Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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General
Q: Does SVITRIX work without a smart home system?
A: Yes, partially. SVITRIX comes with built-in apps for time, date, temperature, humidity, and battery level — they work right out of the box without any external system.
However, SVITRIX is primarily designed as a smart home companion. To unlock its full potential — custom apps, notifications, remote control — you need an external system (HomeAssistant, IOBroker, NodeRed, etc.) that communicates via MQTT or HTTP API.
Q: Can I use different matrix sizes other than 32x8?
A: No. SVITRIX is optimized for the Ulanzi TC001, which uses a 32x8 pixel matrix (256 LEDs). Other sizes are not supported.
Flashing & Installation
Q: I'm getting an error while flashing with the SVITRIX Web Flasher
A: Try a different USB cable and USB port. Some cables (including the one bundled with the device) support charging only, not data transfer. A good data cable is the most common fix.
Q: I only have 192KB of free flash memory. What's wrong?
A: The Ulanzi stock firmware uses a different partition table with a smaller filesystem partition.
To get the full ~1350KB of available storage, flash using the SVITRIX online flasher — it writes to all partitions including the filesystem. The Ulanzi OTA updater only writes to the app partition and leaves the old partition layout in place.
Display & Icons
Q: I'm experiencing drawing glitches with my icons
A: The SVITRIX GIF renderer supports 8-bit GIFs. If you notice graphic glitches, your GIF likely has transparency. Replace transparent pixels with solid black using an online tool like this one.
Q: I have a blinking indicator in the corner. What does it mean?
A: SVITRIX uses small indicator LEDs in the corners of the matrix to signal connection issues:
| Indicator | Position | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Top-right corner | WiFi connection problem |
| 2 | Bottom-right corner | MQTT broker connection problem |
Once the connection is restored, the indicator disappears automatically.
Configuration
Q: What is DoNotTouch.json and what if I accidentally modified it?
A: DoNotTouch.json stores critical device settings:
- Static IP configuration
- MQTT connection settings
- HomeAssistant Discovery prefix
- NTP server / timezone
- HTTP Auth password
If you accidentally modified this file, delete it via the file manager and reboot the device. The file will be recreated automatically, but you will need to reconfigure the settings listed above.
Q: The temperature sensor shows a higher value than expected
A: The sensor on Ulanzi TC001 is located inside the sealed case. Internal heat from the LED matrix (depending on brightness) and the battery raises the reading above the actual room temperature.
The easiest way to compensate is from the web interface: on the Apps tab, expand the Temperature app and adjust the Offset field (offset in degrees). The change applies instantly, no reboot needed.
If you also want to compensate humidity (or prefer file-based configuration), you can set offsets in dev.json via the file manager:
{
"temp_offset": -5,
"hum_offset": -1
}Reboot the device after saving the dev.json. Adjust the values to match your environment — the exact offset depends on brightness settings and battery usage.
See all available developer settings in the Hidden Features section.
OTA Updates
Q: How do I update the firmware without USB?
A: Open the web interface in your browser, go to the update section, and upload the new firmware.bin file. The device will reboot automatically after the update.
You can download the latest firmware from the GitHub releases page.