Heart Trinket

From the moment our guests pick up the gleaming little heart they will notice that it is much more than a decorative keepsake. It is a fully‑functional printed‑circuit‑board, painstakingly laid out in the shape of a stylised heart, intended to carry within it the same mixture of art, craft and engineering that has gone into planning our wedding day. Every trace, via and pad was positioned so the board’s golden surface plating sketches the contours of fingerprints, ripples and galaxies – a reminder that many unique stories converge in one celebration of love. At the centre of the board sits a low‑power microcontroller that acts as the heart’s “pulse.” Four tiny, reverse‑mount addressable LEDs are embedded beneath the solder mask and shine through carefully milled light pipes. Instead of a simple on–off behaviour, the LEDs respond to capacitive touch gestures that are etched directly into the copper artwork. A tap sends a single warm glow that fades like a heartbeat; a swipe causes a playful ripple that chases around the perimeter; holding a finger over the centre triggers a steady breathing pattern, mirroring calm, shared moments. Because the entire front surface is the sensor, the interactions feel almost magical—no visible buttons, only responsive light woven into the circuitry. Because giving someone a gift that runs out of power would hardly be romantic, the trinket carries a complete power subsystem. A rechargeable LIR2032 coin cell tucks into a matte‑black holder on the reverse, and a USB‑C connector along the bottom edge feeds an on‑board linear charger so guests can top up the battery with any phone charger they already own. A tiny white status LED peeks through a heart‑shaped aperture, glowing softly while the cell is charging and turning off when it is full. The firmware automatically sleeps between interactions, allowing weeks of idle time or an evening of continuous play on a single charge. Tucked into the upper right lobe is a miniature NFC antenna. B