Electronics 11-11-2025
Raspberry Pi projects, retro & console hacking, home building tips, maker utilities, embedded microcontrollers
🐧 Raspberry Pi Projects
Bumble Berry Pi – A Cheap DIY Raspberry Pi Handheld Cyberdeck (github.com). DIY Raspberry Pi handheld cyberdeck project using affordable parts; Bumble Berry Pi outlines design, parts, tools, and assembly
Pixelfed Photo Viewer on Fruit Jam (learn.adafruit.com). Pixelfed Photo Viewer on Fruit Jam demonstrates fetching and displaying Pixelfed images via JSON API on a Fruit Jam with HSTX/DVI output
A Calendar for the Shop (write.as). Raspberry Pi 3b with eInk display, vdirsyncer/khal (iCloud calendar), PHP tweaks, systemd/rc.local setup, RTC shield, CPU temp considerations
Pi 4 SPI lossage (jwz.org). Troubleshooting Pi 4 SPI issues with MAX7219, exploring power, wiring, and level shifting across Pi models
Bridging Python and C++ in LED Matrices (blog.ty-porter.dev). Python and Cython integration with Pillow, PIL, and rpi-rgb-led-matrix on Raspberry Pi for fast SetImage pixel transfers
n8n: Give your homelab server superpowers with n8n (kevsrobots.com). Setting up n8n on a Raspberry Pi to automate workflows and integrate Ollama for local AI on a homelab
🧰 Retro & Console Hacking
Composite Mod on the CoCo 2: The UVD Board (nicole.express). Modding a Tandy Color Computer 2: adding a UVD-based composite output via an MC1372-based kit and 6847 video work, with soldering tips and clips
Casio FX9000P RAM replacement (raspberrypi.com). RP2040-based RAM replacements restore Casio FX9000P, enabling video RAM upupgrade and potential LCD display integration
Hacking the Color BASIC PRINT command – part 7 (subethasoftware.com). Hacking Color BASIC PRINT in 6809 assembly: PIC, USR interface, and memory patching for CoCo OS-9 with lwasm output
Testing my 6530 collection (retro.hansotten.nl). Testing MOS 6530 RRIOTs with Backbit Chiptester Pro V2 across KIM-1 and other devices, including ROM dumps and port tests
Adventures with an Amiga 500: Part 3 - Moar RAM! (sinrega.org). Amiga 500 RAM upgrade: chip, slow, and fast RAM explained; Agnus chip limits; chip RAM expansion via a mod enabling trapdoor to chip RAM
Extending the GameCube: FlippyDrive Install, Features, and Review (gardinerbryant.com). Explores the FlippyDrive optical drive emulator for GameCube, its no-solder install, CubeBoot UI, and features like remote management and disc backup
🏡 Home & Building
NoLongerEvil-Thermostat – Nest Generation 1 and 2 Firmware (github.com). Firmware tooling to revive bricked Nest Gen 1/2 devices using DFU, bootloader/kernel flashing, and NoLongerEvil platform integration with C, shell scripts
It's not that hard to stop a Trane (jeffgeerling.com). Home HVAC teardown: Trane XR system, S9V2 furnace, draft inducer issues, condensation leaks, DIY fixes, and reliability concerns
Moving to a new smart home: The exciting agony of not having the keys yet (frenck.dev). Explores starting a smart home from scratch: prioritizing network, hardware, security, and automation decisions for Home Assistant users
Wyse 3040 SDS card (parkytowers.me.uk). Wyse 3040 SD card addon: M.2 to microSD adapter experiments, Linux vs Windows results, SDR104 compatibility, and evolving Dell 3040 revisions with SanDisk cards
🔎 Maker Utilities
Noises off (revk.uk). Noises off: a casual blog post about video setup, distractions, and gadget notes including ESP32 and LEDs
Frustration-free e-paper usage for Linux (bitbanksoftware.blogspot.com). Frustration-free e-paper usage on Linux using bb_epaper library, examples, and a show_png tool guide
𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐫.𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝟏𝟏-𝟏𝟎-𝟐𝟓 (iwebthings.joejenett.com). A Raspberry Pi-hosted, anonymous messaging hub by joe jenett, with Mastodon comment options and web curiosities
How To Make Custom Yoto Cards (tomisawesome.com). How to make custom Yoto cards: official MYO vs cheap clones, caching tricks, and DIY artwork options
⚡ Embedded Microcontrollers
How a devboard works (and how to make your own) (kaipereira.com). Designing and wiring a RP2040 devboard in KiCad, covering power, USB-C, flash, crystal, decoupling, and PCB layout
Converting hot dog plasma video to sound with OpenCV (jeffgeerling.com). Explores extracting audio from slow-motion plasma video using OpenCV, Arduino LED tests, Python scripts, and safety notes with Gavin Free
I Built a 27V Circuit to Fix This $3 Gadget (atomic14.com). Boosts a coin cell to 27V with a regulated Joule Thief to reset a bistable LCD in a cheap scribble pad, using a tiny PCB
Touchy Subject is Available (mikecoats.com). Touchy Subject breakout boards for AT42QT2120 12-key capacitive touch sensor, sponsored by PCBWay, now available on Lectronz store
Agon Light Joystick Interface (ncot.uk). Building and coding an Agon Light joystick interface with a PCB, GPIO handling, and frame-state logic in C/C++
An ESP32 based beaconDB Scanner Prototype (blog.matthewbrunelle.com). ESP32 beaconDB scanner prototype using Tiny Yeti Locator, BLE/WiFi scanning, SD card I/O, GPS timing, C++/Arduino, and a move toward Rust/Embassy
Assembling and Testing the SmartSpin2k On A Schwinn IC4 (blog.matthewbrunelle.com). Building and testing a SmartSpin2k on a Schwinn IC4 using 3D-printed parts, wiring, firmware updates, and Zwift integration
Pointers (in C) (pyjamabrah.com). Pointers in C explored with hands-on, visual mental models for embedded systems and kernel-level usage
🛠️ Shop Fabrication Projects
Stainless Infinity Cube (mitxela.com). Stainless Infinity Cube build: machining 304 stainless steel cubes, chamfers, hinges, DRO-guided milling, with tools like fly cutter, endmills, hacksaw, V-blocks, and TIG welding notes
E-book Bellows (mitxela.com). Conceptual E-book Bellows uses dual vacuum-like bellows with linear actuators to visualize reading progress on e-readers
Punched paper tape (revk.uk). Scalable RGB WS2812 LED panel inspired by ASR33 teletype using punched paper tape-like 0.1" spacing
Generator Air Filter Screw Knob (softsolder.com). Knobified generator air filter screw knob using OpenSCAD, 3D printing, and tape to ease maintenance
Guerilla Christmas Lights | Christmas 2025 Part 2 (thestockpot.net). Guerilla Christmas Lights with 12V RGB floodlights, WLED controller, and 3D-printed tree mounts for uplighting
Gettin’ the itch to chop (sandsoftwaresound.net). Tiny noise maker modding and MIDI hacking with PSS-A50, NSX-39, SAM, and CME H2MIDI Pro explored for add-on control via Launchkey 49 Mk4 or Keylab Essential 49
Adding a Second Toolhead to my Voron 2.4, Part II (fpaynter.com). Dual-toolhead Voron 2.4 setup with MISSChanger mod, soluble supports, and two-color printing on a 300x300 bed
🔧 FPGA & Low-level Debug
Debugging BeagleBoard USB boot with a sniffer: fixing omap_loader on modern PCs (downtowndougbrown.com). Booting BeagleBoard via USB with omap_loader; USB sniffer insights; delays, X-Loader, U-Boot, and Linux on TI OMAP via omap_loader and x-load.bin
How to reverse engineer USB HID on Linux (popovicu.com). Linux exposes raw USB HID data via /dev/hidraw and HID report descriptors to read UPS data without drivers
Interesting SPI Routing with iCE40 FPGAs (danielmangum.com). SPI routing tricks on iCE40 FPGAs using Fomu: swapping MOSI/MISO, using HOLD vs DP, and bootstrapping via external flash with GD25Q16; notes by Daniel Mangum and references to mithro, xobs, and VexRiscv
Updating Framework's QMK Firmware (medo64.com). Framework 16 BIOS prompts outdated keyboard firmware; author reworks QMK changes, reflashes, and uses EEPROM erasure to recover keyboard functionality
MicroZed Chronicles: Remote AXI Control via UART (adiuvoengineering.com). Remote AXI control via a UART interface on Spartan-7 Tile with CM5, UART-to-AXI protocol conversion, and LED PWM demo
Quickscope — A quick, but not dirty Integrated Logic Analyzer (blog.spade-lang.org). Frans Skarman outlines Quickscope, a fast Integrated Logic Analyzer in Spade/Ready/Valid Rust-like DSL, with RTL details and GitLab project links
📚 Academic Research
Efficient CNN Inference on Ultra-Low-Power MCUs via Saturation-Aware Convolution (arxiv:cs). Optimizes quantized CNNs on ultra-low-power MCUs by detecting and skipping saturated neuron computations, reducing inference time up to 24% with no accuracy loss—improves embedded ML
DropleX: Liquid sensing on tablet touchscreens (arxiv:cs). Enables microliter-scale liquid sensing on commodity tablet touchscreens without hardware changes by bypassing adaptive filters and applying signal-processing plus learning, detecting adulteration with high accuracy
Adjustable Low-Cost Highly Sensitive Microwave Oscillator Sensor for Liquid Level Detection (arxiv:cs). Presents a low-cost adjustable microwave oscillator sensor achieving sub-0.05 mm detection, high sensitivity and stability across liquids—ideal for DIY liquid-level, through-container sensing and hobbyist deployments
AnaFlow: Agentic LLM-based Workflow for Reasoning-Driven Explainable and Sample-Efficient Analog Circuit Sizing (arxiv:cs). Introduces AnaFlow, a multi-agent LLM workflow automating explainable, sample-efficient analog circuit sizing with adaptive simulations, accelerating exploration and providing interpretable guidance for hobbyists and designers