← Project README · Start with the cards →
Alphabets V2 is an open-source modular split-flap display. Each module shows one character by turning a drum of 64 cards. Modules can be arranged together to display complete messages.
This repository contains V2 Prototype and V2 Final. Each is a complete physical profile with its own stickers, cards, drum and enclosure, so their parts cannot be mixed. Prototype uses the ten existing sticker sets printed in Dubai. Final is the supported target for new batches; its expanded character map for the German-speaking DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and Nordic languages requires taller artwork, stickers and cards. Prototype support ends when new Final sticker and card batches are available. The physical variants contract records the exact dimensions and files that belong together.
The rest of this guide explains V2 Final in the order that information moves through the display: a message enters the controller, travels through the module chain, and each module turns its drum until the requested card is visible.
Warning
V2 is under development. The V2 Final enclosure has a recorded print check, but the complete mechanism, Prototype enclosure, electronics and production process are not physically validated. Make fit samples and validate one complete module before ordering multiple parts.
- Cards — the 64 moving flaps that carry the characters.
- Stickers — the printed character artwork applied to the cards.
- Drum — the rotating structure that holds the cards in order.
- Enclosure — the two-part body around one complete module.
- Motors — how one motor advances one drum.
- Module board — the small controller fitted to each module.
- Motherboard — the planned controller for the complete display.
- Chaining and cables — the six-wire ring between boards.
- Protocol — the two communication layers and what they carry.
- Module embedded software — firmware that moves and homes one drum.
- Motherboard embedded software — planned layout and chain control.
- Web interface — planned user interface for sending text.
| Area | Current repository status |
|---|---|
| Cards, stickers, drum, enclosure | Matched Prototype and Final sources and manufacturing exports exist; complete physical validation is still required |
| Motor | A 28BYJ-48 reference model and firmware defaults exist; the real assembly still needs validation |
| Module board | Editable ATtiny1624 KiCad design and fabrication exports exist |
| Module firmware | ATtiny1624 firmware and host-side tests exist |
| Motherboard hardware and firmware | Protocol responsibilities are defined; implementation is not in the repository yet |
| Web interface | Message protocol is defined; implementation is not in the repository yet |
V2 Prototype and V2 Final parts must never be mixed.