IDEA: time controlled automatic LED on/off

[c64emulator]

Depending on sun up/sun down or fixed time, the LED should switch on (sunrise or e.g. at 6h30m) and off (sundown or e.g. at 23h55m).
Settings should be configured in frontend.

[JanPetterMG]

Thanks for the suggestion — a community PR is always welcome!

That said, I see this more as a workaround than a long-term solution. A static timer (fixed sunrise/sunset or specific hours) can be useful in some cases, but it doesn’t fully address why people want it — which is usually to have lighting that adapts dynamically to their daily rhythm and presence status.

Depending on how invested someone is in smart-home equipment, there are already several ways to achieve this today:

• Alexa — accessible for everyday users, with built-in support for timers and presence detection.
• Home Assistant — very flexible and DIY-friendly, with broad automation support and integrations across most “smart” ecosystems.
• APIs — for advanced users who want to roll their own logic.

Looking ahead, I’d love to see deeper support for standards like Thread (over Wi-Fi), Zigbee (ESP32 support is slowly improving), and other smart-home hubs such as Homey.

For those who just need something simple in the meantime, there are also low-cost options that don’t fully replace automation but can reduce the need for timers:

• IR sensor — e.g. using a TV remote.
• LDR sensor — make the display brightness adapt to the surroundings

[c64emulator]

I have modded seven LED-Panels for family (three grown-up children) and some friends (they all get 60..).
Nobody of this people uses Home Automation (living in a shared apartment or no nerds).
So customizing the panel with some personal settings (e.g. LED on/off, timezone and weather location) via local web gui would be very handy.

[JanPetterMG]

The scheduling feature should be designed with flexibility in mind to accommodate varying user needs.
Its user interface could take inspiration from the Playlist extension’s web UI.

The main question is where to define the scope and limits:

• Introducing a basic on/off timer will likely lead to requests for additional customization, such as multiple timers or separate settings for weekdays and weekends.

• Once weekday/weekend support is implemented, users may expect a fully customizable day-of-week schedule.

• Some may also request the ability to schedule different modes—for example, displaying a clock in the morning and weather information in the afternoon.

• At that stage, the feature begins to resemble a smart-home system, which shifts the focus from providing integration support to building a complex solution of our own.