November 2, 2025
by Jay MargalusBuilding ourss: 9 Days, One AI Partner, and an Ode to the Weird Web
The Old Internet has ideas that we should never forget, and building tech in that spirit is a good thing.
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August 19, 2025
by Jay MargalusThotcon 0xD Design Rundown - A Hackaday Post
The full THOTCON 0xD badge design rundown, as posted on Hackaday.io.
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June 17, 2025
by Jay MargalusTHOTCON 0xD Badge — Part 4: Enclosures, Tariffs, and the Grind of Production
Laser-cut acrylic instead of injection molding, a tariff bill that went from $10,000 to $4,500, and volunteers with hex drivers.
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June 11, 2025
by Jay MargalusTHOTCON 0xD Badge — Part 3: The Firmware
We open-sourced the THOTCON 0xD badge firmware: three builds for testing the touch wheel, making music, and building menus. GitHub link inside.
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June 5, 2025
by Rudy RistichTHOTCON 0xD Badge — Part 2: Designing the PCB
How a capacitive touch wheel replaced a mechanical encoder and saved $4.38 a badge across a 2,000-unit run.
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June 1, 2025
by Jay MargalusTHOTCON 0xD Badge — Part 1: From Sketch to Early Prototype
We built the 2025 THOTCON 0xD badge. Here's how it went from pencil sketches to a laser-cut prototype.
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