We’re big fans of the Flipper Zero, a pocket-sized portable hacking device that lets you interact with all sorts of access control systems. It was such a unique tool when it came out that it’s turned into a cult hit of sorts, with numerous tools coming out that seek to replicate that same success. We’re guessing the Kode Dot is among those inspired by its popularity.
No, it’s not another Flipper Zero copycat for hacking. Instead, the device is actually meant to serve as a tool for makers and tinkerers that bundles a number of electronic components onboard, making it easier to prototype your electronic ideas. Billed as a “full maker toolkit in your pocket,” it’s meant to help you build, test, and demo your electronic projects as quickly and simply as possible, making it a potentially game-changing addition any creative’s toolkit.
The Kode Dot is a small device that looks more like a pocket-sized gaming handheld than a prototyping tool. Seriously, that’s the very first thing anyone who sees this will think. Out front, it gets a 2.13-inch full-color AMOLED touchscreen, along with a pair of buttons on the right sider and a D-pad on the left. Basically, it looks a lot like many retro gaming handhelds we see today.
Inside, it gets an ESP32-S3 microcontroller, a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for wireless connectivity, 32MB of onboard storage, mic, speaker, and a 9-axis IMU sensor. They also have plans to incorporate an IR sensor, a vibration motor, and NFC/RFID chip, although that’s still unsure as of the moment. It also has 12 GPIO slots, along with pins for SPI, UART, 5V power, and 3.3V power, so you can any easily incorporate other external sensors, motors, and electronic components you want to use in your prototyping. There’s also a USB-C slot and a microSD card slot if you need additional accessories and storage.
As you can tell from the amount of hardware it already includes, the Kode Dot has everything you need to quickly test different types of code and project designs. It also has all the ports you need to hook up any other electronic components you want to include in your prototype. To use it, you simply write your code and upload it to the device via the USB-C port. The built-in kodeOS will immediately treat the uploaded code as a standalone app that you can launch and test as many times as you want, with the interface showing right on the AMOLED display.
Basically, this device seeks to replace the need to get a board computer and wire multiple components yourself to start prototyping, allowing you to dive right into the code (unless you need to use any additional electronic components), which should save makers and tinkerers a whole lot of time. No more organizing cables, debugging breadboards, and testing various components to figure out which one isn’t getting power – just test and worry about everything else later. According to the outfit, it works with existing IDEs from Arduino, Espressif, and PlatformIO.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Kode Dot. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $149.
