Lilygo T-Deck Maps

Introduction

I have done a series of articles now on the Ripple 'Qwerty' project, and the latest being for the popular T-Deck. I have now released a new firmware dubbed the 'Ultra' version, which now adds maps, group chats, shared calendars and more!

Please read up on the last article if not aware of this project.

Touch Screen

This version now takes advantage of the touch screen! You can navigate the UI either with the trackball, or with the 4-quadrant touch/tap navigation. There are also some keyboard shortcuts in some screens, like spacebar in home screen to switch between list/map view.

Maps!

The 'Ultra' firmware now has a raster map tile renderer, which can render any tiles in the popular scheme of 256x256 PNG tiles, as used by the original Google Maps tiles and now the Open Street Map tiles. There are many ways of downloading these, even commercial ones which have combined different datasets, like elevation lines, etc.

I have put some help info in the firmware download ZIP, but will mention here that there is a simple Arduino sketch here which you run on the T-Deck itself to download the tiles directly to the SD-card. Once the SD-card is loaded up, just flash the Ripple firmware back onto the T-Deck.

The home screen now looks like below, when the map tab is active. You switch between list/map view via the two icons on the left-hand side:

You can pan the map around using either the trackball, or by doing swipe gestures on the screen (up, down, left, right). Zoom in/out can either be via taps on the on-screen buttons, or via the 'W' and 'S' keyboard shortcuts.

If other Ripple Qwerty users (or Ripple Tactical Android app users) are in your group, and they have their location set to BROADCAST mode, you will see their live position as orange dots on the map. You can tap on the dot to jump straight into the conversation screen. If they have their location just set to ALLOW, then you can still see the orange dot, but will just be their last known position.

Post Office Features

The 'Ultra' firmware now also includes support for a special dedicated repeater called the 'Post Office', which you need to setup and create user accounts on (using the Ripple Commander app). Once this is setup, it unlocks really powerful community features. There is some info here.

I have a DIY build guide for making the physical repeater, with easy to obtain parts.

Once activated on your T-Deck, you can subscribe to group chats (there can be multiple, for different purposes or topics) or shared calendars. The group chats also support Surveys and Quizzes, which users can respond to by selecting from multiple-choice items you define.

You will also automatically get the benefit of message store-and-forward. If you send a message and that user is offline or out of range, the post office repeater will queue the message until they are back. Similar for you, when you come back into range, any messages queued up will automatically be downloaded. There is a little orange dot rendered next to messages that were queued, just to give a visual indicator.

NEW: Ver 2 firmware

A new firmware version is now available, with active piezo buzzer support and an improved map tile rendering engine. Before, when you zoom in to a zoom level where you have no downloaded tiles on the SD card, or pan to an area you haven't downloaded, you just got a black screen :-( Now, it renders the next 2 upper zoom levels at either 2x or 4x magnification:

For the buzzer support you need to do a bit of wiring/soldering. Solder an active buzzer GND to T-Deck GND, and buzzer (+) to pin 43 (the TX pin):

NEW - Python Map Tile Downloader

If you want to download specific areas and zoom levels, Alberto Cajiao has kindly shared his Python script on github: https://github.com/fistulareffigy/MTD-Script

Flashing the Firmware

First, get the firmware here.

Turn on the T-Deck by sliding the power switch on the right-hand side downward.

You can use any ESP32 flashing tool to flash the firmware. I have a general guide here.NOTE: the T-Deck must first be placed into DFU mode by pressing down the trackball, holding it down the clicking the small reset button on the left-hand side.

Conclusion

I have put an enormous amount of time and effort into this project, and have tried various ways to obtain financial support over the years. For the 'Ultra' firmware (and beyond), I have switched to the Freemium model. It's a free download, and most of the features are completely free. You will need to purchase an Unlock Code, however, to see maps at more detailed zoom levels, or to use the Post Office community features. ˆI think this is a fair balance, and will support continued development.

I hope this new firmware really puts some new life into the T-Deck, and is used in some great remote locations!

regards,Scott Powell.