Welcome to the PixelCompass hardware repository! This repo contains the full set of open-source production files needed to build a real-life Minecraft Lodestone Compass.
Full illustrated tutorial: For the detailed soldering steps, BOOT flashing screenshots, and the rest of the walkthrough, please see my blog post: PixelCompass: A Low-Cost, Web-Configurable Minecraft Compass IRL.
This repository includes the Gerber files for PCB manufacturing, the circuit schematic, and a few helper files for assembly and soldering.
Gerberfolder: Production files for PCB fabrication. Upload them to any PCB prototyping service, such as JLCPCB, PCBWay, or a similar vendor, and place the board order directly.ibom.html(Interactive BOM): A handy helper for hand soldering. It can also export the bill of materials as an.xlsxspreadsheet.- Note: Click a component in the interactive BOM page to highlight its position on the PCB.
- The part marked "ANT-F-2-2.4G-1.0mmFR4-WCH" in the BOM is only an on-board antenna placeholder. It does not correspond to any physical electronic component and can simply be ignored.
Acrylic_Panel_2026-05-23.epanm: File for producing the acrylic front panel, exported from EasyEDA.PET.dwg: Drawing for cutting the PET diffusion film used in the middle layer.
All 3D printing files are hosted on MakerWorld: Get the 3D printing files on MakerWorld
This version is not compatible with the previous ESP32C3 version.
The print plates are split into the following parts:
- Plate 1 (Standard version - semi-transparent acrylic build): Includes the standard
bodypart. This is intended to be used with a 1 mm thick black semi-transparent acrylic front panel with UV printing on the top surface. A sheet of PET LGT075J diffusion film should be placed in the middle layer. - Plate 2 (Multi-color version - no acrylic needed): Includes a complete
faceplatestructural part, suitable for multi-color printing. Recommended filament colors, based on TiX's color scheme:- Black and white: no specific brand requirement.
- Dark gray: Bambu Lab official filament 10105 or an equivalent color.
- Light gray: Bambu Lab official filament 16101 or an equivalent color.
- Plate 3 (Experimental dual-AMS six-color version): This was my early dual-AMS test setup. I bought a pile of filament to test the final look, but never quite found the "perfect" result, so this plate is provided for reference only.
- Battery size: The battery space inside the shell is designed specifically for a 601535 Li-Po battery (280 mAh). If you want to use a larger battery for longer runtime, you will need to modify the 3D shell source files yourself to fit the larger cell.
- On the Release page: You can download the precompiled firmware. Please flash it to the board using WCH's official WCHISPTool.
- Web Dashboard: https://dash.chaosgoo.com/pixelcompass/
- Activation: The first time the device connects to the Dashboard, it will ask for a free activation code. You can get one directly from my Ko-fi shop for free, and the system will send it automatically: Get a free activation code on Ko-fi.
For more details, please visit the blog post: Read PixelCompass: A Low-Cost, Web-Configurable Minecraft Compass IRL
