u/mfactory_osaka

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on a project called ESPTimeCast™, a WiFi-enabled LED matrix display built with ESP8266/ESP32 — and it just passed 1.4k ⭐ on GitHub 🎉

It can display:

• Time & weather
• Date and weekday
• Now playing (title + artist via Chrome extension, YouTube, Spotify, etc.)
• Custom messages (Web UI, Chrome extension, Home Assistant)
• Nightscout integration (Glucose monitoring)
• Home Assistant integration
• Countdown, Pomodoro timer, and more

The goal was to make something that looks clean but is also easy to set up.

🔧 You can install it in two ways:

• Web Installer (no coding required, take less than a minute)
• Upload via Arduino IDE (for full control)

Everything runs locally, and the device exposes a simple web UI for configuration.

Would love to hear what you think or any ideas for features 😉

https://esptimecast.github.io/

I just added a Stopwatch + Pomodoro timer to ESPTimeCast

Most 3D printable cases for max7219 work with this project and the code is available on GitHub.

If you don't want to tinker with Arduino IDE a Web installer is available and it takes less than a minute to get the project up and running ;)

Quick demo:
WiFi connect → day/time → outside temp → stopwatch → Pomodoro → back to clock

The Pomodoro follows the standard flow (25 min focus / 5 min break, with a longer 15 min break), but everything can be customized through the web UI or the Chrome extension.

These aren’t all the features, other features include:

• Web-Based Configuration – no apps required, configure everything from your browser
• Accurate Time Sync (NTP) with automatic retries and status feedback
• Live Weather Updates from OpenWeatherMap (temperature, humidity, conditions)
• Custom Scroll Messages with persistent display control
• Chrome extension - Auto-detects and displays music & video titles (YouTube, Spotify, Twitch, and more)
• Countdowns & Timers – create event countdowns with custom messages or run quick timers (e.g. 15 min)
• OTA Firmware Updates – update your device directly from the browser, no reflashing required
• Open API & Home Assistant Integration for automation, remote control, and custom messages
• Timezone Support using IANA database (DST handled automatically)
• Location Detection via “Get My Location” (Lat/Long auto-fill)
• Multi-language Support for weekday and weather descriptions

and many more ;)

Happy to answer any questions

I’ve just released a new update for ESPTimeCast: it now includes a fully built-in Pomodoro timer.

ESPTimeCast started as a Wi-Fi clock and weather station powered by an ESP8266/ESP32 and a MAX7219 LED matrix, but it keeps evolving into the kind of desk gadget I always wanted.

The new Pomodoro mode supports:

• Classic 25/5 workflow
• Fully customizable work and break durations
• Automatic long breaks after four sessions
• Pause, resume, restart, and stop commands
• Visual progress indicators right on the LED matrix

You can start it with simple message thru the Web UI or the Chrome extension like:

[POM]
[POMODORO]
[POMODORO 50-10]
[POMODORO 50-10-30]

It was a fun feature to build, and it fits surprisingly well on a tiny LED matrix.

If you’re into ESP projects, productivity gadgets, or ridiculously overengineered desk clocks, I’d love to hear what you think.