Everything people ask

Tap a question to open it. If yours isn't here, the help center is the next stop, and your order email reaches me directly.

01  GETTING STARTED
What's in the box?

The TinyHUD unit in its clear case, a USB-C cable, and the setup sheet. No power brick, any phone charger works.

How long does setup take?

About a minute. Plug in, join the WiFi network the screen names, enter your home WiFi on the page that pops up, scan the QR, pick an app.

Do I need an app or an account?

No. The QR on the screen opens your unit's own page in your phone's browser. That code is the login. There is nothing to download and no password to remember.

The setup page never appeared. Now what?

Unplug it, hold the BOOT button, and plug it back in while holding. That forces the WiFi setup page to open. If your phone joined the TinyHUD network but nothing popped up, open a browser and go to any address.

Does it work on 5 GHz WiFi?

It connects on 2.4 GHz. Almost every home router broadcasts both, usually under the same name, so you normally don't have to do anything. If your router splits them into two names, pick the 2.4 GHz one.

Can I use it somewhere without WiFi?

It needs WiFi to fetch numbers and install apps. A phone hotspot works fine. The Sober Streak and Countdown apps keep counting from the unit's own clock if the connection drops.

Where do brightness and backlight color live?

On the same page where you entered your WiFi, just below the password field. Hold BOOT while plugging in to get back there any time.

02  APPS AND THE STORE
What apps are there?

Market apps: Crypto (BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, LTC, XRP), Farm (live cattle, feeder cattle, lean hogs, corn, soybeans, wheat, Class III milk), Metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper), and US Debt (a live national debt clock). Counting apps: Sober Streak and Countdown. Business apps: Shopify Sales and Stripe Sales.

What's the difference between a ticker and a board?

A ticker shows one big price, for example just Bitcoin. A board shows the whole feed as a table, for example every metal at once. Market apps come in both layouts and you pick on the store page.

How do I change apps?

Click the BOOT button once to bring the QR back up, scan it, and tap Install on a different app. The unit rebuilds itself in about a minute. Do it as often as you like.

How do I pick which coin or commodity a ticker shows?

On the unit's store page there is a picker for single-value apps. Choose the symbol and the screen switches on its next refresh, no reinstall needed.

Can it show my own mix of numbers?

Not yet. Custom dashboards where you check the boxes for the exact symbols you want are on the roadmap. Vote for it there if you want it sooner.

Which apps cost money?

Shopify Sales and Stripe Sales are monthly subscriptions. Every market and counting app is free. The price is shown on the app's card before you tap anything.

How often does it refresh?

Every unit polls every 15 seconds. Crypto data updates every minute on the server, farm, metals and debt every five minutes, and the sales apps every 15 seconds. Paying for an app never changes the pace, it's the same for everyone.

How does the Sober Streak app work?

You set a start date on the store page, and optionally a daily dollar amount you used to spend. The screen shows your day count big, the next milestone, money saved, and the date it counts from. It rolls over at your midnight, not UTC, and keeps counting even if WiFi drops.

How does Countdown work?

You pick a future date and give it a name in your own words, like PARIS TRIP. The screen shows days left, the next milestone on the way down, and throws a little animation at each marker. On the day it says TODAY.

03  SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BILLING
How do I subscribe to a paid app?

Scan the QR, tap Subscribe on the app's card, and check out with Stripe. Your unit is attached to the checkout automatically so there's nothing to type in. Install works as soon as the payment lands, usually within a minute.

How do I cancel?

Scan the QR and tap Manage subscription. That opens a Stripe portal where you can cancel or change your card. When the subscription ends the unit switches back to a free app on its own.

Is the subscription tied to me or the unit?

To the unit. If you have two units and want a paid app on both, each needs its own subscription. If you sell a unit, cancel first so you don't keep paying for it.

What payment methods work?

Anything Stripe accepts, which is every major card. All prices are in US dollars.

Do I get a refund if I cancel mid-month?

Cancelling stops the next charge. The app keeps running until the end of the period you already paid for.

04  HARDWARE AND BUTTONS
What does the BOOT button do?

Click once to show the QR. Hold three seconds and let go to flip the screen upside down. Hold seven seconds for a factory reset. Hold it while plugging in to reopen the WiFi setup page.

What does the RESET button do?

It restarts the unit, same as unplugging it. It does not erase anything.

What does the light mean?

It's a status light next to the screen. [Fill in what each color means from your firmware.]

What's the screen?

A 2.8 inch color display in a clear acrylic case, driven by an ESP32 WiFi microcontroller. It stands on its own on a desk or shelf.

Does it have a battery?

No, it runs off USB-C. Any phone charger or a USB port on your computer or monitor will power it.

What about the micro USB port?

Ignore it. USB-C is the one you want. The micro port is on the board but isn't needed for anything.

Can I flip it or mount it upside down?

Yes. Hold BOOT for three seconds and let go and the whole display rotates 180 degrees.

Does it make sound?

There's a small speaker on the board. [Note whether any current app uses it.]

05  WIFI, UPDATES AND RESETS
I moved or changed my WiFi. How do I update it?

Hold BOOT while plugging in and the setup page comes back. Enter the new network. Your app, symbol pick, and settings all stay.

How do updates work?

The unit checks for a new version when it boots, every six hours, and any time the server tells it to. If there's something new it downloads it over WiFi and restarts. You never plug it into a computer.

What does a factory reset erase?

WiFi and comfort settings like brightness. It does not erase your app or your subscriptions, those live on the server and come back the moment you reconnect WiFi.

The power went out. Do I have to set it up again?

No. It reconnects to your WiFi and comes back on the same app by itself.

Can I run it without updates?

Updates are automatic and can't be turned off. They're how bug fixes and new features reach you, and they never change which app you're on.

06  DATA AND ACCURACY
Where do the numbers come from?

Crypto comes from Coinbase. Farm and metals come from Yahoo Finance's futures data. US Debt comes from the Treasury's Debt to the Penny release. Sales apps read straight from your own Shopify or Stripe account.

Why did my numbers turn grey?

Grey means the data feed is down or hasn't updated recently, not that your unit is broken. It comes back to color on its own when the source recovers. If everything stays grey for more than a few minutes, check that your WiFi is up.

Why does the debt clock tick when Treasury only reports once a day?

Treasury publishes one figure per business day. The server works out the pace between the last two releases and the unit counts forward from there, so the number on your desk moves like a real clock.

Are the farm prices spot or futures?

Futures, the front contract. That's what most producers watch. Units are displayed the way the trade quotes them, cents per bushel for grains, cents per pound for livestock, dollars per hundredweight for milk.

Is crypto pricing in USD?

Yes. Every price on every app is US dollars.

07  PRIVACY AND SECURITY
What does the sales app need from my store?

For Shopify, your store domain and a read-only access token you create in your own admin. For Stripe, a restricted key with read access to charges only. TinyHUD can look at totals, never place, change, or refund anything.

Where is my token stored?

On the TinyHUD server, encrypted at rest. It is never shown back on any page and never sent to the unit. You can revoke it from your Shopify or Stripe admin at any moment and the app simply stops.

What personal data does TinyHUD collect?

Almost none. The server knows your unit's ID, which app it runs, its firmware version, and when it last checked in. Billing details live with Stripe, not with TinyHUD.

Could someone mess with my unit by scanning my QR?

Anyone who scans the QR can see the unit's page and swap a free app, so don't post a photo of it. They cannot get your sales data or your card, and installing a paid app needs that unit's own subscription. If it ever happens, scan it yourself and switch back.

Does it listen or record anything?

No microphone, no camera. It has a screen, a WiFi radio, and a button.

08  ORDERS, SHIPPING AND RETURNS
When will it ship?

[Within X business days] from Colorado Springs. You'll get tracking by email.

Do you ship internationally?

[Yes, flat $X / US only for now.]

What's the return policy?

[X days] from delivery, any reason. Reply to your order email and I'll send a label. Full refund once it's back.

Is there a warranty?

[X months] against defects. If it stops working and you didn't drop it in a lake, I'll replace it.

Can I buy more than one?

Yes. Each unit has its own QR and its own app, so a desk full of them can each show something different.

Who do I contact about an order?

Reply to your order confirmation email, it comes straight to me. Or write to support@tinyhud.com.

Didn't find it? Ask in the help center and I'll add the answer here so the next person finds it faster.Dane, Founder of TinyHUD
tinyhud.com  |  BUILT IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Meet TinyHUD

TinyHUD is a small WiFi display that shows whatever you keep reaching for your phone to look at, whether that is bitcoin, corn, gold, today's sales, or days sober. You pick it on your phone, the unit installs it on its own, and from then on the number is just there.