Carolina Code Conference 2026 Badge

The Carolina Code Conference 2026 badge is yours to keep and hack — a full ESP32-S3 dev board designed by Circuit Board Medics. Plug it in, edit code.py, and CircuitPython runs your code the instant you save. No toolchain, no build step, no upload button.

New to CircuitPython or the badge? Jump into the 15-minute tutorial — you'll go from "hello world" to blinking LEDs, reading a button, and drawing on the display.

The board ships with CircuitPython 10.2.1 already flashed (board build · additional libraries).

Getting Started

1. Plug in. Connect the badge to your computer with a USB-Micro cable. The badge appears as a USB drive named CIRCUITPY — on Windows it shows up in Explorer, on macOS on the desktop, on Linux under /media/$USER/CIRCUITPY (or /run/media/$USER/CIRCUITPY).
2. Edit. Open code.py on the CIRCUITPY drive in any text editor (Mu, Thonny, VS Code, or plain notepad). Change something, save.
3. Watch it run. CircuitPython automatically re-runs code.py on every save — no compiler, no upload button. If your code has a syntax error, you'll drop into the REPL.
4. See print() output. Open the USB serial console — see docs/SERIAL_CONSOLE.md for how, on every OS.

Tip — work from a local clone if you'd like git history. Editing directly on the CIRCUITPY drive is the fastest workflow but has no undo. If you'd rather revert / checkpoint / share your changes, clone this repository to your computer, edit there, and copy files onto the drive when you want to try them. The badge is your deployment target; your laptop is the source of truth — the same shape as real embedded firmware work.

Project Layout

public/
├── code.py                   The active program on the badge. Ships preloaded
│                             with the launcher (see samples/Launcher/).
├── settings.toml.example     Copy to settings.toml and fill in your WiFi
│                             credentials (used by samples that call wifi.radio).
├── README.md                 This file — hardware reference + folder guide.
├── TUTORIAL.md               Beginner walkthrough: your first program on this badge.
├── LICENSE                   MIT license for badge code (bundled libs keep their own).
├── AGENTS.md                 CircuitPython patterns and gotchas for AI coding agents.
│
├── docs/
│   └── SERIAL_CONSOLE.md     How to open the USB serial console for print().
│
├── img/                      Shared images (BMPs loaded via adafruit_imageload).
│   └── CarolinaCodeConference.bmp
│
├── lib/                      CircuitPython libraries the samples import.
│   ├── adafruit_bitmap_font/
│   ├── adafruit_display_text/
│   ├── adafruit_imageload/
│   ├── adafruit_connection_manager.mpy
│   ├── adafruit_pixelbuf.mpy
│   ├── adafruit_requests.mpy
│   ├── adafruit_st7735r.mpy
│   ├── neopixel.mpy
│   └── NOTICES.md            Attribution + licenses for bundled libraries.
│
└── samples/                  Each folder is a standalone sample. Drop its
    │                         code.py at the top level of this directory to run
    │                         it on the badge (back up the existing code.py first).
    ├── CCCLogo/              Splash animation — BMP logo + backlight fade + LED bounce.
    ├── DVDBounce/            Bouncing "DVD" screensaver with color-shifting LED trail.
    ├── Launcher/             Boot-time sample picker. Preloaded as code.py — restore
    │                         from here after copying another sample over code.py.
    ├── LEDLab/               Pattern + palette + speed demo across 16 patterns.
    ├── MorseCode/            Tap Morse code on SW1 and it decodes live on the display.
    ├── Nameplate/            Conference nameplate — large font name + LED patterns.
    ├── Weather/              WiFi weather app (ZIP → forecast + LED dashboard).
    └── WiFiScanner/          Live WiFi scanner + signal-strength meter.

Each sample folder contains a code.py and a README.md explaining what the sample does, its controls, and a brief walkthrough of the code design.

What's preloaded

The badge ships with the Launcher (samples/Launcher/code.py) already installed as the top-level code.py. On boot the display shows a picker with a 3-second countdown — press any button to enter the menu, or wait to auto-run your last selection. See samples/Launcher/README.md for the full behaviour.

Running a sample

1. Open the sample's code.py (e.g. samples/Weather/code.py).
2. Copy it to the top-level code.py. Move or rename the current one first — otherwise you'll overwrite the launcher (or whatever sample is currently deployed).
3. CircuitPython auto-reloads on save.

To get the launcher back, do the same thing with samples/Launcher/code.py.

settings.toml holds shared WiFi credentials, so any sample that connects to the internet works without editing the source. Copy settings.toml.example to settings.toml on first setup and fill in your network.

Hardware Specifications

Microcontroller — ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8

Espressif module. Datasheet: https://documentation.espressif.com/esp32-s3-wroom-1_wroom-1u_datasheet_en.pdf

Signal	Pin
USB D+	GPIO20
USB D-	GPIO19
Boot Button	GPIO0
Reset Button	EN (Enable pin)

Display — HS180S10B (ST7735S driver)

Note: the adafruit_st7735r library is compatible with the LCD's ST7735S driver chip.

Item	Specs
Mfr Part#	HS180S10B
LCSC Part#	C5329585
Driver IC	ST7735S
Resolution	160 × 128
Size	1.77 inch diagonal

Display Pin Mapping

LCD Pin	ESP32 GPIO	Notes
SPI Clock (SCK)	GPIO12
MOSI	GPIO11	Data input to LCD from MCU
Reset	GPIO7	Active low
Data/Command (DC)	GPIO6	High = display data, Low = command register
Chip Select (CS)	GPIO10	Active low
Backlight	GPIO5	High = on, Low = off; PWM-capable for brightness control
FS0 (font chip MISO)	GPIO44	Font chip data output to MCU
Font Chip Select	GPIO9	Active Low

Addressable LEDs (NeoPixel / WS2812)

Item	Details
Count	5
Data Pin	GPIO4
Protocol	WS2812 (NeoPixel)

Tactile Switches

The three on-board switches are wired to ground and use the ESP32-S3's internal pull-up resistors, so the GPIO reads HIGH when idle and LOW when pressed (active-low). In CircuitPython, configure them with digitalio.Pull.UP — see AGENTS.md for the exact snippet.

Switch	GPIO
SW 1	GPIO1
SW 2	GPIO2
SW 3	GPIO43

Broken-out GPIO

The remaining GPIO pins are broken out to through-hole solder pads. 2.54 mm pitch headers can be soldered to these pads for easy access. Each pad is labeled on the badge PCB silkscreen.

Power System

Power is supplied through either the USB Micro connector or a CR123A battery. The ON/OFF switch controls only the battery — the badge stays on while USB is connected.

Power from the battery is automatically disconnected by the control circuitry when power is detected from the USB input, regardless of the ON/OFF switch position.

There is no on-board battery charging system. Turn the switch off or disconnect the battery when not in use.

License

The badge code and documentation in this repository are released under the MIT License — copy, modify, and reuse freely with attribution.

Bundled third-party libraries under lib/ retain their own licenses (all MIT). See lib/NOTICES.md for per-library attribution and upstream sources.