chore: cut v4.1.0 — version stamp, CHANGELOG cut, and ship the LED strip in every build

.github/workflows/compile-sketch.yml

@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ jobs:
       # SensorEgg POC and the NeoPixel strip exactly as beta.yml does, so
       # the flag-on build is compile-checked on the PR rather than first
       # failing on the publish workflow. Everything else builds the
-      # master/release defaults (off).
+      # project.h defaults — which since 4.1.0 means the NeoPixel strip is
+      # ON (it is a core feature now; the flag defaults to 1) and only the
+      # SensorEgg POC is off. So the difference between the two arms is
+      # now just SensorEgg and the DovesLapTimer ref.
       FEATURE_FLAGS: ${{ (github.base_ref == 'BETA' || github.head_ref == 'BETA' || github.ref_name == 'BETA') && '-DBIRDSEYE_ENABLE_SENSOREGG=1 -DBIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL=1' || '' }}
     # Build both XIAO nRF52840 variants. The Sense board has the onboard
     # LSM6DS3 IMU; the plain board does not (accelerometer logging degrades

ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -142,8 +142,10 @@ to the matching `*_LOOP()`.
   `led_brightness` by day, `led_brightness_night` after dark (see
   *Local time* below). The strip's 5 V boost
   converter has its EN pin driven low in sleep, so System OFF really
-  powers the LEDs down. Gated on `BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL`: on in
-  beta, off (fully compiled out, no UICR write) in master/release.
+  powers the LEDs down. `BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL` is on in **every**
+  channel as of 4.1.0, which is what makes the strip a core feature — at
+  the price of a one-way, fleet-wide UICR NFC→GPIO conversion on the
+  first boot after updating.
 - **Course creator** (`course_creator` + `track_json` pure units, glued
   into the menu/pages/SD modules) — authors a track course on the device
   by walking to each cone and holding for a 3 s GPS average. Autocross

BirdsEye/BirdsEye.ino

@@ -1078,8 +1078,10 @@ void setup() {
   // beta channel): the one-time UICR NFC->GPIO write needs direct NVMC
   // access, which is illegal once the SoftDevice is up. Also before
   // wdtSetup() so the one-time self-reset can't race the watchdog. Needs
-  // SETTINGS_SETUP (led_brightness) — a no-op unless
-  // BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL is set (beta channel only).
+  // SETTINGS_SETUP (led_brightness). Since 4.1.0 this runs on EVERY
+  // channel — BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL defaults to 1 — so the first boot
+  // of any 4.1.0+ image is the one that spends the NFC pads and resets
+  // once. See project.h.
   NEOPIXEL_SETUP();
 
   // Camera auto-record: load the persisted Insta360 serial + init the FSM

BirdsEye/project.h

@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@
 #ifdef FIRMWARE_VERSION_OVERRIDE
   #define FIRMWARE_VERSION _BE_TOSTRING(FIRMWARE_VERSION_OVERRIDE)
 #else
-  // The 4.0.0 release cut (matches the v4.0.0 tag). The webapp still keys
+  // The 4.1.0 release cut (matches the v4.1.0 tag). The webapp still keys
   // the track JSON budget off this — 8 KB at or above 3.2.0 — so never
   // stamp a build below that line again.
-  #define FIRMWARE_VERSION "4.0.0"
+  #define FIRMWARE_VERSION "4.1.0"
 #endif
 
 ///////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -84,21 +84,31 @@
 
 // ---- NeoPixel strip (11 px: 2 status + 9-px pace/RPM strip) ----
 //
-// 0 (default — master and release): the whole subsystem is compiled out.
-// The module's entry points become no-ops and, critically, the firmware
-// NEVER writes UICR->NFCPINS and never drives pins 30/31 (P0.09/P0.10,
-// the NFC pads) — a flag-off build leaves the pads exactly as it found
-// them.
+// 1 (default — master, beta and release all ship this as of 4.1.0): the
+// strip is a CORE feature, present in every image so a logger works the
+// moment someone wires LEDs to it. On first boot NEOPIXEL_SETUP()
+// converts the NFC pads to GPIO by programming UICR->NFCPINS and
+// self-resets once so the pin latch takes effect. After that: pin 30 =
+// boost converter EN, pin 31 = WS2812 data. See plan 0006 and neopixel.h.
 //
-// 1 (the beta channel passes -DBIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL=1): on first
-// boot NEOPIXEL_SETUP() converts the NFC pads to GPIO by programming
-// UICR->NFCPINS (a ONE-WAY change — undoing it needs a full chip erase,
-// i.e. a bootloader reflash; accepted, NFC is never used on this
-// hardware) and self-resets once so the pin latch takes effect. After
-// that: pin 30 = boost converter EN, pin 31 = WS2812 data. See plan
-// 0006 and neopixel.h.
+// KNOW WHAT THIS COSTS, because it is charged to every unit in the field,
+// not just the ones with LEDs on them. The UICR write is ONE-WAY — undoing
+// it needs a full chip erase, i.e. a bootloader reflash over USB — so the
+// first boot after updating to 4.1.0 permanently spends the NFC pads and
+// reboots itself once, on every device, wired for LEDs or not. That was the
+// deliberate 4.1.0 decision (NFC is not used on this hardware and the pads
+// are otherwise idle); it is recorded here rather than in a commit message
+// because nothing about a later build can undo it.
+//
+// 0 (no shipped channel sets this; -DBIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL=0 forces it):
+// the subsystem is compiled out — no Adafruit_NeoPixel dependency, and on a
+// board that has NOT already been converted the firmware never writes UICR
+// and never drives pins 30/31. On one that HAS (it ran a flag-on build
+// before), the stubs still hold the boost EN pin low, because a floating EN
+// leaves the 5 V rail up through System OFF — see the #else block in
+// neopixel.ino.
 #ifndef BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL
-  #define BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL 0
+  #define BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL 1
 #endif
 
 ///////////////////////////////////////////

BirdsEye/settings.ino

@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ static void ensureDefaultSettings() {
     // starts the rotation at the speed page — end users never see the
     // diagnostic counters; "show" restores them for development/tuning.
     { "debug_pages", "hide" },
-    // NeoPixel strip (plan 0006). Written on every channel so
-    // SETTINGS.json has a uniform shape (SensorEgg DOVEX-column
-    // precedent); only a BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL build reads them.
+    // NeoPixel strip (plan 0006). Read on every channel since 4.1.0 —
+    // BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL defaults to 1, so these are live
+    // settings on a stock logger, not beta-only bookkeeping.
     { "led_brightness", "64" },  // global cap 0-255; 0 = LEDs disabled
     { "rev_limit", "15000" },    // true RPM: LED scale ceiling + rev flasher + OVER REV header
     // Plan 0007: the PROBLEM limit (0 = disabled) — whole LED chain

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -12,12 +12,45 @@ and this project aims to follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
-Slated to release as **4.1.0** (minor — new NeoPixel subsystem on the
-beta channel, plus the fixes below).
+Nothing yet.
+
+## [4.1.0] - 2026-08-22
+
+MINOR — new settings and device behaviour, all backwards compatible. Track
+files, the DOVEX log format, the log filenames and the BLE command protocol
+are byte-for-byte unchanged from 4.0.0, so 4.0.0 logs, tracks and companion
+apps keep working.
+
+> ### Read this before updating
+>
+> **This release permanently converts the two NFC pads to GPIO, on every
+> device, and reboots once while doing it.**
+>
+> The LED strip stops being a beta-only experiment in 4.1.0 and ships in the
+> normal firmware, so a logger lights up the moment someone wires a strip to
+> it — no special build. Making those two pads usable as GPIO means writing
+> the chip's UICR, and **that write cannot be undone by any later firmware**;
+> reversing it needs a full chip erase and a bootloader reflash over USB.
+> Your logger does the write the first time it boots after updating, then
+> resets itself once so the change takes effect. That single extra reboot
+> during the update is expected — nothing is wrong.
+>
+> This happens whether or not you have LEDs attached, because the firmware
+> cannot know. The trade was made deliberately: this hardware does not use
+> NFC for anything, the pads are otherwise idle, and requiring a separate
+> build to use a headline feature had kept it out of everyone's hands. If you
+> have some future use for the NFC pads on your device, **do not install
+> 4.1.0.**
+>
+> With no strip wired, nothing else changes — the pins simply sit there.
+
+The SensorEgg wireless-EGT proof of concept remains beta-only
+(`BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_SENSOREGG`, off in the published images), but it gained
+nothing this release — so every entry below is live for every user.
 
 ### Added
-- **NeoPixel LED strip subsystem** (beta channel only,
-  `BIRDSEYE_ENABLE_NEOPIXEL`, plan 0006): 11 WS2812 pixels on the NFC
+- **NeoPixel LED strip subsystem** (plan 0006) — **now in every build**,
+  see the upgrade note above: 11 WS2812 pixels on the NFC
   pads converted to GPIO — 2 status indicators + a 9-px strip with a
   centerline. A global brightness cap (`led_brightness` setting, 0
   disables the LEDs entirely) that no LED can ever exceed; a pace pip
@@ -30,8 +63,7 @@ beta channel, plus the fixes below).
   sleep truly powers the LEDs off. **First boot of a flag-on build
   performs a one-way NFC-pads-to-GPIO conversion (UICR write) and
   resets once.**
-- **LED day/night brightness + a device timezone** (beta channel, plan
-  0010): new `utc_offset_min` setting (minutes east of UTC, default 0)
+- **LED day/night brightness + a device timezone** (plan 0010): new `utc_offset_min` setting (minutes east of UTC, default 0)
   gives the device a local wall clock, and the LED strip swaps to
   `led_brightness_night` (default 16) between `led_night_start_hour`
   (19) and `led_day_start_hour` (7) — local hours, so 7am is the
@@ -41,12 +73,14 @@ beta channel, plus the fixes below).
   every filename stay exactly as they were, and timezone presentation
   remains the viewing app's job.
 - **Overrev alert** (plan 0007): new `overrev_limit` setting (default 0
-  = disabled) — past it the whole LED chain flashes red until RPM falls
-  back below the normal `rev_limit`. The rev limit warns the engine is
-  at its ceiling; the overrev limit says it's broken.
+  = disabled) — past it the whole LED chain flashes red and the tach
+  page's `*OVER REV*` header trips, both until RPM falls back below the
+  normal `rev_limit`. The rev limit warns the engine is at its ceiling;
+  the overrev limit says it's broken.
 - **Temp1 alert threshold setting** (`temp1_alert_c`, default 650 °C):
-  the right status LED is now a tri-state — flashing red at/above the
-  limit, off when good, solid blue when there is no probe signal.
+  the right status LED is now a tri-state — flashing red
+  at/above the limit, off when good, solid blue when there is no probe
+  signal.
 - **`tach_filter` setting** (default `smooth`, plan 0009): picks the RPM
   estimator, so the tach can be A/B'd against a live engine at the track
   instead of argued about from a plotted log. `smooth` is the new filter
@@ -60,9 +94,13 @@ beta channel, plus the fixes below).
   thrown away this power-cycle. A count that climbs with RPM is ignition
   ringing or missed sparks reaching the ISR, i.e. the pickup rather than
   the filter.
-- **GPS-search pip**: in race mode without a full GPS lock the strip
-  shows a green pixel bouncing end-to-end instead of the RPM scale, so
-  a not-yet-timing session is visibly "searching".
+- **GPS-search pip**: in race mode without a full GPS lock the strip shows a green pixel bouncing end-to-end instead of the
+  RPM scale, so a not-yet-timing session is visibly "searching".
+- **The browser-sim harness can fake a GPS fix.** A "GPS fix" toggle (plus
+  an mph field) streams a deterministic synthetic 25 Hz fix parked on the
+  bundled OKC track's start line, so fix-gated flows — most usefully the
+  on-device course creator, including its 3 s point-averaging hold — can be
+  exercised in the simulator without loading a log file.
 
 ### Changed
 - **Settings file and JSON document buffers raised 512 -> 1024 bytes**
@@ -100,16 +138,14 @@ beta channel, plus the fixes below).
   a flat ~20 RPM (worst case under 300) from 1500 to 14 000 RPM. The cost
   is ~90 ms more lag on a 5500 RPM/s pull. Set `tach_filter` to `legacy`
   to get the old behaviour back.
-- **Engine dies mid-session** (tach-proven sessions): the LED bar goes
-  dark and the pace page shows `STOPPED` instead of a still-counting
-  pace — status LEDs (temp alert) stay live. Clears on restart.
+- **Engine dies mid-session** (tach-proven sessions): the pace page shows
+  `STOPPED` instead of a still-counting pace, and the LED bar goes dark
+  while the status LEDs (temp alert) stay live. Clears on restart.
 - **Tach page `*OVER REV*` header** now means actual overrev: it shows
   only when `overrev_limit` is enabled and RPM reaches it (was a
   hardcoded 9999 RPM). The `rev_limit` warning stays on the LED only.
 - **Temp status LED flashes red** (was orange), matching the rev
   flasher's alert language.
-
-### Changed
 - **Bluetooth downloads are faster, and now say why when they are not**
   (plan 0008). A 3.3 MB session downloading at 28.8 KB/s on an iPad
   prompted a look at the whole transfer path. Three things were capping
@@ -179,13 +215,6 @@ beta channel, plus the fixes below).
   (16 columns after the `Temp1`/`Junction1`/`Temp2` additions) injected
   nothing. It now accepts 13+ and reads the stable first 13.
 
-### Added
-- **The browser-sim harness can fake a GPS fix.** A "GPS fix" toggle (plus
-  an mph field) streams a deterministic synthetic 25 Hz fix parked on the
-  bundled OKC track's start line, so fix-gated flows — most usefully the
-  on-device course creator, including its 3 s point-averaging hold — can be
-  exercised in the simulator without loading a log file.
-
 ## [4.0.0] - 2026-08-10
 
 ### Added
@@ -1419,7 +1448,9 @@ Initial tagged release. Core capabilities:
 - 8+ OLED display pages, Bluetooth LE file download / settings / track
   sync, and a low-power sleep mode.
 
-[Unreleased]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v3.1.0...HEAD
+[Unreleased]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v4.1.0...HEAD
+[4.1.0]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v4.0.0...v4.1.0
+[4.0.0]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v3.1.0...v4.0.0
 [3.1.0]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v3.0.2...v3.1.0
 [3.0.2]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v3.0.1...v3.0.2
 [3.0.1]: https://github.com/TheAngryRaven/DovesDataLogger/compare/v3.0.0...v3.0.1