Jcorp Nomad

A portable, offline media server powered by the ESP32-S3 in a thumbdrive form factor.
Stream movies, music, books, and shows anywhere — no internet required.

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What is Nomad

Jcorp Nomad is an open-source offline media server designed for travel, remote work, classrooms, camping, and more. It runs entirely on an ESP32-S3, creates a local Wi-Fi hotspot, and serves media through a browser interface. Multiple users can access separate media streams simultaneously, all without internet access.

This project is compact, easy to modify, and includes optional 3D-printable hardware. Both firmware and web interface are fully open-source.

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Project Inspiration

Inspired by my experience running a Jellyfin server, I wanted a portable, low-cost solution for offline media streaming. Challenges with SBCs (Raspberry Pi, etc.) included high power usage, heat, and instability.

Nomad focuses on delivering:

• Offline access
• Wide device compatibility
• Simple frontend for media browsing and playback
• Multiple user support
• High customization potential

The ESP32-S3 provides enough performance to handle these requirements efficiently, in a pocket-sized form factor.

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Stability & Features Update

Nomad is now stable on the main branch with several new features and improvements.

Notable Updates:

• EPUB support: works, though formatting is rough.
• Audiobooks: MP3 format with basic resume tracking; minor bugs may occur.
• CBZ support: experimental; files may load slowly.

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Key Improvements

1. Faster & More Reliable Indexing

   • Non-blocking, background indexing for large libraries.
   • Safe on power loss; partial indexes remain intact.
   • Auto-updates changes; frontend detects updates automatically.

2. Resume Functionality

   • Movies and Shows track playback progress.
   • Options for Play from Start or Resume.
   • Menu displays last three movies/shows; mobile shows most recent.

3. Dark Mode

   • Toggleable across all pages from the menu.
   • Minor visual bugs may exist depending on browser.

4. Admin Page

   • Full device control: shutdown, restart, flash mode, Wi-Fi, RGB LEDs, brightness, credentials, indexing, and file management.
   • Safe shutdown option for SD card health.
   • Real-time system console feedback.

5. Stability Improvements

   • Fixed frontend NDJSON sync issues.
   • Crash recovery on large indexes.
   • Dynamic LCD brightness adjustment.
   • Streaming stability enhancements.

6. Improved Library Support

   • Supports deeper folder structures for Shows and Music.
   • Flexible organization; media files can be nested at any level.

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Features

• Admin panel with full device controls
• File browser: upload, rename, delete, download, inline editing
• Global search on Menu page
• Music player with playlists, shuffle, loop, downloads
• Shows page with season folder support and specials
• Books page: PDF, EPUB, and audiobook support
• Gallery page: images and video playback
• Files page for general-purpose sharing
• Resume/play progress tracking for Movies and Shows
• Captive portal for easy access
• Persistent settings across reboots
• Mobile-friendly web UI

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Hardware Requirements

• Waveshare ESP32-S3 Dev Board (1.47" LCD version)
  Amazon Link

• FAT32 microSD card (16–64GB recommended)
  Amazon Link

• SD-Card Extender (optional, 3DP case compatible)
  Amazon Link

• USB power source

• Optional: 3D-printed enclosure (STL files included)

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Software Requirements

• Arduino IDE
• Fat32Format or equivalent
• SquareLine Studio (optional, for UI editing)

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Quick Start

1. Flash ESP32-S3 firmware from /firmware/.
2. Format SD card as FAT32 and copy /SD_Card_Template/ files.
3. Place media in /Movies, /Shows, /Books, /Music, /Gallery, /Files.
4. Insert SD card and power device via USB.
5. Connect to Wi-Fi Jcorp_Nomad with password: password.
6. Open the browser interface.
7. Click the gear icon → Library Index → Full Scan Now.
8. Monitor Admin Console for progress; scan may take minutes.
9. Return to Menu page and enjoy your media!

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## Folder Structure

/Movies
    Interstellar.mp4
    Interstellar.jpg

/Shows
    /The Office
        S01E01 - Pilot.mp4
        S01E02 - Diversity Day.mp4
    The Office.jpg
    
    /Gravity Falls
        /Season 1
            S1E1 - Tourist Trapped.mp4
            S1E2 - The Legend of the Gobblewonker.mp4
        /Season 2
            S2E1 - Scary-oke.mp4
            S2E2 - Into the Bunker.mp4
        Alex Hirsch Interview.mp4
    Gravity Falls.jpg

/Books
    The Martian.pdf
    The Martian.jpg

/Music
    track01.mp3
    /Artist1
        track01.mp3
        /Album1
            track02.mp3
    /PersonName
        /Playlist1
            track01.mp3
        /Playlist2
            track02.mp3

/Gallery
    image01.jpg
    video01.mp4

/Files
    document.pdf
    example.txt

index.html
appleindex.html
menu.html
movies.html
shows.html
books.html
music.html
gallery.html
files.html
Logo.png
favicon.ico

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Supported Formats

• Video: .mp4, .mov, .mkv, .webm
• Audio: .mp3, .flac, .wav
• Books: .pdf, .epub, .mp3
• Images: .jpg

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Future Plans

• Offline maps with GPS support
• Retro game emulation
• Chat page / message board
• Collaborative whiteboard / sketch page
• Full CBZ comic support

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License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — free to remix and share for non-commercial use with attribution.

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Credits

Developed by Jackson Studner (Jcorp Tech).
Inspired by open-source offline media projects. Contributions via PRs welcome.