CLU VIEW, VU1 &
Spec Card FAQ

Yes. Every widget type, gauge style, effect and profile slot is available from day one, with no trial period, subscription or feature gates. Development is funded through voluntary Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee support.

CPU and GPU usage and temperature (per-core and package), RAM usage, disk usage and temperature, network upload/download speed, fan speeds (RPM), voltages, power draw, battery status, and FPS.

On Windows, full sensor access requires PawnIO and administrator access. PawnIO is installed with CLU VIEW. Some hardware may not expose every possible sensor.

Use Panel Mode. Connect your USB display or small HDMI screen so Windows recognises it as a secondary display. Build your dashboard in the editor, then switch to Panel Mode and select the target display. Your dashboard runs fullscreen and borderless on that screen.

This works with USB displays inside PC cases, HDMI screens from brands like WOWNOVA and Lamptron, spare monitors, and generic IPS panels. If Windows sees it as a display, Panel Mode can use it.

Open the editor, pick a widget type (gauge, graph, meter, text, etc.), drop it on the canvas, and assign a sensor. Resize and reposition by dragging. You can choose from 216 built-in gauge styles or create your own custom image gauges and bars from sprite strips or individual frame PNGs. Apply per-widget visual effects, customise colours and fonts, and multi-select widgets for group operations with full undo/redo support.

Yes. Save up to 50 dashboard profiles and switch between them instantly. Profiles can be exported as files and shared with others. People swap layouts in the Discord community.

CLU VIEW has 19 per-widget effects including glow pulse, glitch, scan lines, neon buzz, and frosted glass. On top of that, you can apply screen-wide post-processing filters like CRT scanlines, pixelation, chromatic aberration, screen bulge, and glitch tears to your entire dashboard.

The rules engine lets you automate responses to sensor thresholds or running processes. For example: change a widget's colour when CPU temperature exceeds 80°C, trigger an animation when GPU usage hits 100%, or switch to a different dashboard profile when a specific game launches.

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), .NET Framework 4.7.2+ or .NET 6+ Desktop Runtime, and a minimum 900px screen width for the editor. Panel Mode works on smaller displays. Administrator access is required on Windows for full sensor access.

This can happen if you have run both this application and the original VU1 Server (VUServer.exe) at the same time. This application is a standalone replacement and should not be run alongside the original VU1 Server app. Both apps compete for the same COM port, which can corrupt dial provisioning.

To resolve it, follow these steps:

1. 01Disconnect ALL dials and the HUB
2. 02Using Task Manager, end VUServer.exe AND the VU1 Dial Controller app (and anything else on the same COM ports)
3. 03Connect ONLY the HUB and keep all dials disconnected
4. 04Run the original VU-Server by Sasa Karanovic (the Server app, not the VU1 Dial Controller)
5. 05Open the VU Server GUI (http://localhost:5340) and verify only HUB is listed
6. 06Connect each dial one at a time, clicking search for new dials after each, verifying the count grows until all four appear

Once all dials work with just the server, end the VU Server process in Task Manager, then reopen the VU1 Dial Controller. We recommend uninstalling the VU Server to avoid this happening again.

This is typically caused by running both the VU1 Dial Controller and the original VU1 Server (VUServer.exe) at the same time, which corrupts the dial provisioning. Both apps compete for the same COM port and provisioning gets corrupted when dials are unplugged and reconnected while both are running.

Follow the reprovisioning steps in the question above to reset the dials, then switch back to the VU1 Dial Controller. The full walkthrough is in the setup guide.

VU1 dials are physical analog gauge dials made by Streacom. They connect via USB and display real-time data using a moving needle and an e-ink screen. They're designed for PC enthusiasts who want a physical way to monitor system metrics.

Connect your VU1 dials to a USB hub, then connect the hub to your PC via USB. Install VU1 Dial Controller. No other software required. The app communicates directly with the hub over USB serial, auto-detects connected dials, and lets you assign data to each one. See the full setup guide for step-by-step instructions.

System metrics (CPU usage, CPU temperature, GPU usage, GPU temperature, RAM, disk, network speed, FPS), audio frequency bands (bass, mid, treble for live audio visualisation), or weather data (temperature, humidity, wind speed via Open-Meteo).

Yes. Upload your own image or choose from built-in designs. The app sends the image directly to the VU1 dial's e-ink display. Common image formats are supported up to 20MB.

VU1 Dial Controller performs real-time FFT frequency analysis on your system audio. You can dedicate each dial to a specific frequency band (bass, mid or treble) so the analog needles move in response to music, game audio, or any sound playing on your PC.

Common fixes: (1) Close other apps that scan COM ports (like SignalRGB) as they can block serial port access. (2) Try reconnecting the USB hub or using a different USB port. (3) Open Device Manager and check that the dials appear under COM ports. (4) Power-cycle the hub: unplug USB, wait 5 seconds, reconnect. See the troubleshooting section in the setup guide for more.

Yes. Save named profiles with different dial assignments, backlight colours, and dial face images. The rules engine can automatically switch between profiles based on sensor thresholds, running processes, window titles, or time schedules.

Yes, every one of them. Free to download and use, with no trial, no subscription and no feature gates. Development is funded through voluntary Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee support.

SmartScreen flags new software without a code signing certificate as "unknown publisher." Code signing certificates cost hundreds per year. This is common for indie software. Many legitimate tools trigger the same warnings early on. To proceed: click "More info" then "Run anyway."

No. The apps carry no telemetry, no analytics and no tracking, and there are no accounts or cloud sync. Settings are stored locally in AppData. Three narrow exceptions: all three apps check mr-clu.com for new versions shortly after start-up (no personal data in the request; mr-clu.com counts these as an anonymous daily total); CLU VIEW's Template Store contacts mr-clu.com while you have it open, to list templates, show previews, download one you choose to install and send a star rating if you give one; and VU1 Dial Controller's optional weather feature (opt-in only) uses ipapi.co to find your approximate location and Open-Meteo for the forecast. Full detail in the Privacy Policy.

Join the Discord server for community help and direct access to the developer. You can also report issues through the bug report form linked on each product page.

CLU VIEW NOVA 2.0.4 ships for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) and for Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage and an Arch package). Both are free public builds. The Linux sensor backend runs completely unprivileged: no kernel driver and no root. VU1 Dial Controller and Spec Card Generator are Windows 10/11 (64-bit) only. There are no current plans for macOS versions.