Sonoff NSPanel Blueprint - Configure your own custom NSPanel easy via a Blueprint

jjtyper · February 11, 2024, 11:38am

Did not think of that idea, thanks I will give that a try

PatrikPatrik · February 11, 2024, 2:51pm

It did work - I replaced everything in the yaml file and cahnged the deveice_name from sonofpanel1 to sonofpanel2 - every thing worked perfectly. However, when I rebooted home assistant it seems to have reverted the names - I can access the panel as sonofpanel1 in ESPhome integration - but in the ESPhome addon the Sobof panel is off-line - vert strange

substitutions:
device_name: “sonofpanel2”

PatrikPatrik · February 11, 2024, 2:59pm

And a bunch of the Configuration items are greyed out:
s
onofpanel1 Confirmation Message:
This entity is no longer being provided by the esphome integration. If the entity is no longer in use, delete it in settings.

EdwardTFN · February 11, 2024, 3:10pm

Please take a look at this: https://github.com/Blackymas/NSPanel_HA_Blueprint/blob/d704de853a029197a2ca8fe9c8466edef0c277d8/docs/error_initializing.md#blueprint-is-not-detected

The last step, “Reconnect the Panel’s device to Home Assistant” may help.

EdwardTFN · February 12, 2024, 11:38am

v4.2.5 - Celebrating 1000 Stars with Enhanced Functionality and UI Improvements

With the 1000-star milestone on GitHub, we’re excited to share Patch v4.2.5, enhancing the NSPanel Firmware experience in our spare time. This update refines climate and cover entity interfaces, boosts hardware button responsiveness, and integrates ESPHome’s friendly_name for easier device identification. We’ve also expanded direct TFT download capabilities from GitHub to Arduino users, previously only available for ESP-IDF users. This achievement, powered by community support, is a significant stride towards simplifying user experience for NSPanel firmware.

We highly recommend all users update their components to this latest version for an optimized and enhanced user experience.
While this update is compatible with existing v4.2 components, fully updating ensures the best performance and usability.

Breaking Changes:

Custom entities naming changed. If your setup includes custom entities using ${device_name} in their names, please modify these entities to omit ${device_name}. ESPHome will now automatically append the friendly_name or device_name from your substitutions, simplifying the naming process.
Show while loading input is deprecated and all pages will show components while loading as default.

Additionally, we have updated our documentation to include comprehensive guidelines on memory requirements for ESPHome, ensuring users are well-informed for successful system setup and operation.

Overview of Changes:

Change	Criticality	Affected Components
Long Click Action Bug Fix for Hardware Button (#1637)	Minor	`Blueprint`
Fix Display of Climate Icons on Chips (#1675)	Minor	`Blueprint`
Fix Icon’s Colors on Home Page Values (#1694)	Minor	`Blueprint`
Alarm Keypad Arm/Disarm Fix for US Model (#1705)	Minor	`TFT file (US model only)`
LocalTuya Fan Speed Controls Fix (#1706)	Minor	`Blueprint`
Fix Update of Media Player Icons on Custom Buttons (#1716)	Minor	`Blueprint`
Motion Sensor for Display Wake-Up (#1687)	Enhancement	`Blueprint`
Enhanced Consistency in Cover Controls (#1688)	Enhancement	`Blueprint`
Support ESPHome `friendly_name` (#1719)	Enhancement	`Blueprint` `ESPHome`
Improved Blueprint Input Clarity (#1722 and #1782)	Enhancement	`Blueprint`
Enhanced Memory Allocation When Uploading TFT (`esp-idf` only)	Enhancement	`ESPHome`
Expanded Visualization on Chips	Enhancement	`Blueprint`
Direct TFT Transfer from GitHub for Arduino Users	Enhancement	`ESPHome`
Baud Rate Adjustment for TFT Uploads	Enhancement	`ESPHome`
Update docs (install.md) with memory requirements (#1720)	Documentation	`Documentation`

Key Improvements:

Long Click Action Bug Fix for Hardware Button: Resolved a bug where long click actions weren’t executing on hardware buttons if no entity was assigned. This fix ensures that custom actions linked to long presses will now run as intended, regardless of whether an entity is assigned to the button, offering greater flexibility and reliability in user interactions.
Fix Display of Climate Icons on Chips: Enhanced the functionality of climate entity chips. Now, the chip is displayed only when the climate entity has an active HVAC action. This change ensures that the chip is hidden in states like ‘Idle’ or other non-active states,
aligning the display behavior with the operational status of the climate entity for improved accuracy and user experience.
Fix Icon’s Colors on Home Page Values: Addressed an issue where icons for sensor domain entities on the home page were incorrectly displaying colors indicative of an “entity disabled” state. This fix ensures that the icons now reflect their correct status, enhancing the visual accuracy and user interface experience.
Alarm Keypad Arm/Disarm Fix for US Model: Resolved an issue specific to the US model, where alarms requiring a PIN to arm/disarm were not functioning correctly. This fix, applied through an update to the TFT file, ensures that users with these alarm systems can reliably arm and disarm their security devices.
LocalTuya Fan Speed Controls Fix: Addressed an issue with LocalTuya fan speed controls not functioning as expected. Users can now seamlessly adjust their fan speeds through the Blueprint interface, enhancing control and interaction with smart home devices.
Fix Update of Media Player Icons on Custom Buttons: Corrected an issue where media player icons on custom buttons were not updating in real-time to reflect the current playback status. This fix ensures that the icons dynamically represent the media player’s state, improving the interface’s responsiveness and accuracy.
Motion Sensor for Display Wake-Up: We’ve introduced a feature that allows users to specify a motion, presence, or door sensor to wake up the display, enhancing the panel’s responsiveness. Each detected motion or sensor activation event triggers the panel to wake up, with the sleep timer resetting with every new detection. While the panel will still follow the pre-set sleep duration settings regardless of continuous motion or sensor activity, this initial implementation marks a significant step in making user interactions more dynamic and intuitive.
Enhanced Consistency in Cover Controls: Building upon the dynamic icons feature introduced in v4.2.2, we’ve further refined the cover controls. This enhancement extends the use of device_class to the detailed cover page, ensuring that the icons for opening and closing covers are more accurately representative of the cover type. This update is a step towards our goal of extending context-aware UI enhancements to other supported domains in future updates.
Friendly Name Support in ESPHome: Enhanced the Blueprint’s compatibility with ESPHome’s friendly_name feature.
Previously, using friendly_name could disrupt communication between the Blueprint and ESPHome due to mismatches in entity and service names. This update resolves these issues, ensuring seamless integration. Users can now utilize the friendly_name substitution in their YAML setup to assign more intuitive and descriptive names to their devices, significantly improving the ease of device identification and overall user experience.
Improved Blueprint Input Clarity: Simplified the naming of Blueprint inputs for better clarity and ease of use. Labels such as “Button14” have been updated to more descriptive formats like “Button page 2, Button 6”. Additionally, terms like “LABEL COLOR” have been refined to “Text Color” to improve understanding related to sensor display customization.
Enhanced Memory Allocation When Uploading TFT (esp-idf only): Optimized memory management for TFT uploads on systems using the esp-idf framework. This update prevents simultaneous HTTP server connections, allowing for better memory allocation and reducing the risk of system crashes due to memory shortages. It does not affect users on the arduino framework. Additionally, the log for the upload process now includes detailed memory usage data, providing valuable insights for troubleshooting and system performance enhancement.
Expanded Visualization on Chips: Enhanced the home page chips to display not only Media Player entities but now also Fan entities, among previously supported domains. This update broadens the informative visual feedback available on the home page, offering a more comprehensive and visually engaging snapshot of the device status within the user interface.
Direct TFT Transfer from GitHub for Arduino Users: Enhanced the TFT update process for Arduino users by enabling direct transfer of TFT files from GitHub to Nextion displays, mirroring the functionality previously available to ESP-IDF users. This streamlines the update workflow, removing the need for intermediate steps like using a local HTTP server, and making it easier to keep Nextion displays up-to-date.
Documentation Update on Memory Requirements for ESPHome: Enhanced the installation documentation to include detailed guidelines on memory requirements. This update addresses frequent user-reported compilation errors in ESPHome, attributed to insufficient memory on compiler servers. The updated section outlines recommended memory configurations for different installation scenarios, ensuring smoother compilation processes. A special acknowledgement to @andythomas for his valuable contributions to this update.
Baud Rate Adjustment for TFT Uploads: This update introduces a baud rate selector in the device’s “Configuration” area, allowing users to lower the transfer speed from the default 921600 bps. This enhancement is particularly useful for troubleshooting transfer issues,
providing a straightforward method to improve transfer reliability by adjusting the speed to accommodate different system capabilities.

For support, feedback, or detailed information about this update, visit our GitHub repository or our online documentation.

SuperElma · February 12, 2024, 2:19pm

does this Blueprint also work with the nspanelPRO?

EdwardTFN · February 12, 2024, 6:16pm

No. This is ESPHome based, and the NSPanel Pro isn’t compatible with ESPHome.

jeroenva1981 · February 12, 2024, 10:01pm

Hi all, can’t find it anywhere, but the screensaver supposed to be a standard page right? Or is it an add on?

EdwardTFN · February 12, 2024, 11:53pm

Screensaver is the name of the page published when the display is sleeping. It is a standard page.

mathewtaylor2007 · February 14, 2024, 2:48am

Did you ever solve the default page issue?

EdwardTFN · February 14, 2024, 6:41am

Go to the device’s page (Settings > Devices & Services > ESPHome) and select the “Wake-up page”.

EdwardTFN · February 16, 2024, 11:53pm

v4.2.6 - Enhancing Stability and User Experience

Patch v4.2.6 addresses a mix of medium and minor bugs alongside UI enhancements, focusing on streamlining user experiences with the NSPanel Firmware. Key fixes include improving responsiveness in button pages for automation and scenes entities, correcting sensor display issues, and smoothing out TFT uploads. Notable improvements also include syncing with HA core 2024.2 and refining documentation for memory usage during customizations, reflecting a responsive and evolving approach to user feedback and system performance and reliability.

Overview of Changes:

Change	Criticality	Affected Components
Buttons pages slow when constructing `automation` and `scene` entities (#1746)	Medium	Blueprint
Fix Sensors Displaying “None” as Units (#1792 and #1804)	Medium	Blueprint
Fix compilation error when installing `nspanel_esphome_core.yaml` without Upload TFT add-on (#1803)	Medium	ESPHome
Long Click Action Bug Fix for Hardware Button (#1637)	Minor	Blueprint
Fix `Nextion reported variable name invalid!` when uploading TFT (#1794)	Minor	ESPHome
Calendar/Schedule icon permanently displayed when using climate entity. #1265	Minor	Blueprint
Sync icons with HA core 2024.2 (#1800)	Enhancement	Blueprint
Improved documentation about memory considerations when using customizations (#1801)	Enhancement	Documentation

Key Improvements:

Buttons pages slow when constructing automation and scene entities: Improved the load times and responsiveness of button pages when constructing automation and scene entities, enhancing the user interface’s efficiency.
Fix Sensors Displaying “None” as Units: Corrected an issue where sensors improperly displayed “None” for units of measurement, ensuring accurate and meaningful data representation.
Fix compilation error when installing nspanel_esphome_core.yaml without Upload TFT add-on: Addressed a compilation error that occurred when the Upload TFT add-on was not included, streamlining the installation process for users.
Long Click Action Bug Fix for Hardware Button: Resolved a bug where long click actions weren’t executing on hardware buttons if no entity was assigned. This fix ensures that custom actions linked to long presses will now run as intended, regardless of whether an entity is assigned to the button, offering greater flexibility and reliability in user interactions. This was supposed to be fixed with v4.2.5, however the bug was reintroduced before the release.
Fix Nextion reported variable name invalid! when uploading TFT: Resolved an error message logged during the TFT file upload process, where Nextion displays reported a variable name as invalid. This fix ensures a smoother and error-free update experience for TFT files, enhancing the reliability of display updates.
Calendar/Schedule icon permanently displayed when using climate entity: Resolved a bug where the calendar/schedule chip was shown when the climate is in auto mode, now ensuring icons reflect the current status accurately.
Sync icons with HA core 2024.2: Updated the Blueprint icons to align with Home Assistant core 2024.2, refreshing the visual elements and ensuring consistency with the broader HA ecosystem. Thanks again to @illuzn.
Improved documentation about memory considerations when using customizations: Updated the documentation to include detailed memory usage considerations, particularly focusing on bluetooth_proxy. Special thanks to @illuzn for their contributions to this enhancement.

For support, feedback, or detailed information about this update, visit our GitHub repository or our online documentation.

PavelKCZ · February 17, 2024, 5:27pm

Hello,

can anyone tell me how I can implement a thermometer with alarm on NSPanel EU ?

I built an ESPHome based food thermometer for temperature measurement of internal temperature of beef etc. in my oven.
I have the actual temperature in the form of sensor.CalibratedTemp and I also have the input number slider which I can use for temperature setting.
I want to be able to set the threshold temperature on NSPanel, see the actual temperature on NSPanel and use the HA alarm condition to play some sound on NSPanel.
I tried to implement it as an Entity page in the blueprint, but I can only see the actual temperature and the actual value of the input number slider (with slider icon). But I am not able to manipulate the slider with NSPanel touch screen.

What am I doing wrong ? Should I implement the thermometer as something else ?

UPDATE: I also tried to create the thermostat as a GenericThermostat as a Climate entity in configuration.yaml.
This works only partly. I can see the Climate unit in HA, I can add this entity as a Climate in the NSPanel blueprint and I can see the icon of this Climate entity at NSPanel. But the icon (thermometer at the top of the display, just above outdoor temperature and weather icon) is gray and I cannot open the page with Climate buttons and dial control.

EdwardTFN · February 17, 2024, 11:04pm

Try to assign the climate entity to one of the custom buttons in the home page, as those are clickable.

PavelKCZ · February 17, 2024, 11:23pm

Thanx a lot.
Now, it is working.

Wingnut · February 23, 2024, 5:36pm

I’ve had the NSPanel flashed with ESPhome and configured using this Blackymas template. It controls my Central Heating too with one of the relays. Been working fine for 6 months or so.
Just come back from a long holiday and found lots of HA Integration/add-on updates due so just rolled through them including one for ESPHome (to 2023.12.9) and I think the NSPanel.
Now all the configuration stuff on the Panel itself has gone and no Central heating.
I’ve still got the ESPHome config file and the populated automation templates and so tried reinstalling them and uploading the templates but still nothing is working.
Looking at the Log from the ESPHome Add-On this repeats every 1 minute.

[23:20:57][D][esp32.preferences:114]: Saving 1 preferences to flash...
[23:20:57][D][esp32.preferences:143]: Saving 1 preferences to flash: 1 cached, 0 written, 0 failed
[23:21:07][D][sensor:094]: 'ntc_source': Sending state 1.75800 V with 2 decimals of accuracy
[23:21:07][D][resistance:039]: 'resistance_sensor' - Resistance 12768.9Ω
[23:21:07][D][sensor:094]: 'resistance_sensor': Sending state 12768.87207 Ω with 1 decimals of accuracy
[23:21:07][D][ntc:026]: 'Temperature' - Temperature: 19.6°C
[23:21:07][D][sensor:094]: 'Temperature': Sending state 19.59893 °C with 1 decimals of accuracy
[23:21:07][D][climate:396]: 'Thermostat' - Sending state:
[23:21:07][D][climate:399]:   Mode: OFF
[23:21:07][D][climate:401]:   Action: OFF
[23:21:07][D][climate:419]:   Current Temperature: 19.60°C
[23:21:07][D][climate:425]:   Target Temperature: 18.00°C
[23:21:07][D][addon_climate_base.climate.thermostat_embedded.on_state:055]: Starting
[23:21:07][D][script:077]: Script 'refresh_notification' restarting (mode: restart)
[23:21:07][D][addon_climate_base.climate.thermostat_embedded.on_state:058]: Finished
[23:21:07][W][component:214]: Component adc.sensor took a long time for an operation (0.05 s).
[23:21:07][W][component:215]: Components should block for at most 20-30ms.
[23:21:08][D][sensor:094]: 'RSSI': Sending state -50.00000 dBm with 0 decimals of accuracy
[23:21:15][D][text_sensor:064]: 'Version ESPHome': Sending state '4.2.5'
[23:21:15][D][text_sensor.version_esphome:1773]: ESPHome version: 4.2.5
[23:21:15][D][script:077]: Script 'check_versions' restarting (mode: restart)
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3209]: Wi-Fi:         Good (-50 dBm)
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3228]: API:           Connected
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3246]: Blueprint:
[23:21:30][W][script.watchdog:3251]:   Init steps:  0 (0.0%)
[23:21:30][W][script.watchdog:3252]:   State:       Pending
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3253]: Requesting blueprint settings
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3263]: ESPHome:
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3264]:   Version:     4.2.5
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3275]:   Heap:        118988 bytes (40%)
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3277]:   Framework:   ESP-IDF
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3280]: UART:
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3281]:   Baud rate:   115200 bps
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3282]:   Queue size:  8
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3286]: Nextion:
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3287]:   Queue size:  2
[23:21:30][I][script.watchdog:3289]:   Is setup:    True

I read in the Blackymas Github page about keeping ESPHome, TFT file and Blueprint versions in sync, so I tried updating the TFT file as per the instructions but nothing seemed to happen.
On the NSPanel Device page under Diagnostic it was telling me:

Version Blueprint       Unknown [Pretty sure it's 4.1.4]
Version ESPHome         4.2.5
Version TFT             4.1.4

So I looked for the TFT file to load locally (as I did for the original install) but confused by the ‘Bump to 4.2.6’ thing!

Anyway, I did the updates of the TFT file locally and then the Blueprint and got it working of sorts. But all my automations and stuff were not and I found I had to add a ‘_2’ to all of the referenced Entities! Somehow it had duplicated the Entities so needed the added ‘_2’. Versions now are

Version Blueprint       4.2.6]
Version ESPHome         4.2.5
Version TFT             4.2.6

Clearly I did something wrong so some advice on how to deal with future updates of ESPHome (another one is pending no) would be welcomed.

Wingnut · February 23, 2024, 5:55pm

On another note, I’m planning to add a second NSPanel with the Template upstairs next to my airing cupboard. Is it possible to add 3 or 4 1-Wire DS18B20 temperature sensors to it along with a GPIO output that I can make go low to turn the Hot Water on and off, and another to sense as an input whther the Hot Water is on or off? IE. Are there 3 GPIOs accessible on the Panel and can I configure the Template (or something) to read the incoming temperatures on one, the hot water status on another, and write a brief low to the 3rd?

jayjay · February 24, 2024, 10:34am

I did use it too, for alarm. The buzzer function play.

jayjay · February 24, 2024, 10:41am

Another thing, I already mentioned and maybe it is me, but I still do miss my sleep toggle button in which the screen goes absolutely black no back light or anything.
I finally had to upgrade to the latest version, a few days ago, till then I had not due to buzzer play missing, and no sleep button, alas due to circumstances I had to update.
Broke my wifi first thing, so no wireless after update no IP address obtained so had to break the panel out of the wall. But now as I feared the dimlevel 0 sec and timeout sleep 0 sec as offered as a better option then the sleep button does not switch off the glow of the display so it is like a beacon in the night next to my head.
How to turn off the back light now, so it goes black as in off.

Apart from that, I think it is amazing how well other things work, and appreciate all the work in making it easier to upgrade.

AlexeyHimki · February 24, 2024, 10:52am

Hello

How can I implement two different automations for short press and long hardware button press?