Hack the Board’s HackBEE is a tiny programmable USB-C dongle and development platform powered by the Raspberry Pi RP2350 Arm Cortex-M33/Hazard3 RISC-V microcontroller. It supports USB host and device modes, has side buttons, and includes a multi-color RGB LED for feedback.
The device can be used as a programmable HID device (keyboard/mouse/media controller), a USB host or device for testing and prototyping, an automation tool for repetitive tasks, a compact input emulator, or a teaching tool for C/C+, MicroPython, and embedded systems education.
HackBEE specifications:
- MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2350A
- CPU
- Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150 MHz with Arm Trustzone, Secure boot OR
- Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150 MHz
- Either two cores can be used.
- Memory – 520 KB on-chip SRAM
- Package – QFN-60
- CPU
- Storage – Not disclosed
- USB – 1x USB Type-C host/device port
- Security – Arm TrustZone for Cortex-M33 cores, optional boot signing (OTP), protected OTP storage, SHA-256 hw accelerator, bus filtering, and fault injection mitigations.
- Misc
- Boot and user buttons
- RGB LED for live feedback
- Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port
- Dimensions – “Roughly twice the length of a USB-C connector”
We’re told users can program the HackBEE using MicroPython or the C/C++ SDK, and access open-source libraries and examples for macros, automation, and device testing. However, after failing to find any of this, I inquired, and the answer was that all resources would be made available immediately after the campaign ends. At least, we have some working demos shown in the video embedded at the end of this article.
There are plenty of small RP2350 boards with a USB-C female port, but it’s harder to find one with a male port, and the only other RP2350 dongle we’ve covered is the Waveshare RP2350-GEEK, which comes with a male USB Type-A port.
Hack the Board launched the HackBEE on Kickstarter with a 612 Euros funding goal that has already been easily surpassed. The price is a bit high for this type of hardware, as rewards start at 33 Euros (~$39 US) for one HackBEE dongle and an STL file for the enclosure, although there are also bundles with 2, 5, or 10 boards that reduce the price per unit somewhat. Shipping adds 13 Euros, and deliveries are expected to start in January 2026, shortly after the crowdfunding campaign ends.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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