Mac utility
PixooTimer
- Type
- Mac utility
- Status
- Usable
- Built with
- Swift, SwiftUI, macOS menu bar APIs, Pixoo 64 local HTTP API
- Turns a small LED panel into a glanceable Time Timer-style countdown.
- Falls back to a floating Mac window when the Pixoo display is unavailable.
- Saves and restores the Pixoo channel after sending rendered timer frames.
Why I Built It
PixooTimer exists because a timer is more useful when it is visible without becoming another window to manage. I already had a Divoom Pixoo 64 LED display, and it seemed like a good home for a simple, physical countdown.
The goal was not to build a complicated productivity system. It was to make a focused timer that could sit outside the computer screen and show time passing at a glance.
How It Works
The app lives in the macOS menu bar and offers a small set of preset durations. When a timer starts, it renders 64 by 64 pixel frames that show a shrinking pie chart and the remaining minutes, then sends those frames to the Pixoo over its local HTTP API.
If the Pixoo is not available, the app can show a floating Mac fallback display. When the timer finishes, it can trigger a Pixoo buzzer or a local system sound.
What I Like About It
This is a small project, but it has a nice physicality. It connects software to an object in the room, and that makes the timer feel less like another app and more like part of the desk.