Add timers and alarms to waveshare s3 Audio board

[lone-baggie]

Before I start, what fantastic code!

This has transformed the Waveshare audio board into a first-class assistant; the intercom is amazing. It's just missing timers and alarms. Can they be added to the full experience YAMLs (waveshare-s3-full-afe-udp.yaml) Noticed they are in the spotpear and the P4.

[lone-baggie]

have hacked a timer package by cut and pasting code from waveshare-p4-touch-full-afe-tcp.yaml and added it to waveshare-s3-full-afe-tcp.yaml and waveshare-s3-full-afe-udp.yaml

# ==========================================
# ESPHOME VOICE ASSISTANT TIMER PACKAGE
# ==========================================

sensor:
  - platform: template
    name: "Timer Remaining"
    id: active_timer_seconds
    icon: "mdi:timer-outline"
    unit_of_measurement: "s"
    accuracy_decimals: 0

text_sensor:
  - platform: template
    name: "Timer Name"
    id: active_timer_name
    icon: "mdi:label-outline"

switch:
  - platform: template
    name: "Ring timer"       
    id: timer_ringing
    optimistic: true
    internal: false        
    restore_mode: ALWAYS_OFF
    icon: "mdi:alarm"      
    on_turn_off:
      - script.stop: timer_alarm_loop
      - media_player.stop:
          id: speaker_media_player 
          announcement: true
    on_turn_on:
      - media_player.stop:
          id: speaker_media_player
          announcement: true
      - script.execute: timer_alarm_loop
      - delay: 15min
      - switch.turn_off: timer_ringing

script:
  - id: update_timer_state
    then:
      - lambda: |-
          const auto &timers = id(va).get_timers();
          bool any_active = false;
          voice_assistant::Timer first_active{};
          
          for (const auto &t : timers) {
            if (t.is_active && (!any_active || t.seconds_left < first_active.seconds_left)) {
              first_active = t;
              any_active = true;
            }
          }
          
          if (!any_active) {
            id(active_timer_seconds).publish_state(-1);
            id(active_timer_name).publish_state("None");
            return;
          }
          
          id(active_timer_seconds).publish_state(first_active.seconds_left);
          id(active_timer_name).publish_state(first_active.name.c_str());

  - id: timer_alarm_loop
    mode: single
    then:
      - while:
          condition:
            switch.is_on: timer_ringing
          then:
            - media_player.speaker.play_on_device_media_file:
                media_file: timer_finished_sound
                announcement: true
            - delay: 6s

voice_assistant:
  id: va

  on_listening:
    - if:
        condition:
          switch.is_on: timer_ringing
        then:
          - switch.turn_off: timer_ringing
          - logger.log: "Alarm stopped via wake word detection!"
  
  on_timer_started:
    - script.execute: update_timer_state
  on_timer_cancelled:
    - script.execute: update_timer_state
  on_timer_updated:
    - script.execute: update_timer_state
  on_timer_tick:
    - script.execute: update_timer_state
  on_timer_finished:
    - switch.turn_on: timer_ringing
    - wait_until:
        condition:
          media_player.is_announcing:

[n-IA-hane]

Hi,

Yes, I accept the request.

Originally, the timer was there. I started from the YAMLs of the fantastic RealDeco project, which I still want to thank for the great work:

https://github.com/RealDeco/xiaozhi-esphome

However, as the project evolved over the months and the audio components became heavier and pushed closer and closer to the physical limits of the ESP, I was forced to remove many of the extra features in order to prioritize stability and audio performance.

Development is still ongoing though, and the continuous optimization efforts, combined with the new features being introduced by the ESPHome team, are gradually making more resources available again. The ESPHome developers have been doing a lot of work around audio optimization lately. For example, in ESPHome 2026.5.x they exposed functionality that allows codec stacks to be moved into PSRAM. Little by little, more resources are being freed up, leaving more room for user-facing features.

At this point I am very close to releasing a new version, so I won't have enough time to include this feature in the upcoming release. However, I will try to restore it for the following release and make it part of the default full-experience YAMLs again.

Thanks as well for your interest and for mentioning the project on the Home Assistant forum. I genuinely appreciate feedback, testing, and new ideas.

[n-IA-hane]

Done timer restored.

[lone-baggie]

Thank you so much. 👍

[n-IA-hane]

⚠️ Heads-up: major breaking changes are coming in the next version.

I know it can be frustrating to keep up with every big architectural change, and before you send me to hell: this one is not just another internal refactor.

The next release makes ESPHome Intercom compatible with SIP and VoIP. Yes, really. This is already working on the dev branch.

What does it mean in practice?

It means that, if you want, you can have a simple Home Assistant / ESPHome-centric PBX without having to carry Asterisk along with it.

• Your ESP intercom can still stay simple: one button, one destination, call, answer, talk, hang up.
• Under the hood, ESP devices are becoming real SIP/VoIP phones.
• ESPs can still call each other directly when direct SIP routing is available.
• ESPs can still call Home Assistant, and Home Assistant can still call ESPs.
• Home Assistant / Intercom Native is now also a SIP softphone, router/B2BUA, RTP bridge/resampler, optional local registrar and optional trunk client.
• You can register a real softphone such as Zoiper, Linphone, baresip or similar directly to Intercom Native.
• Registered softphones can appear in the central phonebook, so ESPs and Home Assistant can call them by name.
• Home Assistant itself can receive calls as a VoIP softphone and make its Lovelace card ring.
• If you configure a SIP trunk, Home Assistant and ESP devices can make and receive external calls without requiring Asterisk beside the integration.
• You can call landline/mobile numbers from Home Assistant or from an ESP through the trunk.
• External inbound calls can ring Home Assistant by default.
• I am also working on DTMF-based routing/IVR: for example, call your home number, press nothing to ring Home Assistant, or dial an optional internal extension such as 200 to ring a specific ESP.
• Internal extension numbers are optional: contacts can still be resolved by name, SIP URI, direct IP/port, HA routing, softphone registration, or trunk routing depending on your setup.
• Audio quality is negotiated per direction, so a device can receive the best compatible speaker format while transmitting whatever its microphone path can actually produce.

This is a breaking migration because the old project-specific call-control model is being replaced by SIP/SDP/RTP primitives. The goal is to make the project simpler conceptually and much more interoperable: ESPs, Home Assistant, browser card, softphones and trunks all speak the same VoIP model.

If you want to test early, use the dev branch. If your install is critical, wait for the release notes and migration guide before upgrading.

Current testing status: I am actively testing with Spotpear, Waveshare S3, Home Assistant, Zoiper and baresip. I have not completed testing across every YAML/profile yet, but if you want to start experimenting now, these are the devices and clients I can already say are working.