Firmware, LCD UI makeup.

[nk25719]

Summary

The LCD system was redesigned to:

• create a cleaner and more modern 20x4 UI
• improve encoder navigation
• separate alarm display from settings/status
• make the UI responsive and non-blocking
• integrate WiFi/MQTT status visually
• reduce stale/unnecessary LCD redraws
• improve maintainability

---

New LCD Architecture

Added UI State System

Introduced dedicated UI states instead of mixed menu logic:

UI_MAIN_PAGE
UI_ICON_FOCUS
UI_SETTINGS_MENU
UI_ALARM_ACTION_SELECT
UI_ACTION_FEEDBACK
UI_INFO
UI_WIFI
UI_BROKER
UI_VOLUME
UI_MUTE
UI_COM_SETUP
UI_RESET_CONFIRM

This removed:

• stuck navigation
• mixed encoder behavior
• menu lockups
• stale screens

---

Main Screen Redesign

New Main Layout

Row 0

Alarm queue + compact right-side status icons

Example:

Q:+ NEXT        W B M ⚙

Where:

• W = WiFi
• B = Broker/MQTT
• M = Mute
• ⚙ = Settings

Icons are aligned to the far right.

---

Row 1

Primary alarm title/type

Example:

CRIT Pump Failure

---

Row 2

Alarm details / ID

Example:

ID:123 Temp High

---

Row 3

Normally empty.

Only used dynamically for:

• alarm actions
• feedback messages

Examples:

Ack Dismiss Shelve

or

Alarm dismissed

This removed the old stale MAC row problem.

---

Alarm Interaction Improvements

Encoder Alarm Actions

When alarm is active:

• rotating encoder opens action selection

• user can select:

  • Acknowledge
  • Dismiss
  • Shelve

Pressing encoder:

• executes selected action
• publishes MQTT/GPAP response
• shows confirmation feedback

Example:

Alarm acknowledged

---

Encoder Navigation Refactor

Fixed Rotation Direction

Corrected encoder sense:

• Clockwise = DOWN/NEXT
• Counter-clockwise = UP/PREVIOUS

---

Fixed Menu Selection Bug

Resolved issues where:

• menu editing stopped working
• encoder presses were ignored
• navigation became stuck

Main causes fixed:

• incorrect event routing
• running_menu remaining true
• UI mode not resetting
• ArduinoMenu consuming all encoder events

---

Always-Accessible Icon Navigation

Main page encoder behavior now:

• always allows icon selection

• never blocks on the dashboard

• supports navigating between:

  • WiFi
  • Broker
  • Mute
  • Settings

Fallback routing was added to prevent dead states.

---

Settings Refactor

Added Full Settings Navigation

Settings now include:

1. Info
2. WiFi
3. Broker
4. Volume
5. Mute Duration
6. COM Setup
7. Reset Device
8. Back

---

Added Back Navigation Everywhere

Every submenu now includes:

• Back
• safe return handling
• automatic return to main dashboard

---

Info Screen

Moved device info out of the main dashboard.

Now accessible through:

Settings → Info

Displays:

• IP address
• MAC address
• SSID
• MQTT status

This removed:

• stale MAC row rendering
• cluttered alarm pages

---

WiFi Refactor

LCD WiFi Behavior Changed

WiFi is no longer configured directly from the LCD.

Instead:

• LCD displays:

  • SSID
  • IP
  • AP portal info

• user is guided to configure WiFi through Web UI

Example:

WiFi Setup
Open Web UI
192.168.4.1
Back

---

Broker Refactor

Added Broker Selection Screen

Broker menu now lists:

• Krake PubInv
• Public Shiftr
• Local Broker
• Back

Selecting a broker:

• updates MQTT configuration
• reconnects automatically
• saves preference

---

Added Persistent MQTT Connection Logic

Goal:
Krake should never remain disconnected unnecessarily.

Added:

• non-blocking reconnect loop
• retry timer
• optional broker failover
• automatic reconnect handling

---

LCD Rendering Improvements

Dirty-Flag Rendering

Added:

lcdNeedsRefresh

LCD now:

• updates only when needed
• refreshes max every 150–250 ms
• avoids repeated lcd.clear()

This improved:

• responsiveness
• MQTT timing
• encoder responsiveness
• reduced flicker

---

Performance Improvements

Reduced Blocking Behavior

Removed heavy operations from:

• MQTT callbacks
• encoder callbacks
• frequent loop paths

Queued or deferred:

• LCD updates
• DFPlayer actions
• feedback rendering

---

String / Memory Improvements

Reduced runtime String usage:

• replaced with char[]
• snprintf
• fixed buffers

This reduced:

• heap fragmentation
• MQTT latency risk
• instability over long uptime

---

Cleanup and Debugging Improvements

Added:

• debug macros
• feature flags
• structured event routing

Prepared codebase for:

• removing stale code
• removing duplicated menu paths
• removing duplicate UART/DFPlayer handling
• future modularization

---

Overall Result

The LCD/UI system evolved from:

• a mostly static/debug-oriented LCD
• mixed menu/navigation logic
• stale rows
• blocking behavior

into:

• a responsive dashboard UI
• dynamic alarm interaction system
• icon-based navigation
• structured settings system
• non-blocking event-driven LCD architecture
• cleaner MQTT/WiFi integration
• more maintainable firmware structure

[nk25719]

to review:

git fetch origin pull/542/head:pr-542
git checkout pr-542