The Mecha Blog

Spot the Comet on Kickstarter on January 24

Time: 09:30 AM CST, 24th January 2026 URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mecha-systems/mecha-comet-modular-linux-handheld-computer Add to Calendar: Google Outlook Download (.ics) Hey everyone! We are now this 🤏 close to the launch. A lot of you have been following us for a very LONG time and I know the wait has been hard. We have spent almost entire of the last year overhauling the Comet you know and love. Mainboard When we announced the updated Comet in March 2025 (link), we start

Shoaib Merchant

Mecha Comet to be released as open hardware 🌟, other updates

I am very happy to announce that the Mecha Comet will be released as open hardware under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 license. Building the Comet (and Mecha) started as a passion project but has become a life project now, standing on the shoulders of thousands of folks that have contributed to the open-source that drives the Comet today. Opening up is our way of giving back or paying forward as they say. We are excited on where this leads the Comet to! We will be releasing all design files across PCB, co

Shoaib Merchant

Remember, Remember the 30th of November

Though we closed functional testing back in September, we shifted focus to more production-ready related items in October. Here are most of the things that we have worked on to get the DVT ready! Power Delivery In and Out In the EVT we had planned to allow power-in from two USB-Cs, the one on the top and the one on the bottom and have them both support PD In/Out at even higher voltages. This was one big challenge that didn’t yield for the longest time, we understood some IC-level and design l

Shoaib Merchant

Behind the curtains, meet Mecha - Oct 1-4 - Part [4/4]

Today is a bit off-track from our usual hardware/software updates, but it’s a necessary detour. About me and how we started? I have been a computer geek/nerd all my life, from building and publishing webpages on tripod.com in 4th grad (~2000s) to running Knoppix Live CD in 7th grade and then starting a tech forum in 10th grade - in parallel to things like soldering, assembling computers. I think a lot of folks who grew up around this time share similar stories. I did my graduation in computer

Shoaib Merchant

Mechanix OS, Launcher and Apps - Oct 1-4 - Part [3/4]

In Parts 1 and 2, we covered the physical hurdles that we overcame to bring the Comet to life. But a powerful machine is nothing without a soul We didn't want to just ship another generic skin; we wanted to build an environment that felt native to the Mecha ecosystem. Introducing the NEW Mechanix OS. Here is why we built it, how it works, and why it changes everything for the Comet.d Mechanix OS Kernel, Bootloader We are currently testing with Kernel versions 6.12 and 6.6, and we continue

Shoaib Merchant

Mecha Comet Extensions - Oct 1-4 - Part [2/4]

Hey all, in this update I will be breaking down extensions further to some extent! Keyboard Here is a breakdown of all the parts in the keyboard extension 1. Plastic Keys: These are the individual plastic keys, in the manufacturing process we are carefully painting the keys white and then adding a black coat and then applying laser etching to print the characters. This way the keys are readable without backlight and can glow with the backlight too. These are simple plastic designs, you shou

Shoaib Merchant

Mecha Comet Updates - Oct 1-4 - Part [1/4]

We have been keeping a few things under wraps, waiting for the right moment to share the full picture. That moment is now. In the month of September there have been lot of updates which I want to share with our Mechaverse. Over the next four posts, we are going to walk you through the sequence of events that changed our trajectory. It’s a long story, but it’s one you need to hear. Let’s get started. Comet Status Our revision 6 prototypes are finally now stepping out of rigorous Validation an

Shoaib Merchant

One Step Closer - 10th August Updates

Hey everyone - hope you all had a great week. Time to make it better. Towards the end of the July we received the first set of boards for the Comet (+1). Here are the pics of the Comet EVT board and assembly in all its glory! As soon as they arrived we moved on to the next high risk item - getting the board to boot up. I am elated (jumping with joy! 🕺) to share that the boards booted up after 3 days of hardware testing and fixing of few power delivery issues. Here is the video of the Kernel b

Shoaib Merchant

The 1mm Struggle: Hardware Realities and the Road to EVT

Hey all - Happy Sunday! lets run through the progress updates here. I know you are all waiting for us to announce the Kickstarter and I am eternally grateful for the patience, our entire launch timeline depends on how the EVT testing goes and July is critical for us to determine our exact timeline. I will keep everyone posted, till then - thanks for reading - and you have a great week ahead. New Comet PCBs The PCBs for EVT have arrived 2 days back, and we are now waiting for some critical co

Shoaib Merchant

From Prototype Sign-off to Supply Chain

We are thrilled to announce that the Comet+1 has officially entered the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) phase. This milestone marks the culmination of months of intensive design work and a logistical sprint through the heart of the world's electronics manufacturing hub. In this update, we’re sharing a first look at our upcoming PCB, the successful integration of our Linux-based display driver, and a journal from my recent trip to Shenzhen to finalize our custom pogo pins, heatsink, and batte

Shoaib Merchant

Announcing the new Mecha Comet

Hey there, We hope you got a chance to check our live stream on YouTube, even if you didn’t we have you covered.

Shoaib Merchant