Open Hardware/Modding: Mecha Comet, Raspberry Pi, and More

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 25, 2026,
updated Jan 25, 2026

• CNX Software ☛ Mecha Comet is an open-source hardware, modular GNU/Linux handheld computer (Crowdfunding)

  Mecha Comet open-source hardware modular GNU/Linux handheld computer can be used as a gaming console, a GNU/Linux terminal, an electronic measurement tool, and more, thanks to a 40-pin magnetic expansion connector for modules such as a gamepad, a QWERTY keyboard, a 40-pin GPIO header, and more. The Mecha Comet is powered by an NXP i.MX 8M Plus or i.MX 95 Arm SoC, ships with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB flash, but also supports MicroSD and NVMe storage. It also features a 3.91-inch touchscreen display, a mini HDMI 2.1 port, an 8MP camera, a dual-mic array and a speaker, a 3.5mm audio jack, WiFi 5 and optional 4G LTE/5G cellular connectivity, as well as a few USB-C ports and built-in sensors.

• Gunnar Wolf ☛ Gunnar Wolf: Finally some light for those who care about Debian on the Raspberry Pi

  Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel!

  As I have said in this blog and elsewhere, after putting quite a bit of work into generating the Debian Raspberry Pi images between late 2018 and 2023, I had to recognize I don’t have the time and energy to properly care for it.

• Hackaday ☛ Wireless MIDI Controller Has Lots Of Knobs

  The controller can be built using the Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2. It’s set up to read a 4×4 array of clickable encoders, plus two bonus control knobs to make 18 in total, which are read via a 74HC4067 analog mux chip. There’s also an SK6812 RGB LED for each encoder, and an OLED display for showing status information. MIDI output is via USB, or, if you purchased the W variant of the Pi Pico/Pico 2, it can operate wirelessly over Bluetooth MIDI instead. The controller is set up to send MIDI CC messages, program changes, or note on/off messages depending on its configuration. Flipping through different modes is handled with the bottom set of encoders and the OLED display.

• Quentin Santos ☛ Asynchronous I²C in C

  I have a RP2350 and an SSD1306 module. I want to use the former to display stuff on the latter. The most common modules are connected over I²C: [...]

• Hannah Robertson ☛ Telegraph Key(singular)board: Morse for the modern era

  The Key(singular)board has two modes: “raw” and “alphanumeric”. In raw mode, the telegraph key’s state—pressed or unpressed—is segmented into a series of dot, dash, and space keystrokes. In alphanumeric mode, those dots and dashes are translated from Morse code into their corresponding alphanumeric character keystrokes. As a user, the raw mode acts as training wheels to calibrate against how tap durations translate into dots, dashes, and inter-tap pauses.5

Update

Also here:

• Mecha Comet modular Linux handheld hits Kickstarter for $189 and up

  The Mecha Comet is a modular handheld Linux computer featuring a modular input section below a 3.92 inch AMOLED display, allowing you to swap out a QWERTY keyboard for a gamepad, I/O board, or other modules.

  After first introducing the device a year ago, the makers of the Mecha Comet have now launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign with Early Bird reward levels starting at $189 for an entry-level model.