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Progress Report

A rolling log of what's been done, what's in progress, and what's next. Updated after each work session.

2026-05-04 — Joystick PCB, V4 Display Driver, Version System

Done

  • Joystick PCB arrived from JLCPCB — K1-1506SN-01 breakout boards with switches pre-mounted
  • Pin swap discovered — COM and UP pins reversed in EasyEDA community library (C145910). KiCad symbol corrected for Rev 2 order
  • GPIO mapping confirmed — L=GP2, D=GP3, UP=GP4, R=GP5, C=GP6 (Com=GND pin 3)
  • V4 display driver rewritten — four iterations (V1.0→V1.4), final uses two-pass diff-based partial refresh for ghost-free updates
  • Firmware version system — version.h shared across all 20 programs, startup banner with version + build timestamp
  • GPIO diagnostic — raw pin state dump at startup and every 2s during runtime
  • DevTool updates — V4 default, "Clean Build & Deploy" button, version verification
  • Mk2 translucent case — 27 photos converted/named/placed, front page gallery, blog post, design evolution entry
  • Rolling TODO created at project root

In Progress

  • V4 partial refresh blacks slightly washed compared to V3 — tuning the draw-pass waveform
  • Joystick wiring needs COM/UP wire swap on current board (interim fix before Rev 2 PCB)

Next Up

  • [ ] Wire up and test piezo speaker
  • [ ] Speaker grill cutout in case design
  • [ ] Joystick retention chamfer
  • [ ] Menu and settings system with joystick input
  • [ ] Power on/off mechanism
  • [ ] Battery life benchmarks
  • [ ] Research wireless firmware deployment
  • [ ] Compile full hardware schematic for dedicated board
  • [ ] Order corrected Rev 2 joystick PCB

2026-05-02 — NoSolar Variant First Power

Done

  • Fully soldered unit — Pico W, TP4056, 10440 battery, heat shrink
  • USB-C charging confirmed working (TP4056 red LED)
  • NoSolar base plate variant (4mm height, no solar cutout)
  • Conspiratorial Octopus personality running on battery

2026-04-27 — Joystick PCB Ordered

Done

  • Hand-routed K1-1506SN-01 breakout board designed from scratch in KiCad 10
  • Gerbers + BOM + CPL exported for JLCPCB PCBA
  • Order placed for 5 boards

2026-04-26 — Rev 2 v3 Print Session

Done

  • Base plate v3, cradle insert, top cover printed overnight
  • All three parts fit-checked with Pico 2 W, TP4056, Ansmann batteries
  • Solar panel (AK 62x36mm) evaluated for future charging
  • FreeCAD parametric macro gaining new systems (piezo, IMU, joystick anchor)