DotGlow: LED Matrix Clock

DotGlow is the companion app for DIY LED matrix clocks built with an ESP32 or ESP32-S3 and a MAX7219 8x32 LED display. Set up the clock, change every setting and update its firmware, all from your phone over Bluetooth. No account, no cloud, no ads.

★ SET UP IN TWO MINUTES

• Finds DotGlow clocks near you over Bluetooth

• Secure pairing: the clock shows a 6-digit PIN on its LEDs

• Connect the clock to your WiFi from the app; it gets the exact internet time by itself

★ LIVE LED PREVIEWS

The app draws a real-looking LED matrix that shows exactly what your clock shows: the live clock, every digit animation, every effect, your scrolling message and the stopwatch. Change a setting and see the result instantly.

★ EVERY SETTING

• 12 / 24 hour, time zone, leading zero, blinking colon, seconds bar, date

• 6 digit-change styles: roll down, roll up, dissolve, slide, flip, drop & bounce

• Effects every hour and at power-on: sparkle, wipe, rain, boxes, Pac-Man, random

• Brightness, night mode (dim or display off), automatic brightness with a light sensor

• Your own scrolling message, repeated as often as you like

• Special days: birthdays and anniversaries with their own animation

• 4 to 16 display modules, module type, mirror, flip and one-tap Rotate 180°

★ STOPWATCH

Start, pause and reset the clock's stopwatch from the app, or with an optional push button on the clock.

★ FIRMWARE UPDATES OVER BLUETOOTH

Install new firmware without WiFi, in about a minute.

★ INSTALL FIRMWARE ON A NEW BOARD

Plug a new ESP32, ESP32-S3 or ESP8266 (NodeMCU) board into your phone with a USB-OTG adapter. DotGlow detects the chip and installs the right firmware. No computer needed.

★ STEP-BY-STEP SETUP GUIDE

Parts list, wiring pictures for ESP32-S3, ESP32 DevKit and ESP8266, power tips, chaining more modules, light sensor and stopwatch button, and troubleshooting.

★ PRIVATE AND SECURE

• Encrypted Bluetooth (LE Secure Connections), PIN pairing

• Optional app lock with PIN and fingerprint

• No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no tracking

★ NO CLOCK YET?

Tap "Try the demo clock" and explore every screen.

DotGlow clocks are DIY hardware: you build them from common parts (an ESP32 board, a MAX7219 4-in-1 LED matrix and a 5 V phone charger). The setup guide in the app shows how.

Made with care in India by Manoranjan (manoranjan.dev) · ElectroIoT.