Hackaday Supercon 2023 · United States · 2023

Hackaday Supercon 2023 Vectorscope Badge

RP2040 analog vectorscope and waveform badge

An analog-inspired Hackaday Supercon badge that combined a fake-phosphor vectorscope display, programmable waveform generator, AK4619 ADC/DAC path, Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040 control, MicroPython, joystick and buttons, and a through-hole prototyping area.

Hackaday Supercon United States Vectorscope RP2040 Raspberry Pi Pico MicroPython GC9A01 AK4619 Badge Hacking North America

Hackaday Supercon 2023 Vectorscope Badge badge image

EventHackaday Supercon 2023

SeriesHackaday Superconference

LocationPasadena, California

CountryUnited States

Image Provenance

Asset: optimized WebP from transparent cutout
Status: licensed original photo
Source: docs/badge_talk_2023/images/image2.png
License: MIT License
Attribution: Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope repository contributors
Notes: Original 1041x1383 repository workbench photo downloaded from the official Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope repository, masked around the visible Vectorscope badge, battery holder, and inseparable adjacent workbench context, scaled to the site badge canvas, and preserved as a transparent source cutout before WebP delivery conversion. The repository is MIT licensed; this is the same physical-badge photo source used by the later Hackaday Europe reuse record, now attached to the original Supercon 2023 Vectorscope lineage. The published badge.gallery delivery file is an optimized WebP generated from the rights-cleared local derivative/source with metadata stripped, WebP quality 82, and a maximum side cap of 1600 pixels when the source is larger; upstream source URL, license, and attribution remain unchanged.

People

Authors & Credits

Vectorscope badge design

Voja Antonic

Hackaday comment/source context credits Voja Antonic for the badge's visual and hardware-design direction.

Source

badge article author and Hackaday editor

Elliot Williams

Author of the Hackaday Vectorscope badge introduction used as primary source evidence.

Source

badge-hacking ceremony reporter

Tom Nardi

Author of the post-event roundup documenting Supercon 2023 badge hacks.

Source

event and badge publisher

Hackaday

Hackaday published the badge introduction, event records, post-event hacks, and repository.

Source

Why It Mattered

It anchors the North American side of the Vectorscope lineage before the badge was later reused at Hackaday Europe, and it shows Supercon's badge culture centering badge-hack ceremonies, hardware experiments, and open firmware.

Hardware

Hackaday describes X-Y plotting for 0 V to 3 V voltages, an AK4619 ADC/DAC path, two waveform-generator channels, front controls, a round IPS screen, audio amplifier behavior on the Y input, RP2040 PIO/DMA display and sample handling, and generous through-hole prototyping space. The repository adds hardware files, schematics, BOM, Gerbers, drill files, and a work-in-progress KiCad conversion.

Software & Apps

The badge used MicroPython on a Raspberry Pi Pico with custom GC9A01 display support, setup guidance for Thonny, VSCode/MicroPico, and mpremote, and a published repository containing firmware, original code, assets, hardware packages, and restoration notes.

Lore

Hackaday's post-event roundup documented a Sunday badge-hacking ceremony after roughly 78 hours of hardware and software hacking, with categories for pure Vectorscope work and Vectorscope plus external hardware.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

event challenge historical

Vectorscope badge-hacking ceremony

Hackaday documented a Sunday badge-hacking ceremony after roughly 78 hours of hacking, with categories for badge-only Vectorscope work and Vectorscope plus external hardware.

Compatibility: Hackaday Supercon 2023 Vectorscope Badge

Source

firmware workflow source-backed

MicroPython demo slots

MicroPython, front-panel buttons, joystick control, filesystem access, and mpremote/Thonny/VSCode workflows let attendees write and store custom vector demos on the badge.

Compatibility: Hackaday Supercon 2023 Vectorscope Badge

Source

hardware expansion source-backed

Analog prototyping field

The badge exposed waveform-generator outputs, scope inputs, and through-hole prototyping space for filters, curve tracers, oscillators, analog video experiments, and external signal hacks.

Compatibility: Hackaday Supercon 2023 Vectorscope Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

image provenance upgrade note

The Supercon 2023 Vectorscope visual now uses the MIT-licensed `docs/badge_talk_2023/images/image2.png` workbench photo from the official Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope repository.

The original North American Vectorscope record now has a rights-cleared physical-badge image with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes while avoiding generated or placeholder imagery.

Confidence: repository license and exact raster source
Status: licensed original replacement applied
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope image file, repository license, and badge.gallery image policy.

lineage split note

The Vectorscope badge appears both as the original Hackaday Supercon 2023 badge and as a later Hackaday Europe 2024 reuse.

The compendium keeps separate records for the US origin event and the Berlin reuse so country and event-history pages remain accurate.

Confidence: source-backed
Status: documented
Timeframe: 2023-2024
Source note: Hackaday Vectorscope article, Vectorscope repository, and Hackaday Europe 2024 record.

Resources

Supercon 2023 announcement event page · Hackaday event announcement source for the November 3-5, 2023 Pasadena Supercon dates. Supercon 2023 badge hacks article · Post-event Hackaday roundup documenting the badge-hacking ceremony and categories. Vectorscope README source · Raw README evidence for setup paths, firmware, hardware files, and repository structure. Vectorscope badge introduction article · Hackaday article introducing the 2023 badge hardware, analog signal path, MicroPython workflow, and design intent. Vectorscope badge workbench photo licensed image source · MIT-licensed repository photo from the badge-talk image set, used as the rights-cleared physical-badge image for the original Supercon 2023 record. Vectorscope repository source · Public hardware, firmware, BOM, Gerber, drill, KiCad-conversion, and MicroPython asset repository.

Sources

GitHub: Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary repository for badge firmware, hardware package, board files, BOM, Gerbers, drill files, and restoration assets. Hack-a-Day/Vectorscope: docs/badge_talk_2023/images/image2.png Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Image-provenance source for the MIT-licensed repository workbench photo of the physical Vectorscope badge. Hackaday: Supercon 2023 Is On, We Want You! Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Event source for Pasadena and November 3-5, 2023 dates. Hackaday: 2023 Hackaday Supercon Badge: Welcome To The Vectorscope Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary article source for vectorscope concept, AK4619 ADC/DAC, 0-3 V inputs, waveform generator, RP2040/PIO/DMA behavior, MicroPython, controls, and prototyping area. Hackaday: A Look At All The Badge Hacks Of Supercon 2023 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Post-event source for Sunday badge-hacking ceremony, pure Vectorscope category, and Vectorscope plus external hardware category.