HydroScreen

A lightweight, open-source alternative for controlling Corsair AIO LCD screens.

I built this because I was tired of the official software using significant resources just to update a small screen. HydroScreen runs the UI as a standard user process, uses a lightweight C# bridge for hardware access, and renders everything via a web-based canvas engine.

Note: This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Corsair Gaming, Inc.

Features

• Lightweight: The UI is separate from the hardware worker. The renderer is capped at 30 FPS to match the screen's native refresh rate, ensuring minimal CPU usage.
• Hardware Support: Supports Elite LCD, Elite LCD Upgrade Kit, and iCUE LINK/Titan LCDs (PIDs: 0x0C39, 0x0C33, 0x0C4E).
• Modern UI: Built with Tauri v2, Svelte 5, and Tailwind v4.
• Theming Engine:
  • Comes with built-in themes (Hydro Gauge, Terminal Zero, Deep Liquid, etc.).
  • Scriptable: You can write your own themes in JavaScript and import them without recompiling the app.
  • Supports Images and GIFs with pan/zoom controls.
• Privacy: No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud sync. It just displays your temps.

Prerequisites

This app uses a custom fork of LibreHardwareMonitor that replaces the vulnerable WinRing0 driver with PawnIO. This is required to read CPU/GPU sensors safely without triggering Anti-Cheats or Windows Kernel Protection features.

1. Download and install PawnIO from pawnio.eu.
   • Note: If you don't install this, the app will likely show 0 values for CPU/GPU.

Installation

1. Go to the Releases page.
2. Download the .exe installer.
3. Run it.
   • Note: You might get a SmartScreen warning because I haven't paid Microsoft for a signing certificate. You'll have to click "More Info" -> "Run Anyway."
4. On first launch, Windows will ask for Admin permissions for the lhm-bridge. This is required to access sensor data. The UI itself runs safely as a standard user.

Development

If you want to hack on this or build it yourself:

Requirements:

• Node.js (20+)
• Rust (latest stable)
• .NET 8.0 SDK (for the sensor bridge)
• Microsoft C++ Build Tools (standard requirement for compiling Rust on Windows)

Setup:

# Install JS dependencies
npm install

# Run in dev mode 
# This automatically compiles the C# bridge and the Rust backend
npm run tauri dev

Building for Release:

npm run tauri build

This generates an installer in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis.

Custom Themes

You can extend the app by writing a .js file that returns a Theme object. Check src/lib/themes/library/ for examples of how the built-in themes utilize the Canvas API.

Basic structure:

return {
    id: 'my-theme',
    name: 'My Custom Theme',
    author: 'Me',
    description: 'A simple example',
    slots: [{ id: 'temp', label: 'Temperature', type: 'number' }],
    options: [{ id: 'color', label: 'Color', type: 'color', default: '#ff0000' }],
    
    renderFn: (ctx, w, h, values, formatted, config, tick) => {
        // Standard HTML5 Canvas API
        ctx.fillStyle = config.color;
        ctx.fillRect(0, 0, w, h);
        
        ctx.fillStyle = 'white';
        ctx.font = '50px Arial';
        ctx.fillText(formatted['temp'] || '0°C', 240, 240);
    }
};

Credits & Acknowledgements

• LibreHardwareMonitor: The backbone of the sensor reading logic.
• namazso: For the custom fork of LHM that adds PawnIO support.
• PawnIO: For the signed kernel driver that makes hardware access safe.

License & Liability

Mozilla Public License 2.0

This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. I am not responsible if your pump stops running, your CPU overheats, or your AIO screen turns into a brick. Use at your own risk.

By using this software, you acknowledge that you are using third-party tools to interact with hardware in ways not officially supported by the manufacturer.