Version History

Firmware Updates

Track every improvement, feature, and fix across all Nexus Pen firmware releases.

Version History

Every Nexus Pen firmware release, documented.

v10.3
Latest April 2026

LCD UI Polish & Status Bar Fixes

  • Fixed status bar elements overlapping main content on color display
  • BLE connection dot indicator now renders correctly in all states
  • Battery icon no longer shown when battery monitoring is disabled
  • Thinking screen animated dots display correctly during AI processing
Released
v10.2
April 2026

Battery Monitoring & Animated Feedback

  • Battery level monitoring via ADC with accurate percentage display
  • Battery icon on LCD status bar updates in real time
  • BLE connection icon added to status bar
  • Listening animation shown on LCD while PTT is held
  • Thinking animation shown while Donna processes your query
Released
v10.0
March 2026

Performance Architecture

  • AI mode display on LCD — shows active mode (Answer, School, Research, Creative, Language)
  • Spinlock-based ring buffer for race-condition-free audio streaming
  • CPU frequency scaling — 240MHz during processing, 80MHz at idle for battery savings
  • Sine LUT (look-up table) replaces real-time sine computation for faster audio processing
Released
v9.0
March 2026

Boot Animation & AI Mode Cycling

  • Boot animation on LCD at startup — Nexus Pen logo fade-in sequence
  • Persistent status bar with clock, BLE, and battery indicators
  • AI mode cycling via Button B — switch modes directly from the pen
  • Developer tools accessible via button sequence for diagnostics
Released
v8.0
March 2026

Runtime Volume Control & Voice Commands

  • Runtime volume control via NVS (Non-Volatile Storage) — settings persist across reboots
  • Voice command detection: "Donna mute/max/lower/raise volume"
  • Developer mode (Button sequence ABC-CBA) with easter egg responses
  • Enhanced settings menu with more options accessible from the pen
  • Improved I2C reliability for LCD blocking mitigation
Released
v7.2
February 2026

BLE Audio Optimisation

  • Tuned BLE burst audio delivery at 24KB/s for consistent playback
  • Prebuffer tuning — eliminated audio dropouts at session start
  • LCD I2C blocking mitigation — display no longer interrupts audio stream
  • Reduced BLE reconnect latency after device wake
Released
v7.0
January 2026

16kHz HD Audio Pipeline

  • Upgraded audio pipeline to 16kHz for dramatically improved speech clarity
  • CE32A-8 1-1/4" 8Ω speaker support with MAX98357A amplifier
  • Ring buffer architecture for smooth, gap-free audio streaming
  • Backend TTS upgraded to OpenAI tts-1 with parallel processing
  • G.711 u-law encoding for efficient BLE audio transport
Released
v6.0
December 2025

Multi-Button Interface & Settings Menu

  • Three-button interface (A, B, C) fully implemented
  • On-device settings menu accessible without the app
  • Demo mode for showcasing the pen without an active subscription
  • LCD menu navigation with smooth scrolling
Released
v5.8
November 2025

PCB Pin Configuration Finalised

  • Pin configuration locked for production PCB: AMP (BCLK=17, LRC=16, DIN=27), MIC (BCLK=26, WS=25, DOUT=34)
  • I2C bus: SDA=23, SCL=19, RST=12
  • PTT=4, Button A=15, Button B=32, Button C=14
  • I2S dual-port audio — simultaneous mic input and speaker output
Released
v5.0
October 2025

Initial BLE Audio & Color Display

  • First working BLE audio streaming from backend to pen speaker
  • LCD text display of Donna AI responses
  • PTT (Push-to-Talk) recording and transmission
  • Basic Donna AI integration with the cloud AI backend
Released
10 Major Releases
v10.3 Current Version
16kHz Audio Quality
OTA Update Method

How to Update Firmware

Keep your Nexus Pen running the latest features. Updates take approximately 2 minutes.

Over-the-Air (WiFi)

The recommended method. Requires WiFi setup.

  1. Connect your pen to WiFi via the app (Settings → WiFi Setup).
  2. When a new version is available, the color displays "UPDATE AVAILABLE".
  3. Press Button A to begin the update.
  4. Keep the pen charged. Do not power off during the update.
  5. The pen reboots automatically when complete — LCD shows the new version number.

Via App

Flash firmware directly over BLE from the app.

  1. Open the Nexus Pen app with the pen connected via BLE.
  2. Go to Settings → Firmware → Check for Updates.
  3. If an update is available, tap Download & Install.
  4. Keep your phone near the pen during the transfer.
  5. The pen will reboot when the update is complete.
Important: Always ensure your pen has at least 30% battery before starting a firmware update. Interrupting an update may require a manual flash — contact NexuspenLLC@gmail.com if this occurs.

Always getting better.

Every firmware update is free. Your Nexus Pen improves automatically over time.

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