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roro9stack/site/content/guide/basics.md
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twislaandClaude Sonnet 5.5 2f1befa7f5
Site / build (pull_request) Successful in 8s
Site: the user guide (phase 2): the basics, one page per App, Settings and Updates
Eleven pages under /guide/, written from the README, the milestone documents
and the Apps' own source: the keys, the Launcher, the Status Bar and the first
start; the LoRa Scanner, GNSS, Gemini, IRC, Wi-Fi tools, Notes, Storage and
System; Settings (with Wi-Fi) and Updates. Real screenshots where the site has
them, a Guide link in the navigation, and the home page points to it.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01EhqxQ49eCju4CzKYNjZzwT
2026-10-06 20:38:40 +02:00

3.2 KiB

+++ title = "The basics" description = "The keys, the Launcher, the Status Bar and what happens the first time you switch the device on." weight = 1 [extra] tag = "Start here" +++

The keys

The Cardputer's keyboard has no arrow keys and no Escape, so the firmware gives a few keys a second job:

Key Does
Enter Opens or confirms the selected item
` Back: one step out of a screen, and out of an App
Fn + ` Home: back to the Launcher
Fn + ; . , / The arrows: up, down, left, right
; . , / alone The same arrows, as long as you are not typing text
Tab Switches view in an App that has more than one
Del Deletes backwards when you type
opt then an accent, then a letter Types an accented letter: opt ' e gives é

While you type text (a note, an IRC line, a setting), ; . , / type their own characters and you need Fn for the arrows. The bottom of the screen shows opt while a compose is waiting for its letter.

The Launcher

The home screen lists the Apps. Move with the arrows, open one with Enter. Back inside an App returns here.

The Status Bar

A strip at the top of every screen: the name of the App on the left, and on the right, from the edge inwards:

Shows Means
the time The clock, once Wi-Fi or a GNSS fix has set it
[3] Unread IRC messages that mention you, or private ones
97% The battery (in the warning colour at 15% and under)
SD A card is in; the warning colour at 80% full
bars and W Wi-Fi connected, with its signal; W? is searching; MON is the Wi-Fi radio in its monitoring mode, which pauses IRC
REC A GNSS Track is being recorded
CAP A LoRa capture is being recorded
L The radio is listening; it lights up for a moment on each packet. SW while a Sweep runs
G or G12 The GNSS receiver is searching (G, dim), has a 2D fix (G), or has a 3D fix with that many satellites (G12)

Toasts

News from a background service (an IRC mention, a Storage warning, an update that is out) shows as a short message over whatever App is open, and can beep and flash the LED. Sound & LED in Settings turns that off.

The first start

On a new device a short Setup asks four things, then never appears again:

  1. Long name, up to 39 bytes.
  2. Short name, up to 4 characters.
  3. Radio region. Nothing will transmit until you confirm yours. EU868 is the supported region.
  4. Timezone.

The SD card

Put a microSD card in the Cardputer. Without one the radio, GNSS, Wi-Fi and IRC still work, but nothing can be saved: no notes, IRC logs, Wi-Fi scan logs, GPX tracks, LoRa captures or saved Gemini pages. The Storage App shows what is on the card.

The firmware keeps its own folders at the top of the card (captures, gemini, gnss, irc, updates, wifi, plus notes). You can use the card in a computer too, but those names are the firmware's.