ESPTimeCast is a WiFi-connected LED matrix clock and weather station based on ESP32 and MAX7219.
It displays the current time, day of the week (with custom symbols), and local weather (temp/humidity) fetched from OpenWeatherMap.
Setup and configuration are fully managed via a built-in web interface.

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• LED Matrix Display (8x32) powered by MAX7219, with custom font support
• Simple Web Interface for all configuration (WiFi, weather, time zone, display durations, and more)
• Automatic NTP Sync with robust status feedback and retries
• Day of Week Display with custom icons/symbols
• Weather Fetching from OpenWeatherMap (every 5 minutes, temp/humidity)
• Temperature Unit Selector (C, F, or K displays in temp mode only)
• Fallback AP Mode for easy first-time setup or WiFi recovery, with /ap_status endpoint
• Timezone Selection from IANA names (DST integrated on backend)
• Persistent Config stored in LittleFS, with backup/restore system
• Status Animations for WiFi conection, AP mode, time syncing.
• Advanced Settings panel with:
  • Custom Primary/Secondary NTP server input
  • Display Day of the Week toggle (defualt in on)
  • 24/12h clock mode toggle (24-hour default)
  • Show Humidity toggle (display Humidity besides Temperature)
  • Flip display (180 degrees)
  • Adjustable display brightness

NodeMCU-32S (ESP32) → MAX7219

The built-in web interface provides full configuration for:

• WiFi settings (SSID & Password)
• Weather settings (OpenWeatherMap API key, City, Country, Units)
• Time zone (will auto-populate if TZ is found)
• Display durations for clock and weather (milliseconds)
• Advanced Settings (see below)

1. Power on the device. If WiFi fails, it auto-starts in AP mode:
   • SSID: ESPTimeCast
   • Password: 12345678
   • Open http://192.168.4.1 in your browser.
2. Set your WiFi and all other options.
3. Click Save Setting – the device saves config, reboots, and connects.

Click the cog icon next to “Advanced Settings” in the web UI to reveal extra configuration options.

Available advanced settings:

• Primary NTP Server: Override the default NTP server (e.g. pool.ntp.org)
• Secondary NTP Server: Fallback NTP server (e.g. time.nist.gov)
• Day of the Week: Display symbol for Day of the Week
• 24/12h Clock: Switch between 24-hour and 12-hour time formats (24-hour default)
• Humidity: Display Humidity besides Temperature
• Flip Display: Invert the display vertically/horizontally
• Brightness: 0 (dim) to 15 (bright)

Tip: Changing these options takes effect after saving and rebooting.

• OpenWeatherMap API Key: Get yours here
• City Name: e.g. Tokyo, London, etc.
• Country Code: 2-letter code (e.g., JP, GB)
• Time Zone: Select from IANA zones (e.g., America/New_York, handles DST automatically)
• Units: metric (°C), imperial (°F), or standard (K)

1. Clone this repo
2. Flash the ESP32 using PlatformIO
3. Upload /data folder with LittleFS uploader (see below)

To upload /data:

• Click PlatformIO icon
  1. Build Filesystem Image
  2. Upload Filesystem Image

Important: Serial Monitor must be closed before uploading!

ESPTimeCast automatically switches between two display modes: Clock and Weather.
What you see on the LED matrix depends on whether the device has successfully fetched the current time (via NTP) and weather (via OpenWeatherMap).
The following table summarizes what will appear on the display in each scenario:

• The display automatically alternates between Clock and Weather modes (the duration for each is configurable).
• In Clock mode, if NTP time is available, you’ll see the current time plus a unique day-of-week icon. If NTP is not available, you'll see no ntp.
• In Weather mode, if weather is available, you’ll see the temperature (like 23ºC). If weather is not available but time is, it falls back to showing the clock. If neither is available, you’ll see no temp.
• All status/error messages (no ntp, no temp) are shown exactly as written.

Legend:

• 🗓️ Day Icon: Custom symbol for day of week (@, =, etc.)
• ⏰ Time: Current time (HH:MM)
• 🌡️ Temperature: Weather from OpenWeatherMap
• ✅ Yes: Data available
• ❌ No: Data not available
• — : Value does not affect this mode