Picomputer IRC chat handheld
Universal handheld computer, with QWERTY keyboard and ethernet to simple internet work, etc chat over IRC
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Project description
I'm building a small handheld device for IRC communication over Ethernet using the WIZnet WIZ-IP20 Serial-to-Ethernet module.
The device will be based on a microcontroller running CircuitPython and will connect to IRC servers through the WIZ-IP20, which handles the TCP/IP stack and Ethernet connectivity via a simple UART interface (RX/TX). The handheld will feature a small display for reading chat messages and a compact keyboard for typing. The IRC client software is based on the Adafruit Fruit Jam IRC Client project, adapted to work with the WIZ-IP20 instead of a WiFi co-processor.
The WIZ-IP20 module operates in SSL TCP Client mode, establishing a direct encrypted connection to the IRC server over Ethernet. All network complexity is offloaded to the module, keeping the firmware on the microcontroller simple and lightweight.
The goal is a portable, self-contained IRC terminal that can be plugged into any Ethernet network and used for real-time chat.
