Setup guide

Recovery flashing

Recovery flashing puts the meter's software back the way it left the factory. It fixes almost every problem with the meter itself: a meter that won't start, settings that were changed by hand, or the app saying the meter "isn't set up as a Desk or Doorway".

You only need a computer with Chrome or Edge and the USB-C cable. No app install, no tools.

Coming soon: the recovery page at thebusymeter.com/flash isn't live yet. Until it is, email hello@thebusymeter.com and we'll help.

What it does #

• Reinstalls the meter's firmware (WLED) with the Busy Meter setup: the LED layout, the levels, the touch pad and the setup hotspot.
• Erases the meter's Wi-Fi settings and your saved look. The app puts your look back when it reconnects; Wi-Fi needs setting up again.

Steps #

1. Quit the Busy Meter app on that computer (right-click the tray icon › Quit Busy Meter). It holds the meter's USB port.
2. Plug the meter into the computer with the USB-C cable.
3. Open thebusymeter.com/flash in Chrome or Edge on a desktop or laptop (phones and Firefox/Safari can't do this).
4. Choose your meter's edition: Doorway (stars on both faces) or Desk (one face).
5. Click Connect, pick the meter's port in the list the browser shows, and confirm.
6. Wait until the page says it's done (a minute or two). Don't unplug the meter meanwhile.
7. Unplug the meter and plug it back in. It glows yellow while it starts.
8. Start the Busy Meter app. Your meter reconnects over USB. If the look isn't right, open Settings › Look and click Save to meters.
9. For Wi-Fi, use Settings › Meters › Set up Wi-Fi (see Set up Wi-Fi).

The meter doesn't show up in the port list #

The meter's chip may be stuck. Start it in download mode:

1. Unplug the meter.
2. Find the small BOOT button on the meter's circuit board. On a closed Doorway or Desk unit, open the housing first (four small screws).
3. Hold BOOT, plug the cable in, then let go.
4. Try the steps above again. The port may have a different name this time.
5. When it's done, unplug the meter and plug it back in so it starts normally.

Still nothing? Try another USB-C cable (many only charge) and another USB port.

Good to know #

• There's no reset button or reset gesture. Holding the touch pad only ever means Free, however long you hold it, so you can't wipe the meter by accident.
• WLED's own pages: the meter runs the open-source WLED firmware, which has its own web pages. You don't need them: the app does everything. On meters as shipped, WLED's settings pages are locked with a 4-digit settings PIN unique to each meter, so nobody else on your Wi-Fi can change them.
• A meter flashed from the recovery page doesn't have that factory lock.

Firmware source and license #

The meter runs WLED 16.0.1, open-source software licensed under the EUPL-1.2. Source: https://github.com/wled/WLED/tree/v16.0.1. The app's Settings › About & updates has the same link and the license notices.