For the sake of archival, "state of the world" refers to the COVID-19 pandemic.


The code and CAD files for this project can be found here.


Relevant links:

PulseAudio is the sound server used by many Linux distributions
pulsectl is a Python library that allows you to control a PulseAudio server
NeoPixels are cool addressable LEDs
The Teensy is a small but powerful microcontroller development board
pySerial is a library allowing you to use serial ports in Python
PlatformIO is a tool for making software development for embedded platforms easy

Early prototype:


Assembled electronics fitted into case ready to be closed:


View of the top of the case, showing Cherry switch and NeoPixel LED indicator:


View of the bottom of the case, showing USB port and some of the nicer M3 screws from my parts bin:


Plugged in and powered on, showing the muted state:


Button pushed, showing the unmuted/mic live state: