| Project Domains | Mentors |
|---|---|
| Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Hardware Design (KiCad) | Moksh Panicker, Omkar Nanajkar |
Project Description
Have you ever used OLED, the small square single colour screen? It’s pretty fun to work on, right? But size really matters… what if u could program a TV sized RGB screen? Want to understand how images are drawn, how pixels are manipulated, or how graphics are generated from scratch? That’s the VGA world. In this project, you’ll learn how to control a display pixel by pixel, draw your own graphics, display images, and understand what actually goes behind generating video output. You can even implement things like Conway’s Game of Life or design your own simple games.
But displays are only one side of the story. Ever wondered how your PC instantly recognizes a keyboard, mouse, or controller the moment you plug it in? You’ll answer that too by building a USB device completely from scratch. Using an RP2040 microcontroller, you’ll program a device that appears as both a serial shell and a keyboard simultaneously over a single USB-C cable, all written in C. Along the way, you’ll learn how USB devices identify themselves, communicate with a host, and expose multiple functionalities through a single connection.
Taking things a step further, you’ll design and fabricate your own custom PCB in KiCad, turning your firmware into a real piece of hardware. From embedded programming and USB communication to VGA graphics, schematic design, PCB layout, assembly, and testing, you’ll experience the complete journey from code to a fully functional device.
If you’ve ever wondered how displays work under the hood, how USB devices communicate with a computer, and how real hardware products are built from scratch, this project is for you.