Software & updates

The Salt Light Instrument updates itself automatically over the air, with a rollback safety net if an update ever misbehaves. Here's what's current, and how to flash it yourself if you'd rather.

Current version 2026.07.07·91 Released Jul 7, 2026 · ESP32-P4

Devices on Wi-Fi pull this automatically within a few hours. No action needed.

Flash it yourself

For the hands-on: download the current firmware image and flash it over USB with ESPHome or esptool. Verify the download against the md5 below before flashing.

Download firmware image firmware.ota.bin · 2.93 MB
md5
0d15ea2ad65c1b519c13e2bfe1b8f976
version
2026.07.07·91
chip
ESP32-P4

Release notes

Every over-the-air update, newest first. Tap a version to read what changed.

2026.07.07·91 A proper password keyboard Jul 7, 2026
  • Fixed The Wi-Fi password screen now shows real dots as you type. Passwords and network names with punctuation no longer show empty boxes.
  • Fixed The on-screen keyboard fits fully on the screen, no more scrolling to reach the bottom row. The same fix applies to the sensor rename keyboard.
  • Fixed The Cancel and Join buttons no longer hide behind the clock bar on the password screen.
2026.07.07·90 Ferry and airport alerts at a glance Jul 7, 2026
  • New When a ferry service alert is active, a red ferry pill now appears at the top of the screen. Tap it to read the full notice.
  • New When flying conditions at the Block Island airport turn poor, a red plane pill appears beside it. Tap it for the details.
  • New Alerts opened from these pills close on their own after ten seconds, with a countdown shown, or right away with the Close button.
2026.07.07·88 A Wi-Fi scan that sees everything Jul 7, 2026
  • Fixed While connected, scanning for networks could show only the one you were already on. The scan now checks every channel individually, so all nearby networks appear.
  • Fixed Scanning while connected no longer briefly drops the connection afterward.
2026.07.07·87 Correct orientation for the case Jul 7, 2026
  • Fixed The display now shows right-side up for how the unit sits in its case, with touch lined up correctly to match.
2026.07.07·85 Wi-Fi that's fully yours Jul 7, 2026
  • Fixed Networks you joined from the Wi-Fi settings screen were not being remembered properly: after a restart or a software update the display could quietly forget them and fail to reconnect. Saved networks now register correctly every time the display starts, and they survive software updates and power cuts.
  • Changed The display no longer ships with any network built in. The networks you join are the only ones it knows, and the most recently joined one goes to the top of the list.
  • New The Wi-Fi screen now shows your saved networks alongside the scan results. Arrows set the order they are tried in (top first), and an X forgets a network.
  • Fixed Searching for networks while the display was offline could come back with "No networks found" even when networks were in range. The scan now retries on its own, so nearby networks show up reliably.
  • New A display with no Wi-Fi configured can also be set up over its USB port from a computer, as a rescue path.
Older release notes 47
2026.06.16·83 Notifications, simplified Jun 25, 2026
  • Changed The Notifications settings now fit on one screen, no scrolling. Each alert is a single line: its name, the current value, and two icons. A green power icon turns the alert on or off; a green bell turns its sound on or off.
  • Changed The value slider appears only when an alert is switched on, so the page stays calm and the active alerts are obvious at a glance. Alerts start switched off.
2026.06.16·80 Richer vessel details Jun 25, 2026
  • New Each moving boat on the Ships radar now shows a short heading line, so you can see which way it is going at a glance, not just where it is.
  • New Tap a vessel and the details now include where it is bound and its ETA when the boat broadcasts them, plus whether it is closing on you (with its nearest pass and how many minutes away) or moving off.
  • Improved A vessel's status is clearer: anchored, moored, fishing, or under sail now shows directly instead of being guessed from its speed.
2026.06.16·79 Memory tuning under the hood Jun 25, 2026
  • Improved Streamlined how the Ships radar handles taps and trimmed the display's memory use, leaving more headroom so it stays stable as new features are added. No change to what you see on screen.
2026.06.16·78 A bigger, tappable radar Jun 25, 2026
  • Improved The Ships radar is now larger, filling half the screen like the sky map, so the chart and vessels are easier to read.
  • New Tap any vessel on the radar to open its details, the same as tapping it in the list.
2026.06.16·77 Block Island on the radar Jun 25, 2026
  • Improved The Ships radar now has Block Island and the surrounding water drawn underneath it, like the sky map, so you can see at a glance where each vessel is in relation to the island.
2026.06.16·76 A cleaner navigation bar Jun 25, 2026
  • Changed The bottom navigation bar is simpler and better balanced. Home and Settings are now matching plain icons at the far left and right, and the screens in between (Sea, Sky, Ferry, Alerts and more) are spread evenly across the bar as labeled tabs. The option to switch the bar to an icon-only style has been removed in favor of this single, consistent layout.
2026.06.16·75 Ships screen polish Jun 25, 2026
  • Fixed A few characters were showing as empty boxes on the Ships screen and in the vessel details. They now display correctly.
2026.06.16·71 See the ships nearby Jun 25, 2026
  • New A new Ships screen shows the vessels around Block Island on a compass radar and a closest-first list. Each boat shows its name and type, how far off and in which direction, its speed, and whether it is close enough to make out by naked eye or with binoculars. Ferries, cargo ships, tankers, sailboats, fishing boats and more each get their own color, and the bigger the vessel the larger its dot on the radar.
  • New An optional alert lets you know when a notable vessel comes into range, such as a tall ship, a naval vessel, a research ship, or a megayacht. Turn it on under Settings, Notifications.
  • Changed Vessel positions are drawn from public marine-traffic data over the internet. The display shows them as cloud-sourced information; it does not yet have its own onboard receiver.
2026.06.16·70 A proper welcome at startup Jun 24, 2026
  • New When the display powers on, it now greets you: the Salt Light Instrument lighthouse and name ease into view on a calm black screen, rest there for a few seconds, then give way to your dashboard.
2026.06.16·66 Ferry times keep themselves current Jun 24, 2026
  • Improved The ferry times now update on their own. The display checks the official Block Island Ferry schedule and keeps the Ferry screen accurate as sailings shift through the season, so the times stay right with no software update. The day tabs follow along, and if the display is offline it falls back to the built-in timetable.
2026.06.16·65 Correct ferry times Jun 24, 2026
  • Fixed The Point Judith ferry times now match the official 2026 schedule, and they change with the day of the week. Both the traditional and high-speed boats are shown, and the weekday, Tuesday/Thursday, and weekend timetables each list their real departures instead of one fixed, out-of-date list. The day tabs on the Ferry screen now show each day's actual times too.
2026.06.16·64 Steadier tab bar Jun 23, 2026
  • Fixed The bottom tab bar no longer slides or rubber-bands when you swipe between screens. A swipe now just changes the screen, and the bar stays put.
2026.06.16·63 Tabs stay put on Settings Jun 23, 2026
  • Improved The bottom tab bar now stays visible on the Settings screen, so you can jump straight to any screen instead of swiping back first.
2026.06.16·62 Swiping follows the tabs Jun 23, 2026
  • Fixed Swiping between screens now moves in the same left-to-right order as the bottom tabs (Home, Sea, Sky, Ferry, Alerts, Signals), instead of jumping around. The Alerts screen is now part of the swipe sequence too.
2026.06.16·61 Tap feedback, tidied up Jun 23, 2026
  • Fixed Touching the sky map, the moon, or other readouts no longer dims them. The brief tap feedback now appears only on buttons and the settings tiles, where it belongs.
2026.06.16·60 A more refined Settings Jun 23, 2026
  • Improved The settings and configuration screens have a more polished, instrument-like look: an elegant serif heading on each one, a calm navy icon tile on every setting, a hairline rule under the title, and cleaner spacing. The everyday data screens are unchanged.
2026.06.16·59 Buttons that respond to your touch Jun 23, 2026
  • Improved Buttons and tiles now give a little visual feedback when you tap them: they dim briefly and show a soft outline while your finger is down, so it is clear the tap registered.
2026.06.16·58 A tidier Settings screen Jun 23, 2026
  • Improved Settings is simpler to navigate. Related options are now grouped into matching tiles you tap to open: Display (brightness, night mode, which pages show, the start screen, and the bottom bar style), Notifications (alert sound, volume, what sets off an alert and at what level, plus quiet hours), and Connectivity (Wi-Fi, offline mode, and privacy and data). The old row of small icons under the title is gone, so the screen is cleaner and everything has a clear home.
  • New Presence wake now has its own on and off switch under Settings, Display. When it is on, the screen wakes as you walk up and rests when the room is empty.
2026.06.16·53 The screen wakes when you walk up Jun 23, 2026
  • New The display now senses when someone is nearby. It wakes as you approach and quietly rests the screen after the room has been empty for a couple of minutes, then lights up again the moment you walk back. A tap still wakes it too.
2026.06.16·52 Name your Local Signals sensors Jun 22, 2026
  • New When a Local Signals receiver is connected, the display now discovers nearby Bluetooth sensors on its own (Govee, Xiaomi/ATC, and BTHome thermometers and hygrometers) alongside ESP-NOW sensors, showing temperature and humidity together with a small icon for how each one connects.
  • New Name your sensors: tap any sensor on the Local Signals screen to rename it (Bedroom, Garage, and so on), and the name is remembered across restarts. A Rescan button refreshes the list.
2026.06.16·51 Reliable automatic updates Jun 19, 2026
  • Fixed Automatic over-the-air updates now work reliably. The secure connection the display uses to check for new firmware was running short on memory and failing to complete on some units; the display now allocates that memory more efficiently during the check, so it can fetch and install updates on its own again.
2026.06.16·50 Radio at a glance Jun 19, 2026
  • New On the Local Signals screen, each connected sensor now shows a small icon for its radio, so you can tell at a glance how a device connects: a broadcast mark for ESP-NOW, the Bluetooth mark for BLE, with LoRa and others ready as the sensor lineup grows.
2026.06.16·49 Local Signals Jun 19, 2026
  • New Groundwork for Local Signals: nearby wireless sensors that report to the display. When a compatible sensor is connected, a new Signals tab appears showing its latest reading, along with signal strength, battery, and when it last reported. Displays without a sensor are unchanged, and you can hide the screen under Settings, Display.
2026.06.16·48 A calmer linen background Jun 18, 2026
  • Changed The shifting day/night background has been retired in favor of a calm, warm linen color behind every screen. Your cards of weather, tide, sky and ferry information sit cleanly on top, easy to read at a glance in any light. The on/off switch for the old living background is gone, since the background no longer changes.
2026.06.16·47 Tap an alert for the full story Jun 18, 2026
  • New On the Alerts screen, tap any alert to read its full text: the complete marine advisory, the ferry's service notice in full, or what a tripped surf, wind, rain, shark, aurora or air-quality alert means. Tap Close to go back.
  • Improved Ferry alerts are smarter. The display now raises a ferry alert only when the ferry posts a real service notice, and shows its full wording, instead of treating the ferry's everyday date marker as an alert.
2026.06.16·46 An Alerts screen Jun 18, 2026
  • New A new Alerts tab gathers everything that needs your attention in one place: marine advisories, ferry and airport alerts, and any of your own notification alerts that are currently tripped, like high surf, high wind, rain, a shark nearby, the aurora, or poor air quality. A small dot appears on the Alerts tab whenever something is active, and the screen reads "No active alerts" when all is calm.
  • Changed The header is tidier. The corner bell and the little condition pills are gone; what is happening now lives on the Alerts screen, and you still choose which alerts fire and at what thresholds under Settings, Notifications.
2026.06.16·45 A tab bar for getting around Jun 18, 2026
  • New A tab bar now sits at the bottom of the screen. Home, Sea, Sky and Ferry are one tap away, with a small settings button in the corner, so you no longer have to swipe through every screen to reach the one you want. Swiping still works if you prefer it.
  • New Two tab-bar styles to choose from under Settings, Display: a soft floating "Pill" bar that labels every tab (the default), or a minimal "Icons" bar that shows just icons and names only the screen you are on.
  • New A bell in the top corner opens your alerts from any screen.
  • Improved The header is slimmer and every page was re-flowed to fit, so cards sit evenly inside the screen with room to breathe. Cards are now a clean, consistent off-white throughout, and the living background is kept to the data screens while Settings stays plain for easy reading.
2026.06.16·44 A living background Jun 18, 2026
  • New A living background now sits behind every screen: a calm day/night color wash that shifts with the light, brighter by day and deep through the night, with the cards floating over it. It is on by default; turn it on or off under Settings, Display.
2026.06.16·41 Custom location moves the weather too Jun 17, 2026
  • Improved With Block Island Mode off and a custom location set, your live weather, tides, seas and air quality now follow that spot, not just the Moon and sky. Tides snap to the nearest station automatically, and marine advisories come from your own area. Block Island itself is unchanged.
  • Improved Swiping between screens is now instant. The old sliding animation could stutter on its way across the panel; pages now switch crisply the moment you swipe, with no judder.
2026.06.16·40 Guidance on every alert Jun 17, 2026
  • New Every alert's Tune screen now explains its setting in plain language, so you can choose a threshold with confidence. It tells you what wind starts blowing sand around and when umbrellas and tents give up, what wave height suits bodysurfing versus surfing, what a rain chance really means, how high the northern-lights index has to climb to see anything from here, and what an air-quality number means for a day outside. The tips are written for Block Island for now.
2026.06.16·39 Update check hardening Jun 17, 2026
  • Fixed The display now re-verifies with the server immediately before installing an update, so a stale "update available" can never make it reinstall the version it is already running.
2026.06.16·38 Update reliability fix Jun 17, 2026
  • Fixed The display no longer reinstalls firmware it already has. A timing quirk could make it briefly think an update was pending and reinstall the same version, which blanked the screen and restarted it for no reason. It now updates only when there is genuinely a newer version.
2026.06.16·37 Glance-ready home & lighter header Jun 17, 2026
  • New Home now shows the wind gust range alongside the steady wind, so you can see how gusty it really is at a glance.
  • New The overhead sky map labels each bearing with its numeric heading in degrees, not just the compass points.
  • New Advisory pills in the header surface the day's notable conditions right at the top, wherever you are in the display.
  • Improved The Notifications screen is more compact, so more of your alerts fit on screen at once.
  • Improved The header bar is 15% slimmer, and every page was re-flowed to make the most of the extra room.
  • New You can now turn individual pages off in Settings, to pare the display down to just the screens you care about.
  • New On-device attributions for the open-source software the display uses, plus the licensing files that ship with it.
  • New A plain-language privacy notice is now published on the website, spelling out exactly what the display does and does not share.
2026.06.16·36 Surf, at a glance Jun 17, 2026
  • Improved The Home screen's surf indicator is now a little swimmer standing in the water. The waterline rises with the wave height, and the face reads the day: a smile when it's rideable, a worried look when it's overhead. A quicker read than the old bars.
2026.06.16·35 Privacy & data controls Jun 17, 2026
  • New Privacy & data controls. A new “Privacy and data” screen (Settings → Connection) shows exactly what your display shares and puts you in charge. Basic diagnostics, counts only, like restarts and uptime, are on so we can spot problems and help faster; product-improvement data (which screens you use) stays off until you turn it on. Switch any of it off, or reset your unit's random ID, anytime.
  • New See what was sent. Your display's own local web page now shows the last diagnostics summary it sent and when, and a full plain-language privacy notice lives at ecin.net/privacy.
  • Improved Honest by design. Everything shared is counts and numbers only, never your location, your network, or anything on screen, sent only to Edge Coastal Instruments, never shared or sold.
2026.06.16·34 Custom location & power-loss safety Jun 16, 2026
  • New Set a custom location. Turn off Block Island Mode in Settings and dial in your own latitude and longitude. The Moon, planets and overhead sky map (and the sunrise/sunset times) are then computed for exactly your spot. Weather, tides and sea data stay Block Island.
  • Improved Power-loss safety. Settings are saved the moment you change them, and a cut power event is recorded in the event log, so a yanked plug can't quietly lose your preferences.
2026.06.16·33 Polish: aurora, ferry & ocean Jun 16, 2026
  • Improved Aurora activity now reads as a plain-language pill, “Glow on horizon,” “Overhead glow,” and so on, colour-coded by strength, with the raw Kp number kept small alongside.
  • Improved The Sea screen's water temperature now shows a warming/cooling arrow next to the trend, matching the Home screen.
  • New The Ferry “Done for the Day” stamp gained a cheeky line: “so start swimming.”
2026.06.16·32 Block Island Mode Jun 16, 2026
  • New Settings has a new “Block Island Mode” that pins the display to its home location, so the Moon, planets and sky map are always computed for exactly here. Groundwork for choosing a custom location.
2026.06.16·31 Air-quality alert & a ferry day-stamp Jun 16, 2026
  • New A new “Air quality” alert under Notifications can let you know when the air-quality index climbs past a level you choose, with its own quiet-hours.
  • New Once the last ferry of the day has sailed, the Ferry screen stamps the timetable with a “Done for the Day” mark. It clears for the new day at midnight.
2026.06.16·30 Ocean trends & a tidier sky Jun 16, 2026
  • New The Home screen shows whether the ocean is warming or cooling, with an arrow and the change right next to the water temperature.
  • New Surf height now has a quick visual gauge on Home: little rising bars that fill to the current size.
  • Improved The sky map now shows only what's actually above the horizon, for a cleaner overhead view.
2026.06.16·29 Air quality & aurora alerts Jun 16, 2026
  • New The Home screen now shows your local air-quality index at a glance, colour-coded from good to unhealthy.
  • New The Sky screen tracks aurora activity (the planetary Kp index), with an optional “Aurora” alert under Notifications.
  • Improved The sky map's bearing marks now include degree numbers around the rim.
2026.06.16·28 A clearer sky & sea, at a glance Jun 16, 2026
  • New The Home screen now shows ocean temperature and surf height at a glance, below a more compact tide chart.
  • Improved The Sky screen's overhead map has bearing marks around its rim; the Moon panel is tidier and the map has more room.
  • Improved Rise and set times now show with simple up and down arrows instead of the words “rise” and “set.”
2026.06.16·27 Ferry: plan any day, not just today Jun 16, 2026
  • Improved Tapping a day other than Today shows that day's full timetable with the first boat highlighted and the day named.
2026.06.16·26 A ferry board you can read at a glance Jun 16, 2026
  • Changed The Ferry screen is now a clean departure board: both directions side by side, with departure, boat type and arrival in tidy columns.
  • New Your next boat is highlighted with a live countdown (“in 12 min”) and its arrival, and the highlight moves down the board through the day.
  • Improved High-speed and traditional sailings are colour-coded; boats that have left are dimmed.
2026.06.16·25 Sky events, surf at a glance & quiet hours Jun 16, 2026
  • New Sky-event alerts: be told when something overhead is worth stepping outside for, like a full moon over open water or a bright planet well-placed in a dark sky.
  • New Tonight's Sky: a quick rundown of the Moon and each visible planet, with the best time to catch it.
  • New Surf at a glance: the Sea screen describes the waves in plain language, and whether it's clean groundswell or short-period chop.
  • New Quiet hours: alerts still appear on screen but stay silent overnight. Each alert can opt in or out.
2026.06.16·24 Offline mode Jun 16, 2026
  • New A new Offline mode in Settings → Connection: the display stops reaching the internet while everything local keeps working: screen, clock, sky map, saved weather and tides, event log, and the local web view.
2026.06.16·23 A true-to-life Moon Jun 16, 2026
  • New The Sky screen shows a photorealistic Moon: the real lunar surface, lit to tonight's exact phase, with earthshine on the dark side, computed entirely on the device.
  • Improved The overhead sky map is zoomed in closer on Block Island.
  • Fixed Sky-map markers now clearly show each body's state by colour; swiping no longer catches on the Sharks card; the event log records reliably from first boot.

Warranty

Every instrument is hand-built, and I stand behind the hardware. Coverage depends on which edition you have.

1 year

Launch Edition

The standard Salt Light Instrument is warranted against hardware defects for one year from delivery.

30 days

Maker's Kit, unlocked

The unlocked Maker's Kit is built to be opened, modified and tinkered with, so it carries a 30-day warranty against hardware defects from delivery.

Coverage is for manufacturing and hardware defects, not accidental or water damage, or normal wear. To start a claim, email feedback@ecin.net with your order details and a short description or photo of the issue.

Source code and licenses

The Salt Light Instrument firmware is open source under the GPLv3. Get the complete source, read the license, and see every third-party component, font and data source it is built on.

Written offer for source

For at least three years from the date you received your instrument, Edge Coastal Instruments will send you the complete corresponding source on physical media for no more than our cost of fulfilling the request. Email source@ecin.net with your device model and firmware version (shown on the device under Settings, Software).

Salt Light Instrument is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the open source projects or data providers it builds on; they are named only to credit their work. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed CC BY 4.0.