linux.conf.au Open Hardware Miniconf

linux.conf.au 2018 Open Hardware Miniconf

The January 2018 Sydney linux.conf.au edition whose Open Hardware Miniconf had participants building LoliBot ESP32 robot kits and adjacent MicroPython, FPGA, Tomu, and protocol-analysis hardware sessions.

Sydney, New South Wales · Australia · 2018

LCA2018 LoliBot

linux.conf.au 2018's Open Hardware Miniconf used LoliBot, an ESP32 two-wheel robot kit with MicroPython workshop material, public example software, USB serial setup, WiFi/MQTT configuration, sensors, motors, neopixels, and a front kicker servo.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

LCA2018 LoliBot source-backed

firmware workflow

MicroPython workshop firmware path

The CCHS software guide covers CH340 serial access, esptool.py flashing, MicroPython firmware installation, ampy/rshell workflows, application install scripts, and REPL interaction.

Compatibility: LCA2018 LoliBot

LCA2018 LoliBot source-backed

hardware architecture

Lolin32-Lite ESP32 robot core

Freetronics documents LoliBot as a two-wheel robot kit with a Lolin32-Lite ESP32 brain, WiFi/Bluetooth, onboard 18650 power, USB charging, and skid-steering drive.

Compatibility: LCA2018 LoliBot

LCA2018 LoliBot source-backed

network configuration

WiFi and MQTT configuration path

The software guide documents WiFi credential setup, RGB LED boot status, MQTT host configuration, and serial-console checks for networked LoliBot behavior.

Compatibility: LCA2018 LoliBot

LCA2018 LoliBot source-backed

workshop challenge surface

Robot soccer and sensor exercise surface

The tutorial documents neopixels, motor H-bridges, reflection sensor input, exposed headers, and a kicker servo, with exercises for lights, wheels, servo motion, sensor detection, and touch inputs.

Compatibility: LCA2018 LoliBot

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

LCA2018 LoliBot note

image provenance upgrade · official repository license and exact raster source · licensed official upstream render applied

The LoliBot visual uses the official `LoliBot-Render-Top.png` repository top render under the CCHS Melbourne repository README's TAPR Open Hardware License statement.

The public badge page, image archive, and API now point at an exact upstream LoliBot render with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved instead of generated or placeholder imagery.

LCA2018 LoliBot note

kit-artifact classification · primary and first-hand sources · documented

The source trail proves an Open Hardware Miniconf LoliBot robot kit built and programmed at LCA2018, not a conference-wide admission credential.

The entry is modeled as a conference hardware kit in the linux.conf.au badgelife lineage rather than an attendee identity badge.

LCA2018 LoliBot note

production-depth caveat · source-backed but historical · needs board-revision audit

The public trail documents kit features, workshop software, pin assignments, attendee use, repository license context, and an official render, but this pass did not audit exact production-board revision, BOM completeness, manufacturing quantity, or whether every repository image maps to distributed LCA2018 kits.

The dossier records verified hardware/software behavior and image provenance while avoiding unsupported production-run or board-revision claims.

Resources

Linux.conf.au 2018 Sydney context attendee event writeup · Attendee event-context source for the January 2018 Sydney linux.conf.au setting and Open Hardware Miniconf highlight. LCA2018 attendee hardware writeup first-hand attendee writeup · Marc Merlin's attendee writeup corroborating an ESP32 MicroPython programmed robot at the LCA2018 Open Hardware Miniconf alongside FPGA, Tomu, and protocol-analysis sessions. CCHS Melbourne LoliBot repository hardware and software source · Public repository for the LoliBot project used as the LCA2018 Open Hardware MiniConference software and example-code source trail. LoliBot robot kit reference hardware reference · Freetronics retired-product page documenting the LoliBot robot kit, Lolin32-Lite ESP32 brain, 2-wheel skid steering, 18650 holder, USB charging, WiFi/Bluetooth, 9-DOF IMU, and front kicker servo. LoliBot top render image source · Official repository top render used as the local rights-cleared LoliBot image under the README's TAPR Open Hardware License statement. LoliBot software guide workshop guide · Workshop setup guide documenting LCA2018 OHMC context, Wemos Lolin32 Lite, CH340 USB serial setup, esptool.py, MicroPython firmware flashing, application install scripts, WiFi configuration, and MQTT configuration. MicroPython on the OHMC LoliBot workshop tutorial · MicroPython tutorial linking LoliBot to the Open Hardware MiniConf, identifying ESP32 MicroPython use, and documenting pin assignments, neopixels, reflection sensor, motor H-bridges, kicker servo, and exercises.

Sources

Freetronics: LoliBot Robot Kit Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary hardware reference for the retired LoliBot robot kit, ESP32/Lolin32-Lite platform, power features, IMU, WiFi/Bluetooth, two-wheel steering, and robot-soccer kicker servo. GitHub / CCHS Melbourne: CCHS-Melbourne/LoliBot Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public project repository for the LoliBot hardware/software source trail cited by Freetronics and the MicroPython workshop material. GitHub / CCHS Melbourne: LoliBot - Software Guide Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary software guide for LCA2018 Open Hardware MiniConference participant setup, CH340 serial access, MicroPython firmware flashing, ampy/rshell workflows, application install scripts, WiFi, MQTT, and RGB LED boot status. GitHub / CCHS Melbourne: LoliBot-Render-Top.png Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Image-provenance source for the official repository top render of the LoliBot robot kit; the repository README states the project is licensed under the TAPR Open Hardware License. Marc Merlin: Linux.Conf.au 2018 in Sydney Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Event-context source for the Sydney LCA2018 setting and Open Hardware Miniconf highlight. Marc Merlin: Lolibot, FPGA Primer, MicroPython for ESP8266/ESP32 and Protocol Analysis Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand attendee source corroborating LCA2018 Open Hardware Miniconf LoliBot activity and adjacent hardware sessions. Nick Moore / mpy-tut: MicroPython on the OHMC LoliBot Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary workshop tutorial evidence tying LoliBot to the Open Hardware MiniConf and documenting ESP32 MicroPython setup, pin assignments, neopixels, motors, reflection sensor, and kicker-servo exercises.