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Electronics: 22nd July 2025

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Published 22nd July 2025

📡 Amateur Radio & Communications

Horus 64B: What does ALSA audio have to do with high altitude balloons??? (sprocketfox​.io). Experimenting with ALSA audio and Wenet for high altitude balloon communications, addressing challenges in RS232 framing and modulation testing

Building the CC1200 M17 Hotspot (rz01​.org). Build instructions for the CC1200 M17 Hotspot using a Raspberry Pi, covering sourcing components, soldering, firmware setup, and configuration

Installation Script for the M17 CC1200 Hotspot (rz01​.org). Bash script automates M17 CC1200 hotspot installation on Raspberry Pi, enabling users to operate in M17 digital voice mode with a basic dashboard

M17 Project CC1200 – Amateur Radio Update (hagensieker​.com). M17 Project faces challenges with software removal impacting CC1200 and amateur radio users; explores CC1200 hotspot setup and configurations

🏠 Home Automation & Smart Projects

Homelab Rebuild and UPS Upgrade (taoofmac​.com). Homelab reconfiguration due to a UPS upgrade, addressing power concerns, thermal management, and improved airflow for enhanced performance and efficiency

Complete evcc Setup Guide: Step-by-Step Installation and Configuration (markus-haack​.com). Step-by-step guide to install and configure evcc with SolarEdge inverter, Keba P30 charger, and Polestar, optimizing solar surplus charging

Homebrew Automated Roller Blackout Blinds (sifter​.org). DIY automated roller blackout blinds using aluminum poles, tricycle axel, DRV8833 breakout board, and adaptive dead reckoning for precise control

Home Assistant is Back (esgeroth​.org). Home Assistant installation revives projects using MQTT, ESPHome, and Z-Wave; exploring power needs for RGB LED strips and office automation

🖨️ 3D Printing & Creative Builds

Back from Shenzhen, China, where I’m manufacturing Poem/1 (interconnected​.org). Matt Webb shares experiences from Shenzhen, focusing on Poem/1 production, electronics hurdles, factory visits, and insights on manufacturing efficiency

Assembling a Retro Chip Tester Pro (celso​.io). Celso Martinho assembles a Retro Chip Tester Pro, testing various chips and ROMs while navigating the assembly process and community resources

Ender 3 and the power of 3D printing community (ciesie​.com). Exploring the Ender 3 upgrades, bed leveling solutions like Klack Ender, and the vibrant 3D printing community fostering innovation and open-source collaboration

The Amazing Hand: Open Source Robot Hand That Can Be 3D Printed for Less than $250 (roboticgizmos​.com). Build your own 8-degree DOF robotic hand at home using open-source designs and 3D printing for under $250 with compatible tools and materials

An ALU Implemented in K’nex (setsideb​.com). Shadowman39 creates an impressive Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) using K’nex, showcasing basic computer logic through mechanical construction

🎛️ Microcontrollers & Development Boards

Adding GPS and off-grid maps to my Meshtastic T-Deck (jeffgeerling​.com). Integrating GPS and offline maps into the Meshtastic T-Deck enhances its functionality for independent mesh networking without needing a smartphone

ESP H.264 Practical Usage Guide (developer​.espressif​.com). Espressif's esp_h264 component provides lightweight H.264 codec for ESP32 microcontrollers, enabling hardware acceleration and efficient video processing

Getting a Raspberry Pi 5 (fbrs​.io). Experience with Raspberry Pi 5 setup including temperature sensor, power via USB-C, booting from SD card, and installing Home Assistant

Arduino with Multiple Displays – Part 2 (diyelectromusic​.com). Explore Arduino projects using Waveshare Zero boards with RP2040, ESP32-C3, and ESP32-S3 for displaying data across multiple screens

Arduino with Multiple Displays (diyelectromusic​.com). Exploring Arduino with multiple SPI-based displays, including setup, initialization code, and suggestions for experimenting with more displays

Adafruit Feather: Megavoice key switching (sandsoftwaresound​.net). Initial key switching program for Yamaha MODX and Genos guitar Megavoices using AdaFruit Feather M4 Express and CircuitPython

Portable Forensics with Toby: A Raspberry Pi Toolkit (bakerstreetforensics​.com). Toby is a portable Raspberry Pi forensic toolkit for malware triage, offering tools like toby-find, modular connectivity, and a lightweight design for field analysis

🔨 Repair & Diagnostics

Repair: Mechanical Keyboard Chatter (ft. Gigabyte Aivia Osmium) (goughlui​.com). Troubleshooting and repairing mechanical keyboard chatter in Gigabyte Aivia Osmium with methods like alcohol cleaning, software filters, and switch replacement

MCLV20_Max / MCL86+ as a debug tool (microcorelabs​.wordpress​.com). IBM 5150 motherboard debugging using MCLV20_Max/MCL86+, diagnosing DRAM issues, and utilizing simple C code for diagnostics

Running IBM disk diagnostic 309 against the Virtual 2315 Cartridge Facility - part 9 (rescue1130​.blogspot​.com). Troubleshooting +6V regulator issues on IBM 1130; diagnostic seeks reveal potential controller defects or program errors in Virtual 2315 Cartridge Facility

Diagnosing a servo fault (philsworkbench​.blogspot​.com). Phil troubleshoots a servo fault on his railway model after oil fire damage, replacing the damaged servo to restore functionality

đź”§ Hardware Hacking & Reverse Engineering

Pimping my Casio: Part Deux (blog​.jgc​.org). John Graham-Cumming upgrades a Casio F-91W using Oddly Specific Objects' Sensor Watch Pro with custom firmware and a new LCD display

Using my Kindle PW3 as a Dashboard for Home Assistant (blog​.4dcu​.be). Repurpose a jailbroken Kindle PW3 for Home Assistant dashboard using Python, KUAL, API configuration, and real-time data retrieval

Reverse Engineering the Miele Diagnostic Interface (medusalix​.github​.io). Reverse engineering Miele's diagnostic interface, pressure sensor calibration, MDU software utility, communication hardware, and open-source adaptation for washing machines

As good as a rest (jasper​.tandy​.is). Explores keyboard customization with Vial, creating Apple Wallet business cards, and the challenges of certificate signing involved in development

Wii U SDBoot1 Exploit “paid the beak” (consolebytes​.com). Wii U SDBoot1 exploit 'paid the beak' enables code execution at boot; involves NAND flash recovery and the UNSTBL_PWR jig using a Raspberry Pi Pico

⚡ Power Systems & Electronics

Finally deshrouding my 3070 graphics card (rubenerd​.com). Ruben Schade enhances his Zotac Twin Edge 3070 OC graphics card by deshrouding, replacing fans, and improving thermal performance and noise levels

The Voltage Blaster, PicoPSU, and PicoRC (rubenerd​.com). Explore modern power supply solutions like PicoPSU and Voltage Blaster for retrocomputers, ensuring efficient performance and compatibility with older hardware

Worlds smallest USB-C Li-Ion charger (atomic14​.com). Exploring the world's smallest USB-C Li-Ion charger with a focus on reverse engineering and thermal performance characteristics

Back 2 Basics - NMOS Switch (mikecoats​.com). Explore NMOS switches for controlling high-voltage loads with microcontrollers, including circuit designs and practical applications

A Homemade Spot Welder/ What’s going on? Blog #5 (hacklab​.to). Anton and Joshua build a homemade spot welder using microwave oven transformers, enabling Hacklab members to repair battery packs and join sheet metal

📚 Academic Research

Double Duty: FPGA Architecture to Enable Concurrent LUT and Adder Chain Usage (arxiv:cs). Proposed Double Duty FPGA architecture enhances arithmetic density by enabling concurrent LUT and adder chain usage, achieving 21.6% area reduction in adder-intensive circuits

đź‘‹ Before you go

I've got a big favor to ask - keeping Blaze running isn't expensive, but it does all add up, so I'm asking readers like you to help, if you can.
That's why I'm launching a Patreon page!. Nothing flashy, just a way for folks who find value in these newsletters to chip in a little each month. In return, you'll get:

  • Real say in how Blaze evolves — vote on new topics, features, topic curation ideas
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If you are getting value from blaze, checking this out would mean the world. And if you can't contribute, no worries—the newsletters keep coming either way, and you can follow along on patreon for free.
Thanks for reading and being part of this nerdy corner of the internet. All the best - Alastair.

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