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Electronics: 19th August 2025

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Published 19th August 2025

🔬 Hardware News & Analysis

Name that Ware, August 2025 (bunniestudios​.com). Nostalgic hardware board resembling masking-tape era layouts, hand-soldered components, BGAs and 0201s; commentary on UK101 and Ohio Scientific Superboard II; blog post by bunnie on August 2025

CNC corner joinery comparison (billiam​.org). CNC corner joinery tests compare butt, miter, stepped, rabbet, tongue housing, hammer and finger tenons, mortise variants, and box joints for glue surface, voids, and fabrication time using 1/4" and 1/8" endmills on flat-cut joints

ArmSoM Unveils CM1, a $15 Rockchip Compute Module for Industrial IoT (news​.itsfoss​.com). ArmSoM CM1 uses Rockchip RK3506J quad-core Cortex-A7, adds Cortex-M0, 256/512 MB DDR3L, NAND, microSD; CM1-IO carrier board enables USB, Ethernet, GPIO, wireless, audio for industrial IoT and HMI; modular, long-term production, $15 module, $28.50 with carrier

M8 Headless Cheat Sheet (disquiet​.com). Detailed guide to the M8 Tracker device, its physical layout, button mappings, software porting to Teensy 4.1, and user control methods involving muscle memory and keyboard substitutes

đź’» Embedded Programming & Development

Embedded bare-metal C with Bazel and AVR (popovicu​.com). Cross-compiling embedded C for AVR with Bazel: ATmega328p toolchains, mmcu, DF_CPU, UART setup, AVR-libc, _config/_toolchain definitions, and a UART print demo

Ricardo Cañuelo Navarro: First steps with Zephyr (II) (blogs​.igalia​.com). Zephyr-based Raspberry Pi Pico 2W firmware; native_sim emulation; multi-threading with main and processing threads; GPIO button handling; I2C communication; serial consoles; CMakeLists.txt configuration; Kconfig and prj.conf customization; device tree overlays; emulation for native_sim_64 and Pico2 targets

Embedded Go as a toolchain, Pi Pico 2, Nintendo 64 (embeddedgo​.github​.io). Embedded Go gains toolchain role with two-command install, new egtool, Pi Pico 2 support, N64 MIPS64 GOARCH, and ongoing Bare-metal Go projects and releases

Waveshare Zero Multi Display PCB Design (diyelectromusic​.com). Waveshare Zero module drives up to four displays in parallel on a single PCB; SCL, SDA, RES, DC shared; independent CSn pins up to eight; ESP32/RP2040 compatibility; includes MIDI IN/OUT and optional 5V regulator

Waveshare Zero Multi Display PCB – Expander Board (diyelectromusic​.com). Waveshare Zero Multi Display PCB expander enables up to eight ST7735 color SPI displays with an ESP32-S3, discusses 3.3V regulator load, power concerns, and build steps

🏠 Home Automation & IoT Systems

NFC reader and alarm/door entry system (revk​.uk). NFC reader using AES on DESFire cards, offline access with per-card keys, door/alarm integration, Abloy locks, mag locks, DIY PCBs, WAGO connectors, 3D-printed enclosures, off-line and internet-managed control, insurance considerations, monitoring and false-alarm handling

Connect your poi to your phone – instead of connecting the phone to the poi (circusscientist​.com). Connect your poi to your phone via hotspot or router mode; SmartPoi D1 mini supports AP, Router Mode, and Hotspot gateway IP for stable IoT control and ongoing internet access

Matter (taoofmac​.com). Matter standard for smart home devices using Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread; interoperability backed by Apple, Google, Amazon; early adoption challenges in compatibility, security, and UX; Matterbridge plugin manager concept introduced

I really like Home Assistant’s triggers and actions model for its flexibility (hamatti​.org). Home Assistant’s flexible triggers and actions enable complex device interactions, like controlling a home entertainment system with custom button presses and combining triggers for personalized automation

A lasting digital clock (vasilis​.nl). Manual clock design vs NTP: Raspberry Pi timekeeping, read-only mode constraints, NTP risks, manual adjustment, real-time clock (RTC) modules, battery dependency, offline reliability, and personal ritual of timekeeping

Freeboard with Dweet.cc (lucstechblog​.blogspot​.com). Dweet.cc replaces Dweet.io in Freeboard via JSON data sources; uses GET calls to lucstechblog and temperature, demonstrates gauge widget setup, testing, and dashboard creation

Thunder & Solar Monitoring (ben​.akrin​.com). Thunder sensor loss during near-strike, solar monitoring with voltage sensing shifts; Phidgets parts sourced from robotshop.com; battery and solar panel voltage sensors, emergency spares, and relayed concerns about EMP effects and geopolitical pathogens

🎵 Audio Electronics & DIY Projects

A 1970s DIY modular from Elektor Magazine just got reborn (cdm​.link). Erica Synths rebirth of Elektor Formant DIY modular from 1970s; Elektor Formant System DIY Kit; EDU mki x es.EDU DIY System; Harald Antes collaboration; LEDs, Baltic nights, Kontaktor Festival nostalgia, Elektor Magazine archive

RGB delete on a cheap(ish) keyboard (jg​.sn​.sg). Detailed DIY guide to disabling RGB LEDs on Yinren R108 keyboard via firmware modification using sinowealth-kb-tool, firmware patching, USB capacitance fix, and LED replacement techniques

Monthnotes August 2025 (blog​.duncangeere​.com). Monthnotes: back to work, The Sonification Machine using Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W and Raspberry Pi 5 with RNBO for ambient data sonification (earthquakes, air quality, ISS, solar wind), plus DIY housing, Love Hultén inspiration, Pixlar o Ljud meetup in Malmö, and a Loud Numbers-based EU law fugue installation

Figuring out the GEM Gemini amp circuit (ihatemornings​.com). Explores GEM Gemini organ amplifier circuits from the 1960s, focusing on transistor configurations, schematic discrepancies, pre-amp design, and the role of PNP transistors in audio amplification

Remembering Ted Fletcher (hammyhavoc​.com). Ted Fletcher’s legacy in audio: Alice, tfpro, Airsound; Neve console contrast; Alice 828 mixer; tfpro 503 modules; collaboration with Hammy Havoc; ikigai in high-end hardware

đź”§ ESP32 & Modern Microcontrollers

The ESP-Rainbow: Flatter than a Speccy (nicole​.express). ESP-Rainbow uses ESP32S3 with capacitive touch keyboard via 74HC4051 analog multiplexers; ZX Spectrum 48K/128K emulation, USB-C power, web-based file transfer, Manic Miner play, rewind feature, open-source hardware design

First exclusive feature for open ESP32 Wi-Fi stack: standards-compliant meshing (esp32-open-mac​.be). Standards-compliant 802.11s mesh via Ferris-on-Air in Rust, contrasting ESP-MESH/LITE limitations, 802.11s vs proprietary stacks, ESP32 reverse engineering, FoA mesh interface, TCP/IP capabilities

Installing CircuitPython on a Freenove ESP32-S3-WROOM CAM Board (mikecoats​.com). Step-by-step guide to installing CircuitPython on Freenove ESP32-S3-WROOM CAM: environment setup, ESPTool/CircUp/MPRemote usage, flash-id checks, 8MB PSRAM/flash detection, and flashing esptool write-flash with CP firmware

ESP32 – Getting Started with ESP-IDF (shawnhymel​.com). Comprehensive guide on setting up ESP-IDF with Docker for ESP32 development, covering hardware setup, environment installation, project creation, GPIO control, FreeRTOS integration, and flashing procedures

Rust on the LilyGo T-Deck (joshondesign​.com). Rust on ESP32-S3 LilyGo T-Deck with 320x240 display, trackball, keyboard; Embedded Rust setup, esp_hal 1.0 rc, embedded-graphics drawing, input devices, Wi-Fi scanning, HTTP, TLS, SD Card, CNN/NPR sites rendering

🖥️ Retro Computing & System Restoration

Ashet Home Computer (ashet​.computer). The Ashet Home Computer is a DIY, expandable, hackable 80's-inspired computer supporting graphical OS, designed for learning, with completed design and upcoming crowdfunding for manufacturing

Amiga redux (jmtd​.net). Matthew Garrett's Amiga CDTV Doom hack inspires PiStorm and Denise Mini-ITX mainboard explorations: Emu68 bare-metal m68k, RAM expansion, trapdoor RAM, RTC, and modern peripherals

Assembler, Stepper Motors, and a Hotel Pool (happihacking​.com). Assembler, 26kB of 16-bit 286 assembler, Stadshotellet animatronics, stepper motors, cassette soundtrack, 1990s hardware hacking, Haparanda, KGB 1917, Raspberry Pi, YAML choreography, motor drivers, bare-metal code, fintech back-ends, weekly deploys, audits, hospitality nostalgia

Designing relay replacement for IBM 1132 printer carriage control channel PCB (rescue1130​.blogspot​.com). Design of a relay replacement for IBM 1132 printer control involves replacing failed reed relays with modern SPDT reed relays, using a custom PCB, 48V coil considerations, and series dropping resistor

Final tweaks to the 1130 core memory replacement (MRAM) board (rescue1130​.blogspot​.com). MRAM-based 1130 memory replacement: final timing capacitor updates, 3.3V logic, 74HC03 substitution, testing with bench tool, wiring to 1130 power, shielding box considerations, Mu-Metal, conformal coating plan

⚡ Power Electronics & Hardware Design

Those cheap AliExpress 18650 Li-ion cell power bank enclosures suck, actually (ounapuu​.ee). Reusing ThinkPad 18650 cells in TOMO M4 power banks, testing 8/10/20-cell DIY enclosures from AliExpress, USB-C PD issues, battery mismatches, heat up to 50-70°C, fire hazards, and search for modern USB-C PD capable designs

USB-PD Is Pretty Cool (jakob​.space). USB-PD trigger module, 20V buck converter, resistive and PTC heating elements, LED dimmer, USB-C ammeter, silicone insulator, stainless steel dish, 74 Wh power bank, FreeCAD enclosure, 3D printing

Candle Flame Oscillations as a Clock (cpldcpu​.com). Explores candle flame oscillations at ~9.9Hz, using capacitance and photocurrent sensing with microcontrollers like CH32V003, for stable clock signals and electronic candle emulation

Laser Fault Injection on a Budget: DEFCON 33 Showcase (courk​.cc). Budget-friendly Laser Fault Injection Platform for RP2350; DEFCON 33 showcase; DIY rig; 20–30 Ohm VREG_PGND workaround; overvolting DVDD to 1.8V; TLV70311/18 LDO swap; GUI interface; GitHub source; 3D design files

🔍 Reverse Engineering & Hardware Analysis

Here be dragons: Preventing static damage, latchup, and metastability in the 386 (righto​.com). Reverse-engineering the Intel 386 I/O: ESD protection with diodes, pull-up polysilicon resistor, guard rings for latchup prevention, and metastability risks in clocked CMOS flip-flops

Reverse Engineering the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W (jeffgeerling​.com). Jeff Geerling describes reverse engineering efforts on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, including CT scanning, PCB disassembly, custom PCB replication, and chip pinout analysis for preservation

Hacking Toniebox (20y​.hu). Hacking Toniebox: reverse engineering firmware, replacing SD card, TeddyBench, IFixIt teardown, Linux to Windows workaround, RFID-enabled handcrafted figurines, 10-minute standby safety note, open-source community

PVI-xxx Inverter DSP Reveng (paulbanks​.org). DSP reveng of PVI-xxx inverter: MPPT and inverter DSPs, bootloader autobaud, 16-bit payloads, libasm, custom disassembler, Ghidra extension for TI C24x, f2407.h, UART/SPI programming, flash dump, bootloader quirks, ISP via RJ45, processor extension JSON output

ENC28J60 works! (pdp2011​.sytse​.net). ENC28J60 ethernet chip support added for PDP-11/DEUNA XU core; tackling 10Mbps quirks, timing, MAC/PHY registers, promiscuous mode workarounds, and FTP throughput ~180 KB/s

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:

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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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