#hardwaredesign

Metro RP2350 take 5 🔄🌟🤞

Michal Kus • "Project: 1952 - Flammpanzer"

Concept Designer. www.focalpointschool.com

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Rooooound display prototype testing 🌀✨

Giving Tuesday – 2025 Open Hardware Summit #GivingTuesday 📅🛠️🌍

In 2025, the Open Hardware summit will be in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 30-31. The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) hosts the summit. OSHWA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity that certifies open-source hardware designs and shares data about the growing community.

Here is their pitch for the 2025 Open Hardware Summit, where Adafruit is a sponsor again!

"The Open Hardware Summit is the only conference dedicated to discussing Open Source Hardware. Open Source Hardware is a community-focused method of creating where we share knowledge openly, welcome collaboration, and frequently create together. The Open Hardware summit is a place to compare notes, see the state of the art, and spend some time talking about where the open source movement is headed. The summit often contains workshops, talks, connections, mentorship.

If you haven't yet, please consider sponsoring the 2025 Open Hardware Summit again this year: https://2025.oshwa.org/sponsor/. We are headed to Scotland this year and hope you'll join us. Your funding always allows us to put on a stellar event that people rave about. There are new levels and added headline sponsor levels this year.

Fruit Jam RP2350B credit-card mini computer with all the fixin's 🍓🍇💾

We were catching up on a recent Hackaday hackchat with Eben Upton (https://hackaday.io/event/202122-raspberry-pi-hack-chat-with-eben-upton) and learned some fun facts: such as the DVI hack for the RP2040 was inspired by a device called the IchigoJam (https://www.hackster.io/news/ichigojam-combines-strawberry-and-raspberry-to-deliver-a-raspberry-pi-pico-powered-educational-micro-66aa5d2f6eec). We remember reading about this back when it was an LPC1114, now it uses an RP2040. Well, we're wrapping up the Metro RP2350 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/6003), and lately, we've been joking around that with DVI output and USB Host support via bit-banged PIO, you could sorta build a little stand-alone computer. Well, one pear-green-tea-fueled-afternoon later we tried our hand at designing a 'credit card sized' computer - that's 3.375" x 2.125", about the same size as a business card (https://hackaday.com/2024/05/07/the-2024-business-card-challenge-starts-now/) and turns out there's even a standard named for it: ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 (https://www.iso.org/standard/70483.html).

Anyhow, with the extra pins of the QFN-80 RP2350B, we're able to jam a ridonkulous amount of hardware into this shape: RP2350B dual 150MHz Cortex M33 w/ PicoProbe debug port, 16 MB Flash + 8 MB PSRAM, USB type C for bootloading/USB client, Micro SD card with SPI or SDIO, DVI output on the HSTX port, I2S stereo headphone + mono speaker via the TLV320DAC3100 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/texas-instruments/tlv320dac3100irhbt/2353656), 2-port USB type A hub for both keyboard and mouse or game controllers, chunky on-off switch, Stemma QT I2C + Stemma classic JST 3-pin, EYESPI for TFT displays, 5x NeoPixels, 3x tactile switches, and a 16-pin socket header with 10 A/D GPIO + 5V/3V/GND power pins. The PSRAM will help when we want to do things like run emulations that we need to store in fast RAM access, and it will also let us use the main SRAM as the DVI video buffer.

mini Sparkle Motion prototype - a tiny, fully-featured WLED board ✨🔌📏💡🌈

We're doing a lot of serious testing with our WLED mega-board, code-name Sparkle Motion .

While doing some holiday lighting projects, we also wanted something slim enough to slip into any design. It still uses an ESP32 for the best support, with USB-serial programming, 5A fuse, 5V level shifting + 100 ohm series resistors for pixel drivers, user/reset buttons, a user LED and onboard neopixel, JST SH analog/digital connector, QT I2C connector, 4 GPIO plus power/ground breakouts, and USB type C power/data input.

However, this version is made simpler and less expensive by dropping the DC jack and USB PD support: it's only for 5V strips if you want to power them directly (you could still drive 12V or 24V pixels, but you'll need separate power for them). Instead of a full set of terminal blocks for 3 signals, we only have two outputs, and they have to share the power and ground pins. It could also be used for a single two-pin dotstar LED setup. We kept the built-in I2S mic but dropped the on-board IR sensor - if you want an IR sensor, you'll be able to plug it into the JST SH port with a simple cable or solder it into the breakout pads.

Trying to design a great WLED board 🌈🦄🦃

While waiting for the turkey to finish brining, we're designing a board for using WLED - and we want to make like the bestest board in the whole world.

Our resident mermaid, firepixie

, makes a lot of projects with WLED, and she loves it! So, how can we make something that will be powerful but not too bulky? Here are some things we're thinking about as the design starts to congeal like cranberry sauce:

Power via USB Type C PD with a slide switch that selects between 5, 12, and 20V (24V pixels can usually run fine at 20V) OR via a 2.1mm DC jack. With ideal diodes, it's good for up to 5A from either.

ESP32-Mini module with built-in or optional wFL antenna port. The classic '32 has broad support, even if we'd prefer the 'S2 or 'S3.

There are three output signal terminal block sets, with power and ground for each. They'll be level-shifted to 5V.

Built in I2S microphone (we're still pondering this one).

Stemma QT I2C port to connect external sensors/OLEDs/etc.; separate analog/digital input JST port.

1.3"x1.75" / 33mm x 45mm size with mounting holes.

Round display EYESPI tester is a go! 👁️🔍