The 2025/2026 Hackaday badge was modded with a custom front PCB containing 73 addressable LED (one per key) and a custom resin-printed keyboard with semi-transparent keys. The front-PCB and the keyboard are compatible with the original stackup and just replace the original components. The addressable LEDs are connected to a GPIO from the badge CPU and controlled via Micropython.
Details
Files
kicad_communicator_pcb-front_rgb.zip
KiCad project
x-zip-compressed -
394.78 kB -
05/19/2026 at 06:34
The keyboard design was taken from the original Github repo and slightly modified for a good fit (after ordering the PCBs) and with a small border at the bottom to hold tight in the flexible frame. Files are available as STL.
The keys were resin-printed with a mix of white and transparent resin (approx. 80% transparent, 20% white). A paint marker pen was used to mark the letters in black.
After drying for 1-2 minutes, the top surface was cleaned with IPA and the letter was clearly visible.
It's not perfect, but in reality the imperfections are not visible, especially when the lights are on.
The keys are hold together with a thin flexible TPU frame (FDM printed with 2 layers, 0.3mm).
The thinnest available side-emitting addressable LEDs (0.4mm) are used to light up every single key. They are hand-placed directly at the edge of every key opening.
Fantastic !
this is so coool !
Bravo :))