result set instead of moving 512 large records;
• Map keeps its current frame across Options and ordinary tab changes, and a partial healthy tile pass resumes from the SD cache;
• Observer region is editable as a three-letter IATA code such as YYC;
• entering a channel name beginning with # derives the standard interoperable MeshCore hashtag secret, so channels such as #chat can be joined directly; and
• a received channel packet with a missing or implausible sender timestamp uses the trusted local arrival time instead of displaying time unknown.

What 1.7.9 fixes

DeskOS 1.7.9 is a focused connectivity-stability patch:

• Bluetooth companion mode keeps its dynamic host state in PSRAM, leaving enough internal memory for Wi-Fi, the radio, and the touch interface;
• the Observer control task also uses PSRAM while its broker clients retain their required internal stacks; and
• Observer waits for freshly validated network or companion time before signing either MeshCore Canada broker login, instead of using an older retained display clock.

What 1.7.8 added

DeskOS 1.7.8 is a connectivity and screen-response release:

• Observer now sends received packet data to both secure MeshCore Canada brokers using the standard signed identity format and YKF topic region;
• one optional secure custom broker remains available, while MQTT work runs away from the radio and screen paths in bounded queues;
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth companion mode can remain on together, with the familiar 123456 pairing PIN;
• Recent Contacts uses only adverts heard during the current boot and updates from the live radio state;
• message rows save and show their real local time when a trusted clock is available; older rows without a saved time remain honestly unknown; and
• Map keeps showing saved tiles while missing tiles retry instead of replacing the whole view with a premature error; and
• a deliberate top-button double press sends one flood advert, with a one-minute cooldown to prevent accidental repeats.

What 1.7.7 improves

DeskOS 1.7.7 shortens the path from radio receipt to the Contacts screen:

• verified adverts become readable immediately instead of waiting behind an SD-card write;
• the existing retained-store worker coalesces ambient contact updates once per second while preserving forced flushes before a controlled reboot;
• explicit contact edits such as rename, favorite, and mute remain synchronously durable; and
• heard-node sorting now uses an efficient library sort instead of repeatedly scanning all 512 slots for every row.

What 1.7.6 fixes

DeskOS 1.7.6 completes the first-install path and makes local time practical:

• the NeonPocket flasher can identify the RP2040 BOOTSEL drive, checksum the matching bridge UF2, and copy it directly;
• the flasher can prepare an already-formatted FAT32 card by adding only missing, checksum-verified DeskOS files. It never formats, deletes, or replaces a different existing file;
• both bridge and card steps include a separate device-side verification so a copied file is never presented as a working installation; and
• Settings -> Display now has Time -1h and Time +1h controls for the displayed local clock. Mountain Time is UTC-7 in standard time and UTC-6 in daylight time; daylight-saving changes are manual.

Radio, security, and retained protocol timestamps remain UTC.

What 1.7.5 improved

DeskOS 1.7.5 makes remote repeater work and everyday display use more reliable:

• repeater and room login always uses flood delivery, so servers beyond direct range can receive the sign-in request through the mesh;
• Close on Status, Telemetry, Neighbours, and other signed-in pages returns to the repeater manager instead of dropping back to Contacts;
• Neighbours shows saved repeater names, friendly elapsed time, and SNR while retaining a short identity prefix for unknown entries;
• the screen now locks and turns off after ten minutes of inactivity, with a true full-screen cover that cannot leave old controls visible above it;
• the top button wakes the display; double-pressing it while awake sends one normal advert; and
• maps already stored on the SD card render without an artificial delay between tiles.

What 1.7.1 added

Repeater and room management now behaves like a first-class touch workflow:

• saved repeater and room contacts have a direct Login button;
• login opens a large masked password field and on-screen keyboard;
• passwords can be remembered per server on this D1L, forgotten at any time, and are removed with the contact or a factory reset;
• successful login opens a dedicated command grid for Status, Telemetry, Neighbours, Access, Tools, Room, and Console functions as permitted;
• requests show an animated working screen, timeout guidance, and persistent results instead of disappearing into a queued toast; and
• server changes still require local confirmation and verified replies.

What 1.7 adds

DeskOS 1.7 gives the firmware a clear identity inspired by the bright visual family of NeonPocketMC:

• a new DeskOS touch-display and three-node mesh mark;
• a smooth, non-blocking 3.2-second opening animation;
• electric cyan, cobalt, neon lime, and charcoal across the complete UI;
• simpler opening messages that describe what is actually on screen; and
• matching repository artwork and interface previews.

The animation above is generated from the same bounded timeline as the firmware. The on-device scene is drawn with lightweight LVGL shapes rather than storing a large bitmap in flash.

Everyday improvements from 1.6

DeskOS 1.6 keeps the complete 1.5 feature set and refines the everyday touch experience:

• a compact Home dashboard with an always-visible lock control and live time;
• directly reachable Contacts search plus Recent, Favorites, A-Z, Role, and Signal sort modes;
• clearer, shorter labels and consistent 44 px touch targets across Contacts, radio, Wi-Fi, diagnostics, and messaging;
• truthful full-feature BLE and diagnostics states in the release simulator;
• safer visual semantics so advanced actions no longer look like failures; and
• an owned Contacts sorting/search model extracted from the main UI controller.

DeskOS 1.5 previously added:

• secure BLE companion pairing, bonding, reconnect, disconnect, and forget;
• the current MeshCore companion protocol over an encrypted BLE transport;
• deliberate one-time contact and channel QR sharing with public data only;
• Ed25519-signed local SD updates, inactive-slot installation, anti-downgrade sequencing, first-boot confirmation, and automatic rollback;
• expanded bounded diagnostics, event history, display preferences, and notification controls; and
• the corrected channel, Contacts, Finder, Ping, PATH, TRACE, Map, Wi-Fi, storage, administration, Observer/MQTT, and messaging workflows from 1.2.

DeskOS is a non-forwarding client. It sends user-requested traffic but does not repeat other devices' traffic. Its conditional SD-primary retained history becomes visibly live-only when storage is missing; history is never silently redirected into default NVS.

Security boundaries

• BLE requires Secure Connections, MITM protection, encryption, authentication, bonding, and an explicit notification subscription before the companion protocol becomes ready.
• BLE cannot export or import private keys, factory-reset the device, or reboot it remotely.
• QR codes contain only the public contact or channel material selected by the owner. Their temporary URI buffer is cleared after rendering.
• Signed updates are read from local SD, verified before the inactive slot is written, and require two deliberate on-device confirmations.
• USB remains the recovery path. DeskOS never formats the user's SD card.

See the user guide, known limitations, and companion security/protocol notes.

Release train

Release	Purpose	State
1.0 / RC1	Initial production baseline	Historical
1.2 / RC2	Channel, Contacts, parity, packaging, and screenshot correction	Historical (v1.2.0)
1.5 / RC3	BLE, signed update/rollback, sharing, diagnostics, and full-feature activation	Historical (v1.5.0)
1.6	Compact Home, Contacts search/sorts, UI truthfulness, and diagnostics polish	Historical (v1.6.0)
1.7	DeskOS identity, animated opening, and NeonPocket-inspired product theme	Historical (v1.7.0)
1.7.1	Direct repeater login, saved passwords, and touch-first server management	Historical (v1.7.1)
1.7.5	Reliable remote login, better results/navigation, display wake/lock, and faster cached maps	Historical (v1.7.5)
1.7.6	Guided bridge/SD installation and adjustable local display time	Historical (v1.7.6)
1.7.7	Faster verified-advert admission and Contacts rendering	Historical (v1.7.7)
1.7.8	Dual MQTT uplink, Wi-Fi/BLE coexistence, live recency, map progress, and message time	Historical (v1.7.8)
1.7.9	Stable Wi-Fi/BLE memory ownership and fresh MQTT authentication time	Historical (v1.7.9)
1.7.10	Faster Contacts, retained maps, stable BLE pairing, editable Observer region, hashtag channels, and reliable flood adverts	Current (v1.7.10)

Device UI

Physical 1.7.5 device captures

These current 480x480 frames came directly from the physically flashed D1L. Their CRCs, firmware identity, safety receipt, and collection notes are in docs/screenshots/device-1.7.5/README.md.

Home	Channels

Contacts	Settings

The screenshots contain no private messages, passwords, keys, or precise location data. Collection transmitted no public RF traffic and never formatted the SD card.

Repeater management in 1.7.5

Managed repeaters and rooms now open directly from their Login button. After authentication, each server gets a focused command dashboard instead of mixing administration into the contact page. Slow mesh requests remain visible until they succeed, fail, time out, or are cancelled.

Login	Working

Manager	Status

These are deterministic 480x480 simulator previews used for layout regression. They contain no real password or private radio material.

The 1.7 simulator previews below show the refreshed production palette. They are visual previews, not substitutes for the physical D1L release check.

Home	Channels

Contacts	Settings

Physical 1.2 reference captures

Home	Channels

Contacts	Settings

Locations and public node labels may be visible. Private messages, passwords, private keys, and admin credentials must never be included in screenshots.

Install

Use the browser flasher for the guided ESP32, RP2040 bridge, and SD-card workflow, or extract the complete release package and begin with START_HERE.md.

• Update an existing DeskOS install: use the app update path. It preserves unrelated retained flash regions.
• Fresh clean install or recovery: use the full 8 MB image at 0x0.
• RP2040 bridge: hold BOOTSEL while connecting its USB side, then use the browser flasher to identify the drive and copy the verified production UF2.
• SD card: select an already-formatted FAT32 card in the browser flasher. It adds and reads back only the missing DeskOS payload; it never formats the card or replaces a different file.
• On-device signed update: place the exact manifest, signature, and app BIN from one release under updates/ on the prepared SD card, then use Settings -> Signed Update.

On Linux, only the stable D1L identity is supported for flashing:

/dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB_Serial-if00-port0
VID:PID 1a86:7523

Never substitute a guessed /dev/ttyUSB* path. The firmware never formats an SD card.