This repo provides the software to create a USB memory device which automatically downloads new electronic QSL cards over WiFi from eQSL.cc™, as well as removing cards older than a configurable age. This enables use of most digital photo frames to display your most recent electronic QSL cards.
This project is not associated with eQSL.cc™ in any way, but makes use of your account and the services they offer. If not already, please consider supporting eQSL.cc™ via their memberships.
Below is the steps to create your own eQSL USB mass storage device.
This is designed to run on the LILYGO® T-Dongle-S3 Development Board (with LCD). These are available on AliExpress™. This dongle has a USB type A connector which should work with many digital photo frames.
A micro SD Card is required. The images are small, so a large card isn't required. A blank card is required as the software will delete any files which names do not match current QSL cards you have (however, it shouldn't modify content of folders on the SD card).
And finally a digital photo frame to display the images. Most that have a USB Type A port should work, and can be picked up very cheaply second hand / used.
You will need to install or download esptool for your operating system.
In the Releases page you'll find a ZIP file containing necessary binary images and scripts which will flash the T-Dongle-S3.
Before running the script, on the T-Dongle-S3 hold down the boot button as you insert it to a USB port on your computer.
If you have download esptool ZIP file per above, you can simply drop the esptool executable in the same folder as the binaries and scripts, and run the script for your operating system.
Once the script finishes flashing you can remove the T-Dongle-S3 from your computer, and begin configuration per below instructions.
Before using, you will need to go to your eQSL.cc™ Profile page and change eQSL Display Format to JPG.
Inserting your SD card directly into your computer, you should copy config.ini onto the root of the SD card. Edit this file, adding your WiFi and eQSL.cc™ credentials.
Once done insert this card into the T-Dongle-S3 SD card slot, and it is now ready to use. The screen on the T-Dongle-S3 will provide status messages showing progress, and any error messages should anything go wrong.
To build the software for flashing to the T-Dongle-S3, you need Arduino IDE and with ESP32 Arduino core v2.0.5.
Included custom versions in libraries folder (version is base version that was modified)
| Name | Version | Customisation |
|---|---|---|
| TFT_eSPI | 2.4.61 | User_Setup.h customised for TFT display |
| esp32-usb-v2 | Modified to make USB interface read-only |
And other libraries without modification (version numbers as tested, may work with other versions)
| Name | Version |
|---|---|
| FastLED | ~3.5.0 |
| IniFile (fork) | ~1.0.3 |
| Regexp | ~0.1.0 |
| UrlEncode | ~1.0.0 |
Copyright (C) 2022 Steven Hiscocks (M1SDH)
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.