QNX @ Hack the 6ix
Welcome hackers! QNX is pleased to be meeting so many of you this weekend and to get the chance to show you the power of the QNX 8.0 Operating System in embedded projects. Read on for more information about the QNX challenge, prizes, and the raffle!
This page contains everything you need to get started with QNX this weekend and beyond.
- What is QNX? ๐ ๏ธ
- QNX Hackathon Challenge ๐
- Get Hardware For The Weekend! ๐ฅง
- Helpful Links ๐
- Meet The Team ๐
- QNX at Past Events ๐ธ
- Subscriber Raffle! ๐๏ธ
What is QNX? ๐ ๏ธ
QNX is a powerful, real-time operating system designed for critical applications where reliability and performance are paramount. The QNX 8 OS, in particular, offers advanced features like adaptive partitioning and high availability, making it ideal for industries ranging from automotive to medical devices. Imagine an OS that can handle complex tasks with precision, determinism, and minimal downtime โ that's QNX 8.
It's probably under the hood in the car, bus, or train you took today, or powering the streetlights and pedestrian signals you passed on your way here. It's Everywhere.
QNX Hackathon Challenge ๐
The QNX prize is awarded for The Best Use of QNX!
Goal: Create a project using QNX. It can be a software project or one that drives some hardware components.
Prizes
One Winner: $500 in Amazon Gift Cards + QNX Swag Box
Everyone: Functional projects are featured by QNX at gitlab.com/qnx/projects; Everyone: Teams who submit a project on QNX can keep your teamโs Raspberry Pi 4B kit!
(QNX has a limited supply of hardware components to loan to teams โ see below!)
Challenge Thought Prompts
- Can you make something that moves and accomplishes a goal?
- Can you prototype an industrial control system?
- Can you prototype a hardware solution to a real-world problem?
- Can you create an entertaining game or physical challenge?
- Can you port an open-source Linux utility or library to QNX and show a running demo?
- Can you create an interesting prototype dashboard for industrial control or automation?
- Can you create a game or some other useful UI running on QNX? (Available frameworks include QT, GTK, etc, plus core QNX Screen API.)
Get Hardware For The Weekend! ๐ฅง
QNX has a collection of hardware available to borrow for the weekend. Come visit the hardware distribution area on Friday at 10 PM to borrow some gear.
Raspberry Pi 4B kits

Kits include power, a video cable, and a micro-SD card with QNX 8.0 preloaded. It's ready to boot up and get started! Here's information about setting it up without a monitor if you're going headless.
Other available hardware
We've brought a limited selection of hardware components to help you create interesting things if you're making a hardware project. These can be borrowed from us over the weekend as supplies last โ please make sure to return them after judging on Sunday!
Some components include:
- Trilobot Driving Robot kits w/ built-in sensors
- Micro-servos
- Neopixel RGB LED rings
- RGB LED strips
- Rotary encoders
- DHT22 temp/humidity sensors
- LEDs and Buttons
- and more!
Recent, working sample code is available for many of these components (as well as examples for SPI and I2C interfaces) at gitlab.com/qnx/projects.
Helpful Links ๐
Getting Started
These links point you to the things you'll need to get started with QNX development and the QNX OS on Raspberry Pi.
- Get a free QNX developer license: qnx.com/getqnx
- Quickstart: Five Steps to Developing a QNX OS Program
- Quickstart: QNX Toolkit for VS Code (and optionally: How to use macOS to develop for QNX 8.0)
- QNX on Raspberry Pi Documentation
Technical Links
These other links visit additional resources to help with your development:
- Overall QNX 8.0 Documentation โ find guides, tutorials, and references here
- List of QNX ports โ apps and libraries ported to QNX from Linux
- Projects and code samples โ including hardware samples for Raspberry Pi!
- Sample apps โ the code for the apps included on QNX for Raspberry Pi
- The QNX Raspberry Pi Book - Written by the QNX Lead Architect
- The QNX Developer Blog โ at devblog.qnx.com
The QNX Job Board
QNX is hiring! Check out the job board for any roles that fit your expertise. Not sure if something is a fit for you? Drop by during the career fair hours and chat with us.
Meet The Team ๐
Stop by the QNX table or events to meet some of the QNX team.
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John Dev Relations |
Praveen Product Manager |
Neil QNX Developer |
Roberto QNX Developer |
Darcy QNX Developer |
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Name QNX Developer |
Name QNX Developer |
Name QNX Developer |
Name QNX Developer |
Name QNX Developer |
QNX at Past Events ๐ธ









QNX at other 2025 hackathons!
Subscriber Raffle! ๐๏ธ
Subscribe to the blog during the event using the form below to be entered into a draw for a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Rules:
- You must subscribe using the Sign-up field and button below (so we know you came from this page!)
- One entry per person
(If you do not see a sign-up form above this line, then you're already subscribed โ let us know so we can enter you into the raffle!)