KN-86 Prototype References

Sibling of: ../inspiration/ Purpose: Concrete build references — the candidate tech stacks for the application runtime and the concrete physical-build references for the hardware deck.

This folder is the build-it companion to ../inspiration/ — where inspiration tells you what the device should feel like, prototype tells you what to actually build it from. Same placement rules: lives at the repo root, outside ../../, not rendered by the Starlight sync, but versioned in git.

The split is deliberate. Many of these entries (Bubble Tea, Lip Gloss, QRPπ) are referenced from per-project decisions in the KN-86 codebase and from concrete spec/ADR work; they earn their own folder. Many of the inspiration entries are mood-board / pattern-library / “what should the user feel” references that live in spec-adjacent design conversations rather than in build-it work; they stay in inspiration/. The boundary isn’t strict — every prototype entry also carries aesthetic implications, every inspiration entry also has implementation hints — but for navigation purposes the split is useful.

Software stack — candidate frameworks & libraries

Reference	Stack	One-line	File
Bubble Tea	Go / Charm stack	The Elm-architecture TUI framework. Default candidate for the KN-86 application runtime.	bubble-tea.md
Lip Gloss	Go / Charm stack	CSS-like declarative styling/layout for terminals. Default pair with Bubble Tea.	lip-gloss.md
termbox2	C99, single-header	Minimal C terminal I/O library; the lightweight C-core alternative if Go integration costs prove too high.	termbox2.md
asciinator	Python / technique	Halfblock (`▀`) + 24-bit color image-rendering technique. The canonical reference algorithm for “image in the terminal.”	asciinator.md

Hardware deck — the keyboard decision

keyboard-decision.md — ⭐ the decided keyboard for KN-86 is the Ferris Sweep, ordered from holykeebs per the Buyer’s Guide BOM checklist. The decision supersedes the custom-31-key preferred path in ADR-0024; custom-keyboard knowledge is archived to ../research/.

Reference	Role	File
Keyboard decision	The decision document — Ferris Sweep over custom; 31 → 34 keys; QMK + Vial firmware; archived custom-build knowledge	keyboard-decision.md
Ferris Sweep — holykeebs	The product entry for the chosen keyboard	ferris-sweep.md
holykeebs Buyer’s Guide	The order configuration matrix → BOM checklist	holykeebs-buyers-guide.md

Hardware deck — physical build references

Reference	Type	One-line	File
QRPπ	Single canonical build	All-in-one weatherproof digital-mode radio deck in a Pelican 1170 case. Closest single existing build to KN-86’s hardware structure.	qrp-pi.md
Pelican 1170 print models	Print-model library	Collected community-printable inserts, foam organizers, panel-mount templates for the Pelican 1170. Parametric starting points.	pelican-1170-prints.md
Printables cyberdeck search	Broad gallery	130+ printable cyberdeck builds across handheld / clamshell / Pelican / Steam-Deck-shell / retrofit categories. Form-factor mood board.	printables-cyberdeck-search.md

How to use this folder

When implementing a feature that needs to choose between Charm-stack and termbox2 — read bubble-tea.md and termbox2.md, pick, document the decision in an ADR.
When designing the application architecture — bubble-tea.md for the structural model; the inspiration-folder references AetherTune and l123 for examples of how that structure feels at scale.
When designing UI primitives in NoshAPI — lip-gloss.md for the styling-vocabulary reference; asciinator.md for the image-render primitive.
When the bezel work starts — qrp-pi.md is the structural template; pelican-1170-prints.md is the parts library; printables-cyberdeck-search.md is the broader silhouette reference.

Synthesis pointer

The full consolidated KN-86 Deckline brief (software north star + hardware prototype path + v0.1 ship list) lives in the inspiration folder’s index.md. This folder doesn’t carry its own synthesis — the brief reads across both folders.

Folder structure

prototype/
├── index.md                       ← this file
├── keyboard-decision.md           ← ⭐ the decision: Ferris Sweep, not custom
├── ferris-sweep.md
├── holykeebs-buyers-guide.md
├── bubble-tea.md
├── lip-gloss.md
├── termbox2.md
├── asciinator.md
├── qrp-pi.md
├── pelican-1170-prints.md
├── printables-cyberdeck-search.md
└── screenshots/
    ├── README.md
    ├── ferris-sweep-product.jpg
    ├── ferris-sweep-trackpoint-1.webp
    ├── ferris-sweep-trackpoint-2.webp
    ├── ferris-sweep-trackball.webp
    ├── bubbletea.gif
    ├── lipgloss.png
    ├── termbox2.gif
    ├── qrp-pi.png
    ├── pelican-1170-search.png
    └── printables-cyberdeck-search.png