167 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
167 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
# NiceBadge
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**NiceBadge** is an electronic conference badge and a hands-on platform for learning [TinyGo](https://tinygo.org/) programming.
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Whether you are attending a conference or just getting started with embedded development, NiceBadge gives you a real piece of hardware to hack on, complete with a ready-to-use firmware, step-by-step tutorials, and progressively more advanced examples that unlock every capability of the board.
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---
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## Features
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| Peripheral | Details |
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|---|---|
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| Color display | Compact full-color screen (FJ08K-S), ST7789 driver |
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| Buttons | 2 Cherry MX hot-swap mechanical switches |
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| Joystick | Alps EC11E rotary encoder with push switch |
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| RGB LEDs | 2 × SK6812MINI-E addressable LEDs, WS2812 driver |
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| StemmQT connector | JST SH 4-pin for I2C expansion modules |
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| Buzzer | 5.5 mm passive buzzer for audio feedback |
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| Bluetooth | BLE via the nRF52840 on the nice!nano |
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| USB HID | Acts as a keyboard/mouse over USB thanks to the nice!nano |
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| Battery | Onboard battery cell header (2-pin 2.00 mm) |
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The microcontroller is the **[nice!nano](https://nicekeyboards.com/nice-nano/)** (nRF52840), which is fully supported by TinyGo and exposes both USB HID and Bluetooth HID out of the box.
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## Repository layout
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```
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nicebadge/
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├── hardware/ # KiCad PCB design files
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│ └── PCB-kicad/
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│ └── production/ # Gerbers, BOM, pick-and-place files
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└── tutorial/ # TinyGo tutorials and examples
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├── basics/ # Step-by-step basics (step0 → step10)
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├── ble/ # Bluetooth Low Energy examples
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└── examples/ # Standalone examples (sensors, HID, etc.)
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```
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---
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## Firmware
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NiceBadge ships two ready-to-use firmwares:
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### Demo firmware (conference)
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A showcase firmware that demonstrates all badge peripherals — LEDs, display, buttons, joystick, buzzer, and BLE. Ideal for conferences and as a starting point for your own experiments.
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Repository: [code.madriguera.me/GoEducation/badges](https://code.madriguera.me/GoEducation/badges)
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### HID firmware
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Turns the badge into a fully functional USB/Bluetooth keyboard. Built on top of [sago35/keyboards](https://github.com/sago35/keyboards), a TinyGo framework for custom keyboards.
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Repository: [github.com/sago35/keyboards](https://github.com/sago35/keyboards)
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---
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## Getting started
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### Prerequisites
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- [TinyGo](https://tinygo.org/getting-started/) ≥ 0.32
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- [Go](https://go.dev/dl/) ≥ 1.22
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- A NiceBadge board (see hardware section below) or a compatible nice!nano dev board
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---
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## Hardware
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All design files are located in [hardware/PCB-kicad/](hardware/PCB-kicad/).
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Production files (Gerbers, BOM, positions) ready for fabrication are in [hardware/PCB-kicad/production/](hardware/PCB-kicad/production/).
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### Bill of Materials
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| Designator | Value / Part | Footprint | Qty |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| BT1 | Battery Cell | PinHeader 2×01 P2.00 mm Vertical | 1 |
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| BZ1 | Buzzer | Buzzer 5.5 mm | 1 |
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| DISPLAY1 | Display connector | PinHeader 1×08 P2.54 mm Vertical | 1 |
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| H1, H2, H3, H4 | Mounting Hole | M2 | 4 |
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| LED1, LED2 | YS-SK6812MINI-E | SK6812MINI-E | 2 |
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| R1, R2 | Resistor | Axial DIN0207 L6.3 mm D2.5 mm P10.16 mm | 2 |
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| STEMMAQT1 | StemmQT connector | JST SH SM04B-SRSS-TB 1×04 P1.00 mm | 1 |
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| SW1, SW2B1 | Push switch | Cherry MX Hot-swap | 2 |
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| SW2 | Rotary Encoder + Switch | Alps EC11E Vertical H20 mm | 1 |
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| SW2B, SW2C | Key switch | Strap hole | 2 |
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| U1 | nice!nano | nice_nano | 1 |
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| U2 | FJ08K-S | FJ08K-S | 1 |
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---
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## Tutorials & examples
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All code lives under [`tutorial/`](tutorial/). Flash any step from inside that directory:
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```sh
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cd tutorial
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tinygo flash -target nicenano ./basics/step0
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```
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Run `go mod tidy` once inside `tutorial/` to fetch all dependencies.
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---
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### Basics
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A progressive series that introduces every peripheral one at a time.
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| Step | What it does |
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|------|--------------|
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| [step0](tutorial/basics/step0/) | Blink the built-in LED — verifies the flash toolchain works |
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| [step1](tutorial/basics/step1/) | Built-in LED controlled by button A |
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| [step2](tutorial/basics/step2/) | WS2812 RGB LEDs alternating red and green |
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| [step3](tutorial/basics/step3/) | WS2812 LEDs change color with buttons A, B, and rotary |
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| [step3b](tutorial/basics/step3b/) | Rainbow cycle on the LEDs, A/B scroll through the hue |
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| [step4](tutorial/basics/step4/) | "Hello Gophers!" text on the display |
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| [step5](tutorial/basics/step5/) | Display shows a circle per button; rings appear on press |
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| [step6](tutorial/basics/step6/) | Analog joystick — a dot follows the stick on the display |
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| [step7](tutorial/basics/step7/) | Rotary encoder — turning cycles LED colors, push resets |
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| [step8](tutorial/basics/step8/) | Passive buzzer plays a note per button press |
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| [step9](tutorial/basics/step9/) | Serial monitor — prints button, encoder, and joystick events over USB serial |
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| [step10](tutorial/basics/step10/) | USB MIDI — badge sends notes C4 / E4 / G4 to any DAW |
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| [step11](tutorial/basics/step11/) | USB HID mouse — joystick moves the cursor, A/B click |
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---
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### BLE
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Bluetooth Low Energy examples using the nRF52840 on the nice!nano. Compatible apps: **nRF Connect**, **nRF Toolbox**, **Serial Bluetooth Terminal**, **LightBlue**.
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| Step | What it does |
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|------|--------------|
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| [step1](tutorial/ble/step1/) | **Counter** — advertises as Nordic UART Service (NUS), sends an incrementing counter via BLE notifications every second; display shows connection status and current value; send `reset` from the app to restart the count |
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| [step2](tutorial/ble/step2/) | **LED color control** — mobile writes 3 bytes (R, G, B) to a custom characteristic; both WS2812 LEDs and the display update immediately |
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| [step3](tutorial/ble/step3/) | **Scanner** — lists nearby BLE devices with name and RSSI, color-coded by signal strength; button A clears the list |
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---
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### Examples
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Standalone, feature-complete programs.
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| Example | What it does | Extra hardware |
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|---------|--------------|----------------|
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| [thermal-camera](examples/thermal-camera/) | AMG88xx 8×8 IR sensor upscaled with bilinear interpolation and rendered with an iron-palette color map on the full display | AMG88xx sensor on I2C1 (SDA=P0_17, SCL=P0_20) |
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| [rubber-duck](examples/rubber-duck/) | USB HID keyboard automation (Ubuntu/GNOME target): opens a text editor, types a message, and launches a URL. Press button A to trigger | — |
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| [co2-sensor](examples/co2-sensor/) | SCD4x CO2/temperature/humidity sensor: display background turns green/yellow/red by CO2 level, LEDs mirror the color, buzzer warns above 1500 ppm | SCD4x sensor on I2C1 (SDA=P0_17, SCL=P0_20) |
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---
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## Acknowledgements
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NiceBadge is based on the **[conf2025badge](https://github.com/sago35/keyboards/tree/main/conf2025badge)** by [sago35](https://github.com/sago35), which debuted at the TinyGo Conference in Japan. NiceBadge shares the same form-factor and was built on top of the groundwork たかさごさん laid there.
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Thank you, for the inspiration, the open design, and all the work that made this possible.
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---
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## License
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See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
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