README changes in advance of some other stuff

Author: clockspot

README.md

@@ -14,21 +14,21 @@
 
 ## Operating Instructions, v1.6.0
 
-[Instructions for earlier software versions are here.](https://github.com/clockspot/arduino-nixie/releases) (The clock displays its software version on startup, as of v1.6.0.)
+When first powered up, the clock will display its software version (as of v1.6). [Instructions for earlier versions are here.](https://github.com/clockspot/arduino-nixie/releases)
 
-Press **Select** to cycle through the clock’s functions: [Time](#time), [Calendar](#calendar), [Alarm](#alarm), and [Timer](#timer).
+Press **Select** to cycle through the clock’s modes: [Time](#time), [Calendar](#calendar), [Alarm](#alarm), and [Timer](#timer).
 
 To set something, simply hold **Select** until it flashes; use **Up/Down** to set, and **Select** to save.
 
-### Time
+### Time Mode
 
 This displays the time of day. You can specify 12h or 24h format in the [options menu](#options-menu), but when setting, it will display in 24h so you can tell AM from PM.
 
-In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can also enable automatic daylight saving time adjustment, enable an hourly chime, and set the display to dim or shut off at certain times, among other things.
+In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can enable automatic daylight saving time adjustment, an hourly chime, and dimming/shutoff of the display at certain times, among other things.
 
-### Calendar
+### Calendar Mode
 
-The calendar has several displays and automatically cycles through them, before returning to Time.
+The calendar cycles through several displays, before returning to the Time mode:
 
 * **The date.** You can specify its format in the [options menu](#options-menu). When setting, it will ask for year, then month, then date. 
 
@@ -38,33 +38,31 @@ The calendar has several displays and automatically cycles through them, before
 
 * **Sunrise and sunset.** These two displays show the previous and next sunrise or sunset (indicated by `1` or `0` on the seconds tubes). For this to work correctly, set your latitude, longitude, and UTC offset in the [options menu](#options-menu).
 
-### Alarm
+### Alarm Mode
 
 The alarm is always shown in 24h format so you can tell AM from PM. Use **Up/Down** to switch the alarm between **on, skip, and off** (indicated by `1`/`01`/`0` on the seconds tubes, and high/medium/low beeps).
 
-The **skip** mode is temporary, and allows you to skip the next alarm time, but leave it on for the time after that. This way, if you’re taking a day off tomorrow, or you wake up before your alarm, you can silence it for the day in advance.
+When the alarm sounds, press any button to snooze it, or briefly hold any button to silence it for the day (it will give a short beep, and the display will blink once).
 
-In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can set the clock to skip the alarm automatically during the work week or on weekends. When this is active, you can also “unskip” the next alarm time – such as if you need to get up on time on a particular Saturday – by switching the alarm to `1`.
-
-When the alarm goes off, press any button to snooze it, or briefly hold any button to silence it for the day (it will blink the display and give a short beep).
+**Skip** will silence the next alarm in advance — useful if you’re taking a day off tomorrow, or you wake up before your alarm. In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can program the alarm to skip automatically during the work week or on weekends – and when this is active, you can also _unskip_ the next alarm by switching it to `1`. If you have an [Alt button](#the-alt-button), you can set it to toggle the skip setting.
 
 In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can set the snooze length and the alarm sound. If your clock has a [relay in switched mode](#hardware-configuration), you can also choose to switch on the relay at alarm time (like a clock radio) instead of sounding the beeper.
 
-### Timer
+### Timer Mode
 
-This countdown timer can be set up to 18 hours. It begins running as soon as you finish setting it, and will continue to run in the background if you change to a different function. To cancel the running timer, hold **Select**. When the timer runs out, press any button to silence. If power is lost, the timer will clear.
+This countdown timer can be set up to 18 hours. It begins running as soon as you finish setting it, and will continue to run in the background if you change to a different mode. To cancel the running timer, hold **Select**. When the timer runs out, press any button to silence. If power is lost, the timer will clear.
 
 In the [options menu](#options-menu), you can set it to be an interval timer (restarting when it reaches zero), and can also select the timer sound. If your clock has a [relay in switched mode](#hardware-configuration), you can also choose to switch on the relay while the timer is running (like the “sleep” function on a clock radio) instead of sounding the beeper.
 
 ### The Alt Button
 
 If your clock is equipped with an **Alt** button, it will do one of two things (depending on your [hardware configuration](#hardware-configuration)):
 
-* In most cases, the **Alt** button works as a function preset, similar to a preset button in a car radio. While viewing the function you want quick access to, hold **Alt** until it beeps twice; then you can use **Alt** to jump straight to that function. It works best for Alarm or Timer.
+* If your clock has a switched relay with soft power switch enabled, the **Alt** button acts as the power switch.
 
-  * TIP: If used with Alarm, the **Alt** button will also toggle the skip mode – so to skip or unskip the next alarm, you only need to press the **Alt** button twice: once to display it, and once to change it.
+* Otherwise, the **Alt** button works as a mode preset, similar to a preset button in a car radio. While viewing the mode you want quick access to, hold **Alt** until it beeps twice; then you can use **Alt** to jump straight to that mode. It works best for Alarm or Timer.
 
-* If your clock has a switched relay with soft power switch enabled, the **Alt** button switches the relay on and off – great for using the clock as an appliance timer.
+  * TIP: If used with Alarm, the **Alt** button will also toggle the skip setting – so to skip (or unskip) the next alarm, you only need to press the **Alt** button twice: once to display it, and once to change it.
 
 ### Options Menu
 
@@ -81,8 +79,8 @@ If your clock is equipped with an **Alt** button, it will do one of two things (
 | 4 | Leading zero in hour, date, and month? | 0 = no<br/>1 = yes |
 | 5 | Digit fade | 0–20 (in hundredths of a second) |
 | 6 | Auto DST | Add 1h for daylight saving time between these dates (at 2am):<br/>0 = off<br/>1 = second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November (US/CA)<br/>2 = last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October (UK/EU)<br/>3 = first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October (MX)<br/>4 = last Sunday in September to first Sunday in April (NZ)<br/>5 = first Sunday in October to first Sunday in April (AU)<br/>6 = third Sunday in October to third Sunday in February (BZ)<br/>(If the clock is not powered at the time, it will correct itself when connected to power.) |
-| 7 | LED behavior | 0 = always off<br/>1 = always on<br/>2 = on, but follow night/away modes if enabled<br/>3 = off, but on when alarm/timer sounds</br>4 = off, but on with switched relay (if equipped)<br/>(Clocks with LED backlighting only) |
-| 8 | Anti-cathode poisoning | Briefly cycles all digits to prevent [cathode poisoning](http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/different/cathode%20poisoning/cathode-poisoning.htm)<br/>0 = once a day, either at midnight or at night mode start time (if enabled)<br/>1 = at the top of every hour<br/>2 = at the top of every minute<br/>(Will not trigger during night/away modes) |
+| 7 | LED behavior | 0 = always off<br/>1 = always on<br/>2 = on, but follow night/away shutoff if enabled<br/>3 = off, but on when alarm/timer sounds</br>4 = off, but on with switched relay (if equipped)<br/>(Clocks with LED backlighting only) |
+| 8 | Anti-cathode poisoning | Briefly cycles all digits to prevent [cathode poisoning](http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/different/cathode%20poisoning/cathode-poisoning.htm)<br/>0 = once a day, either at midnight or when night shutoff starts (if enabled)<br/>1 = at the top of every hour<br/>2 = at the top of every minute<br/>(Will not trigger during night/away shutoff) |
 |  | **Alarm** |  |
 | 10 | Alarm auto-skip | 0 = alarm triggers every day<br/>1 = work week only, skipping weekends (per settings below)<br/>2 = weekend only, skipping work week |
 | 11 | Alarm signal | 0 = beeper<br/>1 = relay (if in switch mode, will stay on for 2 hours)<br/>(Clocks with both beeper and relay only) |
@@ -93,14 +91,14 @@ If your clock is equipped with an **Alt** button, it will do one of two things (
 | 21 | Timer signal | 0 = beeper<br/>1 = relay (if in switch mode, will stay on until timer runs down)</br>(Clocks with both beeper and relay only) |
 | 22 | Timer beeper pitch | [Note number](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_key_frequencies), from 49 (A4) to 88 (C8).<br/>(Clocks with beeper only) |
 |  | **Chime** |  |
-| 30 | Chime | Make noise on the hour:<br/>0 = off<br/>1 = single beep<br/>2 = pips<br/>3 = Chime the hour (1 to 12)<br/>4 = ship’s bell (hour and half hour)<br/>Will not sound during night/away modes (except when off starts at top of hour)<br/>(Clocks with beeper or pulse relay only) |
+| 30 | Chime | Make noise on the hour:<br/>0 = off<br/>1 = single beep<br/>2 = pips<br/>3 = Chime the hour (1 to 12)<br/>4 = ship’s bell (hour and half hour)<br/>Will not sound during night/away shutoff (except when off starts at top of hour)<br/>(Clocks with beeper or pulse relay only) |
 | 31 | Chime signal | 0 = beeper<br/>1 = relay<br/>(Clocks with both beeper and pulse relay only) |
 | 32 | Chime beeper pitch | [Note number](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_key_frequencies), from 49 (A4) to 88 (C8). If using the pips, 63 (987 Hz) is closest to the real BBC pips frequency (1000 Hz).<br/>(Clocks with beeper only) |
-|  | **Night mode and away mode** |  |
-| 40 | Night mode | To save tube life and/or preserve your sleep, dim or shut off tubes nightly when you’re not around or sleeping.<br/>0 = none (tubes fully on at night)<br/>1 = dim tubes at night<br/>2 = shut off tubes at night<br/>When off, you can press **Select** to illuminate the tubes briefly. |
+|  | **Night/away shutoff** |  |
+| 40 | Night shutoff | To save tube life and/or preserve your sleep, dim or shut off tubes nightly when you’re not around or sleeping.<br/>0 = none (tubes fully on at night)<br/>1 = dim tubes at night<br/>2 = shut off tubes at night<br/>When off, you can press **Select** to illuminate the tubes briefly. |
 | 41 | Night starts at | Time of day. |
 | 42 | Night ends at | Time of day. Set to 0:00 to use the alarm time. |
-| 43 | Away mode | To further save tube life, shut off tubes during the day when you’re not around.<br/>0 = none (tubes fully on during the day)<br/>1 = clock at work (shut off all day on weekends)<br/>2 = clock at home (shut off during work hours)<br/>When off, you can press **Select** to illuminuate the tubes briefly. |
+| 43 | Away shutoff | To further save tube life, shut off tubes during daytime hours when you’re not around. This feature is designed to accommodate your work schedule.<br/>0 = none (tubes on all day every day, except for night shutoff)<br/>1 = clock at work (shut off all day on weekends)<br/>2 = clock at home (shut off during work hours only)<br/>When off, you can press **Select** to illuminate the tubes briefly. |
 | 44 | First day of work week | 0–6 (Sunday–Saturday) |
 | 45 | Last day of work week | 0–6 (Sunday–Saturday) |
 | 46 | Work starts at | Time of day. |
@@ -110,7 +108,7 @@ If your clock is equipped with an **Alt** button, it will do one of two things (
 | 51 | Longitude | Your longitude, in tenths of a degree; negative (west) values are indicated with leading zeroes. (Example: Dallas is at 96.7°W, set as `00967`.) |
 | 52 | UTC offset | Your time zone’s offset from UTC (non-DST), in hours and minutes; negative (west) values are indicated with leading zeroes. (Example: Dallas is UTC–6, set as `0600`.) |
 
-To reset the options menu settings to “factory” defaults, hold **Select** while connecting the clock to power.
+To reset the clock to “factory” defaults, hold **Select** while connecting the clock to power.
 
 ## Hardware Configuration
 
@@ -119,7 +117,7 @@ A number of hardware-related settings are specified in config files, so you can
 These settings include:
 
 * **Number of digits** in the display module. Default is 6; small display adjustments are made for 4-tube clocks.
-* **Which functions** are enabled.
+* **Which modes** are enabled.
 * **Which pins** are associated with the inputs (controls) and outputs (displays and signals).
   * If your clock includes LED backlighting (e.g. UNDB v8+), specifying an LED pin will enable the LED-related options in the options menu. LEDs should be connected to a PWM pin.
 * **What type of Up/Down controls** are equipped: pushbuttons (default) or rotary encoder (TBD).
@@ -129,7 +127,7 @@ These settings include:
     * In switched mode (default), the relay will be switched to control an appliance like a radio or lamp. If used with timer, it will switch on while timer is running (like the “sleep” function on a clock radio). If used with alarm, it will switch on when alarm trips and stay on for **relay switch duration** (default 2 hours). In this case, the **Alt** button (if equipped) will shut it off immediately, skipping snooze. This mode also enables the option for the LED backlighting, if equipped, to switch with the relay (great for a radio!).
     * In pulse mode, the relay will be pulsed, like the beeper is, to control an intermittent signaling device like a solenoid or indicator lamp; specify **relay pulse duration** (default 200ms).
 * **Soft alarm switch** enabled: default is yes; it is switched with **Up** (on) and **Down** (off) while viewing the alarm time. Change to no if the signal output/appliance has its own switch on this relay circuit; the software alarm will be permanently on.
-* **Soft power switch** enabled (switched relay only): default is yes; appliance can be toggled on/off with **Alt**. Change to no if the appliance has its own power switch (independent of this relay circuit) or does not need to be manually switched. (If set to no, or not using a switched relay, **Alt** acts as a function preset, as above.)
+* **Soft power switch** enabled (switched relay only): default is yes; appliance can be toggled on/off with **Alt**. Change to no if the appliance has its own power switch (independent of this relay circuit) or does not need to be manually switched. (If set to no, or not using a switched relay, **Alt** acts as a mode preset, as above.)
 * **Various other durations** for things like scrolling speed, set mode timeouts, short and long button holds, “hold to set faster” thresholds, etc.
 
 You can also set the **defaults for the options menu** (in main code, currently) to better suit the clock’s intended use.