Beta Features
This content is for 1.1 (beta). Switch to the stable release docs.
HelixScreen includes several features that are functional but still being refined. These are gated behind a beta flag so they can be tested without affecting the default experience.
Enabling Beta Features
Section titled “Enabling Beta Features”Method 1: Secret tap (recommended)
- Go to Settings → tap the About row to open the About overlay
- Tap the Current Version button 7 times (like enabling Android Developer Mode)
- A countdown appears after 4 taps (“3 more taps…”, “2 more taps…”, etc.)
- A toast confirms “Beta features: ON”
Repeat the same process to disable beta features.
Note: Taps must be within 2 seconds of each other or the counter resets.
Method 2: Config file
Set "beta_features": true in your settings.json.
Method 3: Test mode
Beta features are always enabled when running with --test.
Beta Feature List
Section titled “Beta Feature List”When beta features are enabled, the following appear in the UI with an orange “BETA” badge and left accent border:
| Feature | Location | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dev Update Channel | Settings > Updates | Adds Dev to the Update Channel selector, which otherwise offers Stable and Beta to everyone | Functional; needs dev_url set in /var/lib/helixscreen/update_urls.json (root-owned) |
| Tool Offsets | Advanced panel, Controls panel | Automatically measure every tool’s X/Y/Z position in one run, on a tool-changer printer | Functional; requires a tool changer with automatic offset calibration support |
| Belt Tension | Advanced panel | Compare a CoreXY’s two belt paths with a resonance sweep; re-test one path at a time after an adjustment and see the old curve as a faint line | Functional; requires a CoreXY with exactly one accelerometer and HelixScreen running on the printer’s own computer. The verdict’s thresholds are provisional |
Graduated from beta: the Sound System, PID Calibration, Input Shaper, the Spool Wizard, the G-code Console, Probe Management, Z-Offset Calibration, Timelapse, the Macro Browser, and MPC Calibration are now available to all users without enabling beta features. The HelixPrint plugin install/uninstall rows, the Z Calibration button, and Multi-Printer Management are likewise available to everyone.
ESP32-S3 Firmware (Alpha)
Section titled “ESP32-S3 Firmware (Alpha)”Besides running on a printer’s host computer (Linux, Raspberry Pi, Android), HelixScreen can be built as firmware that runs directly on ESP32-S3 display panels — the BTT K-Touch class of hardware.
Status: alpha. This is an early, experimental port for developers and early testers. Expect rough edges, missing features, and instability: not for daily use. The Linux, Pi, and Android targets are unaffected and remain the production ones.
What works today:
- Boots to the Home panel; heavier screens load on first visit to fit the panel’s memory
- Live printer status and bed mesh over WiFi through Moonraker
- WiFi setup on first boot: the panel broadcasts its own setup hotspot — join it from your phone to configure the network
- Updating over USB that keeps your WiFi and settings. There are no over-the-air updates yet
- Seven languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian); Chinese and Japanese need a font the panel has no room for
- Printer pictures for the DIY and Klipper-converted machines an add-on panel usually drives (Voron, RatRig, Sovol SV08, Zero G and others); other printers show a generic picture
- Notification history: tap the bell to see past alerts
- Temperature graphs that start from the printer’s recent history
Not yet available on this target: the camera feed and QR features, the 2D G-code view, and the 3D bed mesh view.
Release builds (1.1 betas and newer) include a ready-to-flash firmware zip. Installing, first-boot setup, updating and recovery are covered in K-Touch Install.
Update Channel Selection
Section titled “Update Channel Selection”The channel selector in Settings → About offers Stable and Beta on every install. Enabling beta features adds a third entry:
| Channel | Description | Needs beta features |
|---|---|---|
| Stable | Production releases (default) | No |
| Beta | Pre-release builds for testing upcoming features | No |
| Dev | Development builds — latest code, may be unstable | Yes |
The update channel can also be set via update.channel in the config file (0=Stable, 1=Beta, 2=Dev).
A stored Dev falls back to Stable while beta features are off; the stored value is
kept, so turning beta back on restores Dev.
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