Adafruit PyBadge for MakeCode Arcade, CircuitPython or Arduino

by Adafruit

What's the size of a credit card and can run CircuitPython, MakeCode Arcade or Arduino? That's right, its the Adafruit PyBadge!

Adafruit wanted to see how much we could cram into a ​3 3⁄8 × ​2 1⁄8 inch rounded rectangle, to make an all-in-one dev board with a lot of possibilities, and this is what they came up with.

The PyBadge is a compact board, it's credit card sized. It's powered by our favorite chip, the ATSAMD51, with 512KB of flash and 192KB of RAM. Adafruit add 2 MB of QSPI flash for file storage, handy for images, fonts, sounds, or game assets.

On the front you get a 1.8" 160x128 color TFT display with dimmable backlight - we have fast DMA support for drawing so updates are incredibly fast. There's also 8 silicone-top buttons, they are clicky but have a soft button top so they're nice and grippy. The buttons are arranged to mimic a gaming handheld, with a d-pad, 2 menu-select buttons and 2 fire-action buttons. There's also 5 NeoPixel LEDs to dazzle or track activity.

On the back we have a full Feather-compatible header socket set, so you can plug in any FeatherWing to expand the capabilities of the PyBadge. There's also 3 STEMMA connectors - two 3-pin with ADC/PWM capability and one 4-pin that connects to I2C - you can use this for Grove sensors as well.

For built in sensors, there's a light sensor that points out the front, and a 3-axis accelerometer that can detect taps and free-fall. To make bleeps and bloops, there's a built in buzzer-speaker.

You can power the PyBadge from any of our LiPoly batteries. An on-off switch will save battery power when not in use. Or power from the Micro USB port - it will also charge up the battery if one is attached.

Now, how to program it? Well you've got a lot of options!

Here's a list of everything you get

  • ATSAMD51J19 @ 120MHz with 3.3V logic/power - 512KB of FLASH + 192KB of RAM
  • 2 MB of SPI Flash for storing images, sounds, animations, whatever!
  • 1.8" 160x128 Color TFT Display connected to its own SPI port
  • 8 x Game/Control Buttons with nice silicone button tops (these feel great)
  • 5 x NeoPixels for badge dazzle, or game score-keeping
  • Triple-axis accelerometer (motion sensor)
  • Light sensor, reverse-mount so that it points out the front
  • Built in buzzer mini-speaker
  • Mono Class-D speaker driver for 4-8 ohm speakers, up to 2 Watts
  • LiPoly battery port with built in recharging capability
  • USB port for battery charging, programming and debugging
  • Two female header strips with Feather-compatible pinout so you can plug any FeatherWings in
  • JST ports for NeoPixels, sensor input, and I2C (you can fit I2C Grove connectors in here)
  • Reset button
  • On-Off switch

TECHNICAL DETAILS

  • Product Dimensions: 85.7mm x 54.6mm x 10.0mm / 3.4" x 2.1" x 0.4"
  • Product Weight: 29.3g / 1.0oz

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