The Lisp Badge Is a Self-Contained Computer Tailored to Lisp Programming

Lisp is a high-level programming language, like Python, Visual Basic, and PHP. It’s the second oldest high-level language — by our modern standards — just after Fortran. But, it’s still quite popular, and has a number of thriving dialects. David Johnson-Davies wanted a way to program in Lisp on the go, and what better way to do that than with a badge?

As you might suspect, this Lisp Badge was heavily inspired by Voja Antonic’s Belgrade Badge. That badge, which was also given to attendees of the 2018 Hackaday Supercon, is a handheld computer that can be used to run and program BASIC code. Johnson-Davies had previously designed the mostly self-contained Tiny Lisp Computer 2, but that required an external keyboard. For the Lisp Badge, he has added an onboard keyboard so you can program Lisp anywhere you go — especially your next conference!

This Lisp Badge fits in the palm of your hand, but packs a lot of functionality. It’s powered by an ATmega1284 and has a grayscale 42x8 character OLED display, I/O pins, and can control external devices through I2C or SPI. Most importantly, the tactile pushbutton keyboard was designed specifically with Lisp programming in mind. If you want your own Lisp Badge, Johnson-Davies has provided all of the files on GitHub. You can also order the PCBs directly from OSH Park for about $50.

While on the topic of badges, don’t forget to submit your designs to Hackster’s latest contest with Autodesk and OSH Park.