For sure! Thank you. Note that I’m traveling and won’t be able to test, but I’ll review the code and design alignment.
1 Like
v2.5.2 of the Knob firmware is out. This is a small release as I get the project moving again and work on a few related things.
- More responsive firmware: Production firmware now uses ESP-IDF’s performance optimization profile (
-O2) instead of the debug profile (-Og). I noticed the Knob felt more responsive while testing this a few months ago, and have been meaning to get it shipped. - Updated to ESP-IDF 5.5.5: This is Espressif’s bugfix release for the 5.5 line.
There are no big user-facing features in this one, but it puts the firmware on a better footing for what’s next.
3 Likes
v3.4.1 of Unified Hi‑Fi Control is out. This is a small release focused on making the MCP interface easier to use and bringing the project’s dependencies and build tooling up to date.
- Connect an AI agent from Settings: Unified Hi‑Fi Control now shows the MCP server already running on your system, with its network address, copy-ready configuration, and a prompt you can give an agent to set itself up.
- Better across screen sizes: The web interface received a responsive-design pass, improving layouts and touch targets on phones, tablets, and desktops.
- Updated foundations: Dioxus, supporting dependencies, and GitHub Actions have been refreshed. The release pipeline still builds packages for QNAP, Synology (not successfully tested yet), Linux, macOS, Windows, and LMS.
There are no major changes in this release, but it makes AI-agent setup more approachable and puts the build system on better footing for what’s next.
Synology DSM 7 testers wanted
I’ve updated the Unified HiFi Control Synology package to better follow DSM 7’s packaging requirements, but I don’t have a Synology NAS to test it on.
If anyone is willing to try it, I’d love to know whether it installs, starts, and stops correctly. Pick the package matching your NAS:
The links expire after five days. GitHub downloads the artifact as a ZIP. Extract it once, then install the .spk inside through Package Center → Manual Install.
On macOS, automatic archive expansion may unpack the .spk too. If you see files like INFO, package.tgz, scripts, and conf, it went one step too far. Download it again and extract only the outer ZIP from Terminal:
mkdir ~/Downloads/synology-package
unzip ~/Downloads/synology-x86_64.zip -d ~/Downloads/synology-package
Use synology-armv8.zip instead if you downloaded the ARM build.
What to try
- Does DSM accept and install the package?
- Can you start it from Package Center?
- Does http://:8088/status respond?
- Can you stop and restart it?
- If you’re comfortable doing so, does uninstalling and reinstalling work?
Please share your Synology model, DSM version, CPU architecture, and any errors or screenshots you get. Remove anything private first.
These packages are experimental. They passed automated package checks, Linux container lifecycle tests, and binary smoke tests, but they have not been tested on a real Synology NAS running DSM 7.
Thank you!
HiPhi Dial beta testers wanted — BLE media remote support
I’ve published a beta of the next HiPhi Dial firmware and would appreciate testing with different BLE media remotes. And yes the Roon Knob, is getting a rename soon…
Install with the Beta Web Flasher
When upgrading an existing Dial, leave “Erase device” disabled. Your Wi-Fi, Unified Hi-Fi Control address, zone, and display settings should survive the update.
This beta adds:
- BLE media-remote pairing and control
- Two saved Wi-Fi networks, tried in order
- Migration of existing v2.5.x settings
- A memory-allocation overhaul to let BLE, Wi-Fi, artwork, and LVGL coexist reliably
To pair a remote, open http://<dial|frame>/ble, turn on BLE, put the remote into pairing mode, scan, and select it.
What to try
- Play/pause, previous/next, and volume
- Reboot and confirm the remote reconnects
- Turn BLE off and back on
- Use the remote while artwork is changing
- Confirm your existing settings survived the upgrade
- Add a second Wi-Fi network and test fallback
Please share your remote model, previous firmware version, whether migration worked, and any errors or serial logs. Remove private network details first. The beta passed automated tests and a physical Dial smoke test, but BLE remotes vary considerably and broader testing is needed. This beta is manual-only and will not arrive through stable OTA.
GitHub release and firmware downloads
The included HiPhi Frame firmware is Alpha-grade. If you want to test it, you can order the photo frame here (affiliate link).
Unified Hi-Fi Control 3.5.0 adds direct HQPlayer control
This release improves Roon behavior in several concrete ways:
- Playback and volume changes are confirmed by the Roon Core before UHC reports success.
- Disabling Roon immediately removes its stale connection state and zones.
- (Finally!) a tested-to-be-working Synology SPK (alongside the docker image, QNAP package, Roon extension manager package)
- (MCP) Simultaneous browse requests no longer mix up their results.
- (MCP) Roon browse errors return promptly instead of becoming ambiguous timeouts.
- (MCP) TIDAL and Qobuz browsing handles more category-name variations.
- (MCP) MCP assistants can discover each Roon zone’s controls and act on exact search results.
https://github.com/open-horizon-labs/unified-hifi-control/releases/tag/v3.5.0
3 Likes
The RLCD controller is coming along nicely. While the photo reflects in person it’s very clear. There are three buttons and BT media remote pairs well. Would love a tester if this is interesting to any of you.
Looks good where is screen purchased from.please ?
Here is a link for that RLCD with ESP32-S3.
If anyone is interested in different form factors for control, I have firmware ports for the M5Stack Tough (outdoor rated) and the M5 Atom Joystick (programmable dual joystick remote controller).
My favorite is probably the Joystick one: build in battery (that white strip), multiple controls, dedicated on/off switch.
2 Likes
Very cool! I made a little ON/OFF remote with a M5Stick. It turns on the P15 PowerPlant first, checks for confirmation then turns on the Bartok. Long click reverses the process to Off.
1 Like
Anyone here have a desire to control their Spotify Connect devices from a Dial (aka Knob) or Unified Hifi Control? Looking for a tester.
1 Like
Anyone here have a desire to control their Spotify Connect devices from a Dial (aka Knob) or Unified Hifi Control? Looking for a tester.
Yes! That’s actually an even better use case than Roon (sorry everyone) for me!
I have a Dial/Knob already.
1 Like
I am facing an issue with flashing. I just got the Waveshare knob from Amazon, and I am trying to flash via my MacBook.
Esptool shows that I have an ESP32-U4 instead of an ESP32-S3:
❯ esptool -p /dev/tty.usbserial-210 read_mac
Warning: Deprecated: Command 'read_mac' is deprecated. Use 'read-mac' instead.
esptool v5.3.1
Connected to ESP32 on /dev/tty.usbserial-210:
Chip type: ESP32-U4WDH (revision v3.1)
Features: Wi-Fi, BT, Dual Core + LP Core, 240MHz, Embedded Flash, Vref calibration in eFuse, Coding Scheme None
Crystal frequency: 40MHz
When I try to flash, I get an error:
Warning: Unexpected chip ID in image. Expected 0 but value was 9. Is this image for a different chip model?
Did anyone face that issue?
I have a web flasher: Flash Roon Knob Firmware
Oh, you’re connected to the ESP32, not the ESP32-S3. It’s the weirdest thing: flip the USB-C cable on the Knob side.
It worked! Thank you!
I was unable to install the Synology _x64 package. DSM reports that the package requires root permission which are not granted to plugins.
Since I’m also running LMS and Roon on my network, I’ve installed the LMS plugin and it works fine. I also spun up a docker container and that worked also. But, I’ll stick with the LMS plugin.