Peter “Bobricius” Misenko has proven off the most recent entry within the Armachat and PICOmputer vary of moveable communications instruments — utilizing a Raspberry Pi Pico to drive a 30-button touch-sensitive PCB with room for an IPS show panel within the Armachat & PICOmputer TOUCH.
Following Misenko’s earlier touch-sensitive gadget tasks, the PicoTouch HMI and the WiziTouch, the Armachat & PICOmputer TOUCH — capitalization the creator’s personal — makes use of capacitive touch-sensitive “keys” constructed instantly onto the PCB to scale back the invoice of supplies in contrast with earlier variants with bodily switches. A cut-out on the prime offers room for a 1.69″ IPS show with a decision of 280×240, whereas the again performs host to a Raspberry Pi Pico board to drive the machine.
Its actual capabilities rely upon what you add. At its easiest, the board types the PICOmputer — a standalone pocket-sized microcomputer. Add a LoRa modem module, although, and it turns into an Armachat — a “doomsday communication” machine for peer-to-peer wi-fi chatting even within the occasion that almost all industrial communications providers are unavailable.
Whereas Misenko is displaying the machine off, although, he warns it is below “intensive growth” — together with a variety of revisions deliberate for the brand new 12 months, which is able to repair a flaw within the keyboard’s backlight system, alter the show cut-out, and alter the pin-out for each the keyboard and the LoRa module.
For individuals who do not thoughts the potential for the present model of the board to turn into out of date following additional growth, Misenko is promoting the naked PCBs on Tindie at $15 — “extra as collectable [than] usable,” he warms, describing them as “very experimental.”
