Devlog #3

The code and documentation are done

What I made

So I made the code and documentation.

Code

I am not very good at programming microcontrollers in C++, but I tried.
The code is nothing too special, it is basically the classic alarm clock, but to wake up, you need to play the Simon Says game, and I think this was the hardest but funniest part of this code.

Also, for the most important part, I made the documentation.

And hey, I don’t have the real hardware, so this is basically the prototype, and my only way to see if it works was just to see if I got any errors.

Documentation

I don’t know how it is for some people, but for me, making the README is the most relaxing part of making the project.
Basically, I just write everything that I have in my mind and write it so that other people can read it too.

What I want to do next

So this is the end of the designing part, and now there are 3 things that I need to do:

• Submit design
  So I am gonna do this today so I can get the parts and money for this project.

• Build it
  After I get everything, I am gonna build it.

• Test it
  And after I build it, I am gonna test it and make it better.

I think this is all for this Devlog. I know it’s short, but hey, if you want to see it, go to my Github repo and there is everything.

Thank you for all of the things, and also thank you, Hack Club, for being so good :)

See you in the next devlog, byeee.

Love u

Below you can see part of the code and some part of the README.

Devlog #2

Case Done!

What I have made so far

So yesterday, I was working on the schematic and PCB.
Today, I made the case.

What is on the case?

• Small and Compact – I like to have my projects small and compact. I don’t know why :).
• Rounded Edges – I like to make my projects look like real products, and I think rounded edges are one of the things that make them look that way.
• Anti-Slip Feet – At the bottom of the case, there are two TPU strips so the alarm clock doesn’t slip.
• Easy to Build and Print – Because I am going to print it myself, I made it without any complicated features so I can easily 3D print it on my printer. I also made the screws easy to access while keeping them hidden.

What I want to do next

• Firmware – Since the hardware part is done, it’s now time for the software part. I am going to make it in C++, and I have some plans for it, but I am going to tell you about them in the next Devlog :D.

• Documentation – After all of this, I am going to make some good documentation.

So that’s all for this Devlog. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Hope to see you in the next Devlog!

Love :3

Down below, you can see the case model.

Devlog #1

PCB Done!

What is “Simon Says - WAKE UP!” alarm clock

So this is gonna be an alarm clock where you need to play Simon Says to turn off the ALARM.

I know it’s nothing special or complicated, but I just want to make something that’s gonna work, and mainly I am gonna be concentrated on the firmware.

What I made so far

So today I just started this and I made this:

• Schematic
  The schematic is nothing too special, I just basically copied the guide. Like, I wanted to add more keys and even external RGB lights, but the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C3 is pretty small and doesn’t have so many pins — most of the pins are taken by the display.

• PCB
  So after the schematic, I started making the PCB, and yeah, I followed the guide, but I tried to add something of my own, and that is, I hope, the silkscreen — making silkscreen is my favourite part of every PCB :)

What I want to do next

So because I have the PCB done now, I want to do:

1. Case
   So I am gonna make the case in Onshape, and I am imagining the case to be nothing too big, but also with the display at some angle so you can easily see which button you need to press or see the time. (Maybe, but really maybe, if I find 1 pin, I am gonna add a servo motor for the display, and this is gonna rotate the display, or I am gonna just make something manual.)

2. Firmware
   I don’t know in what language I am gonna make it (C++ or MicroPython), but I know that I am gonna use WiFi because the board has it, and also do programming and some GUI for the display and the whole function.

3. Documenting
   This is gonna be the last part, and basically, I am gonna write everything about it and how it works.

So this is all for this devlog. This day was pretty relaxing because I have some experience with this, and I was just working using the guide.

If you have any questions or ideas, write them down below, and I hope we’re gonna see each other in the next Devlog.

Love u

Down below you can see the PCB 3D render and layout, as well as the schematic.

Devlog #4

Documenting and Pinout Image done

What I made

So because I made it so far, now most of my work was concentrated on documenting this whole project:

• Documenting I made a README for this project. I tried to write the things that I think are most important for this project.

• Pinout Image LOL, so this was a pain. I never made a pinout for a board, but hey, every day I learn something XD. I made a screenshot of the top of the board and then, in some random image editor, I wrote the pin name next to every pin.

• Last PCB changes So while documenting and making the pinout image, I noticed some issues in the silkscreen, so I repaired them and uploaded the new versions.

What do I want to do next?

So there are things I want to do:

• Request for funding and get the board manufactured - So yeah, this first part of this project is almost coming to an end, so the last thing to do to end this part is to request funding and get the board manufactured.

• Test the board - This is gonna be the funniest thing about this whole project. I want to record everything from the first plug-in, troubleshooting, rage quitting, and, at the end, getting it to work (hopefully).

So this is all for this devlog. I know it’s short, but there aren’t many things to talk about, but if you have any questions or ideas, leave them in the comments and I’m gonna try to reply to everyone.

Hope you like this project and stay tuned.

Love u :3

Down below you can see the pinout image.

Devlog #3

Final Routing and New Silkscreen

What have I made so far?

So, these are small changes, but they are important. Here are the things I made:

• Added a button — Yeah, I know it’s nothing special, but on this small board, it was challenging. But I made it! The button is made for classic usage — nothing special.

• Final PCB routing — So, I want to get closer to getting the PCB fabricated, which means I have to do a final inspection. For this, I used Claude AI and some Reddit stuff, and yeah, I can actually recommend using AI for inspecting PCBs, mainly Claude. When you set the thinking level to Max, it can find errors that you would probably never notice. I found around 5 problems, but they weren’t anything too complicated — mainly some incorrectly placed vias.

• Silkscreen — This is one of my favourite parts of making a PCB because I can do crazy stuff and add something that was made by me. I also added the pin names to both the top and bottom of the PCB, so you don’t have to look at the pinout documentation every time.

What do I want to do next?

So, the end of this first version is almost here, and there are only a few things left to do:

• Documentation — Because it’s open source, it needs good documentation. I actually don’t like this part, but I have to do it :). I also want to make something like a pinout image showing what every pin can do.

• Ship it — After all of this, I want to ship the project and ask Hack Club for funding because, yeah, it’s a little expensive. (Not too much, but I want to get the PCBs manufactured and assembled.)

So, I think that’s all. If you have any questions or ideas, you can leave them in the comments, and I hope I’ll see you in the next Devlog.

I know it doesn’t look like I spent much time on this, but Hackatime was down, so I couldn’t track my time.

Love u

Below, you can see the PCB 3D render, and you can see my beautiful silkscreen :3

Devlog #2

Finished the first version of the PCB

What have I made so far?

So yesterday I made the schematic for this board.

Today, I spent 4 hours working on the PCB — it was pain.

• So I decided I wanted to make this board as small as I can. It is 29.718 × 17.018 mm, so yeah, it’s pretty small, and you can maybe imagine how hard it is to wire everything.

• I had to remove the SD card slot because it was too big for the PCB.

• I even decided that I was just going to use a 2-layer PCB, but yeah, I managed to do it.

• I had some problems and errors, but yeah, they weren’t that hard to solve — the hardest thing was connecting the last connection (it was impossible).

• I also added basic silkscreen, and on the bottom side, I wrote the name of every pin so it would be easier to work with it.

This is the first time that I have made something this hard, but hey, this is why I am doing this — to learn something new. (I ran DRC and got 0 errors, easy.)

I even 3D-printed the board, and guys, it’s really that small.

What do I want to do next?

So, because this is just the first version of this board, there are things that I want to edit and add to the board:

• Silkscreen — This is one of my favourite parts of making a PCB, and I really enjoy playing with it. I want to make it look elegant and professional, but also make it mine. I want to add the names of the pins and their functions (which one is SDA, SCK, and others) so you don’t have to look at the pinout image every time.

• Reset circuit — One of the issues with the ATtiny3217 is that it doesn’t have a reset circuit, so I want to make one so it automatically reboots itself after flashing and other things.

• Buttons — I want to add 2 buttons to the board, and yeah, they must be small. One is going to be for manual reset using the reset circuit, and the other one is going to be a classic button that you can use in your programs.

After that, there are a few more things I want to work on in the near future:

• Inspection — Yeah, I’m trying to do this while designing the board, but for this, I’m going to look at every pin and every piece of documentation and try to find and fix the bugs. (I hope there aren’t going to be many of them.)

• Documentation — So, because this is open source and I want you to be able to use it too, I want to make really good and clean documentation. I also want to make a pinout image like the professional development boards have.

So I think this is all for this devlog. If you have any questions or ideas, you can write them in the comments.

See you in the next Devlog.

Love u :3

Below you can see the 3D rendering of the board and then the classic 2D image of the PCB.

Devlog #1

Finished Schematic

What is MyTtiny?

MyTtiny is my own development board based on the ATtiny3217.

Here are some of its features:

• USB-C — The board will have USB-C for easy programming, communication, and other things. (USB-C is just good :3)
• UART — It will also have a CH340N chip for UART communication and programming.
• Pin headers — One of the most basic features: GPIO pins for connecting your own components and modules.
• SD card — On the bottom side of the board, there will be space for an SD card module for storage. You don’t have to use it, but if you connect an SD card, 4 GPIO pins will be unavailable.
• NeoPixel LED — A built-in NeoPixel RGB LED that can light up in basically any color.
• Compact size — I want to make the board as small as possible so it can easily be used in my projects.
• Easy programming — I also added a DPI programming header, so the bootloader can be flashed and the board can then be programmed through UART using the Arduino IDE.

What have I made so far?

For now, I have finished the first schematic.

I’m not the best at designing PCBs yet, but I already have some experience with schematics and electronics, so I used some connections from my previous projects as a reference.

I also tried to make the schematic clean and easy to understand, so both you and I can work with it more easily.

What do I want to do next?

This is only the first part, and there is still a lot of work to do.

Here are the things I want to do next:

1. PCB design
   Right now, I only have the schematic, so the next step is to turn it into an actual PCB. :)

2. Final inspection
   After finishing the PCB, I need to inspect everything carefully and fix any bugs I find. Of course, the best inspection will probably happen after I physically receive the board.

3. Documentation
   Since this project is open-source, I want to make good documentation so other people can understand the board and use it in their own projects.

4. Ask for a grant
   Thanks to Stardance (thank you, Stardance <3), I want to apply for funding so I can get the board manufactured.

5. Manufacturing
   I want to have the PCB manufactured by JLCPCB and have it assembled as well, because some of the components are really small and I don’t want to suffer while soldering them.

6. Try to make it work
   Once I receive the boards, I want to flash the first one, test everything, and hopefully… make it work. :)

And while I’m doing all of this, I’m going to post these devlogs so you can stay tuned!

So I think that’s everything for this Devlog.

You can write your questions or ideas in the comments — I’m going to read everything!

See you in the next Devlog!

Love u :3

Below you can see the schematic of the board.

Devlog #3

Documenting

So, this is the last devlog before shipping!

Today I was documenting the project. I tried to make the documentation as clean and easy to understand as possible, so you can hopefully get inspired by it when working on your own HackPad.

The firmware for this project is a separate project called PadeXa:
PadeXa

So yeah, this is a pretty short devlog, but I think that’s all for now.

Love u

Below is a short screenshot of the README.

Devlog #1

The First Prototype Is Done

What is PadeXa?

PadeXa is easy to use software for your Hackpad.

It is mainly based on two parts:

• Hackpad firmware — The firmware is based on CircuitPython. Its
  main purpose is to act as a HID keyboard, handle configuration from the
  PC app, and communicate over serial. Everything works directly on the
  Hackpad without depending on external software.
• PC app — This is the main reason why I made this project. It is
  basically a configurator for your Hackpad. It communicates with the
  Hackpad over serial, and all configuration is saved directly on the
  Hackpad itself, so the Hackpad can work completely without the PC app.

This project was originally inspired by my HackPad
project.

What does this prototype have?

For this first prototype, I mainly focused on testing the key features —
and they actually work!

Here are the features it currently has:

• HID — One of the main purposes of a Hackpad is being recognized by
  the PC as a keyboard, and this works! For now, it can send simple text
  without special symbols, as well as macros.
• Mode selection — I want to support different modes for different
  sessions. You can switch between modes using a button, and the current
  mode is displayed on the OLED display.
• Serial communication — This is another important part of the
  system. The PC app communicates with the Hackpad using serial
  communication.
• CLI — The prototype currently only has a terminal-based interface,
  but it already works!

I built the Hackpad prototype on a breadboard, which makes testing and
changing things really easy. :3

What do I want to do next?

I think this is pretty cool for a prototype, but it still has a long way
to go before it becomes something actually polished.

Here are some things I want to work on next:

• Fix some issues — The current system still has quite a few bugs
  and problems, so I need to fix those first.
• GUI — Yeah, the CLI is cool, and it will still be available, but a
  GUI should make configuring the Hackpad much easier and more elegant.
• Hardware configuration — Right now, this prototype is designed
  specifically for my Hackpad. If I want to make PadeXa properly
  open-source and usable by other people, I need to make the hardware
  configuration system more flexible so that it can support different
  Hackpad designs.

So yeah, I think that’s all for this Devlog!

If you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions, feel free to leave a
comment. I’d love to hear what you think!

And hopefully, I’ll see you in the next Devlog.

Love u :3

Below you can see some previews of the app

Devlog #2

I finally finished the Case

So at first, I wasn’t the best at 3D modeling, especially because I didn’t have a physical object to work with, so this was lowkey hard.

I was using the Hackpad guide, so it wasn’t that hard, but I wasn’t using Fusion 360 but Onshape — mainly because I’m using Linux and I’ve already been using Onshape for a while.

How it looks

I tried to make it as small as possible, and I think I actually did a pretty good job with it.

The edges are rounded, I made some space for the display and rotary encoder, and below them are the keys. I also added a hole for the USB-C connector.

I also tried making holes for the screws and heat-set inserts for the first time, so it looks much cleaner and prettier.

What I want to do next

There are only two things left that I want to make:

• Firmware — I’m thinking about making a new project that will contain both the Hackpad firmware and a PC app. With the PC app, you will be able to configure every key, the display, the rotary encoder, and basically everything else. Since it will be open-source, you will also be able to add and configure everything yourself.

  The most important part is that the PC app will only be a configurator. Everything will be saved directly on the Hackpad, so the Hackpad will be able to work completely without the app.

  After I finish this, this will be the firmware I’ll use for my Hackpad.

• Documentation — I actually got inspiration and help from other Hackpad projects, and I want to give something back. I want to document everything so you guys don’t have to search everywhere for information. :)

So, that’s everything for this devlog!

I hope you like it. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to leave a comment. I hope we’ll see each other in the next devlog or in my firmware project!

Love u

Below you can see 3D images of the case with the PCB inside.

Devlog #1

So far, I have finished the PCB part.

What my Hackpad has for now

• Keys — For the keyboard, I made a 2x3 layout with a matrix system.
• Rotary Encoder — This is going to be used for setting the volume, moving through modes, and other things.
• Display — For the display, I am using a 0.91-inch OLED display. This is going to be used for showing the status and current mode.

Plans for the future

Now that my PCB is done, I want to continue with:

• Case — I want to make a nice case for it, but I still don’t know what it’s going to look like. (I’m not really good at this, but everything is a first time!)
• Firmware — I’m going to make it in MicroPython, and I’m thinking about making a PC app for it so you can create new modes, customize your keys, and do other custom things. All changes are going to be saved on the device, so you actually don’t need to have the app running for the Hackpad to work.

Yeah, I think that’s all for now. See you in the next Devlog!

Below you can see the PCB.

Devlog #9

This devlog is going to be shorter because I was on vacation and didn’t have much time.
But I repaired the installer on Windows and added some things to the README and website.

Installer on Windows

I use Linux for my daily work, so the installer was originally tested only on Linux. I wanted it to work on every OS, but unfortunately, it didn’t.Someone tried to use PicoOS and sent me an issue saying that the installer wasn’t working on Windows.

What was the problem?

The problem was that the installer can flash the newest version of MicroPython onto the device and detect if the device is in boot mode.However, Linux shows the Pico’s mass storage device differently than Windows does, so the installer couldn’t find it on Windows.

How I fixed it

I knew where the bug was, so I managed to fix it.First, the installer detects which OS it is running on. If it is running on Windows, it uses subprocess and PowerShell to ask Windows if a Pico is connected in boot mode. If it finds one, it gets the directory of the device.I don’t have a Windows PC, so I asked the person who reported the issue to test it for me.And it worked! :3

Documentation

The website and README were outdated, so I rewrote some of the sections to make sure they are up to date.And yeah… I don’t really like documenting my projects.

Other things

• I tried to fix the problem where pressing Ctrl + C in PicoOS would crash the whole system. I managed to fix it, but then I noticed that it prevented mpremote from resetting the device. After that, I removed the fix for now.
• Fixed an app-running problem where apps wouldn’t start if you weren’t in the / directory. I managed to fix that too.
• Repaired error saving to the SD card again because one small change broke it.
• Added installed apps to the installer, so you can see which apps you already have installed.

What I want to do next

• Documentation — Right now, the README only contains some basic information and nothing close to the actual system documentation for developers. I want to create full documentation for PicoOS and explain how the system actually works.
• Fix the crash problem in PicoOS — I know I already tried to fix it and failed, but I want to try again with a different approach. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I’ll figure it out.
• Contact me — Now that I know someone is actually trying to use this project, I want to add a section to the PicoOS website where people can send me questions, feedback, bug reports, and more
• Make the app system public — Right now, the apps are only mine. If someone wants to add their own app, they don’t really have a way to do it yet. I want to create a system where people can submit their apps, write the necessary documentation, and eventually make them publicly available.

Below is the issue I received and the system I use to check whether an app is installed.

Devlog #8

 
This is again a really huge update, and there are many things that I made, and they are crazy, so let’s go.
 

What have I actually done?

• My own package system: So you know how Debian has .apt packages? I made something like this for this OS. It’s just a minimalistic version, but it’s working, and I like how I made it work. First I tried Zip, but MicroPython doesn’t really have a zip library, so I am not using this. I am packing my own file format that’s basically bytes with headers and other stuff, ending with ".pcs", yeah.
• New installation system: Made in two parts:
  • Installer: The internet and local installer are now one file. If the Pico has internet and the user types "app install app" (no .pcs), it first searches the internet, and if it finds nothing, tries local files. If the user types "app install app.pcs", it just searches local files. After this, the system extracts the ".pcs" file into a folder using the Extractor, then reads the manifest and writes the app info and hash into "conf/apps.conf".
  • Extractor: Reads a “.pcs” file, checks the headers to see if it’s legitimate, then reads the manifest and extracts everything into "/apps/".
• Image rendering app: I tried to run Bad Apple in PicoOS, and for this I needed something like image rendering, so I made this. It reads its own file format ".pxi", which has every line and the RGB color of every pixel in the line. It works line by line because the Pico doesn’t have a lot of RAM, and if I tried to load everything at once it wouldn’t handle it. The output is basically “██” — that ASCII block — colored using TrueColor.
• External tools: A new folder with every tool you need to:
  • build an app: python build_app.py folder_path — takes the folder, reads every file, checks for main.py and manifest.json, and makes it into "foldername.pcs" and "foldername.pcs.256"
  • extract an app: python extract_app.py app_name.pcs — makes a folder with the app name containing everything that was in the app
  • pxi converter: python pxi_converter.py image — takes the image, scales it, reads every pixel and calculates its RGB value, and outputs "image_name.pxi"
• Installing apps in installer.py: You can now install apps externally using the PC installer, so you can install apps from the internet. It gives you a menu where you select the apps you want, then it downloads them onto the Pico and runs the installer there.
• Download apps from the website: I have the website https://picoos.dev, and I added an apps section where you can find all the apps and their descriptions, and if you click download you get the app.
• Small changes: You can now select whether you have an SD card, and if not it won’t try to mount it. I repaired the error-saving so it can now save errors to the SD card. I changed the app manifest so now it must have the hash and description.

What I want to do next:

• README: outdated, need to add and change the info about PicoOS.
• Website: also outdated, must rewrite it.
• 2nd ship: because I’ve been waiting for feedback from the 1st ship for 11 days, I want to try shipping it a second time.

So this is maybe all from this devlog. It’s a huge update, and I want to make it even better. Thanks for the support.
 

Love u guys :3

Below you can see the image app in action, apps installing using the internet, and the website’s app section preview.

Devlog #7

While I am waiting for my ship to be reviewed, I have made huge progress. This is mainly because I finally managed to get a Raspberry Pi Pico W, and with that, I was finally able to connect PicoOS to the internet.

What have I actually done?

• WiFi driver I built this driver on top of the built-in network library.
  These are the functions it currently supports:
  - Auto connect
  - Network configuration
  - Network scanning
  - Status checking
  - Disconnecting

• Ping Yes, you guessed it right — PicoOS can now ping websites and IP addresses.

• Download system Because I have my own domain, “https://picoos.dev”, and now an internet connection, I created a system where system files and apps are stored online at:
  “https://picoos.dev/download/”

• System updates I created a system updater because it is much easier to download only the updated files using the internet.
  You can access it by typing the command: “update”
  After that, it downloads manifest.json, which contains every system file with its SHA-256 hash.

  PicoOS compares the local files with the online version and downloads only the files that are different.

  The manifest is stored here: “https://picoos.dev/download/system/manifest.json”

• App installation and updatesThis works almost the same way as the system updater, but it uses: “https://picoos.dev/download/apps/”
  When you install an app, PicoOS downloads it and installs it directly into the system.

• Update installer PicoOS already has its own installer that can install and update the system.
  However, now that I added support for both the classic Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W, I need to improve the installer so it can detect the device and install only compatible packages.

What I want to do next:

• I want to improve the code structure and make the interface look better because the current version was mainly just a test to see if everything works — and it does! :)

• I also want to add image-to-ASCII rendering, so maybe I can try running some interesting things on it. But that will be a surprise.

• I want to create something like an SSH / remote access system. This will probably be another project and will work as a downloadable app.

  However, before that, I need to create a system that can properly handle input and collect terminal output, so it doesn’t rely only on serial communication.

I think that is everything for this devlog.

Below you can see a preview of the system with some of the new commands.

I also want to ask: does anyone know how long I usually have to wait for a project review?

I reshiped this project about 5 days ago and still haven’t received any feedback.

If anyone knows, please comment on this devlog.

Thank you!

Love you guys :3

Hopefully the Last Devlog Before Shipping XD

After my first unsuccessful ship, I changed my project’s banner and completely rewrote the README.
And yes, I used AI.
I even used it this time to fix my grammar because I’m not the best at English. Everything else, however, was written by me.
But hey, I hope it’s finally ready to be shipped.
:3

PicoOS Devlog

First Public Release

After many hours of development, bug fixes, and improvements, I finally reached a milestone I’m really happy with.

Over the past few weeks, I fixed numerous issues, created a dedicated installer, improved the GitHub repository, and built an official website for the project. Because of these improvements, I decided it was finally time to make the first public release of PicoOS.

What’s New?

• Fixed numerous bugs and improved overall stability.
• Created a dedicated installer for easier setup.
• Improved the structure and design of the GitHub repository.
• Launched the official PicoOS website.
• Purchased the official domain: https://picoos.dev

Preview

Below you can see a preview of the website and the GitHub repository.

Love u :3

PicoOS Devlog

After many hours of coding, I finally decided to post my first devlog.

What’s New?

There are so many new things that I don’t even know where to start…

Cleaner Code Structure

I wanted to make the code much cleaner, so I split the project into smaller modules. This makes PicoOS easier to maintain, easier to read, and much more organized.

Improvements

• Fixed the app installation system
• Nano is now working properly
• Improved the overall project structure

New System Information Tool

I added a new utility that displays useful information about your device, including:

• CPU information
• RAM usage
• Flash memory usage

New Installer

I’m getting PicoOS ready for everyone to try, so I created Installator.py.

The installer can:

• Automatically download the latest version of MicroPython for your device
• Flash the firmware
• Connect using mpremote
• Upload all required PicoOS modules
• Let you configure your system before the first boot

This makes installing PicoOS much easier.

Plans for Tomorrow

Here are a few things I want to work on next:

• Improve the GitHub repository
• Create a better README
• Build a website with installation tutorials and documentation
• Hopefully publish the first official release of PicoOS

Preview

Below you can see a preview of the new code structure and the installer.

Love u :3

This is my personal website built from scratch using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
I created it with a dark theme using black and blood-red colors to give it a unique and modern style.

The website contains several sections:

Home — introduction and welcome page
About — information about me and my interests
Projects — automatically displays my GitHub projects
Socials — links to my social media platforms

The website is fully responsive and designed to work on both desktop and mobile devices.

Love u :3