Badge delivery updates

Hello folks! We’re excited to show you all where we are on the badge project, and update you on our delivery of the badge. While we’ve found it unexpectedly difficult to coordinate due to the pandemic, we have been making steady progress, and we have a lot of the core functionality of the software working. 

Delivery and fulfillment

We’re sorry to say that mid-to-late November is looking like the best case scenario at this point for when the badge should be ready to ship, but we’re working hard to make this a unique and awesome experience that will certainly be worth the wait. We will be updating you when your badge is shipped, dropshipped right to your feet.

Software Updates

Here is a quick preview of the current desktop build, demonstrating some of what’s done.

- Hardware state simulation frame (to emulate the badge buttons and their LEDs)
- Sprite sheets, tile sets, and maps
- Player movement and panning camera system
- Directional entity orientation and animation
- Hex editor with pagination and details on selected bytes
- The ability to hack any entity, including the player character
- Game ROM file generation system
- Plenty of graphics
- (Not pictured) plenty of music
- A mysterious goose!

In progress: dialogue and cutscene scripting system

Hardware revisions (from prototype boards)

• Move LCD connector over .3mm for better fitment of ribbon
• Fix audio chip missing exposed pad bond to ground
• Remove nRESET signal from JTAG
• Reuse freed pin above to run an interrupt line from the keyboard controller to the MCU to enable interrupt driven keyboard input.  Protos will have a hack-n-jump to be feature compatible
• Enlarge mounting holes from 3mm to 3.2mm to allow for slightly sloppier fitments
• Move traces and vias a little further away from top mounting holes as they are now being used for standoffs instead of just lanyard holes
• Move vias from pads of ghosting diodes off to the side to prevent excess solder wicking
• Modify UPDI programming pads to include vias for easier connection of programmer
• Enlarged fiducials
• Moved LCD CS from high to low
• Added more breakout pads for the LCD on the back
• Swapped to a PAM2305 voltage regulator
• Hardwired the LCD LED to ground
• Added some breakout for a couple of processor GPIO
• Moved silk for speaker placement down a little
• Added logo for PCBX

• Remove mask over eyes

• Replace pin socket/headers with one with locating pins, maybe
• Reduce standoffs from 12mm to 9mm if shorter board-to-board headers can be located