With just one off-the-shelf part and some programming, you can have a standalone gadget that displays the latest HackerNews story, and notifies you of changes to your karma!

This project is perfect for electronics beginners with some experience in software; this walk-through was written with the assumption that you are starting from scratch.

Features:

• Displays the newest or toppest HackerNews story
• Scannable QR code that takes you to the comment section of the story
• Notifies you when your karma changes

Pre-requisites:

• ESP32 Development Board with LCD Screen ( I tested these steps using https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Display-Bluetooth-Internet-Development/dp/B07X1W16QS )

Installation:

• Install the Arduino 1.8.19 IDE: https://www.arduino.cc/en/software#legacy-ide-18x
• Start the Arduino IDE, open File -> Preferences, and add this URL to enable the ESP32 toolchain: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json

• Open Tools -> Board Manager and install the ESP32 toolchain

• Open Tools -> Boards and choose ESP32 Dev Module

• Connect the ESP32 board to your computer, and choose the Port it is using from Tools -> Ports (if in doubt, note the Ports, close the Tools Menu, then unplug the board, and check the Ports again to see which one disappeared)

• Open Tools -> Manage Libraries and install ArduinoJSON, TFT_eSPI, QRcode_eSPI (and dependency), and wordwrap

• Open File -> Preferences and note your Sketchbook location. Using your favorite text editor, open the TFT_eSPI setup file found at <sketchbook_location>/libraries/TFT_eSPI/User_Setup_Select.h, add // to the beginning of the line (comment out) #include <User_Setup.h> and remove the // (uncomment) from the line #include <User_Setups/Setup25_TTGO_T_Display.h>, and save the file

• Copy the hackernews-badge.ino Arduino Sketch from the root of this repository into the IDE window and edit the Options at the top of the source code to match your Access Point settings

• Click the Upload button, and enjoy! To check on the gadget after the code has been uploaded, open Tools -> Serial Monitor

Potential Improvements:

• Connect a vibrating motor / speaker to alert on notifications
• Enumerate device as USB Keyboard and open links on attached computer using button
• Send a link to the article to your phone over Bluetooth using another button