MorseReader

A microcontroller does not need a display to tell you what it is doing. Sometimes one LED is enough.

MorseReader treats the camera as an optical receiver. Point it at a flashing status LED and read the message as text. Without a display, serial cable, network connection or additional receiver hardware.

The raw camera stream is around 4 Gbit/s. Your status message may be 10 bit/s. Sip the useful bits from the camera firehose. Finding the mushy waveform in that torrent of pixels is MorseReader's problem.

TWO RELATED COMMUNICATION MODES

Classic Morse

Decode traditional Morse containing letters, digits and spaces. MorseReader estimates the dot duration automatically, with an optional manual timing override for difficult signals.

High-Speed Teletype

Decode Manchester-encoded ITA2, the historical five-bit teleprinter successor to Morse. This mode supports the conventional ITA2 LTRS and FIGS alphabets, including their letters, numbers and punctuation.

A few characters are enough to answer useful questions. A pump could report its current flow or warn that it is running dry. A solar charge controller could show generated power and battery level. A remote sensor could report temperature, humidity or a threshold alarm. A motor controller could expose speed, load or a fault code. Even a device stuck during startup could identify the boot stage or sensor that failed.

MorseReader displays these short messages in real time. It is not a replacement for a serial console, but it is considerably more informative than “the LED is blinking.”

FEATURES

• Decode flashing LEDs using the camera
• Classic Morse and Manchester-encoded ITA2 modes
• Automatically detect and track a flashing LED
• Tap an LED to select it manually when needed
• Display decoded text and raw symbols in real time
• Automatically estimate signal timing
• Apply a manual timing override for difficult signals
• Review, save and share received diagnostic messages
• Process camera data entirely on-device
• No account, cloud service or additional receiver hardware required

BUILT FOR HARDWARE DEVELOPERS

MorseReader is useful for:

• Arduino, ESP32, RP2040 and other microcontroller projects
• Embedded Linux devices, single-board computers and Raspberry Pi systems
• Boot diagnostics and power-on self-tests
• Operating modes, sensor readings and controller state
• Error codes and firmware status
• Field diagnostics
• Devices without displays or accessible debug ports

A single LED can provide a modest but useful diagnostic channel while continuing to function as an ordinary status indicator.

MorseReader does not connect directly to your equipment. Its firmware must flash an LED using supported Morse or Manchester-encoded ITA2 timing.

Optical decoding still involves physics. Results depend on LED brightness, ambient light, focus, exposure, camera stability, transmission speed and distance. Animated screens are useful for demonstrations, but physical LEDs are generally more reliable because dis