Badger Boards

Badger Family

The Bagder board family consists of three smart interactive badges, each featuring a different display technology but sharing the same core hardware platform based on the Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller. The badges are designed for wearable applications, with built-in rechargeable batteries, wireless connectivity, and a sturdy polycarbonate case.

Badger	Tufty	Blinky

E-Paper display	Full-colour TFT LCD	Mono LED matrix
2.7" 264×176 greyscale e-paper display	2.8" 320×240 full-colour IPS LCD	3.6" 872 white mono LEDs (39×26 matrix)

The base hardware platform includes:

Feature	Details
Processor	Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller (dual Arm Cortex M33 @ 250 MHz, 520 KB SRAM)
Flash	16 MB QSPI flash (execute-in-place)
PSRAM	8 MB PSRAM
Wireless	Raspberry Pi RM2 wireless module (CYW43439) for WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
Battery	1000 mAh rechargeable LiPo battery MCP73831 charger IC for 455mA USB-C charging XB6096I2S battery protector for over-charge and over-discharge protection
RTC	PCF85063A real-time clock (wake-from-sleep capable)
Buttons	5 front user buttons Reset/Sleep button Home/Boot button
Connectors	USB-C for charging and programming I2C connector for connecting external breakouts such as Qwiic/STEMMA QT
Dimensions	84 mm (W) × 76 mm (H) × 20 mm (D) with case

Processor & Memory

At the heart of the Badger 2350 is the Raspberry Pi RP2350A, a powerful dual-core microcontroller.

CPU: Dual Arm Cortex-M33 cores running at up to 250 MHz
SRAM: 520 KB on-chip
Flash: 16 MB QSPI with execute-in-place (XiP)
PSRAM: 8 MB — plenty of room for images, fonts, and data buffers

Wireless Connectivity

The badge includes a Raspberry Pi RM2 wireless module based on the Infineon CYW43439 chipset:

Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz)
Bluetooth: 5.0 (BLE supported)

This enables over-the-air updates, fetching live data from APIs, MQTT messaging, and more.

Power & Battery

The built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery keeps the Badger running for extended periods, especially when leveraging deep sleep modes.

Component	Specification
Battery	1000 mAh LiPo
Charger IC	MCP73831 (455 mA charging current)
Protector	XB6096I2S (over-charge / over-discharge protection)
Charging	Via USB-C

Tip: Use the PCF85063A real-time clock to schedule wake-ups from deep sleep, keeping power consumption to an absolute minimum between display updates.

Real-Time Clock (RTC)

IC: PCF85063A
Function: Maintains accurate time while the main processor is in deep sleep
Wake-up: Can trigger the RP2350 to wake at a scheduled time for periodic updates (e.g., refresh a weather display every 15 minutes)

Buttons

The Badger 2350 provides a total of seven physical buttons:

Button	Location	Function
A – E	Front	Five programmable user buttons
Reset	Edge	Reset the processor / enter sleep mode
Home	Edge	Return to the home screen / enter boot mode for flashing firmware

Connectors

Connector	Purpose
USB-C	Charging the battery and programming via USB serial
I2C Qwiic / STEMMA QT	Plug-and-play connection for I2C breakout boards
SWD	Serial Wire Debug for advanced debugging

Badger 2350

The Badger 2350 uses a 2.7-inch electronic paper (E-Paper / E-Ink) display capable of rendering four levels of greyscale. E-Paper is reflective, meaning it looks great in direct sunlight and consumes zero power to maintain an image on screen.

Resolution: 264 × 176 pixels
Greyscale levels: 4 (black, dark grey, light grey, white)
Technology: Electronic paper (bistable — holds image with no power)

Perfect for low-power information displays, pixel art, and slow-paced games. Programmable with MicroPython — no soldering required.

Tufty 2350

The Tufty 2350 is a smart, interactive badge featuring a vibrant 2.8" full-colour TFT IPS LCD display.

Type: 2.8" full-colour TFT IPS LCD
Resolution: 320 × 240 pixels
Backlight: Adjustable brightness
Light sensor: On-board phototransistor for ambient light sensing (useful for auto-brightness or light-reactive apps)

Perfect for mini dashboards, fast-paced games, and eye-catching widgets — programmable with MicroPython and no soldering required.

Blinky 2350

The Blinky 2350 is a smart interactive badge featuring a bright white LED matrix display.s

Type: White mono LED matrix with individually adjustable brightness
LED count: 872 LEDs arranged in a 39 × 26 matrix, minus 'islands'
LED drivers: FM6047 constant current LED drivers
Case lighting: 4-zone mono LED backlighting around the case edge

Perfect for pixel art, animations, and simple games.