⚡ Panel Notes

A dead-simple, self-hosted web app for mapping and documenting your electrical breaker panel. Open it with a QR code. Never wonder again.

🎯 Why Panel Notes?

Got new garage lights? Need to know what's behind breaker B8? Panel Notes is the answer. It grew out of this Home Assistant issue after realizing a handwritten directory on the panel door wasn't cutting it anymore.

The goal is simple:

• 👀 See the whole panel at a glance (odd on the left, even on the right)
• 📝 Double-click any breaker to see its label, notes, and linked devices
• 📱 Open the app instantly from a QR code taped to the panel

✨ Features

• 🔧 40-slot GE panel layout (1A/1B | 2A/2B style) — but easy to adapt to your setup
• 📱 Mobile-first UI — both sides of the panel stay visible on phones
• ✏️ Modal editor — breaker label + notes + linked devices, all in one place
• 📄 CSV-backed data — edit or back it up with any text editor
• 🔌 Simple REST API — ready for future integrations (Home Assistant, anyone?)

🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React + Vite (modern, component-based, mobile-first)
Backend	Express (Node.js) — serves API and static build
Data	Flat CSV files (breakers.csv, devices.csv)
Deployment	Docker with multi-stage build

🚀 Quick Start

With Node.js

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/panel-notes.git
cd panel-notes

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start dev mode (Vite + API)
npm run dev

# Open:
# UI:  http://localhost:5173
# API: http://localhost:8080

With Docker

# In the repo root
docker compose up --build -d

# Open http://localhost:8080

Data persists via bind mount (./data:/app/data). Change the port by setting PORT in .env.

⚙️ Configuration

cp .env.example .env

Environment Variables:

• PORT – API/web port inside container (default: 8080)
• DATA_DIR – CSV storage path inside container (default: /app/data)

📡 API Reference

Simple endpoints, ready for integrations:

GET    /api/health                       # Health check
GET    /api/breakers                     # List all breakers
GET    /api/breaker/{id}                 # Get breaker details
PUT    /api/breaker/{id}                 # Update breaker
GET    /api/devices                      # List all devices
POST   /api/device                       # Create device
GET    /api/device/{id}                  # Get device details
PUT    /api/device/{id}                  # Update device
GET    /api/search?q=garage              # Search breakers/devices
GET    /api/map/light-to-breaker         # Device-to-breaker mapping

📊 Data Model

Breaker

{
  id: "A1",              # Internal ID
  side: "A",             # A or B
  row: 1,                # Row 1–20
  label: "Garage Lights",# Human-friendly
  load_type: "Lighting", # Optional type
  notes: "...",          # Free-form
  tags: "garage,lights"  # Comma-separated
}

Device

{
  id: "D1",
  name: "Garage Light 1",
  type: "Light",
  notes: "Main fixture",
  linked_breakers: "A1,A2"
}

📲 QR Code Workflow

Here's the dream setup:

1. Deploy Panel Notes on a Docker host on your LAN
2. Generate a QR code pointing to the Panel Notes URL (e.g., http://panel-notes.local:8080)
3. Print & Tape the QR inside your panel door
4. Scan when working at the panel — instant access to the live map

Works in any house, lab, or workshop. 🔌

🤝 Contributing

We'd love your help! Check CONTRIBUTING.md for ideas and guidelines.

Ideas we'd love:

• Layout customization for other panel types
• Home Assistant integration examples
• Mobile app wrapper
• Cloud sync option (optional)

📄 License

MIT – see LICENSE for details.

---

Made with ⚡ for home automation enthusiasts everywhere