A hardware wallet with no secure element
The translucent case arrived and made the argument physical. The three rules behind a hardware wallet built without a secure element — and what each one costs.
Read the update →We're building PHYLAX in public. Every prototype milestone, every decision, every honest setback — posted here first. No hype, just the work.
The translucent case arrived and made the argument physical. The three rules behind a hardware wallet built without a secure element — and what each one costs.
Read the update →Eighteen updates of parts scattered across eighteen posts are now on one specification page — including the three components we have already decided to replace.
Read the update →The housings from Update 12 are back and the first one is orange. Why a hardware wallet does not have to be black, and why the ten screws holding this one together are meant to be seen.
Read the update →The one-way-up USB fault from Update 13 turned out to be the connector: a 9-pin USB-C brings out only one data pair. We fitted a 16-pin part, and the device now gets as far as asking for a PIN.
Read the update →Your seed is only as unpredictable as the randomness behind it — and randomness is the one part of a wallet you cannot verify by reading the code. So PHYLAX will let you flip a coin and supply it yourself.
Read the update →Update 13 reported a whine from the +12V booster. We put a scope on the switching node and found the cause — a bare wirewound inductor singing. A moulded part silenced it. Quiet now, at 12.03 V.
Read the update →The +12V boost finally gave the display proper brightness and contrast. It also brought two new problems: a faint whine from the booster's inductor, and a USB-C link that only works with the cable one way up.
Read the update →A batch of fixes: we stabilised the USB by moving the controller next to the port, relocated the display connector to cut assembly cost, and added a DC/DC boost for the screen — plus a new PCB and cases in three materials on order.
Read the update →If we won't put a black-box chip inside, how do we protect the seed? We started studying the virtual secure element approach — the same protection, but open and auditable, and still no black box.
Read the update →We bench-tested three candidate OLED screens. The 2.24" works exactly as we hoped and the 0.96" runs but with low contrast — but the honest headline is that USB still isn't working and needs a fix.
Read the update →The updated prototype case — smaller, rounder, easier in the hand — and the old idea behind it: a hardware wallet is a treasure chest for your Bitcoin.
Read the update →We fitted the large, easy-to-read 2.24" OLED onto a modified, smaller PCB (v3.0) — chasing a readable screen and a compact device at once. Plenty still to test, but a real stepping stone.
Read the update →Our design philosophy in one phone: the indestructible Nokia 3310. No frills, core function only, Bitcoin-only and backward compatible — a wallet built to last a decade. (Board now on v3.0.)
Read the update →A hardware-wallet screen is where you verify — too small and people stop checking. We put three OLED sizes on the bench (2.24", 1.54", 0.96") to balance readability, palm size and cost.
Read the update →Two more durability upgrades for the first build: the MCU moves to the industrial -40 to +105 °C grade (STM32F205RET7), and the display connector gets gold-plated contacts.
Read the update →The parts you touch, chosen for lifespan: an Alps Alpine button rated for 1,000,000 presses and a GCT USB-C port good for 20,000 cycles. Durable, not fancy.
Read the update →We 3D-printed the first physical case to judge the feel in the hand. The honest first verdict: it's bigger than it needs to be — so we're shrinking it.
Read the update →Two decisions from the bench: why PHYLAX ships with no battery, and why we moved the USB-C port to the top — with a waterproof GCT connector rated for 20,000 plugs.
Read the update →Where the idea came from — an iPod, a Pikachu, and a wallet with no black box and no fancy features — and why we're debuting the prototype at Bitcoin Thailand Conference 2026.
Read the update →More updates land here as the prototype progresses. Subscribe from the home page so you never miss one.