One shared firmware replaces the separate Bridge and non-Bridge editions.
IR Bridge and Bluetooth start disabled on a new installation and remain entirely optional for Roon-only users.
Enabled and disabled Bridge configurations and older configuration backups remain compatible.
IR Bridge
Complete optional IR control for volume, mute and power.
Up to four saved Bridges. One Bluetooth link is shared; other assigned Bridges can remain available at the same time over authenticated Wi-Fi.
Automatic selection from the current Roon zone and a temporary maintenance selection.
Guided pairing, a visible discovery cancel action and clear saved/paired/ connected states.
A persistent, Bridge-independent IR profile library with unique names; learn on any receiver-equipped Bridge and assign one profile to several Bridges. One backup includes the library and separate zone/Bridge routes.
Display and IR Bridges Quick Settings status for transport, signal, Wi-Fi and firmware.
Automatic Bluetooth/Wi-Fi recovery without turning brief interruptions into disruptive full-screen messages or repeated event-log entries.
Fast IR volume control without multi-second trailing commands and with immediate direction changes.
Separate, manually started Bridge updates with RoonPilot/Bridge compatibility checks.
Roon, zones and music
Up to 32 visible or hidden Roon zones.
Reliable automatic zone selection when the previous target disappears.
Fast native volume control without delayed Try again notices or trailing changes.
Correct presentation of dB, unitless and relative Roon values.
Grouped Roon zones control every member through its saved Roon or IR route. A temporary group mixer also allows one physical output to be adjusted on its own.
New Music page for Roon playlists and My Live Radio.
Normal or shuffled playlist playback and direct radio start.
Playlist and radio sorting shared by the website and device.
Dedicated, independently configurable Playlists and Live Radio display shortcuts.
Display and controls
Classic now-playing with elapsed time, total length and a cover progress ring.
Fixed-width digits and a calm once-per-second time display.
Amber volume information panel instead of a complete screen change.
Larger, better-spaced Power, Mute, Playlists and Live Radio buttons.
Refined Focus and Orbit layouts plus the new cover-free Aura layout.
Optional large centre Play/Pause touch area.
Stronger visual button feedback.
German and English user interface.
Expanded Unicode coverage for European scripts, Greek, Cyrillic, symbols and selected emoji.
Substantially broader international time-zone selection.
Touch feedback
Optional vibration for touchscreen buttons.
Continuously adjustable 1ā100 percent strength on the website and device.
Double pulse for control lock and unlock.
No vibration while turning, waking the display or receiving automatic notices.
Zone Management and HTTP
Per-zone volume step, Power, Mute and Bridge settings.
Up to three named HTTP ON/OFF command pairs per zone.
Independent direction and pair switches that retain disabled entries.
Confirmed test buttons for individual saved HTTP commands.
HTTP actions work without an IR Bridge and are included in configuration backup.
Power and battery
Performance, Balanced and Battery saver CPU modes.
Automatic, Installed and Not installed battery-hardware choices.
Adjustable battery/USB detection thresholds.
Lightning symbol for detected external USB power.
Display timeout based on last interaction or the end of zone playback.
Clearer calibration guidance and explanation of computer USB versus a dedicated charger.
Calibration progress stays in retained RTC memory instead of minute-by-minute flash writes. Supply protection stops the running calibration before unstable operation; it does not force normal USB changes into protective sleep.
A completed reference is accepted only on stable USB power. Interrupted runs cannot overwrite the previous accepted result.
Backup and restore
One backup holds controller settings, the IR library and separate Bridge routes.
An offline or failing Bridge no longer aborts restoration on other devices. Unconfirmed transfers are deferred with a clear warning.
Unverified offline routes are not activated. Once the Bridge returns, the user can transfer the saved library profile or repeat the restore.
Website, log and help
Fully bilingual desktop and mobile interface.
Reorganised IR Bridge page and new Music page.
Direct links to project, documentation, Web Installer, GitHub, troubleshooting and Send Me a Coffee.
Actionable help for an expired settings session.
Local event log with filtering, download and clear actions.
Additional recording of important settings, connection and operation errors.
Faster, more resilient pages during simultaneous requests.
Independent web-response and event-log downloads prevent a slow read from blocking unrelated status requests. Genuine device failures remain distinguishable from cancelled downloads or navigation.
Compact System/Music layouts and a RoonPilot browser favicon.
Stability and updating
Quiet automatic recovery from brief Roon interruptions.
Bridge background status work isolated from Roon communication.
Several restart causes removed from Play/Pause, Quick Settings, display-save, playlist loading and web operation.
Safe settings storage without partially accepted configuration.
Substantially more working-memory headroom without reducing responsiveness.
Manually confirmed updates with startup validation and return to the previous firmware if a new image cannot start correctly.
Complete group-aware Bridge failure/recovery feedback, route-conflict blocking after regrouping, and clean return from Bridge maintenance.
Documented clean USB return to the original 1.0.2, with warnings about erased settings, separate backups and avoiding calibration under the older version.
Installation and documentation
Simpler, separate Windows and macOS instructions.
Web Installer first; Device Manager and System Report only as optional checks.
Clear device labels for ESP32-S3 and the Companion ESP32.
Plain instruction to turn the USB-C plug by 180 degrees when required.
Guided Web Installer for the optional Companion Sleep firmware.
A separate, clearly identified Web Installer for the IR Bridge.
Original-firmware backup is explained but is not an installation requirement.
Extensive Bridge examples and diagrams for selection, zones and transports.
Updated native/IR volume illustrations show the current amber popup over the player, not the removed full-screen dial.
Illustrated 3D-print guides and model previews: four stand parts including the rear panel, plus the Bridge enclosure and both foot lengths.
Thanks for the update, but itās not working for me right nowāor perhaps Iām doing something wrong.
Waveshare ESP32-S3 Knob
The update check via the WebUI reports a new version, 2.0.0. When I initiate the update using āOpen Firmware Update / download and install,ā it takes a while and the device reboots, but the update isnāt actually applied (it looks as thoughā¦ RoonPilot verifies release metadata, target, version, size, SHA-256, and its configured RSA signature).
If I trigger the update via USB connection and firmware installation, the process completes and the device reboots; the screen flashes, but itās impossible to connect to the temporary setup Wi-Fi.
However, reverting to version 1.0.2 works flawlessly, including the backup restore.
Here too. I followed the instructions via the RoonPilot local webpage and got nothing. It seems like it was doing something and then the screen came back to life. Sadly though it was still running v1.0.2. Firmware doesnāt appear to be updating properly. Iāve tried rebooting everything, even my ROCK server. Still no update recognized.
In my case, unfortunately, itās exactly the same behaviorā¦ it goes offline immediately, and after a restart, version 1.0.2 is still installed (Windows 11, Edge and Chrome Browser).
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the signatures between the different versions. Please use the USB web installer to install version 2.0.1 (with erase). Apologies for the extra work, but there are lots of new things for me to learn as well. Iāve now tested the installation several times on two devices and canāt see any more problems.
Eureka! 2.0.1 loaded and running. Thanks Georg for ALL your effort on this new addition to my roon ecosystem.
Edit: Now all we need is more roon data. File type (FLAC, DSD, PCM), sampling rate and bit depth. That would just about do it for me. These of course would be informational only, and could be in a tiny font to either the left or right of the album cover circle icon.
Unfortunately, the firmware installer doesnāt work either. The problem seems to be the same as the one described with version 2.0.0: the firmware installs (updating to version 2.0.1), but then the display turns off and on again, or flickers and the setup Wi-Fi fails to connect. Reverting to version 1.0.2 gets it working again.
The firmware update check is now also reporting an error: āupdate manifest is incompatible or incompleteā
Thanks, but yeahāto do that, Iād first need to be able to connect to the setup Wi-Fi after Firmware Install, and thatās not working. Anyway, Iāve got nothing else to add, so Iām out for now.
These of course would be informational only, and could be in a tiny font to either the left or right of the album cover circle icon.