Timer Widget

👁 Display

The Timer widget displays elapsed or remaining time. It can count up from zero or count down to zero from a value supplied by the device. Commonly used for machine run-time, watering schedules, cycle counters, or process monitoring.

Default size: 2 × 2 grid cells

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Configuration

Property	Type	Default	Description
mode	countdown | countup	countup	Timer direction
format	mm:ss | hh:mm:ss | auto	auto	Time display format
Device	device	—	The device to read from
Pin	V0–V255	—	The virtual pin (sends seconds)
Label	string	—	Widget label

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Pin value convention

The device sends the current timer value in seconds:

Scenario	Value sent
Countup: 2 min 37 s elapsed	157
Countdown: 5 min remaining	300 then decrements
Reset	0

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Firmware example: count-up (machine run time)

unsigned long startMs = 0;
bool running = false;

VWIRE_RECEIVE(V0) {
  int cmd = param.asInt();  // 1=start, 0=stop/reset
  if (cmd == 1) { startMs = millis(); running = true; }
  else          { running = false; }
}

void loop() {
  Vwire.run();

  if (running) {
    unsigned long elapsed = (millis() - startMs) / 1000;
    Vwire.virtualSend(V0, elapsed);
  }
  delay(1000);
}

Firmware example: countdown (irrigation timer)

int remaining = 0;

void startIrrigation(int seconds) {
  remaining = seconds;
}

void loop() {
  Vwire.run();

  if (remaining > 0) {
    remaining--;
    Vwire.virtualSend(V0, remaining);

    if (remaining == 0) {
      stopValve();
      Vwire.virtualSend(V0, 0);
    }
  }
  delay(1000);
}

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Tips

Push every second

For a smooth visual countdown/countup, push the value every 1000 ms on the device. The widget does not auto-tick — it always shows the last received value.