New release (v3.5) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole. Changes include:
For those new to using the console, first stop the console with wfpiconsole stop . Then update using wfpiconsole update
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. I suggest you backup your changes before updating
New release (v3.6) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole. Changes include:
For those new to using the console, first stop the console with wfpiconsole stop . Then update using wfpiconsole update.
This update contains the new weather forecast provided by WeatherFlow. It means the console no longer requires API keys from the UK MetOffice, DarkSky, or Geonames. They will be automatically removed from your .ini file the first time you run the console after the update.
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating
New release (v3.7) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole. Changes include:
To update first stop the console with wfpiconsole stop. Then update using wfpiconsole update.
When you update you will be prompted to enter a WeatherFlow Personal Access Token. This token allows the PiConsole to access the data from your station, and they can be generated, viewed, and deleted here: https://tempestwx.com/settings/tokens (you may need to login). Click on Create token, give it a name, and then copy/paste it into the terminal.
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating
New release (v3.8) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole. This is a small bug fix release so there will be no noticeable change. Changes include:
To update first stop the console with wfpiconsole stop . Then update using wfpiconsole update .
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating.
If you are updating from a version lower than 3.7 you will be prompted to enter a WeatherFlow Personal Access Token. This token allows the PiConsole to access the data from your station, and they can be generated, viewed, and deleted here: https://tempestwx.com/settings/tokens (you may need to login). Click on Create token , give it a name, and then copy/paste it into the terminal.
Version 4.0 of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available. This is a major new release, and changes include:
To update first stop the console with wfpiconsole stop . Then update using wfpiconsole update .
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating.
During the update process you will also be asked to enter your Personal Access Token again. This is the last time - sorry!
Update Notes
One-line installer: The PiConsole can now be installed on a PC running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Raspberry Pi OS using the simple one-line installer. It is currently not compatible with Ubuntu 20.04 without downgrading Python to version 3.7
Screen size/resolution: By default the PiConsole will run in full screen mode in Version 4. However, if you are running on a Raspberry Pi 4 or a PC with Raspberry Pi OS or Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, full screen mode can be disabled in Menu → Settings → Display. In this case the console will use the dimensions specified in the configuration file ( wfpiconsole.ini ), which can be changed manually. This behaviour is not available on the Raspberry Pi 3 due to hardware limitations. Please note that extreme changes to the aspect ratio will result in text fields running into one another, and the minimum window size is 800x480 (the same size as the Raspberry Pi touchscreen). Under Settings → Display there are also settings to show/hide the cursor and show/hide the window border.
As with any major release, there might be a few bugs 
lying around in the code. If you spot something, please let me know and I will try and get it fixed ASAP.
A minor update to the WeatherFlow PiConsole (v4.0.1) is now available. This release fixes a bunch of bugs
To update first stop the console with: wfpiconsole stop
Then update using: wfpiconsole update
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating.
A minor update to the WeatherFlow PiConsole (v4.0.2) is now available. This release fixes a bunch of bugs
To update first stop the console with: wfpiconsole stop
Then update using: wfpiconsole update
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating.
A minor update to the WeatherFlow PiConsole (v4.0.3) is now available. This release fixes a bunch of bugs
This update will also update any out-of-date Python modules that are required by the PiConsole. If you are concerned that they may conflict with other software on your Pi, please check the install file (or the list below) for details of the required modules and version numbers
To update first stop the console with: wfpiconsole stop
Then update using: wfpiconsole update
PLEASE NOTE: any local changes you may have made to the code will be overwritten by the update command. Please backup your changes before updating.
Python Dependencies
PYTHON_MODULES=(cryptography==3.4.5
autobahn[twisted]==21.2.1
pyasn1-modules==0.2.8
service-identity==18.1.0
numpy==1.20.1
pytz==2021.1
ephem==3.7.7.1
pillow==8.1.0
packaging==20.9
pyOpenSSL==20.0.1
distro==1.5.0)
After a very long delay, the next version (v22.3.1) of the PiConsole is finally ready!
To update please stop any running consoles with wfpiconsole stop and then update using the wfpiconsole update command. Any local changes you have made to the code will be overwritten, so please make a backup! This update may also delete your wfpiconsole.ini file and ask you to generate a new one (sorry - this shouldn’t happen again!), so please make a note of your API keys. Don’t use an old .ini file with the new version as it will be missing configuration keys.
Major changes include:
Ability to switch between stations/devices @padamec
Using the new Station tab in the main menu, it is now possible to change between stations and devices without having to edit the .ini file and restart the console.
Ability to define custom panels @mark.hemker
For power users, there is a now a fixed framework within which you can define custom panels that will not be overwritten when the console is updated
New outdoor Temperature display
When the indoor temperature is hidden (which is now the default), the 24 hour outdoor temperature difference and three hour trend will be displayed
New station/device offline indicator
When a station/device goes offline, a new alert indicator is shown next to the date/time. The time since the last observation will now also be shown in relevant panels
Sager Forecast interval @storm_tracker
The frequency of the Sager Forecast can now be specified under Menu → Settings → System
Moon phase icon @Pcarr-AU
The moon phase icon that shows the lit portion of the moon is now correctly tilted for both the northern and southern hemispheres at all stages of the moon phase cycle
Calendar versioning
I have switched to using calendar versioning (hence the jump from v4 to v22) in order to avoid having to decide when an update deserves a major release or minor release
The release also includes many minor bug fixes and performance improvements.
Many of the features have been thoroughly tested, however it is always possible that bugs remain. If you spot anything misbehaving please let me know and I will get in a fix in place as soon as possible. This may take more time than usual given my life commitments, so please be patient.
Troubleshooting
If the update stops with “Error: Unable to update local package cache. Please check your internet connection”, run this command and then try to update again:
sudo apt-get update --allow-releaseinfo-change
If the console crashes when you press the Menu button, please make sure that the name of your Station in the wfpiconsole.ini file is correct (more details here: WeatherFlow PiConsole - #2256 by peter). If you are not comfortable editing the .ini file, you can delete it and then restart the console. A new .ini file will be created. Keep a note of your API keys as you will need to re-enter these.
Custom Panels (this is for power users!)
The custom panel templates are contained within the user folder. To use this feature you first need to rename customPanels.kv.tmpl to customPanels.kv and customPanels.py.tmpl to customPanels.py. An example panel called ‘BigTemperature’ is included as an example, and will be loaded the next time you start the console.
In the customPanels.py file you must create two classes per custom panel called: [panel_name]Panel and [panel_name]Button. ‘panel_name’ can be whatever you want, but you must add two classes that end with Panel and Button per custom panel. The classes should be empty (just add pass under the class name), unless you want to add methods to your custom panel to control its behaviour.
In the customPanels.kv file you can define the layout of the panel. You need to add the two class names that you defined in customPanels.py surrounded by left and right angled brackets: <>. You can see the ‘BigTemperature’ panel in customPanels.kv.tmpl as an example. For the Button class, you can change the text attribute under PanelButton: to set the name of the panel that will be displayed in the bottom bar of the PiConsole. Otherwise leave this class unchanged. For the Panel class, the panel title is defined by the _title attribute under PanelTitle:. This can be different to the name of the panel that is displayed in the bottom bar. Otherwise you are free to define the layout however you want using in-built or custom Kivy widgets (Widgets — Kivy 2.1.0 documentation).
Whilst customs panels should not be overwritten when the console is updated, please make backups and treat this feature with caution for the time being.
A new version (v22.3.2) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
Hopefully this will fix a raft of issues identified since the last release, including:
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update. Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
A new version (v22.3.3) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
This version fixes a couple of minor bugs:
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
@germy and @hjalmar - the bug has been fixed!
A new version (v22.3.4) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
This version fixes a minor bugs:
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
A new version (v22.5.1) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
This version contains general bug fixes and performance improvements
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
@germy and @storm_tracker, hopefully the fixes in this update should allow you to run on the stable branch again. Just update the console as usual, and you will automatically be moved back to the stable version.
A new version (v22.12.1) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
This version contains a critical bug fix for the Sager Forecast and general performance improvements
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update. Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
@jah.stewart, @arnold_thermann, @storm_tracker, @fritz614 - this should solve your issue. The Sager Forecast will remain blank, however, until the API issues are fixed their end.
A new version (v22.12.2) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
This version should fix the issues with the red exclamation mark in most cases by forcing the console to reconnect to the WF servers if data messages stop flowing. This remains an API-side issue, however, so this workaround might not be successful in all cases.
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
This version also fixes a bug in the ‘Update Available’ notification that causes the console to crash. Running the update should fix this bug permanently.
A new version (v22.12.3) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
Merry Christmas everyone!
A new version (v23.3.1) of the WeatherFlow PiConsole is now available.
lib/config.py
To update please run wfpiconsole stop followed by wfpiconsole update . Please make sure any local changes to the code or custom panels are backed up.
NOTE 1: this update uses a new version of Kivy, the Python GUI library that powers the console. On Pi3 hardware, this upgrade could take up to an hour to complete. Please be patient and let the updater do its thing. On a Pi4, the update should be considerably quicker
NOTE 2: for Raspberry Pi 4 users, this update requires you to be running the latest Bullseye version of Raspberry Pi OS. Various incompatibilities now exist when trying to run the console using the older Buster version of Raspberry Pi OS
NOTE 3 : ad-hoc support for 64 bit systems has been removed. If using a 64 bit system, please re-install an appropriate 32 bit version of Raspberry Pi OS
Our local retailer has some raspberry pi’s available
cheers Ian 