Me Here 51c81b45e0 PM_X-1 0.0.2: portrait flip + Kit-style layout (no more overlapping bits)

The 320x240 landscape layout was too cramped vertically; multiple elements
sat on the same Y rows, especially the BPM big-number area and the bar/time
meters, plus the run dot collided with the MIDI/USB icons.

Switching to portrait at 240x320 (display.rotation = 270; user holds the
device with A/B/C buttons along the top) gives the same vertical real
estate the PM_K-1 Kit's portrait UI uses, just narrower. Layout now mirrors
the Kit:
- y 0..28: header (logo + version + MIDI/USB icons + run dot)
- y 44:    BPM big (right)
- y 50:    elapsed time (left, FONT_M)
- y 78:    bar counter (left, FONT_M)
- y 100:   ramp / gap-trainer indicators
- y 118:   setlist tab + CONT (single row)
- y 134:   track title (FONT_M)
- y 138+:  pad grid (up to 6 lanes, taller rowh ceiling now 30px)

Plus:
- DISPLAY_ROTATION constant near the top of CONFIG so the user can flip it
  to 90 / 180 if their orientation differs.
- Pad grid uses px0=48 (was 60) since the lane label column has less
  horizontal room at 240 width; max 6-char labels.
- Removed the inline modal hints (e.g. "X/Z move, A select, C close") that
  would have collided with the modal titles at 240 width. The Help screen
  documents the modal nav pattern, which is consistent across modals.
- HELP_PAGES page 1 leads with "Hold portrait with A/B/C on top."
- README documents the rotation flag.

Bumps Explorer to 0.0.2. .mpy can be pushed via the editor's Update firmware
flow (device id reply = X;0.0.1 -> editor fetches the right .mpy).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-05-30 21:37:12 -05:00

4.2 KiB

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PM_X-1 "Explorer" — CircuitPython edition (Pimoroni Explorer · RP2350)

The CircuitPython firmware for the Pimoroni Explorer Kit (PIM744), set up as a self-contained appliance. Sibling to the PM_K-1 build in ../pico-cp/ (the 52Pi EP-0172 kit) — same engine, same program strings, same programs.json, same web editor.

This board is a 2.8″ ST7789V LCD + 6 user buttons + piezo speaker built around an RP2350B (Pico 2 class chip). No touchscreen, no joystick, no RGB LED. Editing is done in the web editor with Live sync on; the device mirrors changes in real time and emits its own play/stop/bpm/sel deltas back.

Hold the device in portrait with the A/B/C buttons along the top and X/Y/Z along the bottom. The firmware drives the LCD as a 240 × 320 portrait at display.rotation = 270 — same UI shape as the PM_K-1 Kit, just shorter. If the screen comes up upside-down on your unit, change DISPLAY_ROTATION near the top of app.py to 90 (or 180 if rotated 180°) and re-flash.

Controls

Button	Action
A	play / stop
B	tap tempo
C	menu (Settings / Help / About / Practice log)
X	prev track (hold to repeat)
Y	tempo −1 (hold to repeat; after ~1.5 s the step grows to −5)
Z	next track (hold to repeat)
X + Z	tempo +1 (chord; same hold-repeat as Y)

In a menu: X / Z move the cursor up / down, Y decrements the focused value, A commits or cycles, B = back, C = close.

Install

Flash CircuitPython for Pico 2 / RP2350. Hold BOOTSEL on the Explorer, plug it in over USB-C, drop the Pimoroni Explorer (RP2350) CircuitPython .uf2 onto the RP2350 drive. A CIRCUITPY drive appears.
Copy the bundle onto CIRCUITPY — boot.py, code.py, app.mpy, programs.json, font_s.bin / font_m.bin / font_l.bin, logo.bin / midi.bin / usb.bin, editor.html (offline editor). If an old app.py is on the drive, delete it.
Power-cycle. It boots into appliance mode and runs.

Program it from the web

Open https://metronome.varasys.io in Chrome / Edge / Firefox. The set-list ⋯ menu → 📟 Save to device pushes a programs.json over USB-MIDI; the device persists it and reloads. Click 🔗 Live sync to mirror edits in real time.

Pin reference

The display, buttons, and audio are wired into the board — no jumpers required. CircuitPython's official board definition for pimoroni_explorer2350 exposes board.DISPLAY pre-initialized, so the firmware just uses it.

Function	GPIO
Button A	GP16
Button B	GP15
Button C	GP14
Button X	GP17
Button Y	GP18
Button Z	GP19
Piezo audio (PWM)	GP12
Piezo amp enable	GP13
I²C SDA (QwSTEMMA)	GP20
I²C SCL (QwSTEMMA)	GP21
Display	`board.DISPLAY` (8080 parallel bus on GP26..GP39, initialized by board.c)

Calibration (flags at the top of `app.py`)

Speaker too loud / quiet: the piezo + amp gain is fixed in hardware. MUTE_SPEAKER silences the click; SPEAKER_AUTO_MUTE auto-mutes when a MIDI host is listening.
Buttons feel inverted: the polarity is hard-coded to active-low (pull-up). If a button fires on release instead of press, check the BTN_* pin map at the top of app.py.
Display orientation: the board's CircuitPython init mounts the panel landscape (320 × 240). If your screen looks rotated, that's a board.c-level thing — file a CircuitPython bug, don't patch the firmware.

If app.py ever errors, CircuitPython prints the traceback on the screen and over USB serial — send me that.

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