LAB401's LightMessenger by tixlegeek is an additional hardware module designed for the Flipper Zero. It allows users to display messages and images in the air using POV on an array yof RGB Leds. With a resolution of 16 pixels in height, users can program text or bitmap images and display them with a simple hand movement.

This module offers convenient functionality for those who want to customize their Flipper Zero with a POV light display. Its integration with the Flipper Zero is straightforward, and it is designed for easy use, providing an additional option for users looking to extend the capabilities of their device.

This modules embeds an i2c accelerometer(LIS2XX12), and an array of 16 RGB Leds (SK6805). The accelerometer detects every steps of a swipe motion, and allows the flipper Zero to flash the RGB led array at tight timing, resulting as persistence-of-vision based display.

Plug the device on the GPIO header of the flipper zero, then download an install the latest firmware's version on your flipper zero. Once everything is installed, navigate to /Apps/GPIO/401LightMessenger to launch the application.

Press any key to enter the main menu. From here, you can set and display text, draw images, and configure the module.

Entering the "Text" application, you're prompted with a text-input, allowing you to set your own custom text.

Select "save" to save your text. The module should flash once, and the text "Swipe" appears on the screen.

Entering the "Bitmap" application, you're invited to select a bitmap file to be displayed.

Only 1bpp bitmaps, with a hight of 16px can be displayed. Once selected, the text "Swipe" appears on the screen.

Entering "BitmapEditor", you have two options: Create a new doodle, or edit one you've already created/imported.

When selecting "New", you shall enter the width of the doodle you want to draw.

Choose the desired width by using left and right arrows, then press OK. You'll then have to choose a name for the new file.

When done, select "save". To draw, just move the cursor using the arrows, and toggle pixels by pressing the "Ok" button. To save, press "Return".

V1.3: If you press longer on "Ok", then "Hold" will be activated, continuously drawing by flipping underlying pixels. No more Ok button smashing.

The bitmap editor allows you to modify any bitmap files that meet the app's requirement.

Starting from version 1.4, you can display animations thanks to @jamisonderek in his latest pull request. To create an animation, simply name your frames following this pattern: name_x.bmp, where x is a number between 0 and 9. Here's a quick tool to automatically resize, crop, and convert GIF animations.

1. Download convertFzLM.sh.

2. Grab a cool GIF. For this example, we'll use a short GIF sequence:

   

3. Use the script to convert the image into a BMP sequence:

   $ ./convertFzLM.sh pacman-video-game.gif # (-i to invert colors)
   [*] Frame 0 ← index 0
   [*] Frame 1 ← index 1
   [*] Frame 2 ← index 2
   [*] Frame 3 ← index 3
   [✓] Done. 4 frame(s) written to 'pacman-video-game' (true 1bpp BMPv1, no dithering)

​ This should give you this:

4. Using QFlipper, copy the directory in SD Card/app_assets/401_light_msg

5. On lightMessenger app, go to Configuration and set Word by word " to Slow ,Medium or Fast
6. Open "pacman/pacman_0.bmp" as Bitmap, and swipe
7. You may need to squint a little to see it

With this amount of ultra-bright leds, it would have been sad to not propose a nice flashlight mode. You can access it by selecting the "FlashLight" mode.

You can customize some aspects of the LightMessenger by entering "Configuration".

The orientation allows to choose between "Wheel Up" and "WheelDown". Select the one you're the most comfortable with.

Multiple color shaders are available:

• Single colors (R3d, 0r4ng3, Y3ll0w, Gr33n, Cy4n, Blu3, Purpl3)
• Animated (Ny4nC4t, R4inb0w, Sp4rkl3, V4p0rw4v3, R3dBlu3)

When "Swipe!" shows up, things get serious. It's time to grab firmly your flipper zero, and wave it in the air. Be aware of people/stuff around you! The display is based on PoV, so it's effect shows best in a dark/mood lighting condition. It may take a bit to really master the correct swipe motion

You can also photobomb if you build up enought skill.

If you're having trouble getting the LightMessenger to work, try this:

1. Disconnect the LightMessenger from the Flipper Zero.
2. Restart the Flipper Zero by holding Back + Left for 3 seconds.
3. Reconnect the LightMessenger and launch the application again.

The LightMessenger relies on physical interaction and may take some practice to master.

You don’t need to be fast—just focus on making consistent motions while keeping the LightMessenger in a vertical position.

During the first three swipes, the LightMessenger calibrates your movements, so no light will be emitted during this phase.

Remember, it's not about speed—it's about consistency. Take your time, experiment, and practice until swiping feels natural.

Contributions are welcome! Do not hesitate to submit your own pull requests if you want to add more features to LightMessenger. It's simple:

• Fork this repository.
• Create a branch with a descriptive name that reflects its purpose (e.g., "add-color-scheme" or "fix-LED-bug").
• Ensure that your code follows FlipperZero's contributing guidelines for the application catalog, and FlipperZero's code of conduct.
• When you're sure, create your pull-request.
• Please submit one PR per improvement/contribution so that we can merge them quickly and efficiently.
• Have fun and let your creativity shine!

Of course, we may not be able to merge every color scheme, and we are obliged to make some production choices. But don't let that stop you from sharing your work with us and the world!

1. Install git.
2. Install ufbt - requires Python 3.8 or newer.
3. Connect Flipper Zero to your computer using a USB cable. Be sure qFlipper, lab.flipper.net and other serial port applications are not running. Make sure no applications are running on the Flipper Zero.
4. Run the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/lab-401/fzLightMessenger
cd fzLightMessenger/401lightMessengerApp
ufbt launch

• NOTE: Build outputs are found in the dist directory.
• If you get [ERROR] Error: could not open port : PermissionError(13, 'Access is denied.', None, 5) verify that no other applications are running. If needed press Back+Left to reboot the Flipper Zero.
• If you are not on Official firmware, you may need to update your index-url.

The Light Messenger has 16-LEDs (SK6805). The SK6805 are independent programmable RGB LEDs, with 8-bit for each of the red, green and blue channels. They are connected in series (chained data-in/data-out). The leftmost LED is the first one. You can use the provided drivers/sk6805.h to control the LEDs.

• Pin +5V goes to the VCC pin of the SK6805 LED.
• Pin PA7 goes to the data in pin of the first (left-most) SK6805 LED.
• Pin GND goes to the GND pin of the SK6805 LED.

The LIS2DH12 is a 3-axis femto accelerometer. It has two independent programmable interrupt generators for motion detection. It is connected to the Flipper Zero I2C bus using an 8-bit address of 0x30 LIS2DH12_I2C_ADD_L. You can use the provided drivers/lis2dh12_reg.h and drivers/lis2dh12_wrapper.c to access the LIS2DH12 features.

• The 3V3 pin connects to the VCC pin of the LIS2DH12.
• The GND pin connects to the GND pin of the LIS2DH12.
• The PC1 pin connects to the SDA of the LIS2DH12.
• The PC0 pin connects to the SCL of the LIS2DH12.
• The PA4 pin connects to Int1 on the LIS2DH12.
• The SWC pin connects to Int2 on the LIS2DH12.

The configuration file is stored in SD Card/apps_assets/401_light_msg/config.json. The file of the format is JSON.

The image files are stored as 1-bit BMP images, using a .bmp file extension. Compression must be disabled. The height of the image must by 16 pixels. The file must not exceed 500 bytes.

When you add a new feature to the Light Messenger, you should try to make it configurable for the user. You should also try to make the default behavior work the same as before your feature was introduced.

To add a new configuration entry:

• Update the 401_config.h file:

  • Add a new property to the Configuration structure.
  • Define a new LIGHTMSG_DEFAULT_{name} with a default setting. Typically indexes are used instead of values.

• Update the 401_config.c file:

  • Add an entry in config_default_init to initialize your property.
  • Add an entry in config_to_json to serialize your property.
  • Add an entry in json_to_config to deserialize your property.

• Update the 401LightMsg_config.h file:
  • Add your new extern const {type} lightmsg_{name}_value[]; to hold the values for your property.
  • Add your new extern const char* const lightmsg_{name}_text[]; to hold the labels to display to the user.

• Update the 401LightMsg_config.c file:
  • Define your lightmsg_{name}_value and lightmsg_{name}_text variables.
  • Implement an on_change_{name} function, for when the user changes the value of your property.
  • Update app_config_alloc to do a variable_item_list_add with your new property.

You can then access your configuration value using the following...

AppContext* app = (AppContext*)ctx; // Main app struct
AppData* appData = (AppData*)app->data;
Configuration* light_msg_data = (Configuration*)appData->config;
uint8_t value = listmsg_{name}_value[light_msg_data->{name}]; // Replace {name} with your feature name.