Back in January, I did a workshop at CodeMash 2020 on soldering and programming an ESP32-based conference badge. It went very well, with near perfect success among the 50 or so participants. The hardware was simple to assemble, but somewhat limited in terms of peripheral capabilities – especially in regards to audio output.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, I have prototyped the next generation of the badge, dubbed the “ESP32 R4ge Pro”. Enhancements include:

• CD-quality audio
• Stereo speakers with volume control
• MEMS microphone
• A bigger and touch-sensitive screen
• Firmware-controlled screen dimming
• Twin analog joysticks
• Integrated battery charging

A number apps and games have already been created for the R4ge Pro in the GitHub repo, with more planned and in development. These include:

• Pong clone
• Drum sequencer
• Internet radio player
• Wave recorder and FFT frequency analyzer
• FM Synthesizer
• Bluetooth tank/robot remote control

GitHub repo documents folder also contains full schematic, bill of materials, and a simple case STL file.