Character Codes
The split-flap display uses character codes to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. This reference lists all available codes.
Letters (Codes 1–26)
| Code | Character | Code | Character | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 14 | N | |
| 2 | B | 15 | O | |
| 3 | C | 16 | P | |
| 4 | D | 17 | Q | |
| 5 | E | 18 | R | |
| 6 | F | 19 | S | |
| 7 | G | 20 | T | |
| 8 | H | 21 | U | |
| 9 | I | 22 | V | |
| 10 | J | 23 | W | |
| 11 | K | 24 | X | |
| 12 | L | 25 | Y | |
| 13 | M | 26 | Z |
Numbers (Codes 27–36)
| Code | Character |
|---|---|
| 27 | 1 |
| 28 | 2 |
| 29 | 3 |
| 30 | 4 |
| 31 | 5 |
| 32 | 6 |
| 33 | 7 |
| 34 | 8 |
| 35 | 9 |
| 36 | 0 |
Special Characters
| Code | Character | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | | Blank/Space |
| 37 | ! | Exclamation |
| 38 | @ | At sign |
| 39 | # | Hash |
| 40 | $ | Dollar |
| 41 | ( | Open paren |
| 42 | ) | Close paren |
| 44 | - | Hyphen |
| 46 | + | Plus |
| 47 | & | Ampersand |
| 48 | = | Equals |
| 49 | ; | Semicolon |
| 50 | : | Colon |
| 52 | ' | Apostrophe |
| 53 | " | Quote |
| 54 | % | Percent |
| 55 | , | Comma |
| 56 | . | Period |
| 59 | / | Slash |
| 60 | ? | Question |
| 62 | ° | Degree |
Color Codes (63–70)
These codes display solid colored tiles:
| Code | Color | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | 🟥 Red | Alerts, hot temperatures |
| 64 | 🟧 Orange | Warm temperatures |
| 65 | 🟨 Yellow | Comfortable, warnings |
| 66 | 🟩 Green | Good status, success |
| 67 | 🟦 Blue | Cold temperatures |
| 68 | 🟪 Violet | Very cold, accents |
| 69 | ⬜ White | Backgrounds |
| 70 | ⬛ Black | Backgrounds |
See the Color Guide for detailed usage.
Using Character Codes in Code
from src.board_chars import BoardChars
# Convert text to character codes
codes = BoardChars.text_to_codes("HELLO")
# Result: [8, 5, 12, 12, 15]
# Convert codes back to text
text = BoardChars.codes_to_text([8, 5, 12, 12, 15])
# Result: "HELLO"
Board Dimensions
FiestaBoard supports multiple Vestaboard device types:
| Device | Rows | Columns | Total Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship | 6 | 22 | 132 |
| Note | 3 | 15 | 45 |
Pages are device-specific — each page targets either Flagship or Note, and the editor and preview adapt to the correct dimensions.
Code 62: Degree or Heart
Character code 62 is one code with two possible flaps, and which one you get depends on the physical board:
| Board | Code 62 draws |
|---|---|
| Note (and Note arrays) | ❤ (Heart) |
| Flagship shipped before 2026 | ° (Degree) |
| Flagship shipped from 2026 | ❤ (Heart) |
Vestaboard replaced the degree flap with a heart on newly-manufactured Flagships: "Every new Vestaboard purchased will ship with the heart in place of the degree symbol." Nothing FiestaBoard can query tells the two apart — there is no serial number or API field that reports it — so you tell FiestaBoard which flap your board has.
Set it per board in Settings → Hardware (or in the setup wizard when adding a board), under Code 62 flap. Boards default to Degree, so if you have an older Flagship there is nothing to change.
The setting only affects what FiestaBoard draws in its previews, so the preview matches your wall. It never changes what is sent to the board: both glyphs are character code 62 on the wire, and the board draws whichever flap it physically has. It is a per-board setting, so a household with one older and one newer Flagship previews each correctly.
The setting is not offered for Note devices — Note hardware has only ever carried the heart flap.
In a template, type the degree symbol (°) or a heart (❤) and you get code 62 either way.
Next Steps
- Color Guide - Detailed color usage and examples
- Page Editor - Creating content for the board