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The Crisis Build. Neo
2024
The Crisis Build
64 PDN MK I units in field · Screen + new form factor · First SMD PCB
A complete redesign with a display and a new enclosure. Our first custom SMD PCB, and the year everything that could go wrong did. Late boards, panicked assembly, design flaws at scale. When the OLED displays arrived from China with a different driver chip than we expected, we had to learn datasheets under serious deadline pressure. We shipped it, but barely.
Tech: Custom SMD PCB, SSD1309 OLED, ESP32-S3
By the Numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| PDN MK I in field | 64 |
| Unique players | ~100+ |
| Top Hunter | 115 wins over 3 days |
| Top Bounty | 42 wins over 3 days |
What Changed (and Why)
Universal role hardware. 2023's Proto-PDN split Hunters and Bounties into separate physical devices with fixed serial wiring. For 2024 we needed one PCB and one enclosure program that could be flashed and lit for either role, the foundation for every PDN generation since.
First PCB design. KiCad, first-time ordering, customs, and a four-board-in-one-project mistake cost weeks. Boards landed five days before Neo. The team sprint-assembled while still finding enclosure flaws.
Open source. PDN firmware and hardware went public this year: collaboration with makers outside the core crew and a real story to tell at Supercon.
What We Learned
Design mistakes cost big at volume. The Supercon 2024 deck lists the hits: 28 M2 screws, assembly far too complex, print geometry errors, charging and power LEDs the same color, cable management nightmares, and timelines that assumed first-time PCB success. We were learning manufacturing while trying to scale.
Supply-chain surprises are schedule killers. OLEDs from Alibaba with an unexpected driver chip forced a driver rewrite days before players arrived. Budget time for parts verification, not just parts arrival.
Software architecture had to outlive the board. The crisis pushed our platform mindset: build something that lasts more than one season. That meant fewer fasteners, better power UX, and wireless on the roadmap.
Open source is a forcing function. Publishing the project invited collaboration and accountability, and gave us hardware to put in strangers' hands at Supercon.
PDN bill of materials (PDN MK I & II)
| Part | Detail |
|---|---|
| MCU | ESP32-S3 N8R8 |
| Battery | 2000 mAh rechargeable |
| Programming | USB-C over JTAG |
| Display | 0.96" 128×64 monochrome OLED |
| Haptics | 10k RPM motor |
| Input | 2× buttons |
| LEDs | 19× WS2812B |
| Serial I/O | 2× serial-over-3.5 mm aux ports |
Goals for 2025
Redesign the case with fewer screws, improve the power switch, add wireless, and build more devices. Every item on that list became the 2025 "Refined & Wireless" season on PDN MK II.