TURN A 50 DOLLARS PIXEL CLOCK INTO A LIVE DASHBOARD FOR YOUR WHOLE SMART HOME
Flash open firmware onto a 50 dollars pixel clock and turn it into a live Home Assistant display that runs entirely offline.
by Blueforcer
DisplaysAutomation
- difficulty
- ●●○○○
- time
- an evening
- license
- CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE2,339 stars
●●○○○ · an evening · CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 · 2,339 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
Awtrix 3 is firmware for the Ulanzi TC001, a 45–55 dollars pixel clock with a 32×8 RGB matrix. You flash it from the browser in under ten minutes, no soldering or disassembly, and it becomes a local MQTT display for Home Assistant notifications, sensor readings, timers, weather, and custom animations. The installation is genuinely reversible — hold two buttons and the stock firmware comes back. The single hardest part is not the flash, it is getting MQTT and Home Assistant talking if you have never done that before; the wiki assumes you already have an MQTT broker running. If you do not, add an hour to set up Mosquitto. The hardware itself is solid, the firmware is actively maintained, and the community has built hundreds of custom apps. The non-commercial license means you cannot sell clocks running this firmware, but for personal use it is one of the cleanest hardware hacks around. The thing most likely to go wrong is buying a knock-off TC001 clone that does not use the same ESP32 pinout — stick to the Ulanzi-branded version.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —Firmware repository is complete: web flasher, compiled binaries, JSON API docs, and a full wiki.
- —No hardware files — this is firmware for the commercial Ulanzi TC001 clock.
- —The wiki covers installation, MQTT setup, Home Assistant integration, and custom apps.
- —License is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: non-commercial use only, share-alike required.
- —The flasher runs in Chrome/Edge from flash.blueforcer.de, no local toolchain needed.
- —2,300+ stars, active development, last commit within the last week.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Partner · KickstarterBluHub reads and burns Blu-ray/DVD/CD, adds USB-C, USB-A, SD/TF and 10 Gbps data — plug and play, grand-piano finish.
Videos
Community walkthrough covering flash and initial setup
Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Check you have the Ulanzi TC001, not a clone — the flasher expects specific ESP32 pins(Clones exist and some do not match the pinout)
- 2.Open flash.blueforcer.de in Chrome or Edge and follow the one-click flash(Takes about 5 minutes, fully browser-based)
- 3.Set up an MQTT broker if you do not have one — Mosquitto on Home Assistant is the common path(The wiki assumes MQTT is already running; if not, budget an extra hour)
- 4.Configure the clock's WiFi and MQTT settings via the web interface at its IP address(The clock broadcasts its own AP on first boot for setup)
- 5.Install the Home Assistant integration or send test messages over MQTT to confirm it works(The wiki has JSON examples for every app type)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
- Build video youtube.com
- Build video youtube.com
- Build video youtube.com
- Project site blueforcer.github.io
Partner · KickstarterCORE POWER BANK S: 0.2" thin, 2.8 oz, 5000 mAh with 22.5W fast charging. Semi-solid battery, carbon fiber, IPX7 waterproof.
KNOWN ISSUES
- Buying a TC001 clone instead of the Ulanzi original — some use different ESP32 modules and the flash will fail or produce a dead clock.
- Not having an MQTT broker running before you start — the clock will flash fine but you will see nothing until MQTT is configured, and setting up Mosquitto from scratch takes an hour if you have never done it.
- Expecting plug-and-play Home Assistant integration — you need the custom MQTT sensor/notification config, it does not auto-discover.
- Using Safari or Firefox for the flash — the web serial API only works in Chrome and Edge.
- The non-commercial license: you cannot sell these clocks or run them in a commercial setting without separate permission.
- Assuming the clock has a battery for time — it does not, it pulls time from NTP over WiFi, so if your network is down the time will be wrong.
Can I go back to the stock Ulanzi firmware if I change my mind?
Yes, hold the two buttons during power-on and it reverts to the original firmware — fully reversible.
Do I need Home Assistant, or can I use this standalone?
You can send MQTT messages from anything — Node-RED, Python scripts, cron jobs. Home Assistant is just the most common use case.
What is the refresh rate like for sensor updates?
MQTT messages are near-instant; the limiting factor is how often your sensors publish. Most people report sub-second updates for door/motion events.
Can I run custom animations or icons?
Yes, you send 32×8 bitmap data over MQTT in JSON format. The community has built a library of icons and the wiki documents the format.
Does it work with other smart home platforms like Google Home or Alexa?
Not directly — it is MQTT-only. You would need a bridge or script to relay events from those ecosystems into MQTT.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The TC001 costs about $50, the flash takes ten minutes, and there are already hundreds of custom apps in the community wiki — what would you show on yours first?
Blueforcer
Blueforcer built Awtrix 3 as the successor to the original Awtrix project, moving from custom hardware to a flash-and-go approach using the widely available Ulanzi TC001. The firmware has been in active development since 2022 and has attracted a large community building custom apps and integrations.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM24d agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the GitHub repo is the primary source and is actively maintained with commits in the last week. The web flasher at flash.blueforcer.de is live and works as advertised in Chrome. There is no official YouTube channel from Blueforcer — the good walkthroughs are community-made. The single biggest time sink is not the clock itself, it is getting Mosquitto or another MQTT broker running if you have never set one up before; the wiki assumes you already have that piece in place. The non-commercial license is clearly stated in the repository and applies to the firmware, not the hardware.