I plan on sending the configuration to the unit (not sure what to call the complete set of modules).
That way it should be easier to setup and will allow for changes based on button presses that can’t be done through MQTT.
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I really hope the product will turn out well, as will the app. If you can set buttons dynamically via flows, it will be a game changer for me.
Once the first reviews come out and they’re good, I’ll definitely buy one.
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OK, so a quick mock up of an idea for configuring a panel. The App Settings screen might look something like this:
So, you can select a configuration to setup (up to say 20) and then specify what device / capability is displayed on each side of the panel along with the text that shows in the panel.
When a Panel device is added to Homey, you can select the configuration that is applied. You will also be able to select a configuration for a device via a flow. If the Device is set to None then just the Button Pressed Flow will trigger for the Panel Device allowing custom actions that are not device based.
I have taken this approach as the Homey device view has limited options for what can be displayed and dynamic lists are not supported in either the device view or the device advanced settings view.
I think I can also create a Flow card that has dynamic drop lists, so it will be possible to change a panel display on the fly, e.g Set Left Panel to ‘device’, ‘capability’ with text of ‘your text’
Any thoughts on this idea?
I am then thinking of a similar approach to the Display modules.
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Yes, very good direction. Easy to configure, but very powerful in options. Especially the possibility to have multiple configurations and to change them dynamically is a good extra on top of standard button+. Also setting a button to none for actions that are not device based (for instance to change button or display configuration or trigger scene flows) is very nice.
For display configuration keep in mind that in future icons and graphics will be added.
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Sounds great, @Adrian_Rockall!
If I understand correctly, we can create multiple configurations for bars/displays and then apply one of those to a specific bar/display?
It would be nice if you could apply those to other Button+ setups as well. Like if you got (multiple?) units in different rooms.
So, if you could have a large “pool” of configurations which can be applied to whatever Button+ unit in your home.
In that case 20 configurations might not be enough.
Very much like how enthousiastic you seem about the project, just as the creator of Button+. Thx!
Really looking forward to this product myself!
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Correct.
Each bar /display will be setup as a separate device in Homey. So if you have 2 bars and a display on one unit, there will be two bar devices and one display device in Homey. If you then have another 3 bars in another room, they will appear as 3 more devices in Homey, etc. You can then freely apply a configuration to each bar / multiple bars and displays.
Then number of configurations can easily be increased, so maybe 10 display configurations and 40 bar configurations? That would allow for the current full set per unit in 10 rooms.
I will cross that bridge when it comes, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
Why not use homeyduino app together whit esp32. I read nothing about this. The homeyduino app works here excellent with my displays
I think that would require the Button module to be reprogrammed, which would invalidate any warranty. Plus wouldn’t an Arduino app need to be created to control the displays?
Don’t know if it is technically possible, but would it be possible to see a display with it’s attached bars as 1 unit and therefor have it as 1 device in Homey?
Otherwise you would get a lot of devices which are actually connected together. Especially with the planned extension backplate for 4 more bars.
That would mean up to 8 devices for one (combined) Button+ unit.
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I did consider that option, but as the displays are configurable, it’s not easy to make it work dynamically with the limited Homey device view.
I have used ‘onoff’ buttons so they can remember and show the current state but Homey adds each button on one panel with a drop list to select the one you want:
Also, it is easy to select a configuration per panel with individual devices per panel, whereas a combined unit will need a more complex configuration setup.
I’m not dismissing that option yet though and may well go back to it once I get a set to play with and more bits are working.
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As you can read on the button plus homepage (at the “display” section) icons and graphs will be added in the future:
At the moment text based information items can be displayed, and you can choose between 4 different font sizes. In the future it will be possible to use icons and graphs.
My ultimate wet dream is to be able to display something like the home assistant energy dashboard 
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You can add switches to the button view of a device.But I can’t remember if it works with capabilityOptions or if you have to create a custom capability for.
You are absolutely right. I will change them for custom buttons as it looks much better.
This is what a fully loaded combined device might look like:
I can remove the buttons of unpopulated connectors during pairing, but if panels are removed or add after then I guess it would require a repair on the devices.
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Hi Adrian,
if you change the layout on device settings, you can also add/remove the capabilities. I’m doing similar changes in HA app.
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The only problem is Homey losses the order as the added devices always appear at the end. But I was thinking more about the app knowing if /when the panels are changed as that’s not notified via MQTT, so the app would have to fetch the configuration again and process it.
Ronald from Button+ is preparing a prototype to send to me so I can start testing the app for real. That should mean the app will be ready by the time production units start shipping.
Thanks for the feedback so far as it is very useful getting lots of ideas, so please keep any thoughts coming.
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I have also asked if he can add some sort of discovery mechanism to the device, such as mDNS, so that it will be plug-n-play within Homey.
At the moment you will have to enter the IP address of the panel when adding a device so that the configuration data can be retrieved.
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Thanks @Adrian, and thanks to Ronald.
This is great news!
Donated some to your Paypal; please enjoy a beer from me!
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