Elliot Williams
Author of the official badge reveal and call-for-participation articles used for event and badge evidence.
SourceHackaday Supercon 2025 · United States · 2025
Hackaday Supercon 2025 Communicator Badge
ESP32-S3 LoRa mesh communicator badge
The 2025 Hackaday Supercon Communicator Badge is a handheld mesh-chat badge with ESP32-S3, 8 MB PSRAM, 16 MB flash, a wide LCD, custom Solder Party keyboard, SX1262 LoRa radio, SMA antenna path, LiPo charging, SAO v2 connector, LVGL MicroPython firmware, public hardware files, and user-app examples.
SeriesHackaday Superconference
LocationSupplyframe DesignLab, Pasadena, California
CountryUnited States
Image Provenance
- Asset
- optimized WebP from repository documentation photo
- Status
- licensed original photo
- Source
- images/2025_badge_front_supercon_logo.png
- License
- MIT License
- Attribution
- Hack-a-Day/2025-Communicator_Badge repository contributors
- Notes
- Original 1280x834 PNG front photo downloaded from the official Hack-a-Day/2025-Communicator_Badge repository and preserved in Public/images/source. The published WebP delivery asset is the same upstream repository photo, showing a physical Communicator Badge on a table with the antenna attached, not generated content or a placeholder. The repository LICENSE.txt is MIT. 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
Bogdan Rosu
Hackaday credits Supplyframe designer Bogdan Rosu with custom silicone keyboard-cover design collaboration.
SourceArturo182 / Solder Party
Hackaday credits Arturo182 and Solder Party for the custom keyboard work and keyboard-manufacturing expertise.
SourceTom Nardi
Author of the Hackaday customization article documenting the two-PCB front-panel stack-up and mechanical model workflow.
SourceHackaday
Hackaday published the official Supercon 2025 badge reveal, customization article, event announcement, and public Communicator Badge repository.
SourceSpaceben
Hackaday credits Spaceben as the brain behind the badge software effort.
SourceWhy It Mattered
It turns the Pasadena badge into a conference-scale radio experiment: hundreds of badges relay topic-channel messages over LoRa while remaining useful after the event as a MicroPython handheld, SAO host, keyboard/display platform, and customizable enclosure/mechanical project.
Hardware
Hackaday's reveal and the public repository document ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, 8 MB PSRAM, 16 MB flash, SX1262/Wio LoRa module on the 915 MHz ISM band, SMA adapter, LiPo connector and MCP73831 charging circuit, custom keyboard with TCA8418 matrix controller, LCD/display connector, USB-C, sidemount LED, SAO v2 connector, front and rear PCB stack-up, KiCad files, Gerbers, BOM, STEP/DXF/SVG mechanical files, and front-panel customization models.
Software & Apps
The firmware README documents MicroPython compiled with LVGL and ucryptography, asyncio behavior, a Badge hardware singleton, LoRa network stack with protocol ports, TTL-based repeating, 500 kHz channels using Meshtastic SHORT_TURBO slot numbering, ImHex packet pattern, app structure, Thonny/VS Code workflows, update scripts, and user app examples including chat, talks, snake, spectrum, text adventure, and Super Star Trek.
Lore
Hackaday framed the badge as LoRa IRC for Supercon: attendees select topic channels from the keyboard while badges listen, repeat, and relay messages around the venue. The follow-up customization article encouraged attendees to replace the non-electrical front PCB with CNC, laser-cut, or 3D-printed panels before the doors opened.
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
badge-to-badge communication
source-backed
LoRa topic-channel mesh chat
Hackaday and the firmware README document badges joining topic channels, sending LoRa messages, and repeating received frames with TTL limits across nearby badges.
Source
hardware expansion
source-backed
SAO v2 and GPIO/I2C expansion
The BOM and board pinout document an SAO v2 connector plus SAO I2C and GPIO assignments available to firmware and badge hardware experiments.
Source
input and display platform
source-backed
Custom keyboard and LVGL UI
The reveal and firmware docs document a custom keyboard, TCA8418 keyboard matrix controller, wide LCD, LVGL MicroPython UI pages, and function-key app workflows.
Source
mechanical customization
source-backed
Front-panel customization models
Hackaday's customization article points attendees to STEP, DXF, and SVG front-panel models so the non-electrical front PCB can be replaced with CNC, laser-cut, or 3D-printed panels.
Source
software examples
archived
User app examples
The repository preserves user-app directories for games, screensavers, spectrum analysis, text adventure, air-quality, hardware-monitor, app-manager, and other MicroPython examples.
SourceOperational history
Issues & Camp Impact
RF experiment caveat
note
Hackaday described the LoRa mesh as an experiment because hundreds of long-range radios would be operating at very short range in the Supercon venue.
The catalogue records the intended mesh-chat behavior without implying that every RF condition, channel plan, or conference-floor routing outcome was solved before the event.
- Confidence
- primary-source backed
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- Supercon 2025
- Source note
- Hackaday Communicator Badge reveal and firmware README RF Frequency Control section.
firmware timing caveat
note
The reveal article said software was still being worked on while badges were being produced, with final behavior expected to settle at the event.
The record treats the repository and firmware documentation as living event artifacts rather than claiming a frozen pre-event production firmware state.
- Confidence
- primary-source backed
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- pre-event reveal
- Source note
- Hackaday Communicator Badge reveal and 2025 Communicator Badge firmware repository.
image provenance upgrade
note
The Supercon 2025 visual now uses the repository `images/2025_badge_front_supercon_logo.png` front photo under the MIT-licensed Hack-a-Day/2025-Communicator_Badge source tree.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at a real upstream badge photo with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.
- Confidence
- project image provenance and repository license
- Status
- licensed original replacement applied
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- Project image provenance, Hack-a-Day/2025-Communicator_Badge image file, README, and LICENSE.txt.
repository-license caveat
note
The local image uses one exact repository photo covered by the MIT-licensed source tree; article media and other repository rasters remain unmirrored unless separately selected and recorded with provenance.
The catalogue avoids broad image assumptions while publishing a specific audited source photo for the badge page.
- Confidence
- source-backed repository audit
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- current Supercon 2025 pass
- Source note
- 2025 Communicator Badge LICENSE.txt, repository images directory, README image reference, and badge.gallery image policy.
Resources
2025 Communicator Badge BOM
bill of materials · Raw BOM source listing ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, Wio-SX1262-N, TCA8418, USB-C, LiPo charging, SAO connector, keyboard, LED, and related passive/connector components.
2025 Communicator Badge README
source · Raw README identifying the badge image filename and repository badge name.
2025 Communicator Badge board pinout
firmware source · Raw firmware source for keyboard I2C, LCD pins, LoRa SPI, radio control pins, SAO I2C, SAO GPIO, and debug LED assignments.
2025 Communicator Badge firmware README
firmware docs · Firmware source for MicroPython, LVGL, ucryptography, asyncio, LoRa network stack, protocol ports, TTL relay behavior, RF channel notes, ImHex packet pattern, app lifecycle, and development workflow.
2025 Communicator Badge front photo
image source · MIT-licensed official repository PNG used as the local rights-cleared badge image.
2025 Communicator Badge hardware tree
hardware source · Repository hardware tree preserving KiCad projects, Gerbers, schematic PDFs, BOM, 3D/mechanical models, front-panel files, and component libraries.
2025 Communicator Badge repository
source · Public Hack-a-Day repository for hardware, firmware, user apps, documentation, images, and MIT license file.
2025 Communicator Badge repository license
license · MIT license file for repository software, documentation, and image provenance context.
2025 Communicator Badge reveal
article · Hackaday reveal source for the Communicator Badge name, LoRa mesh-chat concept, ESP32-S3, keyboard, LCD, SX1262 radio, LiPo charging, LVGL MicroPython, team credits, and after-event hacking intent.
2025 Communicator Badge user apps
software examples · Repository directory for community and bundled user apps such as games, screensavers, text adventure, air-quality, hardware monitor, and spectrum analyzer examples.
Supercon 2025 call for participation
event page · Hackaday event source for October 31-November 2, 2025 dates and Pasadena, California context.
Supercon 2025 customization article
article · Hackaday source for front-panel customization, two-PCB stack-up, front-board mechanical role, M3 hardware notes, and STEP/DXF/SVG model path.
Sources
GitHub: Hack-a-Day/2025-Communicator_Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public source repository for the 2025 Communicator Badge hardware, firmware, documentation, image assets, app examples, and license file.
Hack-a-Day / GitHub: 2025_badge_front_supercon_logo.png
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · MIT-licensed repository photo source for the physical front-side Communicator Badge image used in local image provenance.
Hack-a-Day / GitHub: 2025 Communicator Badge firmware README
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary firmware source for MicroPython/LVGL architecture, LoRa network-stack behavior, RF channel rules, app APIs, and development workflows.
Hack-a-Day / GitHub: 2025 Communicator Badge BOM
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Component source for ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, Wio-SX1262-N, TCA8418 keyboard controller, USB-C, LiPo charging, SAO, LED, and switch hardware.
Hackaday: Hackaday Supercon 2025 Call For Participation: We Want You!
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official event source for the October 31-November 2, 2025 Pasadena Supercon dates.
Hackaday: Announcing the 2025 Hackaday Superconference Communicator Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary reveal source for LoRa mesh chat, ESP32-S3, memory, LCD, custom keyboard, SX1262 radio, LiPo charging, LVGL MicroPython, sponsor and contributor context, and post-event reuse goals.
Hackaday: The Supercon 2025 Badge is Built to be Customized
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary customization source for the front-PCB mechanical role, two-PCB stack-up, front-panel replacement path, spacing guidance, M3 hardware, and mechanical-model directory.