Alphaboop

A tiny BLE tally and remote for Sony Alpha cameras.

One boop starts the work. The camera decides whether it actually started.

Alphaboop runs on a LILYGO T-Display-S3, connects to Sony's Bluetooth Remote Control service, and turns the camera's own recording notification into a clear on-screen tally. It can operate one to four camera slots from one small box. The box is small; the radio protocol has opinions.

Status: working hardware prototype. Tested against an ILCE-7M4 (Sony A7 IV). An ILCE-7M5 / A7 V needs the short verification test before being called supported.

What it does

• Discovers nearby Bluetooth devices and lets you select the camera manually on every boot. No first-camera favoritism.
• Controls one to four Sony camera slots over BLE.
• Uses the camera's FF02 notification as the source of truth for recording state:
  • 02 D5 20 — camera is recording;
  • 02 D5 00 — camera stopped recording.
• Shows a red REC state and a local take timer while recording.
• Provides a two-button interface:
  • left: start REC with a short press; stop with a hold; trigger AF-ON, photo, or C1 in their respective modes;
  • right: short press selects the next item/mode; hold for 0.5 s cycles display brightness 100% → 50% → MIN; at 1.5 s the full-screen power countdown begins.
• Shows a large single-camera dashboard or dedicated layouts for two, three, and four cameras.
• Hold the right button for 3.5 seconds to sleep. It dims at 0.5 seconds, then uses a full-screen green POWER OFF 2 → 1; releasing it cancels. To wake, hold the left button for two seconds while the Alphaboop title assembles itself, then the dashboard appears. Reset is still reset. It has paperwork.

The camera remains the authority. It has earned this privilege.

Next on the bench

• Active-camera selector: keep every linked camera visible, but mark which slots receive REC, AF-ON, photo, and C1 commands. “All linked” remains the quick default. Sometimes one camera deserves a quiet moment.

Hardware

Required

• LILYGO T-Display-S3 (standard ESP32-S3, 170 × 320 ST7789 display)
• USB-C cable for flashing and power
• A Sony Alpha camera with Bluetooth Remote Control support

No extra LED or wiring is needed for the current display-tally prototype. The board's display is the tally. It is doing its best.

Optional future hardware

• External red tally LEDs for talent and operator sides
• LiPo battery and an appropriately designed charge circuit
• A case that does not look like a development board on holiday

Camera setup

1. On the camera, enable Bluetooth Remote Control. Sony moves menu labels between bodies and firmware versions, because stability is overrated.
2. Put the camera into Bluetooth remote pairing mode when Alphaboop asks for a connection.
3. Power Alphaboop.
4. Choose the number of camera slots with the right button, then confirm with the left button.
5. Wait for the device list, select a Sony camera with the right button, and connect with the left button.

The board deliberately does not auto-connect on boot. A remote should not decide which camera is in charge of your shoot.

Flashing the firmware

Install PlatformIO (CLI or the VS Code extension), then:

cd sony-tally
pio run --target upload

The default serial port in sony-tally/platformio.ini is macOS-specific. Change upload_port and monitor_port if your computer uses another name.

To view logs:

cd sony-tally
pio device monitor

Or use the small helper:

python3 tools/serial_log.py

The helper defaults to /dev/cu.usbmodem2101. Computers contain variety. Adjust it as needed.

Remote controls

Alphaboop uses Sony's BLE Remote Control service:

Control	Action
REC	01 0F down, then 01 0E up
AF-ON	01 15 down, then 01 14 up
Still shutter	half press + full press sequence
C1	01 21 down, then 01 20 up

AF-ON and C1 reproduce the functions assigned to those physical buttons in the camera menu. They do not unlock arbitrary camera settings. The camera keeps some secrets. Sensibly, perhaps.

For the full observed packet map and the important distinction between a button command and an actual camera state change, see BLE capabilities.

Safety and current limits

• This is a prototype, not a certified production accessory. Test it before a real shoot.
• The confirmed recording feedback is from an ILCE-7M4. Other camera bodies and firmware versions may differ.
• Multi-camera operation is implemented but should be treated as experimental until verified with the exact number and model mix you plan to use.
• BLE currently exposes reliable recording, focus-lock, and shutter-state notifications observed during testing. It does not provide confirmed AF/MF mode, exposure settings, timecode, card status, or live view.
• Do not write random values to Sony's other BLE services. Some appear related to app pairing, Wi-Fi provisioning, or power. Curiosity is valuable. Camera recovery menus are less so.

Wi-Fi is a separate future transport, not a secret BLE button. See Wi-Fi feasibility.

Repository map

sony-tally/
  src/main.cpp             firmware
  include/TFTSetup.h       T-Display-S3 display pin configuration
  docs/ble-capabilities.md verified BLE findings and command map
  docs/wifi-feasibility.md Wi-Fi research and boundaries
  tools/                   serial diagnostics
work/SonyBleProbe.swift    macOS BLE probe; read-only by default

The macOS probe only writes to a camera when run with its explicit --rec-test flag. Boop responsibly.

Contributing

Reports from other Sony bodies are especially useful. Please include:

• exact camera model and firmware version;
• whether Bluetooth Remote Control was enabled and paired successfully;
• which FF02 notifications appeared for REC start/stop;
• a serial log with MAC addresses removed.

Open an issue before adding support for a new command or another BLE service. We like progress; we also like cameras that still turn on.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the small print. It is still small.

License

MIT. Build it, improve it, share it. Do not claim your wedding shoot was immune to Bluetooth.