Note Array Setup

A Note array is several Vestaboard Notes tiled together into one larger display. FiestaBoard treats the whole array as a single canvas, so your pages, plugins, and schedules render across it just like they would on a Flagship or a single Note.

Each Note is 15 × 3 characters, so an array's size is (notes wide × 15) × (notes tall × 3) — up to the 8 × 8 maximum (120 × 24 characters).

Arrays can be driven two ways:

	Cloud mode	Local Array Mode
Credentials	One X-Vestaboard-Token	Each Note's IP + Local API key
Network	Internet + Vestaboard Cloud	Your LAN only — private
Rate limit	1 message / 15 seconds	None
Transition animations	Not available	Supported
Subscription	Vestaboard Cloud API	None

Add the board

In the FiestaBoard web UI, open Settings → Hardware, click Add Board, and choose Note Array. The new board starts as a 2 side-by-side array in Cloud mode. Pick your size with the Board type dropdown — five presets (2 side-by-side, 4 side-by-side, 2 stacked, 4 stacked, 2×2 grid) plus Custom… for anything up to 8 × 8 Notes.

Cloud mode

1. Keep the connection on Cloud API.
2. Paste your X-Vestaboard-Token (from your Vestaboard Cloud API subscription — this is not the Read/Write key) into the Cloud API Token field.
3. Optionally click Auto-detect from board to read the array's size over the Cloud API instead of picking it by hand.

Local Array Mode

In local mode FiestaBoard slices each rendered frame into 15 × 3 pieces and sends every Note its own slice directly over your network — no cloud round-trip, no rate limit, and transitions work.

1. Switch the connection to Local API

In the board's Connection section, select Local API. The token field is replaced by the Board tiles grid: one slot per Note, laid out like your wall. (Auto-detect is hidden in local mode — the array's size is defined by the tiles you assign.)

2. Assign each slot

Click a slot to open its assignment dialog:

• Scan network for boards lists Vestaboards found on your network — click one to fill in its IP. Boards already assigned to another slot are labeled.
• Or type the Note's IP address (and port, default 7000) by hand.
• Enter the Note's Local API key — or switch to Enablement Token and exchange it for a key. Each Note has its own key.
• Test checks that FiestaBoard can reach that Note; Save tile stores the assignment.

A partially assigned array still works — assigned Notes show their slice, unassigned slots stay dark. The badge above the grid tracks progress.

3. Verify with Identify

Identify works like your computer's monitor-arrangement screen: it flashes a slot's position number on the physical board it points at (per-slot, before or after saving, or Identify all at once). The pattern clears automatically on the next update cycle.

4. Rearrange with Move

If Identify reveals boards in the wrong order, open either slot and use Move to position — choosing an empty slot relocates the tile, choosing an occupied one swaps the two. Each board keeps its own IP and key; nothing to retype. The whole flow is keyboard-accessible: arrow keys move between slots, Enter opens a slot, and Move is a standard select.

Good to know

• Resizing keeps your keys. Shrink a 2×2 to 2×1 and back — the hidden tiles' IPs and keys are preserved and reappear.
• Local mode: Notes flip independently. Tiles may start flipping a moment apart; FiestaBoard sends them the same transition to keep the skew small.
• Cloud mode: one send every 15 seconds. FiestaBoard throttles automatically; very fast page rotations may not all reach the board.

Troubleshooting

Some Notes update and others don't (local mode). Open the stale slots' dialogs and hit Test — an unreachable Note usually means a changed IP (give your Notes DHCP reservations) or a wrong key. Failed tiles are retried automatically on the next update cycle.

Two Notes show swapped content (local mode). Their slots point at each other's IPs. Identify all, then swap them with Move to position.

The board doesn't update (cloud mode). Check the Cloud API Token is set and your Vestaboard Cloud API subscription is active, and remember the 15-second rate limit.

See also

• Local development — run FiestaBoard with the bundled mock boards to try arrays without hardware.
• The in-repo Note Arrays reference — dimensions model, transports, and endpoints for contributors.