Campus Experts Badge Hack Universe 26

Build and test apps for the Universe 2026 Hackable Conference Badge.

This repository is the Campus Experts layer on top of badger/home, the upstream Universe 2026 badge repository. It keeps the upstream badge runtime and hardware references available while adding a simple team workflow for Campus Experts.

This repository includes:

• The badge-app-builder Copilot skill.
• The Pimoroni Badgeware Web Simulator for quick, no-install browser testing.
• App validation and physical-badge deployment scripts.
• Working Universe 2026 examples for screens, games, saved state, images, Wi-Fi, IR, BLE, and launcher integration.
• Hardware, Badgeware API, emulator, and deployment references.

Repository layout

Path	Purpose
badge/	Upstream Universe 2026 /system files and apps
badge25/	Archived Universe 2025 files, docs, simulator, and apps
hardware/	Universe 2026 schematic and hardware/GPIO reference
eink/	Earlier e-ink badge resources
ir-beacon/	IR beacon utilities and protocol experiments
Team1/-Team4/	Campus Experts team app submissions
docs/	Campus Experts and fork/sync documentation
.github/skills/badge-app-builder/	Copilot skill for building badge apps

See the Universe 2026 hardware reference for the RP2350 GPIO map and onboard peripherals, and the USB serial and MicroPython REPL guide to inspect a connected badge and copy files or apps.

Pimoroni and Badgeware resources

The Universe 2026 badge is a custom derivative of Pimoroni's Tufty 2350. These upstream resources are useful references but do not model GitHub's custom accelerometer, IR, capacitive-control, or firmware APIs exactly:

• pimoroni/tufty2350 firmware, board definitions, modules, and examples
• pimoroni/badgeware-docs Badgeware documentation and examples
• pimoroni/badgeware-simulator native, buildable desktop Badgeware Simulator built on the real PicoVector graphics library -- a good option if you want offline/command-line testing
• pimoroni/badgeware-web-simulator source for the browser-based simulator linked above

Campus Experts team workflow

Campus Experts work in teams of four. Each team uses one shared fork, works inside its assigned Team1 through Team4 folder, and sends one final pull request back to this repository.

For the shortest path, follow Build a badge app with Copilot. Read CONTRIBUTING.md for the full team and pull request workflow.

Start here

Use Python 3.10 or newer (only the standard library is required -- no pip install needed).

Tell Copilot your team folder, app path, idea, and controls:

I am on Team 1. Build a badge app in Team1/countdown. It should show a
conference countdown. A/C changes the target day, B saves it, and the choice
must persist. Use the badge-app-builder skill, inspect the closest examples,
create an icon, validate the app, and list physical badge tests.

Or scaffold one directly:

python3 .github/skills/badge-app-builder/scripts/scaffold_app.py countdown \
  --title "Countdown" \
  --apps-dir Team1

The apps under badge/apps/ are examples and shared badge code. For Campus Experts submissions, create apps under TeamN/<app-name>/ as explained in CONTRIBUTING.md. Start with the smallest useful example:

Need	Example
Basic screen	badge/apps/hello
Button-driven game	badge/apps/snake
Physics and sprites	badge/apps/flappy
Saved state	badge/apps/monapet
Images	badge/apps/gallery
Wi-Fi and an API	badge/apps/badge
Robust network refresh	badge/apps/contributions
IR beacons	badge/apps/quest
BLE and Web Bluetooth	badge/apps/contacts
Badge-to-badge BLE	badge/apps/pong
Launcher behavior	badge/apps/menu

Validate and run

Validate the app:

python3 .github/skills/badge-app-builder/scripts/validate_app.py \
  Team1/countdown

Run it in the Pimoroni Badgeware Web Simulator by copying the app's __init__.py and local modules into the editor and uploading binary assets through the Files panel.

Check every app in one team folder:

python3 .github/skills/badge-app-builder/scripts/validate_submissions.py Team1

The web simulator does not prove BLE, GPIO, real IR timing, LED behavior, battery behavior, radio conditions, or exact RP2350 MicroPython performance. If you want offline or command-line testing, see pimoroni/badgeware-simulator.

Deploy to a physical badge

Put the badge into USB Disk Mode by double-pressing RESET. Preview a deployment:

python3 .github/skills/badge-app-builder/scripts/deploy_app.py \
  Team1/countdown

After reviewing the file list, write it:

python3 .github/skills/badge-app-builder/scripts/deploy_app.py \
  Team1/countdown --write

Use --replace only when replacing an existing app. The tool keeps a timestamped backup and never copies badge/secrets.py.

After safe eject, press RESET, open the app, test its controls and failure paths, press HOME, and reopen it to check saved state.

Important references

• Skill instructions: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/SKILL.md
• App contract: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/references/app-contract.md
• Badgeware API: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/references/badgeware-api.md
• Hardware limits: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/references/hardware.md
• Simulator: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/references/emulator.md
• Physical badge: .github/skills/badge-app-builder/references/physical-badge.md
• Upstream fork and sync model: docs/UPSTREAM-SYNC.md
• Migration from the old snapshot: docs/MIGRATION-FROM-STANDALONE.md

The active runtime is the Universe 2026 badge API from badger/home. The Universe 2025 Badgeware runtime is archived upstream under badge25/ and is not the target for new apps. The physical badge is the compatibility target; emulator success is only one step in the test process.