Electronics: 7th October 2025
🛠️ Maker culture and community
ZSA Navigator (rousette.org.uk). Review of the ZSA Navigator trackball module for the ZSA Voyager keyboard, including setup, configuration, and usability insights
Open Hardware Month 2025 (mikecoats.com). Open Hardware Month 2025 features a 12-hour OSHWA live stream, certification of Touchy Subject, and CircuitPython 10.0 on an OHSWA badge
TX Passed a "Right to Repair" Bill, sorta... (jetgirl.art). Texas HB 2963 requires repair parts, manuals, and tools for digital electronics sold in Texas, with notable exemptions
The Hot Setup (ofb.biz). Explores the hot setup culture of tinkering, from bicycles to Raspberry Pi 500+, and building/optimizing personal computing rigs
🐧 Raspberry Pi and homelab
More random home lab things I've recently learned (chollinger.com). Experiments with NVMe on Raspberry Pi 5, Proxmox ARM, ZFS PBS handling, kpartx, and self-hosted tools like mealie and Davis server
Intro to BirdNET-Pi: Eavesdropping on my feathered friends (and how you can, too!) (hannahilea.com). BirdNET-Pi setup guide and privacy-minded exploration of monitoring urban birds using Raspberry Pi, microhpone, and BirdNET ecosystem
Set up BirdNET-Pi on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (hannahilea.com). Step-by-step guide to installing BirdNET-Pi on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, including SSH setup, installer tweaks, and web configuration
Raspberry Pi vs used Thin Client (scruss.com). Comparing Raspberry Pi 5 and 4 with Dell Wyse 5070 thin clients for small server tasks and benchmarks
Squeezelite on an access point? Why not? (dbrand666.com). Using OpenWRT on Linksys MX4300 to run squeezelite via opkg and USB audio adapters
🎮 Retro and classic hardware
I turned the Lego Game Boy into a working Game Boy (blog.nataliethenerd.com). Lego Game Boy project reconstructs a working handheld using MGB CPU, RAM, decoupling, and power circuit with Lego bricks, laser-cut inserts, and 3D-printed parts
The 5-pin RS-232 Framework Expansion Card (medo64.com). Expands RS-232 with a 5-pin RTS/CTS-based board using MAX232 transceivers, discusses PCBWay fabrication and 3D-printed framework cases
Linked dipole project – VKFF National Get Together (vk5pas.org). Printing centre piece and wire winders for a linked dipole project for VKFF National Get Together, with SO239 connectors and collaboration with Ivan VK5HS
Testing the 1130 MRAM core memory replacement on the IBM 1130 system - part 4 (rescue1130.blogspot.com). MRAM core memory replacement testing on IBM 1130; current sinking issues, 74HC03 redesign, 74LCX38, 3.3V, PCB redo
Side project - MV864A restoration - reverse engineering challenge (rescue1130.blogspot.com). Reverse-engineering MV864A, comparing germanium transistor hardware to silicon-era manual schematics, with PCB tracing and LTSpice modeling
Eurorack Sequencer (polykit.rocks). 8-step Eurorack sequencer based on Arduino Nano with CV outputs, glide, CV-controlled length, clocking, and chainable expansion
🧑💻 Embedded dev techniques and tooling
PC cooler control with a $2 microcontroller, no development board (popovicu.com). Open-source tooling for AVR: building and flashing ATmega328p PWM fan controller without development boards using avr-gcc, objcopy, and avrdude
Tapestry - Nodes (blog.backslasher.net). Explains using EPDiy-based nodes to display images on multiple e-paper displays via HTTP server on each PCB
Contributing to the CircuitPython Community Bundle (mikecoats.com). Writing a CircuitPython driver for AT42QT2120, distributing via CircUp, and bundling with Adafruit and Community Bundles
Agon Light C Development (ncot.uk). Guides to writing C for Agon Light via Linux using CE Dev toolchain, AgDev patches, Makefiles, and the Agon emulator
ESP-IDF tutorial series: Object oriented programming in C (developer.espressif.com). ESP-IDF applies OOP in C via opaque pointers, handles, and object-like structs for HTTP servers and I2C/spi devices
Mini Listening Post (diyelectromusic.com). DIY explorations toward a miniature Listening Post: VFD 420 fonts, ST7789 displays, ESP32S3, Adafruit GFX, and scrolling ‘I AM’ visuals inspired by Hansen and Rubin
🏠 Home IoT and automation hacks
Jonathan McDowell: Local Voice Assistant Step 5: Remote Satellite (earth.li). Remote satellite setup for local voice assistant using wyoming-satellite with Home Assistant integration
Matter Door/Window Sensor and Google Home: Script for Announcing Door Open and Close Events (jamescherti.com). Using Matter sensors with Google Home to announce door open/close events via scripted automations
SplashFlag - Building an IoT Swimming Notification Device from Scratch (bertwagner.com). How to build SplashFlag: an ESP32-S3 Nano IoT swimming notification device with MQTT, OTA, captive portal, LCD, servo flag, and a web app
Smart Home, My Way (szymonkrajewski.pl). An open-source, vendor-free smart home layered over a standard house using Home Assistant, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi
Copilot Hacked my Furby (woodwardweb.com). Hacking a Furby Connect with PyFluff: porting bluefluff's BLE protocol to Python using Copilot for Raspberry Pi and Home Assistant integration
What is Meshtastic? (shawnhymel.com). Meshtastic turns LoRa radios into a mesh network for off-grid, encrypted text messaging with phone apps and various hardware options
🔧 Debugging, testing, and forensics
Name that Ware September 2025 (bunniestudios.com). The Ware for September 2025 showcases a CPU-less, ROM-based FSM-driven system with an analog chaotic board
Reviving a near-bricked Pinebook Pro (xahteiwi.eu). Revives a near-bricked Pinebook Pro via Maskrom recovery using rkdeveloptool, Tow-Boot SPI loader, and spinor binary on SPI
How a $20 Smart Device Gave Me Access to Your Home (bishopfox.com). IoT security research on YoLink hub; MQTT, MD5-based credentials, UART logs, and cross-account authorization flaws exposed
Tested: CE8301 Boost, XL2001 (HW-676) & XL1583 (HW-681 Clone) Buck 5V USB Power Modules (goughlui.com). Assesses CE8301 Boost, XL2001 HW-676 and XL1583 HW-681 clone buck modules for 5V USB power via efficiency, ripple, quiescent current, heat and reliability testing
MicroZed Chronicles: Boundary Scan (adiuvoengineering.com). Boundary Scan (IEEE 1149.1) used with JTAG TAP to test AMD/UltraScale+ devices, BSDL files, EXTEST, SAMPLE/PRELOAD, and Vivado-generated BSDL for multi-device boundary scan testing
stty: /dev/ttyACM0: Inappropriate ioctl for device (cobbaut.blogspot.com). stty on /dev/ttyACM0 reports Inappropriate ioctl for device using Raspberry Pi with cdc_acm module
🤖 Robotics and real-time control
rblhost: Exploring Rust’s Role in Embedded Development Tools (mcuoneclipse.com). Rust-based rblhost used for firmware updates in NXP LinkServer v25.09 with C/Python interfaces
Robotics Hackathon in Bimanual Manipulation in Munich (tinystruggles.com). Munich bimanual manipulation hackathon with 30+ Panda dual-arm robots, Nvidia/Hugging Face KIT mentoring, and industry challenges from BMW/Siemens
Externally verifying Linux deadline scheduling with reproducible embedded Rust (codethink.co.uk). External measurement using embedded Rust on a Raspberry Pi Pico to validate Linux SCHED_DEADLINE real-time performance for CTRL OS
New Tools for Robotics: RQT Frame Editor and the pitasc Framework (rosindustrial.org). RQT Frame Editor enables visual TF-frame management; pitasc offers a skill-based force-controlled robotics framework
👋 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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Thanks for reading and being part of this nerdy corner of the internet. All the best - Alastair.
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