The workbench
Prototype
specifications.
A clear picture of the current build. These are prototype targets and implemented software behaviors, with physical-board validation and final product design still in progress.
01 / The foundation
A circular canvas.
One shared renderer.
- Hardware target
- Waveshare ESP32-P4 board with the 4C 720 × 720 circular touchscreen configuration
- Display
- 720 × 720 pixels, RGB565, using the circular display area
- Display software
- LVGL 9.5.0, with a shared renderer for the ESP32-P4 device and native SDL2 desktop preview
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi through the board’s ESP32-C6 companion, plus configured LiveSky service access for aircraft observations
- Validation status
- Automated desktop and firmware checks cover the implementation. Physical touch behavior, display performance, connectivity, and sustained operation still require board validation.
02 / The view
Room to explore.
Within clear bounds.
- Touch controls
- Tap an aircraft for its information card; pinch to zoom from 1× to 3×; drag to pan when zoomed in; Recenter returns to home while retaining zoom
- View behavior
- North-up, with bounded panning and zoom. At 1× the view is centered with no panning. Pan and zoom are not saved between sessions.
- Default home
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Bundled map
- A generalized offline Greenville-area basemap with regional airport and heliport markers. These are general map symbols, not operational aviation charts.
- Custom home
- Configurable latitude and longitude. Custom homes show traffic without the bundled Greenville basemap or airport overlay.
- Traffic query area
- 60 nautical miles around the configured home. The displayed viewport and panning remain bounded within coverage; coverage does not guarantee that every aircraft is observable.
03 / The information
More context.
Honest limits.
- Aircraft details
- Available callsign, hex ID, registration, aircraft type, ground speed, barometric altitude or ground status, true ground track, and position age
- Missing information
- Unknown values remain unknown. Unavailable route information is omitted. Ground track describes direction of travel, not aircraft heading.
- Source freshness
- Waiting, live, delayed, and offline states. After a valid snapshot, the prototype marks source data delayed at 30 seconds old and offline at 120 seconds old.
- Position freshness
- Individual positions dim at 20 seconds and disappear at 60 seconds. Limited, visibly marked estimates bridge short gaps without replacing recorded observations.
- Service dependency
- Live observations require an internet connection and LiveSky service access. Coverage, available details, and freshness vary with the source; uninterrupted or complete data is not guaranteed.
- Weather
- Not included in the current prototype
Still to take shape
The prototype
is the starting point.
Final enclosure design, dimensions, materials, power and battery specifications, pricing, shipping, and certification have not been announced. LiveSky is in development and is not currently available to buy.