Electronics: 30th September 2025
đ§© Raspberry Pi 500+ and SBC hardware
Testing the Raspberry Pi 500+'s new mechanical keyboard (jeffgeerlingâ.com). Explores the Raspberry Pi 500+'s mechanical keyboard with Gateron KS-33 Blue switches, RGB LEDs, keycap swapping, firmware, and sound/feel impressions
Full eGPU acceleration on the Pi 500+ with a 15-line patch (jeffgeerlingâ.com). Hacking eGPU acceleration on Raspberry Pi 500+ using M.2, OCuLink, and a 15-line amdgpu patch for AMD GPUs
ArmSoM AIM7 Review: RK3588 Meets Jetson Nano (bretâ.dk). ArmSoM AIM7 RK3588 module vs Jetson Nano; performance, power, storage, AI/NPU, IO, and Crowdsupply details
Building a tiny fully local AI agent desk toy (blogâ.simoneâ.computer). Tiny, fully local AI desk toy on Raspberry Pi 5 using Qwen3 1.7b for agentic tasks and Gemma3 1b for conversation with faster-whisper, Ollama, and structured output
đ Home automation, MQTT and wireless
CYD MQTT Touchscreen UI (xythobuzâ.de). CYD MQTT Touchscreen UI enables ESP32 CYD boards with MQTT-driven smart home control and OTA updates
Migrate homeassistant to RPI4 with an old RaZBerry (agileekâ.githubâ.io). Migrate Home Assistant to a Raspberry Pi 4 using an old RaZBerry: enabling UART, editing config.txt, and setting up 32-bit to 64-bit transition
KEEPTEEN D5 Solar Lora Dual Heltec v3 Experimentation (briankhuuâ.com). Dual Heltec v3 LoRa32 radios enable Meshtastic and Meshcore on a KEEPTEEN D5 Solar station, comparing power draw with dual T114 radios
SenseCAP T1000-E As An NTP Clock Source (blogâ.feldâ.me). Using SenseCAP T1000-E GPS/NMEA output as an NTP clock source via serial, with ntpd/chrony, and notes on reliability and firmware limits
Cutting Perfect Motorized Blinds (kyleâ.cascadeâ.family). DIY guide to cutting 19-inch SmartWings motorized blinds, trimming to fit 16-inch windows, and adding 433MHz wireless bridge for automation
đ§° Retro builds, enclosures and maker fabrication
Thoughts on Mechanical Keyboards and the ZSA Moonlander (masteringemacsâ.org). Discussion of the ZSA Moonlander mechanical keyboard, its features, firmware (QMK), customization, design flaws, and the author's experience
Homelab 10" mini-rack v2 (loganmarchioneâ.com). Building a 4U mini-rack using 20x20mm extruded aluminum rails (Misumi), shelves, patch panel, and hidden corner brackets with 3D models in Tinkercad
My A1200NG Amiga system build (epsilonsworldâ.com). Amiga 1200NG system build with a1200.net case, real floppy support, CF expansion, and a brand-new mechanical keyboard
Photo Finish! (thingswemakeâ.com). Homebrew Raspberry Pi photo booth for a wedding using Raspberry Pi 4B, Canon Rebel T3, gphoto2, USB, CUPS, Gutenprint, WiâFi, Cloudinary, and DIY enclosure
đ© Microcontrollers and electronics projects (ESP32/Arduino)
Working with a factory (ESP flasher board) (revkâ.uk). Factory ESP flasher board: ATE-inspired USB/6-pin RJ12 tester flashes ESP32/ESP8266, handles SD-card images, multiple manifests, and loopback self-test
High voltage coin cell (atomic14â.com). High-voltage Joule thief powers a bistable cholesteric LCD from a coin cell, delivering 27V using two 1mH inductors and a 27V Zener
Introducing Touchy Subject (mikecoatsâ.com). Qwiic/STEMMA QT-compatible AT42QT2120 12-key capacitive touch breakout board sponsored by PCBWay
Arduino SP0256A-AL2 Shield PCB Build Guide (diyelectromusicâ.com). DIY Arduino SP0256A-AL2 shield build notes covering oscillator choice, SI5351 clock, solder bridge, and testing tips
Arduino SP0256A-AL2 Shield Design (diyelectromusicâ.com). DIY Arduino shield for SP0256A-AL2 with optional SI5351 clock source and patchable RESET using solder jumpers
Pico audio 7: Build a Zwitscherbox (lucstechblogâ.blogspotâ.com). Build a Raspberry Pi Pico audio player Zwitscherbox with PIR motion sensor, SD card, WAV playback and MicroPython code
ESP32 â How to Use I2C with ESP-IDF (shawnhymelâ.com). ESP32 I2C with ESP-IDF: setup, TMP102 sensor readout, 100kHz bus, and QEMU emulation walkthrough
đ§Ż Teardowns, repair and hardware diagnostics
The Science Behind Scratchgate and What It Means for Repairing the iPhone 17 Pro (ifixitâ.com). Scratchgate analysis on iPhone 17 Pro: anodized aluminum, edge spalling, Mohs tests, vapor chamber, screwed-in battery, multiple screw types, and repairability score
Teardown: A&D Medical UA-651SL Blood Pressure Monitor (goughluiâ.com). Teardown of A&D UA-651SL blood pressure monitor, comparing to UA-651BLE, detailing internal layout, cuff, power, LCD, and data access limitations
Testing the 1130 MRAM core memory replacement on the IBM 1130 system - part 2 (rescue1130â.blogspotâ.com). Watching +StorageRead/Write signals, continuity checks, and pin selection for MRAM core memory in IBM 1130, detailing ALD cables and SLT board connections
J-Link Compact USB-C Issues (alvaropâ.com). J-Link Compact USB-C cable issues traced to CC pull-down resistors and eMarked cables affecting power negotiation
đ§¶ Firmware, RTOS and embedded Rust
QNX Resource Manager in Rust: Message Passing and Resource Managers (membarrierâ.wordpressâ.com). Overview of QNX resource managers, IPC (MsgSend/MsgReceive/MsgReply), channels, connections, and POSIX I/O integration
Getting Started with the SCU35 and Spartan Ultrascale+ (controlpathsâ.com). Step-by-step guide to bring up SCU35 Spartan UltraScale+ with Microblaze, I2C INA700 power monitors, Vivado/Vitis workflow, and hardware/software integration
Rust, PIO, and Racing: A Personal Project (acalustraâ.com). Rust, RP2350 PIO, and Ratatui drive a real-time WRC-style slot car dashboard with an RP2350-based datalogger and OrangePI
The New Firmware (medo64â.com). Firmware changes for AuxPower1U: PhotoMOS hardware choices, safety cutoffs, display timeout, and direct MCU output control for revised, compatible firmware
đ 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 â vote on new topics, features, topic curation ideas
- First dibs on merch (details still cooking)
- That warm fuzzy feeling knowing you're supporting something that saves you time and keeps you plugged into great tech writing
If you are getting value from blaze, checking this out would mean the world. And if you can't contribute, no worriesâthe 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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