# MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## Overview Warning: The covidtracking.com website no longer updates data so this project will not function. It is left here for reference only. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/663/medium800/circuitpython_IMG_5121.jpg?1607708309) The Covid Tracking Project ([https://covidtracking.com](https://covidtracking.com)) tracks all US state data and collates it into one report. This project for MagTag wakes up once a day at 8pm, about a half hour after the data is posted daily, and displays the latest data report. In between check-ins the MagTag goes into a deep sleep mode so it will run for many weeks on a charge ## Parts You'll want a MagTag + battery, and magnetic feet to attach it to your fridge or other metallic surface ### Adafruit MagTag Starter Kit - ADABOX017 Essentials [Adafruit MagTag Starter Kit - ADABOX017 Essentials](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4819) The **Adafruit MagTag** combines the new ESP32-S2 wireless module and a 2.9" grayscale E-Ink display to make a low-power IoT display that can show data on its screen even when power is removed! The ESP32-S2 is great because it builds on the years of code and support for the... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4819) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4819/guides) ![MagTag dev board with enclosure pieces, four magnet feet, and lipoly battery](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4819-02.jpg) You can also get the parts separately ### Adafruit MagTag - 2.9" Grayscale E-Ink WiFi Display [Adafruit MagTag - 2.9" Grayscale E-Ink WiFi Display](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4800) The Adafruit MagTag combines the ESP32-S2 wireless module and a 2.9" grayscale E-Ink display to make a low-power IoT display that can show data on its screen even when power is removed! The ESP32-S2 is great because it builds on the years of code and support for the ESP32 and also adds... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4800) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4800/guides) ![Angled shot of rectangle-shaped electronic ink display breakout with the text: "MAGTAG 2025 Edition with SSD1680 Chipset"](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4800-10.jpg) ### Lithium Ion Polymer Battery with Short Cable - 3.7V 420mAh [Lithium Ion Polymer Battery with Short Cable - 3.7V 420mAh](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4236) Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This battery has a capacity of 420mAh for a total of about 1.55 Wh. If you need a larger (or smaller!) battery, In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4236) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4236/guides) ![Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 3.7v 420mAh with JST 2-PH connector and short cable](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4236-04.jpg) ### Mini Magnet Feet for RGB LED Matrices (Pack of 4) [Mini Magnet Feet for RGB LED Matrices (Pack of 4)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4631) Got a glorious RGB Matrix project you want to mount and display in your workspace or home? If you have one of the matrix panels listed below, you'll need a pack of these **Mini-Magnet Feet.**  We got these specifically for our RGB LED Matrices, which no longer... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4631) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4631/guides) ![Angled shot of four magnet feet.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4631-00.jpg) ### Also needed: - **WiFi network** (802.11 b/g/n) - A desktop or laptop **computer** is required for initial setup: any **text editor** will suffice - **An [Adafruit IO](https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-adafruit-io) account.** If you’ve previously purchased from Adafruit and created an account, this is automagic (and free)! # MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## Install CircuitPython Danger: Make sure that you [update the TinyUF2 Bootloader](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/update-tinyuf2-bootloader-for-circuitpython-10-4mb-boards-only) before installing CircuitPython! ### Adafruit MagTag - Update TinyUF2 Bootloader for CircuitPython 10 and Later [Adafruit MagTag](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag) [Update TinyUF2 Bootloader for CircuitPython 10 and Later](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/update-tinyuf2-bootloader-for-circuitpython-10-4mb-boards-only) [CircuitPython](https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython) is a derivative of [MicroPython](https://micropython.org) designed to simplify experimentation and education on low-cost microcontrollers. It makes it easier than ever to get prototyping by requiring no upfront desktop software downloads. Simply copy and edit files on the **CIRCUITPY** drive to iterate. ## Set Up CircuitPython Follow the steps to get CircuitPython installed on your MagTag. [CircuitPython Download for MagTag](https://circuitpython.org/board/adafruit_magtag_2.9_grayscale/) Warning: WARNING: The updated Adafruit MagTag 2025 Edition will not work with CircuitPython 9.2.x or earlier. Make sure you install 10.x.x or later! **Click the link above and download the latest .BIN and .UF2 file** You can use a 9.x.x release for a pre-2025 MagTag. You  **must** use a 10.x.x release for the updated MagTag 2025 Edition. (depending on how you program the ESP32S2 board you may need one or the other, might as well get both) Download and save it to your desktop (or wherever is handy). ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/625/medium640/adafruit_products_magtag-9.2.8.png?1753973423) ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/626/medium640/adafruit_products_magtag-10.0.0-beta.2.png?1753973581) Plug your MagTag into your computer using a known-good USB cable. **A lot of people end up using charge-only USB cables and it is very frustrating! So make sure you have a USB cable you know is good for data sync.** ![adafruit_products_MagTag_top.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/096/955/medium640/adafruit_products_MagTag_top.jpg?1605035864) # Option 1 - Load with UF2 Bootloader This is by far the easiest way to load CircuitPython. **However it requires your board has the UF2 bootloader installed. Some early boards do not (we hadn't written UF2 yet!) - in which case you can load using the built in ROM bootloader.** Still, try this first! Warning: Make sure that you [update the TinyUF2 Bootloader](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/update-tinyuf2-bootloader-for-circuitpython-10-4mb-boards-only) before following these steps for the UF2 bootloader! ## Try Launching UF2 Bootloader Loading CircuitPython by drag-n-drop UF2 bootloader is the easier way and we recommend it. If you have a MagTag where the front of the board is black, your MagTag came with UF2 already on it. ![adafruit_products_IMG_0169.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/429/medium640/adafruit_products_IMG_0169.jpg?1607200225) Launch UF2 by **double-clicking** the Reset button (the one next to the USB C port). You may have to try a few times to get the timing right. ![adafruit_products_MagTag_pinouts_Reset_and_Boot0.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/430/medium640/adafruit_products_MagTag_pinouts_Reset_and_Boot0.jpg?1607202717) If the UF2 bootloader is installed, you will see a new disk drive appear called **MAGTAGBOOT** ![adafruit_products_image.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/431/medium640/adafruit_products_image.png?1607202820) Copy the **UF2** file you downloaded at the first step of this tutorial onto the **MAGTAGBOOT** drive ![adafruit_products_image.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/432/medium640/adafruit_products_image.png?1607202977) If you're using Windows and you get an error at the end of the file copy that says **Error from the file copy, Error 0x800701B1: A device which does not exist was specified.** You can ignore this error, the bootloader sometimes disconnects without telling Windows, the install completed just fine and you can continue.[If its really annoying, you can also upgrade the bootloader (the latest version of the UF2 bootloader fixes this warning)](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/install-uf2-bootloader) Your board should auto-reset into CircuitPython, or you may need to press reset. A **CIRCUITPY** drive will appear. You're done! Go to the next pages. ![adafruit_products_image.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/433/medium640/adafruit_products_image.png?1607203475) # Option 2 - Use esptool to load BIN file If you have an original MagTag with while soldermask on the front, we didn't have UF2 written for the ESP32S2 yet so it will not come with the UF2 bootloader. You can upload with **esptool** to the ROM (hardware) bootloader instead! Follow the initial steps found in the [Run esptool and check connection section of the ROM Bootloader page](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/rom-bootloader#run-esptool-and-check-connection-3076823-5) to verify your environment is set up, your board is successfully connected, and which port it's using. **In the final command to write a binary file to the board, replace the port with your port, and replace "firmware.bin" with the the file you downloaded above.** The output should look something like the output in the image. ![adafruit_products_Metro_ESP32_S2_binary_install.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/096/950/medium640/adafruit_products_Metro_ESP32_S2_binary_install.png?1605031120) Press reset to exit the bootloader. Your **CIRCUITPY** drive should appear! You're all set! Go to the next pages. ![adafruit_products_Metro_ESP32_S2_CIRCUITPY.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/096/951/medium640/adafruit_products_Metro_ESP32_S2_CIRCUITPY.png?1605031168) # Option 3 - Use Chrome Browser To Upload BIN file If for some reason you cannot get esptool to run, you can always try using the Chrome-browser version of esptool we have written. This is handy if you don't have Python on your computer, or something is really weird with your setup that makes esptool not run (which happens sometimes and isn't worth debugging!) You can follow along on the [Web Serial ESPTool](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag/web-serial-esptool) page and either load the UF2 bootloader and then come back to Option 1 on this page, or you can download the CircuitPython BIN file directly using the tool in the same manner as the bootloader. # MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## CircuitPython Internet Test One of the great things about most Espressif microcontrollers are their built-in WiFi capabilities. This page covers the basics of getting connected using CircuitPython. The first thing you need to do is update your **code.py** to the following (it will error until WiFi details are added). Click the **Download Project Bundle** button to download the necessary libraries and the  **code.py** file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, and copy the **entire** **lib** **folder** and the **code.py** file to your **CIRCUITPY** drive. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/blob/main/ESP32_S2_WiFi_Tests/CPy_Native_WiFi_Test/code.py Your **CIRCUITPY** drive should resemble the following. ![CIRCUITPY](https://adafruit.github.io/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/ESP32_S2_WiFi_Tests_CPy_Native_WiFi_Test.png ) To get connected, the next thing you need to do is update the **settings.toml** file. ## The settings.toml File We expect people to share tons of projects as they build CircuitPython WiFi widgets. What we want to avoid is people accidentally sharing their passwords or secret tokens and API keys. So, we designed all our examples to use a **settings.toml** file, that is on your  **CIRCUITPY**  drive, to hold secret/private/custom data. That way you can share your main project without worrying about accidentally sharing private stuff. If you have a fresh install of CircuitPython on your board, the initial **settings.toml** file on your **CIRCUITPY** drive is empty. To get started, you can update the **settings.toml** on your **CIRCUITPY** drive to contain the following code. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/blob/main/ESP32_S2_WiFi_Tests/CPy_Native_WiFi_Test/settings.toml This file should contain a series of Python variables, each assigned to a string. Each variable should describe what it represents (say `wifi_ssid`), followed by an **= ** (equals sign), followed by the data in the form of a Python string (such as `"my-wifi-password"` including the quote marks). **At a minimum you'll need to add/update your WiFi SSID and WiFi password, so do that now!** As you make projects you may need more tokens and keys, just add them one line at a time. See for example other tokens such as one for accessing GitHub or the Hackaday API. Other non-secret data like your timezone can also go here. For the correct time zone string, look at [http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones](http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones) and remember that if your city is not listed, look for a city in the same time zone, for example Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Miami are all on the same time as New York. Of course, don't share your **settings.toml** - keep that out of GitHub, Discord or other project-sharing sites. Warning: If you connect to the serial console, you should see something like the following: ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/014/medium800/adafruit_products_1__screen__Users_brentrubell__screen_.png?1605218222) In order, the example code... Checks the ESP32's MAC address. ```python print(f"My MAC address: {[hex(i) for i in wifi.radio.mac_address]}") ``` Performs a scan of all access points and prints out the access point's name (SSID), signal strength (RSSI), and channel. ```python print("Available WiFi networks:") for network in wifi.radio.start_scanning_networks(): print("\t%s\t\tRSSI: %d\tChannel: %d" % (str(network.ssid, "utf-8"), network.rssi, network.channel)) wifi.radio.stop_scanning_networks() ``` Connects to the access point you defined in the **settings.toml** file, and prints out its local IP address. ```python print(f"Connecting to {os.getenv('WIFI_SSID')}") wifi.radio.connect(os.getenv("WIFI_SSID"), os.getenv("WIFI_PASSWORD")) print(f"Connected to {os.getenv('WIFI_SSID')}") print(f"My IP address: {wifi.radio.ipv4_address}") ``` Attempts to ping a Google DNS server to test connectivity. If a ping fails, it returns `None`. Initial pings can sometimes fail for various reasons. So, if the initial ping is successful (`is not None`), it will print the echo speed in ms. If the initial ping fails, it will try one more time to ping, and then print the returned value. If the second ping fails, it will result in `"Ping google.com: None ms"` being printed to the serial console. Failure to ping does not always indicate a lack of connectivity, so the code will continue to run. ```python ping_ip = ipaddress.IPv4Address("8.8.8.8") ping = wifi.radio.ping(ip=ping_ip) * 1000 if ping is not None: print(f"Ping google.com: {ping} ms") else: ping = wifi.radio.ping(ip=ping_ip) print(f"Ping google.com: {ping} ms") ``` The code creates a socketpool using the wifi radio's available sockets. This is performed so we don't need to re-use sockets. Then, it initializes a a new instance of the [requests](http://docs.python-requests.org/en/master/) interface - which makes getting data from the internet _really really easy._ ```python pool = socketpool.SocketPool(wifi.radio) requests = adafruit_requests.Session(pool, ssl.create_default_context()) ``` To read in plain-text from a web URL, call `requests.get` - you may pass in either a http, or a http **s** url for SSL connectivity.  ```python print(f"Fetching text from {TEXT_URL}") response = requests.get(TEXT_URL) print("-" * 40) print(response.text) print("-" * 40) ``` Requests can also display a JSON-formatted response from a web URL using a call to `requests.get`.  ```python print(f"Fetching json from {JSON_QUOTES_URL}") response = requests.get(JSON_QUOTES_URL) print("-" * 40) print(response.json()) print("-" * 40) ``` Finally, you can fetch and parse a JSON URL using `requests.get`. This code snippet obtains the `stargazers_count` field from a call to the GitHub API. ```python print(f"Fetching and parsing json from {JSON_STARS_URL}") response = requests.get(JSON_STARS_URL) print("-" * 40) print(f"CircuitPython GitHub Stars: {response.json()['stargazers_count']}") print("-" * 40) ``` OK you now have your ESP32 board set up with a proper **settings.toml** file and can connect over the Internet. If not, check that your **settings.toml** file has the right SSID and password and retrace your steps until you get the Internet connectivity working! ## IPv6 Networking Starting in CircuitPython 9.2, IPv6 networking is available on most Espressif wifi boards. Socket-using libraries like **adafruit\_requests** and **adafruit\_ntp** will need to be updated to use the new APIs and for now can only connect to services on IPv4. ### IPv6 connectivity & privacy IPv6 addresses are divided into many special kinds, and many of those kinds (like those starting with  **FC** , **FD** , **FE** ) are private or local; Addresses starting with other prefixes like  **2002:** and **2001:** are globally routable. In 2024, far from all ISPs and home networks support IPv6 internet connectivity. For more info consult resources like [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6_address#Local_addresses). If you're interested in global IPv6 connectivity you can use services like [Hurricane Electric](https://www.he.net/) to create an "IPv6 tunnel" (free as of 2024, but requires expertise and a compatible router or host computer to set up) It's also important to be aware that, as currently implemented by Espressif, there are privacy concerns especially when these devices operate on the global IPv6 network: The device's unique identifier (its EUI-64 or MAC address) is used by default as part of its IPv6 address. This means that the device identity can be tracked across multiple networks by any service it connects to. ### Enable IPv6 networking Due to the privacy consideration, IPv6 networking is not automatically enabled. Instead, it must be explicitly enabled by a call to `start_dhcp_client` with the `ipv6=True` argument specified: ```python wifi.start_dhcp_client(ipv6=True) ``` ### Check IP addresses The read-only `addresses` property of the `wifi.radio` object holds all addresses, including IPv4 and IPv6 addresses: ```python >>> wifi.radio.addresses ('FE80::7EDF:A1FF:FE00:518C', 'FD5F:3F5C:FE50:0:7EDF:A1FF:FE00:518C', '10.0.3.96') ``` The `wifi.radio.dns` servers can be IPv4 or IPv6: ```python >>> wifi.radio.dns ('FD5F:3F5C:FE50::1',) >>> wifi.radio.dns = ("1.1.1.1",) >>> wifi.radio.dns ('1.1.1.1',) ``` ### Ping v6 networks `wifi.radio.ping` accepts v6 addresses and names: ```python >>> wifi.radio.ping("google.com") 0.043 >>> wifi.radio.ping("ipv6.google.com") 0.048 ``` ### Create & use IPv6 sockets Use the address family `socket.AF_INET6`. After the socket is created, use methods like `connect`, `send`, `recfrom_into`, etc just like for IPv4 sockets. This code snippet shows communicating with a private-network NTP server; this IPv6 address will not work on your network: ```python >>> ntp_addr = ("fd5f:3f5c:fe50::20e", 123) >>> PACKET_SIZE = 48 >>> >>> buf = bytearray(PACKET_SIZE) >>> with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET6, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) as s: ... s.settimeout(1) ... buf[0] = 0b0010_0011 ... s.sendto(buf, ntp_addr) ... print(s.recvfrom_into(buf)) ... print(buf) ... 48 (48, ('fd5f:3f5c:fe50::20e', 123)) bytearray(b'$\x01\x03\xeb\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00GGPS\x00\xeaA0h\x07s;\xc0\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xeaA0n\xeb4\x82-\xeaA0n\xebAU\xb1') ``` # MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## Getting The Date & Time A very common need for projects is to know the current date and time. Especially when you want to deep sleep until an event, or you want to change your display based on what day, time, date, etc. it is **Determining the correct local time is really really hard. There are various time zones, Daylight Savings dates, leap seconds, etc.** Trying to get NTP time and then back-calculating what the local time is, is extraordinarily hard on a microcontroller just isn't worth the effort and it will get out of sync as laws change anyways. For that reason, we have the free adafruit.io time service. **Free for anyone with a free adafruit.io account.** You _do need an account_ because we have to keep accidentally mis-programmed-board from overwhelming adafruit.io and lock them out temporarily. Again, it's free! Info: ## Step 1) Make an Adafruit account It's free! Visit [https://accounts.adafruit.com/](https://accounts.adafruit.com/) to register and make an account if you do not already have one ## Step 2) Sign into Adafruit IO Head over to [io.adafruit.com](https://io.adafruit.com/) and click **Sign In** to log into IO using your Adafruit account. It's free and fast to join. ## Step 3) Get your Adafruit IO Key Click on **My Key** in the top bar ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/449/medium800/adafruit_products_image.png?1607208628 "My Key" has been replaced with a key-shaped icon!) You will get a popup with your **Username** and **Key** (In this screenshot, we've covered it with red blocks) ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/450/medium800/adafruit_products_image.png?1607208767) Go to the **settings.toml** file on your **CIRCUITPY** drive (or create one with the text editor with your operating system) and add three lines for `AIO_USERNAME`, `ADAFRUIT_AIO_KEY` and `TIMEZONE` so you get something like the following: ```python # This file is where you keep secret settings, passwords, and tokens! # If you put them in the code you risk committing that info or sharing it CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID = "your-wifi-ssid" CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD = "your-wifi-password" ADAFRUIT_AIO_USERNAME = "your-adafruit-io-username" ADAFRUIT_AIO_KEY = "your-adafruit-io-key" # Timezone names from http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones TIMEZONE="America/New_York" ``` The timezone is optional, if you don't have that entry, adafruit.io will guess your timezone based on geographic IP address lookup. You can visit [http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones](http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones) to see all the time zones available (even though we do not use Worldtime for time-keeping, we do use the same time zone table). ## Step 4) Upload Test Python Code This code is like the Internet Test code from before, but this time it will connect to adafruit.io and get the local time ```python import ipaddress import os import ssl import wifi import socketpool import adafruit_requests # Get our username, key and desired timezone ssid = os.getenv("CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID") password = os.getenv("CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD") aio_username = os.getenv("ADAFRUIT_AIO_USERNAME") aio_key = os.getenv("ADAFRUIT_AIO_KEY") timezone = os.getenv("TIMEZONE") TIME_URL = f"https://io.adafruit.com/api/v2/{aio_username}/integrations/time/strftime?x-aio-key={aio_key}&tz={timezone}" TIME_URL += "&fmt=%25Y-%25m-%25d+%25H%3A%25M%3A%25S.%25L+%25j+%25u+%25z+%25Z" print("ESP32-S2 Adafruit IO Time test") print("My MAC addr:", [hex(i) for i in wifi.radio.mac_address]) print("Available WiFi networks:") for network in wifi.radio.start_scanning_networks(): print("\t%s\t\tRSSI: %d\tChannel: %d" % (str(network.ssid, "utf-8"), network.rssi, network.channel)) wifi.radio.stop_scanning_networks() print("Connecting to", ssid) wifi.radio.connect(ssid, password) print(f"Connected to {ssid}!") print("My IP address is", wifi.radio.ipv4_address) ipv4 = ipaddress.ip_address("8.8.4.4") print("Ping google.com:", wifi.radio.ping(ipv4), "ms") pool = socketpool.SocketPool(wifi.radio) requests = adafruit_requests.Session(pool, ssl.create_default_context()) print("Fetching text from", TIME_URL) response = requests.get(TIME_URL) print("-" * 40) print(response.text) print("-" * 40) ``` After running this, you will see something like the below text. We have blocked out the part with the secret username and key data! ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/451/medium800/adafruit_products_image.png?1607212430) Note at the end you will get the date, time, and your timezone! If so, you have correctly configured your **settings.toml** and can continue to the next steps! # MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## Project Code ## Installing Project Code To use with CircuitPython, you need to first install a few libraries, into the **lib** folder on your **CIRCUITPY** drive and the font in the **font** directory. Then you need to update  **code.py** with the example script. Thankfully, we can do this in one go. In the example below, click the **Download Project Bundle** button below to download the necessary font, libraries and the  **code.py** file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, open the directory  **MagTag\_CovidTracking/** and then click on the directory that matches the version of CircuitPython you're using and copy the contents of that directory to your **CIRCUITPY** drive ( **lib** folder, **font** folder, and **code.py** ). Your **CIRCUITPY** drive should now look similar to the following image: ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/126/453/medium800/circuitpython_one_one.png?1701284916) https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/blob/main/MagTag/MagTag_CovidTracking/code.py ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/662/medium800/circuitpython_IMG_5122.jpg?1607708280) # Code Walkthrough Thankfully, the Covid Tracking Project folks made a free, easy-to-use JSON API endpoint that you can easily query with the MagTag to get the current stats at https://api.covidtracking.com/v1/us/current.json You can click on it right from your browser to see the current data and you'll get something like this ```python [ { "date": 20201210, "states": 56, "positive": 15360841, "negative": 167187901, "pending": 12409, "hospitalizedCurrently": 107258, "hospitalizedCumulative": 603554, "inIcuCurrently": 21023, "inIcuCumulative": 32919, "onVentilatorCurrently": 7442, "onVentilatorCumulative": 3394, "recovered": 5985047, "dateChecked": "2020-12-10T24:00:00Z", "death": 283555, "hospitalized": 603554, "totalTestResults": 213015816, "lastModified": "2020-12-10T24:00:00Z", "total": 0, "posNeg": 0, "deathIncrease": 3067, "hospitalizedIncrease": 4335, "negativeIncrease": 1339749, "positiveIncrease": 215669, "totalTestResultsIncrease": 1954686, "hash": "27226d54c5463327b7303d241b4085e06d976068" } ] ``` These are pretty self-explanatory, note that `date` is not the current date, but the date at which the data was collected. We'll be displaying `positiveIncrease`, `hospitalizedCurrently, hospitalizedIncrease, death` and `deathIncrease` but of course the display can be customized. ## Daily Update Time The report from CTP only gets updated once a day, so its a good project for MagTag to deep-sleep between reads. That way it can last many weeks on a charge. Data is updated at around 7:30pm eastern, which is our local time. To account for any delay in reporting, we will check every night at 8pm eastern. 8pm eastern in 24-hour-time numbers is 20:00, so we put in 20 as the daily-check-hour. If you're in another timezone, figure out what local time that translates to if you'd like to catch the report right after its posted. ```python # Change this to the hour you want to check the data at, for us its 8pm # local time (eastern), which is 20:00 hrs DAILY_UPDATE_HOUR = 20 ``` ## Text Transforms with lambdas The numbers we get from CTP need to have some text before them to explain what they are, for example "New Positive" before the number we extract from the json API as `"negativeIncrease": 1339749` To do that we use an 'anonymous function' (a.k.a. a lambda) which we can code in-line that will take the string extracted "`1339749`" and preface it with the text "`New positive:`" as well as putting commas in between the digit groupings. Thats what this line does: `text_transform=lambda x: "New positive: {:,}".format(x)` lambda x: is basically the same as making a new function with: `def anonymous_function(x):` `     return "New positive: {:,}".format(x)` except it doesn't even have a name! ## Adding a QR Code For more info, you can visit the CTP website, we insert a QR code which will show on the E-Ink display very nicely and can be scanned to get the full report `magtag.graphics.qrcode(b"https://covidtracking.com/data", qr_size=2, x=240, y=70)` The '`qr_size`' indicates the scaling, e.g. how big the pixel squares are. `X` and `Y` coordinates puts it over on the bottom right ## Connect and Update The main chunk of code turns on the NeoPixels red for an indicator that we're connecting to the Internet, gets the local time (we need this later), updates a text box in the top-right with the timestamp of the current date/time so you know when it was last running, then calls `magtag.fetch()` to update all the text boxes. ```python magtag.peripherals.neopixels.brightness = 0.1 magtag.peripherals.neopixel_disable = False # turn on lights magtag.peripherals.neopixels.fill(0x0F0000) # red! magtag.get_local_time() try: now = time.localtime() print("Now: ", now) # display the current time since its the last-update updated_at = "%d/%d\n%d:%02d" % now[1:5] magtag.set_text(updated_at, 6, False) # get data from the Covid Tracking Project value = magtag.fetch() print("Response is", value) # OK we're done! magtag.peripherals.neopixels.fill(0x000F00) # greten except (ValueError, RuntimeError) as e: print("Some error occured, trying again later -", e) time.sleep(2) # let screen finish updating ``` After the display has updated, its time to go to sleep. For this project we want to wake up at exactly 8pm, which might be later today _or_ it might be tomorrow. Since we don't know what day it will be, we first assume that we will be waking up later today by creating a new time structure with the same **year, month, day** as today but the **hour, min, sec** is DAILY\_UPDATE\_HOUR, 0, 0: `event_time = time.struct_time((now[0], now[1], now[2], DAILY_UPDATE_HOUR, 0, 0, -1, -1, now[8]))` Then we convert the current time, and the next-wakeup time to seconds using `time.mktime()` and subtract the difference. That is, what is the number of seconds **between** these two time points `remaining = time.mktime(event_time) - time.mktime(now)` If the amount of time is negative, that mean's that the "wake up today" time already happened, so we add 24-hours-worth of seconds to the time difference, to get to the event time one day later (tomorrow!) `if remaining < 0: # ah its aready happened today... ` `    remaining += 24 * 60 * 60 # wrap around to the next day` We then display that time in hours and minutes, just for us to debug as humans `remaining_hrs = remaining // 3660 ` `remaining_min = (remaining % 3600) // 60 ` `print("Gonna zzz for %d hours, %d minutes" % (remaining_hrs, remaining_min))` And finally, we go into deep sleep mode until that time comes up `# Turn it all off and go to bed till the next update time ` `magtag.exit_and_deep_sleep(remaining)` # MagTag Covid Tracking Project IoT Display ## Custom Plastic Cutout ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/665/medium800/circuitpython_IMG_6240.jpg?1607708490) If you'd like to give your MagTag a custom plastic cutout, you can cut out this AI file on a laser cutter or CNC cutter out of 1.5mm thick material [covidtracker-magtag-case.ai](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/097/666/original/covidtracker-magtag-case.ai?1607708503) ## Featured Products ### Adafruit MagTag - 2.9" Grayscale E-Ink WiFi Display [Adafruit MagTag - 2.9" Grayscale E-Ink WiFi Display](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4800) The Adafruit MagTag combines the ESP32-S2 wireless module and a 2.9" grayscale E-Ink display to make a low-power IoT display that can show data on its screen even when power is removed! The ESP32-S2 is great because it builds on the years of code and support for the ESP32 and also adds... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4800) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4800/guides) ### Adafruit MagTag Starter Kit - ADABOX017 Essentials [Adafruit MagTag Starter Kit - ADABOX017 Essentials](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4819) The **Adafruit MagTag** combines the new ESP32-S2 wireless module and a 2.9" grayscale E-Ink display to make a low-power IoT display that can show data on its screen even when power is removed! The ESP32-S2 is great because it builds on the years of code and support for the... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4819) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4819/guides) ### Acrylic + Hardware Kit for Adafruit MagTag [Acrylic + Hardware Kit for Adafruit MagTag](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4807) Here is the perfect kit with two faceplate options for your MagTag, including a vivid Red Arrow plate and a dreamy white Cloud plate. And of course, the mounting hardware is included, so you can assemble it with just a plain Phillips screwdriver. Takes less than 3... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4807) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4807/guides) ## Related Guides - [Adafruit MagTag](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag.md) - [MagTag Daily Christmas Countdown](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-daily-christmas-countdown.md) - [MagTag AR Tarot Card Reading](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-tarot-cards.md) - [Google Graveyard with Adafruit MagTag](https://learn.adafruit.com/google-graveyard-with-adafruit-magtag.md) - [MagTag Weekly Showtimes Event Notifier](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-weekly-event-showtimes-display.md) - [NextBus Transit Predictions for Adafruit MagTag](https://learn.adafruit.com/nextbus-transit-predictions-for-adafruit-magtag.md) - [CircuitPython Display_Text Library](https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-display-text-library.md) - [MagTag Literary Quote Clock](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-literary-quote-clock.md) - [Adafruit MagTag COVID Vaccination Percent Tracker](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-magtag-covid-vaccination-percent-tracker.md) - [itsaSNAP by Adafruit](https://learn.adafruit.com/it-s-a-snap-by-adafruit.md) - [Clue And MagTag Pep Talk Generator](https://learn.adafruit.com/clue-and-magtag-pep-talk-generator.md) - [What’s Fresh Today? In-Season Produce Reminder for Adafruit MagTag](https://learn.adafruit.com/seasonal-produce-for-adafruit-magtag.md) - [Cheerlights Holiday Wreath with Animations](https://learn.adafruit.com/cheerlights-led-animations.md) - [MagTag Cat Fed Clock](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-cat-feeder-clock.md) - [MagTag Progress Displays](https://learn.adafruit.com/magtag-progress-displays.md) - [Microsoft Azure Cost Monitor](https://learn.adafruit.com/azure-cost-monitor.md)