DeskOS MeshCore

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

DeskOS 1.8.0-rc.6 is the release candidate for the SenseCAP Indicator D1L. It uses the production full_feature profile with conditional SD-primary retained history (conditional storage mode).

Release candidate · Browser flasher · User guide · Product page

The previous stable release is 1.7.12.

What the candidate improves

• Received hop counts use the saved packet path. A nearby Public message no longer appears as 63 hops because of a fixed companion placeholder.

• Contact telemetry has enough Bluetooth worker stack for identity checks and encryption, fixing the restart reproduced with the official phone app.

• Radio recovery bounds a stuck BUSY signal and resets the radio with its saved RF settings. It does not restart the whole D1L or resend an uncertain transmission. Hardware recovery state is visible in diagnostics.

• Phone channel sends wait for the radio owner to accept the transmission. A stalled or unavailable radio produces an error instead of an early success reply, and expired requests cannot be sent later.

• Conversation drafts survive closing and reopening the composer, and save to prepared SD storage after typing pauses. Each draft belongs to the exact channel history or DM public key and this D1L's identity. Without SD, the UI says the draft is kept only until restart.

• Quote reply adds a short, editable plain-text excerpt before your draft. Copy / Paste uses an on-device clipboard and inserts at the cursor. Neither action transmits; the existing 138-byte Send checks still apply. The clipboard clears on lock and restart.

• WadaMesh is the interface parity target, with its exact reviewed revision and remaining differences in the feature matrix.

• Chats brings channels and recent direct messages onto the same page; the DMs list pages through every conversation in the retained message store.

• Contacts separates Saved and Discovered, adds role/favourite filters, and pages through every matching entry. Home and Contacts agree on heard totals.

• Profile exposes the node name, public identity, location and advert entry.

• Six editable Quick replies insert at the cursor for review before Send.

• Switching to Bluetooth closes Observer connections before releasing Wi-Fi, preventing a crash during an active MQTT connection attempt.

• Settings leads with device controls; keyboards use the dark palette. Display timeout offers 30 seconds through 10 minutes, and clock offsets use 15-minute steps.

• Signed SD updates verify the written flash image, honour cancellation before writing, and use the correct deskos/updates folder with clearer progress.

• The phone app's View Telemetry recognizes the D1L's local response.

• Slow LoRa profiles get a transmit deadline that covers their actual frame airtime; normal fast profiles retain the existing recovery deadline.

• Local SNR uses the correct units, and phone diagnostics show signal, direct/flood packet counts, receive errors, and calculated airtime.

• Wi-Fi signal updates without requiring a scan.

• A loading bar advances while saved history is restored.

• Map labels fit their space, avoid controls, preserve UTF-8 names, and open node details when tapped.

• The browser recognizes DeskOS JSON, waits for startup, verifies radio and identity readiness, and reads the correct SD status.

• An ordinary update can finish without optional SD storage. Fresh clean installations retain the complete three-stage verification.

See the candidate release notes for the full change and validation record. Earlier releases remain documented in the roadmap and their release notes.

Everyday use

The dark 480×480 touch interface has Home, Chats, Contacts, Map, and Settings. It supports public and hashtag channels, direct messages with acknowledgement state, contact search and sorting, discovery, Ping and Trace, and authenticated repeater/room management.

Secure Bluetooth connects the official MeshCore phone app. Wi-Fi supports maps and the opt-in Observer/MQTT uplink. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are explicit exclusive modes; cached maps and mesh messaging remain available in Bluetooth mode.

DeskOS is a non-forwarding client. Prepared FAT32 storage and the paired RP2040 bridge provide retained history and map caching. Missing storage is reported as live-only operation, without silently moving history into default NVS.

Install

Download the complete release ZIP, extract it, and open START_HERE.md, or use the guided browser flasher.

• Existing DeskOS: choose the preserving update. The installer verifies the application before selecting its boot slot and preserves identity, contacts, settings, and SD data.
• Fresh clean installation: the full 8 MB image replaces ESP32 identity and settings. Complete the ESP32, RP2040 bridge, and prepared-card stages.
• RP2040 bridge: hold BOOTSEL while connecting its USB side and install the complete production UF2. The same UF2 serves update and fresh-install paths.
• SD preparation: use an already-formatted FAT32 card. Preparation adds only missing, verified files; it never formats the card or replaces different files.
• Signed local update: copy the matching manifest, signature, and app image under deskos/updates/ on the prepared card, then use Settings → Signed Update.

The D1L can take tens of seconds to restore a populated card. Keep power and USB connected while its loading/readiness screens finish.

Linux hardware operations use the stable D1L identity:

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

Do not substitute a guessed /dev/ttyUSB* path. See the guided installation notes.

Interface and support

The physical 1.7.5 reference gallery records the earlier on-device interface. Historical and simulated images are labelled with their own versions; they are not current-candidate test evidence.

The user guide covers the current controls, USB support commands, settings, and recovery. The feature matrix and known limitations explain the D1L adaptations.

Security and recovery

Bluetooth requires authenticated, encrypted, bonded communication. It cannot export/import private keys, factory-reset the D1L, or reboot it remotely. Sharing is an explicit owner action. Signed SD updates verify the release and require local confirmation before writing the inactive slot; an unhealthy pending image rolls back. USB remains the recovery path.

The D1L has no onboard GPS or battery sensor. The UI is English-only. Remote administration remains capability-gated, with local confirmation for changes. See the companion notes.

Build and release

Builds and checks run locally on the Pi 5 when requested by the maintainer. Use the pinned ESP-IDF image, RP2040 core, exact source commit, production profile, and existing update signer. The public package contains ESP32 update and clean images, a complete RP2040 UF2, a signed update, checksums, source provenance, an SBOM, and end-user instructions.

See build provenance and the release checklist. Device backups, credentials, private messages, and internal test material never belong in release assets.