An off-grid handheld communicator built for the Meshtastic Build-Off 2026 hardware competition.
The goal is to build a completely independent, phone-free device using an ESP32-S3 and a custom 12-button T9 physical keypad (driven by an MCP23017 I/O expander).
I am documenting the entire design and assembly process step-by-step on my blog:
- Part 1 (Schematic & Design): myembeddedstuff.com/meshtastic-build-off-2026-retromeshdevice
- Part 2 (PCB Assembly): myembeddedstuff.com/meshtastic-build-off-2026-pcb-assembly
This project is officially entered in the contest. If you like the design, please drop a reaction (like a 👍 or ❤️) on the official submission entry here: