r/busyapp

This isn’t a comment on gunk existing or not existing. I understand people’s issue with the gunk. It’s merely a comment showing that it can be easily cleaned with some alcohol wipes and a good microfiber cloth. (I used the one that came with my iPad)

It took me 5 wipes (alcohol evaporates quickly after all) and about 15 minutes and I have a perfectly clean screen with no scratches.

Be patient and use the proper tools and it will clean up just fine.

So i’ve been trying to connect my work calendar. According to the documentation there should be a settings icon somewhere on my calendar next to the remove button but i’m not seeing it. Sharing a screenshot from my phone but it’s not showing up in my desktop browser either. there’s no option to edit at all on this screen, just remove.

Sorry guys, the concept is great, I had been looking for this type of display for years... But this ain't it.

I was ticked off by the fact that the US got their stuff before Canada, I was ticked off that you wouldn't charge me in USD instead of your terrible CAD exchange rate, but I figured the product would be good.

Turns out I got #1 like this, support sent me another and as I start to peel the protector... it's still covered in glue.

Y'all may be using the most fragile plastic in the world for this, you should have charged $5 more and shipped them with a preinstalled screen protector.

I will leave software aside for this review as that can be improved, but this v1 hardware isn't worth $300. The wheel on my first unit was extremely imprecise (didn't try the second one) and it was unusable with the app, only in wired mode. Battery life was also very poor.

All in all, I will try building my own LED dot matrix display with an ESP32 for now, I'm out. I would rather return it and get a full refund, hopefully after 2 defective bars that's an option.

I made another little native app for the BUSY Bar, this time mainly as a fun way to show off different graphics and animations.

It runs completely locally on the device, just like my Meeting Cost app. No browser, API, PC connection or cloud stuff needed once it’s flashed.

The app pulls both animations and still images directly from the BUSY Bar’s existing firmware asset folders, so it can reuse the graphics that are already there instead of duplicating them, and you can choose which ones you want.

You can scroll through the available statuses with the wheel, and the list wraps around continuously, so there’s no real beginning or end. The rear display shows the current status in the middle with inverted colors, along with the surrounding items so you can see what’s coming next and what you just passed.

I also started adding my own custom animations to the same system. So far I’ve made a little Pac-Man animation, which turned out way better than I expected 😄

Mostly just a small show-and-tell project, but I’m having way too much fun turning the BUSY Bar into a tiny animated status machine.

I held off purchasing the BusyBar to wait for reviews, and was glad I did after seeing all the screen glue residue posts. Eventually BusyBar addressed the issue and stated that it was resolved. I took this to mean that I was safe to purchase and would receive a unit with no problems. But lo and behold, my screen is covered in sticky gunk. I’m very disappointed that they claimed to have fixed the problem yet I still received this mess.

I just received my 2nd unit. This one again has glue residue over the entire screen. I again tried to use the recommended method and again the residue is just not coming off. Am sending this one back, too. The question is whether it's worth trying for a 3rd unit? *sigh*

Was interested in the official Wall Mount, but I would like a way to add magnets so I can snap it to a server rack at work or my fridge at home.

I couldn't find any existing solution, so I designed my own 3D model that prints pretty well in PLA, PETG, or even PC that matches the actual housing of the Bar.

The hooks are tuned to use the natural sag of the filament during 90° overhangs to click into the back of the BUSY Bar and lock in place. Fully portable, no need for gravity or screwing directly to the Bar itself!

If you are interested, check out the model and print profile on MakerWorld:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3153233-busy-bar-magnetic-wall-mount

Features:

• 4x slots for D16x3mm neodymium magnets, plenty strong to hold up the BUSY Bar
• Optionally, in place of magnets, holes for #8 (5/32 in.) screws to mount directly to the wall
• Optionally, flat back so you can also use double-sided tape in place of either screws or magnets
• Prints flat, no support
• Sits flush with the back of the device, allowing full access to the bottom of the Bar for USB connection

Hi everyone! I made a little native app called Meeting Cost for the BUSY Bar, mainly because I wanted something mildly terrifying to put on the table during meetings.

It’s not using the BUSY API, a browser, or a PC connection. It’s a proper app compiled directly into the BUSY Bar firmware, so once flashed it runs completely standalone on the device.

The app has the same general menu/navigation style as the built-in Clock app:

Start immediately starts a meeting using the saved settings, while Settings lets me configure participant count, meeting duration, hourly cost per person, and how often the displayed cost updates (1/2/5/10 seconds). The settings are stored locally on the device.

During a meeting, the front RGB display shows the running cost together with a progress bar. The bar grows as the meeting progresses and continuously changes colour from green towards red as it approaches 100%. I made it 5 pixels high so it’s actually visible rather than being a sad little single-pixel line.

The rear display shows the remaining meeting time and current cost, while the front effectively shows the meeting progressing. The Start button pauses/resumes the timer, and Back opens an “End meeting?” screen instead of accidentally killing the session.

If the meeting runs past the configured duration, the progress bar stays fully red, the timer goes into overtime, the cost keeps increasing, and the cost text starts gently pulsing between red and almost white as a subtle “this meeting should probably have ended by now” alarm.

I also made custom app icons; a tiny gold coin on the colour display and a matching monochrome coin for the rear.

In the future I'm planning on adding a selector to show/use different currencies.

So basically it turns every meeting into a live financial damage counter. Completely unnecessary. I love it.