web applications programming team
mentors: sully syed, dorrian porter

tools: php, javascript
company website

💡 practical application

Vestaboard is a modern, physical split-flap display board (inspired by vintage train station arrival boards) that displays messages sent over the internet. This project built automated channel plugins—like a daily vocabulary builder—that format and schedule dynamic, engaging content onto smart physical displays in homes and offices without requiring daily manual input.

intro

Vestaboard builds physical split-flap display boards inspired by vintage train station arrival boards, updated with modern internet connectivity. Users send remote messages, track live scores, or automate daily content displays.

my work

feature-summary
Visual summary of software features added to the Vestaboard ecosystem.

I built the Word-of-the-Day channel, an installable plugin for the Vestaboard software ecosystem using PHP and JavaScript:

  • API Integration: Automated daily polling and parsing of the Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Day API, formatting definitions for split-flap grid rendering.
  • Queuing & Pagination: Built a server-side queuing system to paginate definitions that exceeded the single-frame character limit, cycling multi-frame messages sequentially.
  • Progress Tracking: Added UI progress bars to display real-time status as multi-frame messages were sent to physical boards.

acknowledgements

Thank you to Sully Syed for web development guidance, and to Dorrian Porter and the Vestaboard team for a great summer learning LAMP stack development and startup operations.