This manual is for the Poem/1 AI clock. On this page:

• Setup
• Normal operation
• Using Poem/1
• Firmware updates
• Technical details
• Compliance and safety information

Important note#

⚠️ Never unplug Poem/1 during a display update. This may cause permanent screen damage.

Setup#

Poem/1 receives poems using Wi-Fi. Poems are composed automatically at the poem.town website, fresh every minute and every day.

Use your phone to connect Poem/1 to Wi-Fi

Unbox your clock and plug it in with the supplied USB-C cable.

⚠️ A USB-C wall charger is not supplied. You will need to use your own.

After the clock boots, it will create its own temporary Wi-Fi network and you’ll see a screen like this:

Now either:

• Use your phone camera to scan the QR code (make sure your phone is unlocked first). Follow the prompt to join the Wi-Fi network
• Or, connect to the Wi-Fi network manually. Use the network name and password shown.

A captive portal will open automatically. This will take up to 30 seconds. If it doesn’t appear, visit the address shown on the screen in your phone’s browser.

Configure Wi-Fi

In the captive portal:

• Tap “Configure Wi-Fi”
• Tap the name of your home Wi-Fi network
• At the bottom of the screen, enter the Wi-Fi password
• Tap “Save”
• You will see some confirmation text, and then the clock will reboot and connect to your Wi-Fi network.

🙋 What do I do if my clock doesn’t reboot? Unplug it, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in.

🙋 What happens if my clock cannot connect to Wi-Fi? You will see the “Connect to me” screen again. Double check the password or try another network.

When Poem/1 is connecting to the Wi-Fi network, you will see a screen like this:

And then, when it has successfully connected to the Wi-Fi network, it will set its internal clock:

⚠️ If your clock gets to this point and then returns to the “Connect to me” screen, it may be that the Wi-Fi network you are using has a captive portal that is blocking the clock from connecting, or it is not connected to the internet. Please try another network.

The clock will now begin its normal operation.

Normal operation#

Every time Poem/1 starts up, it shows this “Composing…” screen:

⚠️ Make a note of this four character code!

Claim your clock. To use the other features of Poem/1, visit the poem.town/-/XXXX URL in a web browser. You can also scan the QR code with your phone camera.

After 20 seconds a poem will appear:

Your timezone is auto-detected. If your timezone is incorrect, visit the “Composing…” URL in your browser to set it manually.

The poem will update every 60 seconds. The poem is fetched using Wi-Fi each time, so the clock must continue to be connected to the internet.

Using Poem/1#

Claim your clock

To use the other features of Poem/1, you first need to claim it.

Visit the URL shown on your clock’s “Composing…” screen in a web browser. The URL is unique to your clock and will look something like https://poem.town/-/XXXX. You will be walked through a process to:

• Create a user account
• Claim your clock, based on the unique code shown on the screen.

⚠️ If your code is not recognized, or someone else has already claimed it, first check you have entered the code correctly, and then please contact support.

Once you have claimed your clock, you will see it listed on the website Dashboard (sign-in required).

Personalize your clock

Select your clock from the Dashboard. From here you can change:

• Font. Choose between a serif and sans-serif font.
• Timezone. Your auto-detected timezone is shown. If this is incorrect, set it manually.
• Screensaver. If enabled, the clock display will be blank for 8 hours overnight (you can set the start time). This is to prolong the life of the display.

When the screensaver is active, press the top button to override it and resume showing poems. The screensaver will be deactivated for the rest of the scheduled 8 hours.

Changes will show on your clock the next time the poem updates, within 60 seconds.

Like a poem

While a poem is showing, press the top button to like it. The poem will be saved to your account. You can view it later on the Dashboard.

Post a note

To post a note to your clock:

• Visit the Dashboard and select your clock from the list
• Type a short note in the “Post a note” box
• The note will display instead of the poem on the next update.

Notes display with a border, like this:

Press the top button to dismiss the note. Notes are automatically dismissed after a short while. (Old notes are saved to your account.)

If the screensaver is active, your clock can still receive notes. A small indicator will appear.

Firmware updates#

From time to time there may be firmware updates for your Poem/1 clock. These updates can include improvements and bug fixes.

You will need to install the first firmware update manually. Future updates will be installed automatically.

Prepare by downloading the latest firmware

The latest firmware is v0.7.3.

Download the firmware file by clicking the link below and save it to your computer:

poem1-firmware-v0.7.3-cbd4495.img

Kickstarter backers should install this update.

(If you were an “early tester” then please email support for a special firmware version that will work with your clock.)

How to manually install a firmware update

You only need to do this once. After the first update, future updates will be installed automatically.

Firmware updates are installed using the clock’s Wi-Fi configuration mode.

1. Make sure you have the firmware file downloaded to your computer (see above).
2. If your clock is connected to power, unplug it now (do not unplug during a display update).
3. While holding down the top button, connect the clock to power: hold down until the “Connect to me” screen appears. Release the top button. This will take about 3 seconds. If you see the “Composing…” screen, unplug the clock and try again.
4. Using your computer (not your phone), connect to the clock’s temporary Wi-Fi network with the name and password shown on the “Connect to me” screen.
5. Wait until the captive portal appears on your computer.
6. Ignoring the captive portal, open a web browser and visit http://192.168.4.1.
7. Navigate to the “Firmware Update” section.
8. Click “Choose File” and select the firmware file you downloaded earlier.
9. Start the update process.

The clock will validate the firmware file and then begin the update.

⚠️ Do not unplug the clock during the update process. This will take a few seconds. When the clock restarts, you may close the browser window.

If you haven’t previously connected to Wi-Fi, the clock will again show the “Connect to me” screen. Follow the steps in Setup to configure the Wi-Fi network.

Technical details#

In the box:

• 1 x Poem/1 clock
• 1 x USB-C cable
• Not supplied: wall charger

Power input:

• 5V @ 500mA

Connectivity:

• 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• No Bluetooth

Interface:

• 4.7” e-paper display
• Top button

Compliance and safety information#

• Model: POEM-1
• FCC ID: 2BS7G-POEM1

Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20cm between the radiator & your body.