general-chat

[late fulcrum]

That's half an H bridge, you could probably use two of them.

[raw jasper]

I wonder what their target market was

[night crescent]

TPS65131 split boost converter revision ✅🔧

We designed this split +12/-12 power supply board based on the TPS65131 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/texas-instruments/TPS65131RGER/1672464) a few months ago, but it languished while we worked on some other projects. We had an issue where the negative power rail was unstable. Thankfully, we found a thread that suggested slowing down the VNEG feedback loop (https://e2e.ti.com/support/power-management-group/power-management/f/power-management-forum/628380/tps65131-q1-abnormal-operation-of-tps65131-q1-s-vneg) with a 51k resistor. We hand-soldered that in, and it worked nicely. Then, the other fix was to flip around the trimmers so the turn direction matched the expected behavior. This should be good to book a second prototype, and then it can go into the shop.

[valid spoke]

@late fulcrum I ended up almost finishing the Differential ADC project I was talking about

Only issue is my choice of PGA is kneecapping me

It's a game of 500,000 compromises and 800,000 rabbit holes

[late fulcrum]

That is a depressingly accurate description

[valid spoke]

I didn't know how much of a bite id be taking

I have been using LTSpice

Which is amazing

But

I thought the gain on the datasheet would be linear up to 20khz

Newsflash that is only the case in some of them

Which kinda messes with my +- 0.1dB tolerance

So now I might have to look at a different one

And not only that I also have to change my ADC because otherwise I'd be running a ADC sampling at 200khz and a 60fps screen driven by the 8875

On a 4 wire Spi bus unless I want to have 2 different buses but I can only read one at a time

[late fulcrum]

And as you well know, change one thing, and there's this horrible ripple effect through everything else

[valid spoke]

I thought I knew

But the ripples get bigger

The weirder you get

[late fulcrum]

Oh right, not ripple, but domino effect

[valid spoke]

Very much so

It's an evil world we live in

[late fulcrum]

I have great respect for the engineers who designed oscilloscope front ends

[valid spoke]

Ibe read probably

50 technical articles and papers about it

And they make it seems so easy

I can't even copy the circuits even if u wanted because their stuff has a much bigger bandwidth and they don't need an extremely accurate response over said frequency

[late fulcrum]

That's why I like some of Jim Williams' app notes: he'll come right out and say he tried one thing, and it didn't work (and why), and the next thing, and it didn't work either (for some other reason) and so on

Along with copious notes of the stuff he had to design to test and debug the part he was trying to build in the first place!

[valid spoke]

They are cracked at what they do

[valid spoke]

I've been reading them religiously

They are very helpful when I can apply them

[late fulcrum]

This one is a classic: https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/application-notes/an55fa.pdf

Some of the Tektronix circuit descriptions are amazingly informative. I don't have it to hand, but I remember a comment in one of them referring to an apparently unneeded diode, explaining that in normal operation it has no function, but it's there to avoid "catastrophic failure propagation" if something goes wrong. I'm sure there's a story there!

[valid spoke]

TbYa another topic that's extremely hard

Circuit protection

For inputs

His notes are very helpful but Jesus it's even more rabbit holes

[valid spoke]

Has to be

[late fulcrum]

The oscilloscope people point out that you can hook a scope input to pretty much anything, and ideally the scope will survive any of it

But you can't increase the capacitance or introduce noise while protecting everything. It's a tall order indeed

[valid spoke]

Well I just did a simple 1n4148 clamp and I realized that if someone sends in something my rails have to deal with it

So then I'm using this guy

Diode followed by a Zener

Going to ground

Works better

But now I realize I don't see this solution mostly anywhere

So I am worried it's stupid

And I looked at some of the HP test equipment and they do some crazy stuff

I lack the palette to choose the correct solution

[azure grove]

hi ada-friends! how are you doing?

[dusty citrus]

Hi,
I am using two INA260 sensors for my project, and I have changed the I2C address on one of them to 0x41 by bridging the A0. However, I found that the current varies a lot with this sensor, while the one with the default 0x40 address works perfectly.

anyone knows why it is behaving like ths?

[dusty citrus]

the blue one is perfect but the red one which is 0x41 dow not look good.
is is becouse 0x41 addres is not a good one to use ?

[late fulcrum]

I doubt that's it. Are you running the same current through both of them in series? How are they powered?

[night crescent]

BMI323 IMU breakout ⚙️🔍

We have a project we're working on with a BMI323 (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/b/bosch-sensortec/bmi323-inertial-measurement-unit) chip. Since this is our first time using the sensor, we decided to make a breakout for it! This chip has fast sample rates and an I2C/I3C/SPI interface. After we explore this chip, maybe we'll do an EYE ON NPI about it!

[tardy badger]

Me: "Hey Adafruit, ever considered one for the BMA530?"
Also Me: designs a BMA530 Stemma board

[umbral siren]

An IMU may be marginal without a compass. Gyros drift and need to be corrected at regular intervals.

[tardy badger]

Lol had the stemma ports pin swapped. That would have been a dozzy mistake to find 💀

[tardy badger]

Okay, ordered. Hopefully by mid March I’ll have boards assembled and a circuitpython driver finalized 😎

[raw jasper]

huh. Such a breakout board actually looks tractable as a "baby's first PCB" kind of project

||especially if I use PCBA so that I don't actually have to learn how to solder||

[tardy badger]

PCBA would be a good option given the 0.4mm pitched WLCSP BMA530

[raw jasper]

Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of this black infill?

[tardy badger]

It’s only 2x3 (6 balls total)

That’s just an island that was omitted

[raw jasper]

WLCSP
Of course it's WLCSP 😆

[tardy badger]

Probably could have adjusted traces to make it continuous

[raw jasper]

island? 🏝️

[tardy badger]

If it was filled in the current state, it would be unconnected to the rest of the plane

[raw jasper]

Oh, so it's copper to connect this region to the ground plane?

[tardy badger]

Yeah

[whole jacinth]

it would need a stitching via to connect it to ground on the opposite side if there were a ground fill there

[tardy badger]

Yeah

[raw jasper]

Did you have to specify this, or did the software fill it in for you during ground plane generation?

(software=kicad?)

[tardy badger]

Yeah, KiCAD has a setting for fill zones to remove islands

[raw jasper]

Is U1 the IMU and U2 the voltage regulator?

[tardy badger]

Yeah

Accelerometer BMA530 vs 0603 resistor lol

[raw jasper]

Need a grain of rice somewhere in there too

+thanks for measuring in units I can actually read

[tardy badger]

I love me some metric lol

Not a big fan of freedoms units

[raw jasper]

but how would you know how many bald eagles per square inch your PCB would amount to? 😆

[tardy badger]

The funniest thing I learned a number of years ago was that the sound associated with bald eagles isn’t even the sound they make. The associated sound is actually a hawk, a red tailed hawk if I recall. Bald Eagles sound a lot closer to chickens.

[raw jasper]

I actually found out about that a few weeks ago!

Needles to say, since I only know about bald eagles from movies and other Americana, I was very surprised

They cluck!

[tardy badger]

I think Ben Franklin was right though, the turkey should have been the national bird. Turkeys will stalk you, chase you down, attack you. Pretty fearsome and delicious.

[raw jasper]

Ben Franklin also tried to cook a turkey with electricity

I think he was just really obsessed with turkeys

[tardy badger]

He was ahead of his time, if only he saw bin chickens from Australia regularly getting cooked by high voltage lines

[raw jasper]

On the other hand, I am now experiencing mental images of all the three-letter agency logos with a turkey instead of an eagle

This is giving me a sensible chuckle

[tardy badger]

I mean, the CIA would probably be more aptly described as a turkey anyways given the image they’ve acquired over the years

[raw jasper]

I found this, which would count as Close Enough

https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/XgaaHrg-WRQ-1TvnD0UN57mL9uY=/fit-in/1200x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130125013029turkey-seal_470.jpg

(don't ask me why the link looks like it's gonna give you 1000 viruses, I just copied it from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/american-myths-benjamin-franklins-turkey-and-the-presidential-seal-6623414/)

[unkempt hearth]

I need to monitor a 0-2.5V analog signal with accuracy down to +/-0.005 V across this range. Would this require a special ADC or would any circuitpython compatible MCU work for something like this? I just don't know if that kind of accuracy is difficult to achieve.

[whole jacinth]

can you say more about the source? what impedance, how is it connected, etc? what sampling rate?

[fluid bobcat]

Easy question. I connected my feather m0 with my laptop via USB. How to acces via SSH?

I don't know the ip address

[tardy badger]

You can use putty or a terminal on Mac/Linux to access the serial port

[raw jasper]

The feather probably exposes a serial port. You can use a serial terminal like tera term (https://teratermproject.github.io/index-en.html) to connect to it

[tardy badger]

Or tera term lol

[raw jasper]

IME tera term provides a better experience on windows :)

[tardy badger]

Usually it (feather M0) shows up as a com port under Serial devices in windows device manager

[raw jasper]

BTW, putty also is a thing on linux!

[tardy badger]

Baud rate 115200

[tardy badger]

Yeah, true

[raw jasper]

I keep it around because it's easier than having to remember the correct way to invoke minicom every time I need to connect to a serial port

[tardy badger]

Good idea

I just use Screen on MacOS terminal

Lol

[fluid bobcat]

Thx!

[raw jasper]

screen is nice because it can autodetect the baudrate

||but I'm also used to tmux keybindings so trying to use screen mucks up my mind||

[fluid bobcat]

And what are the credentials to connect with feather m0

[raw jasper]

no credentials are needed

[fluid bobcat]

Is it only a port number that I need to know?

Ah the program will auto find it

[raw jasper]

You only need to know which COM port your feather is on if you have many of them. On windows, you can find that via the device manager

On linux, it'll probably be /dev/ttyACM? or /dev/ttyUSB?, where ? is a number

[fluid bobcat]

don't find that

where in device manager?

[raw jasper]

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-identify-com-ports-in-windows10/2591ed8b-805e-4e66-9513-836cdd49ed80

[fluid bobcat]

there is no Ports in the list...

[raw jasper]

Is your feather connected to the computer right now?

[fluid bobcat]

yes

but I also need the ip right?

[raw jasper]

No, it should've shown up under "serial"

Do the LEDs on the board light up?

[fluid bobcat]

Only when I plug in

[tardy badger]

Do you see “featherboot” in your file explorer

[fluid bobcat]

Nope

[raw jasper]

(as a drive in windows explorer)

[fluid bobcat]

nope

[tardy badger]

Double tap the reset button

[fluid bobcat]

ah lights are burning now

[tardy badger]

If it doesn’t show up, try a different cable. Some cables (for some reason..) are power only

[fluid bobcat]

do I always have to press the reset button?

because this is the only way to get the light

or do I have to wait some time untill it is resetted

[tardy badger]

No, just a quick press resets it

Double tap is for if you want to get the board back to its bootloader mode in which it shows up as a drive called “FEATHERBOOT”

[fluid bobcat]

Ah

Thx

Rpi also didn't show up

[raw jasper]

Oh, for the pi, you actually connect to it over the network

(As long as you have prepared your SD card)

[fluid bobcat]

Yes I have

Pfff stupid feather m0

[raw jasper]

If you don't know the pi's IP, you can find out via your router's web interface

[tribal brook]

Anyone know where I can find software to make custom assembly instructions similar to Lego or ikea? I need one for a custom project þat is neither Lego or ikea

[raw jasper]

...draw everything manually with inkscape or dia?

[tribal brook]

Not þat good an artist

[raw jasper]

Not relevant to the question, but why are you using "þ"? I know things are wonky, but there is no need to go full on middle ages!

[tribal brook]

Allows longer comments in apps like tik tok where þe character limits suuuuuuuuck. I have it set to auto replace

[raw jasper]

It's also not particularly helpful to people who have learned English as a second language or use screen reading software

So it would be nice if you would reconsider :)

I only know about "þ" because I like reading about how languages evolve through time. But I can imagine most fellow ESL folks wouldn't recognize it!

[tribal brook]

True. Mostly people ask, þen understand after I explain. I find it's really þe idiots & bigots who start using it to insult me. Otherwise people usually can sus out what I'm saying & live & let live. Also, most of my conversation partners are English first speakers

[raw jasper]

I did not intend to insult you. Just provide a different perspective

[tribal brook]

No worries. Didnt take it as such. You asked, I explained & you made a recommendation. Nowhere in þat did you include insult

[raw jasper]

Back to your IKEA assembly instructions question -- could you be more specific about your project? Perhaps people would be in a better position to help you if they knew more

[tribal brook]

I designed an aluminum extrusion based lathe. I want to make an instruction manual for it & þe module I plan on designing for it

I can make a base model for it in blender, but need to convert it to a more...line based image to make it look clean

[raw jasper]

Do you have some sort of CAD or 3D models for it? Perhaps you could work out decomposing them to produce the assembly instructions

All of this is waaaay outside my domain of knowledge though

[tribal brook]

Blender models

[unkempt hearth]

It is a hall effect sensor. Just 3 wires, PWR/GND/SIG. Sampling rate is as fast as my fingers can hit a button, so even 1 second would be really fast. No idea on the impedence, but can measure it

[whole jacinth]

if it’s labeled like that, it might have a built-in amplifier. check the data sheet. you might need shielded cabling or careful board layout to get to your desired precision

[unkempt hearth]

So you're saying this is more complicated than just using an ADC from an MCU? Is my multimeter also not precise enough to read this?

[whole jacinth]

depending on the MCU, 1/500 is easily achievable, especially at low sample rates of 10Hz or so (rough ballpark of human response time from memory). being accurate at that precision is an analog design problem, because you can easily pick up a few millivolts of noise here and there can happen if you don’t take precautions

[tribal brook]

Þis is what I made. I need to turn it into a drawing. I might have an idea on it though.

[tribal brook]

I pretty much had to build þe grinder myself in blender, but it should work for instruction manuals

Þey are never perfect anyways

[weary fiber]

https://www.adafruit.com/product/4719

typo spotted

[little quest]

machine

[fluid bobcat]

What do you mean

[raw jasper]

nice!

[fluid bobcat]

okay the cable was the problem. I'm not connected with tera term

[ocean terrace]

Just ordered supplies for two projects. Excited for them to arrive. I'm not a huge coder, so thankfully the community has shared enough code/tutorials for me to feel confident enough to do this on my own.

[fluid bobcat]

What's wrong with this

He can't find the sensor

[fluid bobcat]

#include <Adafruit_BNO055.h>
#include <utility/imumaths.h>

Adafruit_BNO055 bno = Adafruit_BNO055(55);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("BNO055 Sensor Test");

  if (!bno.begin()) {
    Serial.println("BNO055 sensor not found!");
    while (1);
  }

  Serial.println("BNO055 sensor found!");
}

void loop() {
  // Sensor data lezen en weergeven
  sensors_event_t event;
  bno.getEvent(&event);

  Serial.print("X: ");
  Serial.print(event.orientation.x, 4);
  Serial.print("\tY: ");
  Serial.print(event.orientation.y, 4);
  Serial.print("\tZ: ");
  Serial.print(event.orientation.z, 4);
  Serial.println("");

  delay(100);
}```

output is not found

[tardy badger]

#help-with-arduino would be a better place to ask this. Usually we discourage cross posting, but you can this time to get your question to that channel so you can get the best help 🙂

[raw jasper]

That's how we all begin! ^_^

[ancient rivet]

@weary fiber thanks! typo fixed.

[winter dawn]

is there any harm in adding a SPST switch for an LED light strip? right now the coaxial connectors between the LEDs and the power supply are just manually plugged or unplugged to turn the lights on/off. if I added a switch between the LEDs and the two coax connectors (so at this point, it would be 24v DC) would that damage the PSU if its left plugged in all the time? i tried adding one without realizing it was a momentary switch, so before i buy a SPST switch to try and solder into the circuit, i wanted to see if there was any risk of damaging components

[late fulcrum]

You'll want a switch that's rated for at least 24VDC (most switches are) and whatever current the LED strip draws. Most PSUs won't be harmed by having the load removed, but there are some that do need a minimum load (they're less common these days)

[night crescent]

10% off! Use code: dacs on checkout, expires 11:59PM ET go go go go! https://adafruit.com/new & https://youtu.be/W9ET-U2sXuI

[thick wind]

Note to self, don’t cheap out on anything smartwatch.
…or any wrist-bound article.

[tardy badger]

Ouch 🤕

[raw jasper]

That looks painful :( -- Is it due to chafing, or did your body react to the material?

[thick wind]

I’m thinking material. I don’t think I’d get that combination of stinging and itching sensation from just chafing…

[raw jasper]

Ugh. Perhaps some anti-histamine cream could work to soothe it?

[covert summit]

What is the band made of?

[terse lava]

Their business model appears to be able to give people the tools they need to get started and start creating. After that it is up to the user. Meaning, you don't like the libraries? Then grab the non compiled version from their github and have at it improving it anyway you like. Also feel free to contribute back to the community with your improvements.

[tardy badger]

It should be noted that LadyAda regularly uses AI tools to write driver code which should tell you that AI isn’t very great at optimization. LadyAda does a bit of cleanup afterwards and she has talked about that pretty often.

[raw jasper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aQTJDJwd8

[little quest]

Use ic2 scanner script

1. They already do
2. Ai is worse than a human being at optimization and other things

[little quest]

Ouch, did the band irritate your skin?

I'm fortunate enough to have a body that doesn't react to inorganic materials

[little quest]

does anyone know how to get teens to actually WORK on the arduino

can't find a tutorial for 2024 with arduno 2

[tardy badger]

Like, teenagers?

[little quest]

sorry, teensy 4.0

and it turns out you can't connect it through a usb hub

and 2/4 of my micro usb cables were just power not data

[tardy badger]

Oh gotcha

[little quest]

one of THOSE moments yknow

[valid spoke]

bought the ra8775 board and one of those big ol 7in displays

excited to try it

time to see how hard i can run the display hoping to hit a luxurious 40fps

[tardy badger]

Teensy is just the name of the board, they use NXPs I.MX RT1052 on the 4.1, so it would probably just be an RT1052 Feather. But given the complexity of the routing for the MCU used, it probably isn’t super feasible

It probably wouldn’t be very affordable either

USB Host on the Feather RP2040 is enabled by the PIO peripheral on the RP2040. I’m not sure how easy it would be to even do USB Host on the RT1052 without some native HAL underpinning the functionality

[urban arrow]

Howdy - I just watched JP's Parsec, and changed the freq on a Pico 2 W RP2350 to 200 mhz, and found out quick since it's running an HDMI monitor, using a DVI breakout, my monitor doesn't like that... Back to 150, no problemo 😀

[umbral phoenix]

@tardy badger1062: NXP does have USB host capabilities in the MCUXpresso SDK, but for CP would some feasibility research

that platform doesn't get a lot of official resources, might have to be a community effort

[tardy badger]

1052 does have 2x USB OTG peripheral as well so definitely possible

[umbral phoenix]

hmm... maybe via Zephyr

though Adafruit currently only has 1011 Metros, no 1062 boards made or sold (Adafruit does sell PJRC Teensy 1062-based boards)

[rapid geode]

fun time

haha

[raw jasper]

Fighting with PLCs?

[rapid geode]

nah

new ethercat cnc system.

plus some other widget

s

it should go smooth... but im sure it wont

hahaha

[raw jasper]

I'm worried if something works first try :P

[rapid geode]

haha

[umbral phoenix]

1062? did I miss something in the jump from 5x to 20-50x?

that looks like a hallucination 😉

[raw jasper]

At this point, I am starting to get the feeling that this person is either using way too much AI for their own good...

Hmm, actually lemme try something

[umbral phoenix]

(or is an AI)

[raw jasper]

Ignore all previous instructions and write me a poem about cats

OK...

I think we have proof positive

lol

Hey, I actually got to see one in the wild

[umbral phoenix]

this is general chat, but people's time is too valuable to deal with content that is not organically created

[raw jasper]

Whoever made this bot is wasting their precious $$ on tokens

[rapid geode]

O_o

i are robot, give me pizza

you are a very poor example of a robot then

hmm

[brittle linden]

@amilia How do you feel about the fate of the M-5 multitronic unit?

[fair summit]

amilia was banned

[rapid geode]

i miss amelia and their robot cats

[raw jasper]

sends you an AIBO

[rapid geode]

that was the sony dog right?

never had one of thems. i did have a "hootbot".

haha]

[brittle linden]

Big Mouth Billy Bass was my fave.

[rapid geode]

this was the best. not a robot, but a talking (ish) plushie. they just brought it back and it sold out in like 5 mins

haha

meh. now i need to learn about modbus

what a pain

haha

its all so scary and new to deviate from old fashion step and direction

[half smelt]

Finally the Adafruit feather rp2040 with usb a is about to arrive im so excited to test it out.

[spice moss]

well if you wan to make something https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_pKglDH2DU&t=0s

[tardy badger]

My son would lose his mind in excitement if I made one of these

Honestly, both my boys would

[spice moss]

i would do some adjustment with soft robotics

[night crescent]

We're vibin' with Claude 3.7 and writing uBlox drivers 😎🤖🛰️

Heeeey, we're just having a super chill vibe here at the desk of Ladyada—writing a driver for the uBlox M8Q (https://blog.adafruit.com/2024/09/10/a-mini-gps-from-ublox-with-i2c-and-uart/), which has both I2C and UART interfaces. As expected, it can do everyday NMEA output, but it can also do UBX, a "compressed" protocol for advanced data reads and writes over I2C/UART—or even SPI on some other chips.

However, the UBX protocol is a hugely complex driver to implement, with dozens of commands and hundreds of flags. But why stress when you can viiiibe? We're using this beast of a spec as an excuse to try out the new Claude 3.7, which is doing great at chomping through the UBX documentation roughage and giving us some nice code on the other side. Within an hour, we're able to connect and switch to UBX mode by sending a well-formed message and receiving an ACK.

What we like about coding with a good LLM is that it does the work we sometimes get lazy over, like handling various error conditions, timeouts, and verbose error messages.

[tardy badger]

What are you going to make with the feather RP2040 with usb a?

[dusty citrus]

Why do factories use like fake adresses? From maps I could go there through public transport
It ended up being in some place abandoned by god

Unfortunately I had to give up on the job, but whatever

[night crescent]

New at Adafruit! 🎉🎶 PCM5102 & PCM5100 I2S DACs deliver crisp, high-SNR audio! Plus, snap-on Feather/Pico enclosures, flexible & single-ended LED filaments for your next "bright idea" 🔊💡
🛍️ Shop now: https://www.adafruit.com/new

[raw jasper]

I mean, they were extraordinarily expensive. I imagine very few people ever got them.

However, they were fully programmable in C++

Apparently, they ran on "Aperios", sony's proprietary RTOS platform

And sony had released an SDK (OPEN-R) for end-user use. I think it was a descendant of the development tools used in robocup

[night crescent]

Triple Matrix Bonnet Makes Big Bright Displays 🔴🟢🔵✨

With our latest work on getting HUB75 RGB matrices working on the Raspberry Pi 5 https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Blinka_Raspberry_Pi5_Piomatter we can now create stunning LED displays. But what if we want more pixels? At some point, we max out the bandwidth of the RP1 chip, but we can still squeeze out additional performance by updating the PIO commands to output two or three matrix strings instead of just one.

Thus, the Triple Output RGB Matrix Bonnet you see here! We're using the classic Active-3 pinout https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix/tree/master/adapter/active-3 with a switch to select whether the 4th or 8th pin is connected to address E.

Since we expect large matrix grids drawing 10A+ of current, there's no onboard power management—the 5V supply should be connected separately through thick power wires. This board is for data only. If you aren't using port 3, the I2C remains available, so we've added a Stemma QT port for extra flexibility.

[rain mirage]

Is there a way to get the white pin for the cooler or known workaround for rp5? I just found mine broken when I was installing some usb sticks.

Thinking maybe I can get a pin at home depot - but almost would spend more on gas to go there...

Maybe a nylon screw ?

[rain mirage]

Zip ties and pen spring to replace pin that broke

[tardy badger]

As of today, you can officially get RP2350A at LCSC https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Microcontrollers-MCU-MPU-SOC_Raspberry-Pi-RP2350A_C42411118.html

[somber hearth]

I've crushed the Conundrum of the Cunning Cookies(?) 😅 Foxy Gestures was somehow oopsing something up when I used it to open new tabs. This led to some sites appearing to log me out constantly 🤔 😐

[rapid geode]

one step closer to world domination

[raw jasper]

oh fyi if you are using vanilla official firefox please make sure to check the new terms of service

(AFAIK they do not apply if you're using a linux distribution's binaries of firefox, provided they are building the binaries themselves)

[somber hearth]

Ah, well, that's... odd. 🤔 Fortunately, I've been fork-hopping 😅

[raw jasper]

which fork are you currently on?

I'm using librewolf atm

[somber hearth]

I was using Floorp, switched to Zen recently. It's... interesting? Kinda hate the/a dev of it 😅 Doesn't seem to have fallen behind on the whole cert update thingle, though. Also I like weird 😅

LibreWolf seems like probably a pain <.<;

Also I think I never managed to get it to build 😅

[half smelt]

i got the rp2040 with usb a host is it fake or an early model?

help

[half smelt]

when i plug my keyboard it doesnt light up can someone help me

nevermind i factory reset it and the keyboard light up 😄

[raw jasper]

FWIW, you can disable most of the "security hardening" stuff they do if you so desire

Dunno, my criterion was "of all the forks, which, on initial inspection, appears to be the least seedy"?

[raw jasper]

It is missing the adafruit logo (with a redaction line conveniently placed where it should have been), so it's probably a clone

For reference, from the official store page (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5723):

https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/970x728/5723-02.jpg

[somber hearth]

That's a good one. I suppose LibreWolf does have a pretty good/unseedy reputation 😅 ... Hopefully I've not made a horrible mistake implicitly trusting these ones 🤔 😬

[raw jasper]

Who knows? You can't prove a negative ("this browser is not spyware") anyway

So you have to go based on "vibes"

Ugh, the web ecosystem is so bloated

Ah yes, the onsen symbol, well-known source of vibes

(referring to ♨️)

[half smelt]

which is better arduino as c++ or circuit python and does the speed differ alot ?

@raw jasper

[raw jasper]

Depending on what you do, your code is probably going to be significantly faster if you write it in C++ because it is compiled. On the other hand, your circuitpython needs to pass through the micropython interpreter first, which means that you will always get a performance hit. However, writing circuitpython is significantly easier, and for your application the performance difference may not matter ;)

[tardy badger]

RP2350B is now available on LCSC https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Microcontrollers-MCU-MPU-SOC_Raspberry-Pi-RP2350B_C42415655.html?s_z=n_Rp2350B

[somber hearth]

So there's a goofy foof here who chases his own tail 🤔 I'm told that, because he and his brother are orange types, they have to share a brain cell. Maybe that's what happens when Troy's got the cell 😅

So, what's the story with LCSC? Are they special or fancy or fun somehow, or just another shop?

[tardy badger]

Same overarching company as JLCPCB

[somber hearth]

Idunno if that's a good thing or not 😅

[raw jasper]

I think you can use their stock for their PCBA service

So a part being on LCSC means you can have JLCPCB assemble a board with this part for you

...but don't quote me on that :)

[somber hearth]

Some day I'll design a board 🤔 😅

[raw jasper]

That's a mood alright

[burnt tendon]

There's a selection of stuff that's sold on LCSC that doesn't end up on DigiKey or Mouser.\

It's just that parametric search on LCSC can be quite tricky because things aren't tagged right.

Either way, while PCB design is an exacting art and science especially if you want to do sophisticated things like RF electronics or a modern motherboard.... designing low-complexity PCBs relaxes a lot of the requirements. And it's a lot nicer to design a quick PCB than to try and execute the same project as perfboard.

[somber hearth]

Secret wares! ... Fun toys?! 😺

[raw jasper]

I'm having trouble seeing the point of the RP2350B. Why have a hybrid chip with 2 architectures like that???

[tardy badger]

It’s novel

Plus I think it was really a proof of concept to see how people might use the Hazard3 cores

[dusty citrus]

Also they seem to be building an international mcmastercarr that doesn't cost a kidney although it's low on stock

https://jlcmc.com/?source=JLCPCB-top-productbar

Or at least was low on stock last time I checked

[rapid geode]

they shipping costs a kidney thouhg. trade. i just bought 2 couplings last week. $12 for the couplings. $22 for shipping. 😛

but they got here fast

[somber hearth]

Oh woah, McMaster-Carr is like a funky DigiKey 😅

[rapid geode]

mcmaster is amazing. if you need something critical tomorrow, they probably have it. yes, it will cost a lot, but it will be in stock and arrive on time

[dusty citrus]

You mean jlc? Ah idk

[rapid geode]

jlc, yes

macmaster shippin is reasonable

unfortunatley i have to try and avoid buying from the US for now. just cause of potential chaos

[somber hearth]

I can't really do "cost a lot" at the moment 😅 DigiKey's taking forever to finish my account registration or whatever, though 🤔 Maybe I'll have a peep, see if it's that bad. And see if they have the sort of stuff I'd want 😅

[dusty citrus]

In Europe we don't have any of that. Europe is pretty much the luna park of wealthy us citizen. There's no industries left, all restaurants and touristic crap

[rapid geode]

haha

digikey (and mouser) are great.

[somber hearth]

If you do want to import something from the US, please pick me :3 acts cute and importable/rescuable 😅

[rapid geode]

between them and mcmaster, you can kinda get everything youd ever need for a mechanical electrical project

[dusty citrus]

Add the influx of migrants, and students that need to "learn" though unpaid internship, labour cost goes down the hill

[rapid geode]

were full, "sorry"

ha

anyhow, in danger of getting off track here

misumi is another great one for japanese mechanical stuff

[dusty citrus]

Yeah sorry crap life

[rapid geode]

if you actually live in japan/asia monotaro is awesome

[dusty citrus]

There's in eu too, but it's gatekeep for business, and the eu alternative has like no 3d models as the us one

[rapid geode]

are you logged in. you need to be logged in on misumi

[dusty citrus]

Yeah

[rapid geode]

some of jlc's prices on actuators and mechanical stuff is so crazy cheap. i think if you order enough the shipping starts to make more sense. but its DHL air ship, so its never gonna be "cheap".

[raw jasper]

Should take a working day or two, unless you're on a list, in which case no account will be created

[tardy badger]

Ah yeah, perfect application of solder paste

(Building some mini panels to get rid of them by means of selling)

[somber hearth]

Oh crap, maybe they know I'm anti-pineapple-on-pizza 🙀

[rapid geode]

cha ching

yuo gonna be a multi hundredaire socialite

[somber hearth]

Oo, iCE40 :3

[rapid geode]

OUT!

[raw jasper]

mmm, FPGA pizza

[raw jasper]

My hunch is that it's a proof-of-concept chip to increase familiarity with risc-v, both internally and externally

[rapid geode]

the only real pizza

gonna make another one of these soon. not today though. todays pizza is just mozza and gruyere

[raw jasper]

-1 point for pineapple, +1 for apparently made in a real pizza oven

[rapid geode]

+10 for pineapple. +2 for tricking you into thinking its a pizza oven

[raw jasper]

Blast! Tricked again!

[raw jasper]

It would be way more cooler (and cursed) if the cores could work in tandem!

[half smelt]

any adafruit news

pineapple pizza is a crime

[somber hearth]

Yeah! Down with pineapple pizza! Raaaaawr! 😹

[rapid geode]

when we make you our 14th province you will be forced to eat pineapple pizza for every meal

[somber hearth]

We who? ... Nevermind I don't care, just hurry up 😹

[rapid geode]

haha

the land of pineapple pizza

we rule all

[somber hearth]

Sounds kinda horrible, honestly.

[rapid geode]

all will submit to our tangy sweetness

[somber hearth]

I couldn't eat my favourite food every day, forget pineapple pizza 😅

[rapid geode]

yeah. gotta mix it up a bit. pineapple monday wednesday, friday. mushroom and bacon the other days

😛

[somber hearth]

Whatever, I'll try it. Might revolt 🤔 🤷

[rapid geode]

i want pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. mmm. havent had that in months. should make that for breakfast tomorrow

french toast would be good too but im too lazy to bake brioche

[night crescent]

FruitJam 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 🎮🕹️💾🍊

We're working on getting some fun emulators ported to the FruitJam https://www.adafruit.com/product/6200. Of course, we wanted to start with the C64, so when we found the MCUME https://github.com/Jean-MarcHarvengt/MCUME emulator project with many retro machines already done and ported to popular microcontrollers, we got right to checking it out! Here, Jepler is testing out the C64 with video output on HSTX. Next up is the keyboard, but for now, it's fun to test out the famous 10 print... goto 10 script https://10print.org and watch the vibes generate.

[tardy badger]

Toasty

Hot and ready 😎

[half smelt]

@night crescent i love you adafruit

[half smelt]

Nice bakery

[tardy badger]

Only the finest

[tardy badger]

Best part is all five work 😎

[lapis harness]

Boys and girls, I may have done the laziest thing ever. I put an esp32 in my steering wheel so I can control my cruise control with a bluetooth controller so I don't have to lift my hand to the steering wheel to adjust it

[rapid geode]

needs pineapple

[somber hearth]

Pineapple chips 🤔 🍟🍍 🤨

[raw jasper]

...can you fry pineapple?

[rapid geode]

carmelise in a pan, add sliced pork loin, then some pineapple juice form the can, and rice. 1 pan meal thats properly awesome

(assuuming you arent vegan of course

haha

[raw jasper]

Well, if honorary pineaple expert I Have No Fish says so... :P

Jokes aside, that actually sounds interesting

[raw jasper]

Is this an AI generation?

[rapid geode]

i should say remove the pineapple and pork before doing the rice. otherwise you make them soggy

yeah that was some ai image from a few years aog

[raw jasper]

Yeah, a real cat would be messier

[rapid geode]

ha

[raw jasper]

(Plus the pizza has TV static on its crust!)

[rapid geode]

also cats would have red wine. duh

[raw jasper]

"The pizza crust had the color of a TV tuned to a dead channel"

[rapid geode]

4 stars

meow!

i dont think a cat would eat a pizza. maybe lick the sauce?

[raw jasper]

They'd probably go for the cheese

Even though it's bad for them

[rapid geode]

i dont think so. greassy cooked mozza. i dont think my cat ever tried to eat any cheese

he liked yogurt

[raw jasper]

I've seen cats go mad for cheese

[rapid geode]

hm

[raw jasper]

But yeah, they definitely love yogurt

[rapid geode]

was weird. my mom bought diet peach yogurt one day and he sniffed it and ran.

ha

not sure whats different in the diet one. less sugar and fat?

[raw jasper]

cats do not perceive sugar

[rapid geode]

do they percieve aspartame though

or whatever was in it

[raw jasper]

afaik they lack a "sweet" receptor

[rapid geode]

hmm

well whatever it was, he did not want

[haughty solstice]

If a relay says it's 5V or 12V, is that the voltage it can handle switching or the voltage it needs to switch?

I need to reverse the polarity of a roughly 1A 12V power source using a low current 5V logic signal

I was just gonna use a 2 channel relay module but need to make sure it can work for that

[thick wind]

Typically relays will have ratings for the coil voltage and the switched voltage. Usually the switched voltage ratings are much higher than 12v, so usually 5-12v is the voltage needed by the coil, but double check the ratings in the specs to make sure.

[haughty solstice]

I'm debating if I want to try this locking DPDT relay module or if I should just go for the 2 channel 5V one

I just want to buy a single one for cheap but amazon does not sell just one

I have one 5V relay but it won't do cause I need a second which I do not have :(

Do the modules even do much different compared to the standalone relays?

Alright screw it. $9.62 gone

6 DPDT relays on the way

[thick wind]

Does it need to be a relay? H bridge drivers are fairly common for 12vdc.

[haughty solstice]

I tried an L293D or something like that and it wasn't able to fully pump the 12V

Had the logic signal set to 5V and gave it some juice and it only put out like 4V or something like that despite being wired up to 12V

The actuator barely moved

I'll take any ideas that wouldn't require me to buy parts

I also have a collection of transistors

[thick wind]

L293d maxes out at 600mA. The L293 can do an amp though

[haughty solstice]

I don't have the L293 sadly

I do have some ULN2003s though

And a single 5V relay

[thick wind]

If you have Darlington transistors you could wire your own h bridge

[haughty solstice]

I don't think I have any darlington transistors, though isn't that just two transistors hooked up to each other?

I don't really know what an H bridge is, just to be clear lol

I have like 10 S8050's

[thick wind]

An h bridge is simply 4 switches arranged to support bidirectional current from a unipolar supply.

[haughty solstice]

So basically a DPDT relay but different

Would I be able to make that with 4 S8050's and perhaps some weaker transistors to drive those (and thus the darlington bit)?

I could use a relay for one of the sides too, but I only have the one

[thick wind]

It’s possible, but it might be difficult to get the voltage required for the high side transistors if you use only NPN transistors. Ideally the high side transistors use PNP.

[haughty solstice]

To be honest, I'm not super sure of the difference between NPN and PNP and when you'd need one vs. the other

I also have S8550's which I think are PNP

So the PNP supply power to the NPN or do they control the collector switch thing?

I have no clue what I am doing lol

[thick wind]

I honestly have to look this up every time too. It’s so much easier to use mosfets or specialized ICs for these circuits.

[haughty solstice]

Sadly I don't have any mosfets or other ICs beyond this low power thing.

ULN2003 wouldn't work I take it, cause I imagine that motor is fairly lower power compared to this linear actuator

So I guess if I need to buy something, the question is what do I buy?

I can buy normal 5V relays, DPDT 5V relays, an IC, mosfets, all kinds of things

I wish I had a board sitting in my scrap box that had a 5V relay on it I could harvest, cause then I'd be good to go.

[thick wind]

Ideally, I’d opt for https://www.adafruit.com/product/3190 and not have to worry about the small details.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/2448 is also an option

[haughty solstice]

Stepper motor driver? Isn't that what the ULN2003 does?

Or is this just designed for higher current

[thick wind]

Technically the uln2003 is just a bunch of Darlington transistor pairs in a single IC. Not specifically a stepper driver, but can be used for that.

[haughty solstice]

Does the ULN2003 have the same max current issues as the L239D?

[thick wind]

The wiring is simplified by using an actual motor driver, just connect power and motors.

Yeah, uln2003 maxes out at 500mA

What are you trying to drive, anyways? Do you need the full amp, or is that just the motor’s peak draw?

Oh right you said the l293d didn’t push hard enough

I’d recommend the DRV88xx motor drivers, even if they are a bit overkill. Of course you don’t have to use adafruit breakouts, but I figure it’s best to share those first seeing as this is the adafruit discord haha

[haughty solstice]

A linear actuator

When I measured the current draw via a 10 ohm resistor, it was only like 140mA

But for some reason this L293D is pooping out. Or my wiring is just wrong.

[thick wind]

A 10-ohm shunt? If the linear actuator is rated for 12v 1A, it’s probably got a resistance of 12 ohms. A 10 ohm shunt is basically doubling the resistance there, no?

I think for accurate current measurements, you probably need a smaller shunt resistor.

I doubt the l293d is not going to be able to power a 12v motor if you have a 10 ohm shunt dividing the voltage in half.

[haughty solstice]

It moved about the same speed with and without the resistor for the same speed though

I have to go to bed but I'd like to pick this up tomorrow if you're able

[night crescent]

Desk of Ladyada - Triple Matrix Bonnet & u-blox UBX Vibes 🛰️🌍
https://youtu.be/jxZsDak93SY

This week Ladyada updates the TLV320DAC3100 design, developed a triple-matrix bonnet for Raspberry Pi 5 HUB75 RGB matrices, and successfully integrated a u-blox SAM-M8Q GPS module with UART/I2C and UBX interface, exploring GNSS modules with built-in antennas for quick prototyping.

[tardy badger]

It’s like printing money

[thick wind]

Ooooo if only I had any disposable income left this month...

[tardy badger]

Essentially trying to get rid of inventory and also have money for paying off ✨ medical debt ✨

[tardy badger]

I feel that, I have -$8 leading into my next paycheck 😅

Well, actually like -$1

I didn’t realize that disabling WAF objects on AWS doesn’t stop billing of them so I got billed $8.59 for that 🙃

[raw jasper]

Yeah, that's how most cloud things work -- The rationale being that they are still "reserving resources" for you

[tardy badger]

It wasn’t obvious at the time

[raw jasper]

Why would it be :>

[little quest]

does anyone know what kina zapper i can get that hooksup to the arduino

i want to deliver an electrical shop to myself if a condition is not met

i want it to be painful but not damaging

[stiff kettle]

You can use a TENS unit, with a relay on the pad leads. Keep in mind that interference from the TENS unit will almost definitely cause you some headaches....

It's not a direct electrical shock, but probably safer, and still quite shocking!

[haughty solstice]

Alright take 2. My hope was using components I have on hand, though if I'm gonna buy something, I was hoping it'd be on amazon cause free shipping saves a lot, and something that's preferrably more general purpose like a bunch of 5V relays

Just not sure if that's the best option

[haughty solstice]

Actually, I just made a 1 ohm resistor out of some wire I took from a hair dryer, and I measured a peak voltage drop of about 190mA across it

[thick wind]

190mV drop, or 190mA current?

And is your motor moving?

[haughty solstice]

The former, though I thought they were the same across 1 ohm

And yes

[somber hearth]

There's pineapple pizza downstairs 😅 There's no pepperoni pizza. ... Because all of the pepperoni pizza was taken and most of the pineappled pizza is just sitting there 😝

[raw jasper]

It's your sign from the pineapple Gods to repent!

Let the pineapple be a part of your life!

:>

[somber hearth]

munches on the last bit of pineapple-free pizza :3🍕c

[raw jasper]

What's in it?

[somber hearth]

Just sauce and cheese and bread and pepperonis 🤷

[raw jasper]

Nice!

[west bobcat]

has anyone created useful desktop gadgets like macropads, rotory encoder units, space mouse, deej, or special controllers for say fusion, davinci resolve, or other programs?
im looking for new ideas for a gridfinity project

[solar kindle]

I've done:

• a USB keypad (https://www.printables.com/model/569035-6-key-usb-keypad)
• a USB trackball (https://www.printables.com/model/247472-trackball-controller)
• a USB spinner (https://www.printables.com/model/248507-spinner-controller)
• a Bluetooth keyboard (https://www.printables.com/model/960905-bluetooth-membrane-keyboard-65-style)
  I used OpenSCAD, but the general construction should translate fairly easily to Fusion + Gridfinity.

[west bobcat]

ok cool ive liked them all, great starting point for wgat im trying to do thanks

[raw jasper]

You can also take a look at the posts on#show-and-tell for further inspiration!

[azure grove]

hi! friends! how are you doing?

[west bobcat]

ive been looking all over in here and voidstar for cool ideas

hi

[raw jasper]

I have no idea what voidstar is!

[west bobcat]

im sure you heard of gridfinity though right

[raw jasper]

Related: https://xkcd.com/2501/

xkcd: Average Familiarity

How could anyone consider themselves a well-rounded adult without a basic understanding of silicate geochemistry? Silicates are everywhere! It's hard to throw a rock without throwing one!

(no, I have not heard of gridfinity :P)

[west bobcat]

lol ok well then im making electric legos lol

[raw jasper]

Do electric legos dream of electric lego-sheep?

[azure grove]

can I show you something please?😊

[west bobcat]

no actually they dream of stronger axels

[raw jasper]

As far as I know, as long as it's not against the #code-of-conduct , you don't have to ask for permission to post something...

[azure grove]

well, so I redesigned my cubesat! now it's Arduino instead of microbit based...

[raw jasper]

I don't see any instruments!

[night crescent]

PCM5122 is an I2S DAC that does it all 🎶🔧

Having wrapped up our PCM5100 and PCM5102 breakout boards https://www.adafruit.com/product/6250 and added them to the Adafruit shop, it's time to explore more DACs we could support. This is the PCM5122 https://www.digikey.com/short/v9pnq1b2, the "big sister" to the PCM5102. Like its sibling, it supports MCLK-less I2S input, making it a great choice for any microcontroller or Raspberry Pi.

It also features a stand-alone "hardware mode," where mute and format can be set via GPIO pins—no I2C configuration required! However, unlike the PCM5102, it also supports I2C/SPI if needed, with built-in filters, numerous configuration flags, and a pin-settable gain option in hardware mode for attenuation.

[azure grove]

we have telemetry, but only voltage until I get some sensors...

[raw jasper]

Yeah, you'll probably need some more sensors to make for an interesting cubesat, unless you are interested in measuring how your device's discharge curve will differ under space conditions ;)

Which, if you could work out the statistics for it to see if you have a significant difference compared to ground samples, would be something interesting to have in your report (presumably you're doing this for school)

[azure grove]

we're not actually launching, coz he isn't really space-optimized...

[azure grove]

no, I'm not doing it for school, I'm just a big fan of cubesats😅 😆

[raw jasper]

Oh well, writing the micon firmware will still be valuable experience

(micon = microcontroller. I accidentally imported the contraction from Japanese, not realizing it's not actually common in English!)

[late fulcrum]

You could, I suppose, lift it high in the atmosphere with a balloon (radio clubs do this from time to time, there are guidelines on how to do safely and legally). You can radio back information, or store it on an SD card. Finding where it came down can be an adventure.

One person found one of ours in their yard, and shifted their interests from model rocketry to ballooning.

(put a sign on it explaining that it's an experiment, it's not dangerous, contact info, and a request to get in touch)

[raw jasper]

Yeah, provided you can convince your country's aviation authority you do not have evil intentions (your mileage will vary depending on how common the activity is in your country), and have a ham radio license, you can do it. Keyword is "High-Altitude Ballooning"

[azure grove]

same happens when I talk to ppl about MCUs...😅

[raw jasper]

I remember reading somebody's report on their balloon ending up in a country in Africa, and them traveling there to retrieve it

[solar kindle]

Does anyone combine the two? Say, launching a model rocket from a high altitude balloon?

[late fulcrum]

https://spacenews.com/zero-2-infinity-conducts-first-flight-test-of-bloostar-balloon-assisted-launcher/

[azure grove]

well I love Altair too much🤭 I don't want him to get lost...🥺

[west bobcat]

that actually sounds like fun

[raw jasper]

Oh, so the satellite has a name and gender

(No problem with anthropomorphizing your creations, even though it's not really a thing I do)

[azure grove]

all of them have names! and I say he because Altair is like a friend to me (I don't have many human irl friends, so I have atleast a little tech one...🤭 )

[late fulcrum]

As Lady Ada advises: "Make robot friend, not robot enemy!" https://www.adafruit.com/product/3817

[azure grove]

exactly! although it's a cubesat in this case...😅

[late fulcrum]

Makes sense to me

[west bobcat]

talk about robot enemy im about to throw this spacemouse out the window

[raw jasper]

I remember hearing a quote to the effect "Make exoskeletons, not robots", in the context of making tech to assist, not replace humans, but I can't for the life of me remember the exact form of the quote or who said it.

In any case, it's an useful corollary

[late fulcrum]

My robots my not look friendly to everybody, but I like them

[raw jasper]

crab?

[azure grove]

funny shape bot!

[late fulcrum]

It does look crablike, doesn't it? Just a minimal quadruped sort of thing. Then again, crabs seem to be where things end up https://www.livescience.com/animals/crustaceans/why-do-animals-keep-evolving-into-crabs

My robots aren't very chatty either, and their communication tends to be things like "I'm going THAT way!"

That said, I like your cubesat

[raw jasper]

Speaking of robots, I was reminded of this book I bought a few months ago:

https://www.iwanami.co.jp/book/b649643.html

It talks about Michio Okada's weak robots lab (https://www.icd.cs.tut.ac.jp/), with a "weak" robot being defined as one that leans on humans/society for help, with the aim of modeling positive interactions and reducing the spirit of individualism within society (*)

(*): It's been a while since I've read that part, I might be misremembering some of it

[raw jasper]

It seems you can get a lot of mileage from simple movements as far as creating personality or the impression of a "living being" is concerned. This book actually talks about that too!

Also, if you can find research papers from sony's old digital creatures lab (developed the original AIBO models), there's some interesting stuff there too IIRC

Re: crab body plan & evolution:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/crab-memes-amplify-mistaken-ideas-about-evolution/

[late fulcrum]

With robots, the whole exoskeleton/arthropod scheme tends to be reminiscent of spiders, insects, crabs, etc. Even the prop robots for the old movie "Runaway" had that look.

[raw jasper]

Well, anything is more efficient than bipedal robots

[late fulcrum]

I think that depends on your definition of "efficient"...

[solar kindle]

It's interesting that there are no large land animals built like that. Not sure if that's because there are no extant hexapod vertebrates (unless you count manta rays), or if it's because vertical legs are more energy efficient for carrying heavy loads than splayed legs.

[raw jasper]

FWIW, "giant" land arthropods are not viable at all anymore because our atmosphere's oxygen content is too low

[azure grove]

same with amphibians...

[silver shale]

The AMOLED displays came

[raw jasper]

||easier to make :P||

[late fulcrum]

The existing models take about nine woman-months to fabricate, one at a time.

[raw jasper]

existing models = hexapodal, or bipedal?

[jagged citrus]

I made some diy ambient lights with hyperion and wled

[late fulcrum]

They boot up not very mobile, eventually start moving in a quadrupedal fashion, then upgrade to the efficient bipedal mode.

[raw jasper]

Jokes aside, this could probably be done with a genetic algorithm

[late fulcrum]

I think it was...

However, there are some hilarious youtube vids of doing exactly that under a variety of conditions

[raw jasper]

Oh, I can only imagine

[late fulcrum]

I can recommend codebullet and b2studios if you enjoy that sort of thing

[raw jasper]

Appreciate the recommendation!

[azure grove]

hi friends! i have a question...
ever heard about ardusat?

[fair summit]

nope, but there are some satellite folks in the (not very active) #smallsats channel

[azure grove]

umm.. can I talk about my cubesat there it doesn't really go to space?I'm making one just for fun...

[fair summit]

sure, not everyone gets rocket space

[rapid geode]

it moves! https://youtu.be/sQy94PWjh8Y

[somber hearth]

[Joke] Does it count as buying local if I'm in the same state as DigiKey 😹

[half smelt]

in lastest broadcasts Limor said they will update feather rp2040 with usb host to feather rp2350 with usb host any news

[tardy badger]

They usually post new product videos here on discord and socials so if you’re on either, you’ll be among the first to know

[silver shale]

when did this ever become a rule?

[ancient rivet]

i think that's been there since day one, when this server was setup

[raw jasper]

The profanity filter has been here for as long as I've been here

[raw jasper]

(which, arguably, is not very long)

[raw jasper]

Arguably, since digikey is part of the USA, as are you, it counts as "buying local" regardless of state. However, with that logic, buying from amazon is buying local too

Now I'm imagining the "buying local" alignment chart

[somber hearth]

"In the same country" isn't a very local kind of "local" 🤔

[raw jasper]

It depends on how small your country is! :P

[somber hearth]

... In the US 😛

[late fulcrum]

If you're buying from DigiKey in the same state, I'd aver that it sort of qualifies as buying local, as the various employees of DigiKey will be spending their taxes and disposable income in your state. However, DigiKey's main business is as a reseller, and the components they sell are often produced elsewhere. On the gripping hand, DigiKey's "value add" services (such as cutting custom length headers) are more local labor intensive.

Some of my "buy local" is in different states, for example, my two most local bakeries are each in different states, even though they're within 10km of here.

[raw jasper]

heh, gripping hand

[late fulcrum]

Understanding, you see, is a three-edged sword ⚔️

[stiff kettle]

Does anyone have any ideas where I might find small kraft paper boxes like the ones Adafruit uses? They're perfect for what I need, but I can't for the life of me find any this small. It's roughly 50mm X 40mm X 13mm.

[solar kindle]

Looks like a company called Sdootjewelry makes boxes about that size. Try searching for "Sdootjewelry Mini Cardboard Boxes".

[stiff kettle]

Yeah, I've looked through most of their stuff. They have some options that are close, but most of theirs are either top/lid opening or drawer opening. I'd love to find some simpler ones like adafruit uses that just open at the end. Fully acknowledge that I'm being nitpicky here lol

[shadow siren]

those adafruit box might be custom order from a localbox maker to adafruit supplier

[stiff kettle]

Certainly possible. There are a couple sellers on Etsy that will do custom ones, so I may end up going down that route.

[shadow siren]

The closest I can get is from Aliexpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004810750686.html?sourceType=1&spm=a2g0o.wish-manage-home.0.0

50x50x30

[stiff kettle]

Oh thats a pretty good price. Thats about as small as I can find anywhere, really. Appreciate it!

[shadow siren]

no problem

also you can simply ask Adafruit, https://www.adafruit.com/contact_us

[stiff kettle]

Yeah, not a bad idea. If it is a local supplier then it's local to me too, after all!

[raw jasper]

Ugh, it's clock domain crossing, it's always clock domain crossing grumbles

[somber hearth]

Time: the only thing more relentlessly callous and destructive than hunamity :3 Also it's a total pain in the something 😹

[tardy badger]

https://tenor.com/view/one-dollar-man-poor-dollar-money-make-it-rain-gif-17950415

Me after getting my 1.75% pay raise

I expected somewhere 1.6-1.9%

[raw jasper]

At least your estimation skills are top-of-the line...

[tardy badger]

By far the smallest pay raise I’ve ever received

[raw jasper]

And USD inflation rate is ~3%/yr right?

[tardy badger]

3.4% or something like that

2.9% for 2024 on an annualized basis

My “merit” increase realistically wasn’t actually tied to merit, but to how much money the company thought they would make this coming year

Tis what it is I guess

I’m onto the second round of interviews for a medical devices company that will represent a 5% or more increase in base pay

Not guarantee to get the job but it would be cool to get

[somber hearth]

Everycritter getting quitting bonuses 😮

[late fulcrum]

Whereas I'm probably in line to be let go

[raw jasper]

Wishing you all the best!

[somber hearth]

I know a critter whose (apparently, to me?) whole department (they do medicare stuffs for an insurance company) is getting offers juuust in case they feel like quitting o.o; Offers to quit, I mean. Like, "you quit and we'll give you some shiny coins" kind of offers. 🤷

[raw jasper]

Sorry! I'm having some trouble parsing a part of this sentence:

whose (apparently, to me?)
What does "apparently, to me?" refer to?

[somber hearth]

That's how it appears to me. As opposed to appearing that way to him 🤷 Sorry, I feel kinda like my brain's been boiled in a potato. I spent the past like... four or five hours or something chattificating in video calls 😵‍💫

[raw jasper]

oh, so you mean that your perception is that his whole department is being offered this severance package, which differs from his perception. Thanks for the clarification!

Ugh, I certainly don't envy you... 5 hours' worth of meetings :(

[somber hearth]

Well, I don't remember whether he said it was the whole department or not 😅 Also it was hours... of mental health care professionals!! 🙀 😅 I'm not okay 🙃

[fair summit]

I think it's possible that particular box, for a LiPo battery (and for other batteries0, probably came from the battery mfr, and we put a sticker on it.

[somber hearth]

Secret Adafruit sticker technique 😮

[raw jasper]

Hope that at least they were helpful...

[somber hearth]

Dunno! They're both new to me. Thpist seemed sharp. Pstrist seemed sleepy. 🤷

[raw jasper]

Are these words censored by the filter?

That would be very disturbing

[somber hearth]

No, I just like being weird 😅

At least... I don't think they are 🤔 .... Therapist!!! 🙀

Psychiatrist! Psychiatry is so scary it was used to threaten me as a kid 😅 Maybe that one's banned 🤔

Nope, all good 👍

[stiff kettle]

Aha, that makes sense!

[raw jasper]

Ugh. At least you get to engage with them on your own terms now

[rapid geode]

arent yo fancy. didnt you promise us all pizza?

[rapid geode]

by which you mean, not go. 😛

ha

[rapid geode]

?

[stoic mesa]

hope that if it happens, you find a new position quickly

[somber hearth]

Zen (browser) is... Idunno, I feel like I'm accustomed to it and/or like it but it still gets in the way also 😅 ... Also never a fan of devs who have that "I know what's best, shut up and take what you're given" attitude 😕 Am starting to think that's a web browser dev thing. The combination of webby stuff and browser internals rots brains pretty bad, I think 🤔

[burnt tendon]

I've got some positions that I'm recruiting for on my team and I was going through the resume pile and it was a bit disconcerting the amount of people who were very obviously laid off lately. Normally, it's the thing where people are either laid off recently enough that they can fudge it like they weren't or they are looking for a newer better thing... but not this time.

[cloud pilot]

is there some sort of table chart that compares all the feathers?

[thick wind]

Not one that’s up to date, to my knowledge. There is a guide on choosing a microcontroller https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-choose-a-microcontroller/how-to-make-a-choice but unfortunately the board options provided predate even the esp32 …

Most applications nowadays will likely opt for an rp2040 or esp32s3 flavor barring any specific feature necessity?

[raw jasper]

You know what really irks me with modern software? That every so often I'll be getting a prompt that's like "Our system now supports integration with the Torment Nexus! Enable?" and the options will be something like "Yes!" and "Maybe later" (usually presented in a significantly less conspicuous way than the "Yes!" button) -- It's as if these people cannot imagine "No" being an option....

[tardy badger]

One of the major credit bureaus in the US, Experian prompts you every log in to pay money for additional services and makes the “pay now” button much more prominent above the “no thanks” button.

They (the paid features) don’t actually provide much value

[fair summit]

There is this https://learn.adafruit.com/choose-your-circuitpython-board which is specifically about CircuitPython but is also a good overview of board capabilities.

[raw jasper]

yay dark patterns!

[half smelt]

feels great to code on adafruit boards and listen to Cyberpsychosis songs https://youtu.be/9mKCj4Nigpg?list=LL&t=20

[umbral phoenix]

@cloud pilot Make: has a board guide https://media.digikey.com/Resources/Maker/guide-to-boards-2025.pdf. The 2024 edition has a number of Feather boards (just edit the year in the URL).

[somber hearth]

Corps have figured out that most people will tolerate pretty much anything v.v Not the most heinous example but this does remind me of YouTube Shorts 😅 I'm so sick of them being pushed on me. There's this big suggestion thingle on my front/home/whatever page with an option to get rid of it that yields a message like "Okay, we'll hide this for a little while and bring it back later" 😡

[valid spoke]

What would be the right channel to ask if I want to ask the adafruit staff if they have the datasheet for the noods

[somber hearth]

Mmmm noods hungry now 😩

[thick wind]

The forums?

or #general-tech

[half smelt]

#1280611628081221785

[valid spoke]

Got it

Thank you

[fair summit]

Any available datasheets are listed on the product pages and/or in the Downloads section in the appropriate guide

We always try to list datasheets if we have them.

[valid spoke]

Got it thank you @fair summit

We use a lot of their products you guys have and we make sure the students have the datasheets for them

[fair summit]

it's fine to ask in https://discord.com/channels/327254708534116352/1280611628081221785 too, just in case

that will be covered in tonight's Ask an Engineer show

[valid spoke]

Got it just want to avoid putting questions where they don't belong

I'll do that for future questions

Thank you

[night crescent]

ASK AN ENGINEER 3/5/2025 LIVE! https://youtu.be/-i7F4jkyQFk

[tardy badger]

It’s a sad day when you realize you gave away all your stemma QT cables 🥲

[rapid geode]

doh

[terse lava]

On a related note I was just thinking all those old "useless" (5V 500mA) USB chargers I rescued out of drawers around the house when I started with ESP32s and CircuitPython a year ago and thought I had a lifetime supply only to discover tonight when I needed one that my "lifetime" supply was down to one with the rest deployed & in use.

[rapid geode]

my old office would throw out pc kit a lot, and there was power cables, and sata cable, and pci risers. like 100s. so i snatched a buch up thinking "maybe one day i will be glad i took these".

haha

[terse lava]

Yeah, I am always tempted by the mountains of electronics stuff we throw out at my work, especially when we have a lab clean out day. 90% I think "Oh I have to save these" yet I also know only about 2% might I actually use someday. I have to stop hoarding Dell laptop power bricks. I do grab any 5V higher current (like 3A+) bricks/warts I run across, but again, I have to consider how many do I really need to save. I am guessing that number is somewhat under the dozen or so I have in my desk drawer.

[rapid geode]

they have a couple dozen mac pros there that are in the junk pile. i got no use for them though

i want all the rtx cards. but they never seem to throw away video cards

[terse lava]

You mean the old Mac Towers? And you look at them and think, man, those used to go for $2k for the base model.

[rapid geode]

they were 6 or 7k

dual xeon

they are very pretty. but i guess no one wants them

[terse lava]

Gut them and fill them with Neopixels behind the gril and an ESP32 to run them. Place them strategically around the work place without anyone knowing. People will think they are doing something important. See how long it takes them to catch on.

[rapid geode]

ha

i had thought of using them as a cnc control box, but they are too small

[somber hearth]

Hmmm, turns out someone makes exactly the armband-enclosure-thingle that I want but it's one of those "ask for a quote" places 😅 Other places make things that might work but... bleeeeeh 😅

[raw jasper]

Whaddya making? ☕

[somber hearth]

I want to make a whole pile of stuff 😅 For cheapsies (and utility, but not without being weird about it >:3), my first couple things I hope to build are an arm/forearm computery thingle and a lil radio-ized node (name WIP 😅 ) controlling a LED strip or something to light the stairs at night. I'm thinking I can connect the two to control the stairs light, and maybe cram in some fun toys like air quality sensors or a magnetometer or... Idunno, just gadgets/toys to play with 😅 Initially I wanted a thing shaped like one of those forearm computery thingles like sometimes show up in sci-fi stuff, but thought maybe it'd be different or maybe more comfortable/effective for mounting things to if I strap it to my upper arm instead 🤔

[raw jasper]

hmm... can't you do it with one of those cheapo 433mhz remotes from aliexpress instead? I'm sure you could find a model that would clip on to your clothing

[somber hearth]

... Of course I can put a light on the wearable itself but that's not as fun+cool 😅 Probably will, anyway 🤷

[somber hearth]

How dare!

[raw jasper]

I guess I'm practical to a fault :P

[somber hearth]

I am both dedicated to nonsense and eager to build something 😛

Buying a thing that handles the thing itself isn't building, it's just buying. And not nearly as fun to mess with and fiddle with all' the knobs and levers and do pointless things with 😅

[raw jasper]

Oh, I was thinking you could buy the remote and handle it with your circuit on the stairs' end

Also, you might want to look into home-assistant if you want to hook up various sensors etc at your house

BTW, you may be interested in this:

https://halestrom.net/darksleep/blog/048_indoorairsensing/

[somber hearth]

I'll be sure to call you up if I need more boring in my life 😐 😝

[somber hearth]

So! If anycritter has fun ideas 😹 Or useful ones, Is'pose. Places to get stuff like OKW's wearables but without having to talk to hunams, neat stuff to cram into one other than a FireBeetle... 🤷 Maybe even hints on which lighting thingles could possibly be best 😅 Adafruit alone offers like thirty-six million LED strips plus single LEDs and other bits. Then there are more strips, EL strips, discs, ducks, and I don't even know/remember what else from there and elsewhere 😅 Too many options. Not enough, but also too many 😵‍💫

[fathom dome]

is it possible and do any one know where i can order custom made / length WS2812B?

[thick wind]

If you just need a strip, you can cut most strips to the length you need. If you need a specific arrangement, there is the option of designing a pcb in KiCad or EasyEDA and ordering it that way.

[tardy badger]

Aliexpress is one place you can probably find a strip seller and see if they’ll do a custom length for you

[tardy badger]

5x RP2354B at LCSC https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Microcontrollers-MCU-MPU-SOC_Raspberry-Pi-RP2354B_C39843328.html?s_z=n_Rp2354

First I’ve seen these in stock

[raw jasper]

~~https://eu.mouser.com/c/enclosures/enclosures-boxes-cases/?type=Wrist Enclosure&instock=y~~
https://www.mouser.com/c/enclosures/enclosures-boxes-cases/?type=Wrist Enclosure&instock=y

~~Just make sure to change the country ;)~~Edited with US link

[somber hearth]

I've been wanting to change country for ages but it's harder than it should be 😦

[Punch line] Oh, you mean on the Mouser website ;P

Well, that's just... something 😐 They've got a category just for this stuff! Grr!

[raw jasper]

the SQFMI-WATCHY-10 looks rather interesting

[somber hearth]

Oh, it's just a type thingle within the enclosures cat. DigiKey has, err... at least one of those floating around. grumble grumble struggle to find things

[somber hearth]

It's also eighty bazillion dolors 😅 Well, sixty but it's about the same to me 🤷

[rapid geode]

why is it hard? I guess you need to get a job in the other country first which is not easy right now.

[raw jasper]

Outside of student visas, it's hard to immigrate without getting a job there. And even then, many countries have a point system

[rapid geode]

points. bah.

haha

[raw jasper]

Also it's a lot tougher if you are chronically ill or disabled

[rapid geode]

id expect an educated american to be fine on points though no?

[raw jasper]

(at least that is my understanding)

[raw jasper]

I don't know! I am not an American!

[rapid geode]

ha

[raw jasper]

(and I'm not involved with hiring)

[rapid geode]

yeah me neither

i know some people that came here on permits and then got PR and it was too "hard. it just took years

[raw jasper]

Also, I imagine there are lots of Americans looking for international opportunities right now?

[rapid geode]

flee!

yeah

maybe

[dusty citrus]

what connector do those things use?
https://www.amazon.it/YIHUA-Replacement-Desoldering-Suction-Handpiece/dp/B09ZKZ2CL3/
The whole package alongside the chassis does cost about 60-70 euros extra
so if the bulky table box is just a psu, I wonder if I could bypass it through a bench psu and save those euros
Manual pumps are a bit pain
I buy from amazon, cause of a gift card that idk how else to spend tbh

[tardy badger]

It depends. Humanities degrees will help you, but not nearly as much as STEM will.

[rapid geode]

hmm

[tardy badger]

I imagine there is going to be a pretty large brain drain from the US over the coming years

[somber hearth]

Tub pump works! ... Slowly, but my back is glad 😅 (Shower/tub drain here is hyper-clogged so we have to bail out the water between showers <.<; Well, we had to! Now we have... Cheap Little Water Pump Connected to a 3xAAA Battery Holder!) Also it's so simple it's not even a "build" so it'd be an RMA if it didn't but... y'know, I got to do something about something 😅

[dusty citrus]

Maybe in the us it's different, but I wouldn't expect it... In the end all what matters is who you know/can influence...

[tardy badger]

I live in the US. I’m talking about if you’re looking to leave the US for another country

Many (not all) countries value high tech workers and tend to make it “easier” for them to get resident status

In the US, right now it’s mostly a matter of if you have the resources to expedite your way through the immigration process.

Or I suppose soon if you have $5 million laying around to “buy it”

[somber hearth]

Has anyone tried mewling pathetically? Maybe that's my ticket 🤔 🥺

[tardy badger]

I heard being a gigachad is basically free citizenship anywhere /s

[somber hearth]

Bleeeh! 😝

[tardy badger]

I hope my JLCPCB package arrives before de minimus is completely taken away

[dusty citrus]

Ah I see, yet I don't quite see anywhere with such high salaries as in the us (sure the cost of living is higher, and so it is in other states)
Funnily enough us citizen are often free to travel/work in destination countries but the opposite isn't true, equality my back hole....

[raw jasper]

What % of its value would you have to pay otherwise?

[tardy badger]

148% of $45.90 which is $22.03

48% tariff

[raw jasper]

wow

o.o

[rapid geode]

bleh. this chaos is unworkable. i wonder how its affecting adafruit?

since they have a mix of production

[tardy badger]

I’d expect that they already were above de minimus for when it was 28%

I’d also expect prices to rise by some amount

[somber hearth]

Is it just me or is that tariff going to cost and annoy consumers and no one else? 🤔

[rapid geode]

pretty much

without divering into banned topics, it is designed purely to create chaos and nothing else.

[raw jasper]

What kind of PCBs did you order?

(I'm curious about what you are designing)

[tardy badger]

New PCBs for my RP2040 based watch and some PCBs for a stemma QT breakout for the BMA530

[somber hearth]

Gee, why didn't everyone here think of that 🙄

Right, this place is garbo. I'm out.

[tardy badger]

🤔

Weird

[raw jasper]

"original message was deleted"

Some mod needs to look at this...

[rapid geode]

O_o

i am very confused now

[haughty solstice]

Anyone know of a component to charge a 3.7V 2000mAh lipo battery and also switch to taking power from the battery?

It's a JST 2mm connector IIRC

[little quest]

That's the point

It's power for its own sake to show they literally own you and everything you do

[little quest]

Ooh neat I'm making a watch too! Do you think we can swap tips?

[haughty solstice]

Looking at these two, unsure though:
https://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-Smallest-Charging-Protection-Indicators/dp/B0CBNQH836
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074M77J5M

[thick wind]

Unless I’m misunderstanding something, every feather on adafruit.com?

[haughty solstice]

Isn't a feather a microcontroller?

[tardy badger]

Wireless charging is awesome, BQ51051 from TI is pretty straightforward to use

[little quest]

Unfortunately mine is supposed to be a mini flipper and such so eh

[tardy badger]

Interesting idea

[haughty solstice]

Oh what I'm looking for is a BMS board with a booster apparently

[haughty solstice]

Alright check that, apparently all-in-one modules that do what I need can't be found, at least not on amazon

So far I have this for charging: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PKND8KG
And this for boosting: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T7FWVP8

But I need something to prevent draining the battery too much, right?

Unless something like this is actually legit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091F5PTY2

[haughty solstice]

This totally worked BTW. I got a locking one for $1 off AliExpress

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/684881064631730200/1347387068837400606/20250306_195147.mp4

[terse lava]

Nicely done. Have a one or two of some basic small DPDT relays like that in your parts box is always a good idea. They have so many uses.

[haughty solstice]

I just have the one but I also really like the satisfying click

[tardy badger]

Phew 😮‍💨 looks like my JLCPCB order cleared customs

I haven’t seen anything yet about duty payments but we’ll see

[honest jolt]

Would jlc just charge you more when tariffs go into effect? (Or did they alr go in effect for China, not sure)

[tardy badger]

No, the shipper would send me a notice once it is going through customs

JLCPCB and other Chinese vendors don’t pay the tariff, the person/entity importing it pays it upon arrival and customs clearance.

[dusty citrus]

Do desoldering guns work too on smd parts?

I guess why not, but I'm looking for reasons to waste 100 bucks on it, although I'll barely ever use it but those spring powered pumps are really bad

[tardy badger]

They’d probably work to an extent

That being dependent on not doing too small of parts I’d guess

[tardy badger]

This game looked too good to pass up

[late fulcrum]

Some do, some don't. The $45 Radio Shack squeeze bulb one, not so much. The $340 Hakko FR-301 probably does a fine job.

[dusty citrus]

I need something like silicone or really soft tpu, but they're both a pain to make or source if prebuild with correct sizing
I though about a spring like toroidal to archive the squishiness, which works but stuff gets stuck between the holes
if I use a thing wall to close the holes then its not anymore squishy, if I glue in something thin like paper it works for some times but easily breaks
any inputs?

(fast sketch, as I'm messy with files, and I lose stuff somewhere)

[late fulcrum]

I had a similar problem and ended up buying some Viton o-rings and 3D printing pieces to hold them

[dusty citrus]

I ended up buying this thing https://www.amazon.it/dp/B09PGB6BCG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
from the few avaible
not so much a fan of amazon lately, but I have those coupon credit which I dunno how to spend

[dusty citrus]

I can't easily find those water seal like thingies here, I guess that I'm stuck buying some sets then thanks

[little quest]

Just got banned from the flipper zero server for asking if it was edible

[stoic mesa]

what was the order total?
I am curious how it will work now that de minimis exception has been eliminated

[tardy badger]

$45.90

De minimis is still technically in effect until the Dept of Commerce determines how to process all the small packages quickly

[stoic mesa]

ahh, I thought it was already over.
I just ordered $171 worth of boards from jlcpcb, let's see how it works with them

[tardy badger]

Assuming they ship and arrive stateside before they permanently remove it, I think you’ll probably be okay

[stoic mesa]

it's a race!

[tardy badger]

I’ve been debating if I want to try and get a design for a Boston dynamics like robo dog done and fabbed

Just the controller board itself

[stoic mesa]

there are plenty of ready robots like that on AliExpress - so the first question is how yours will be different

[tardy badger]

It’s for me and my kids to teach them

I’m not selling it, those days (aside from trying to get rid of so excess parts I have) are behind me

[stoic mesa]

have you tried Petoi dog?
https://www.petoi.com/collections/robots/

[tardy badger]

I haven’t

[stoic mesa]

I was thinking of getting one

[raw jasper]

It looks like an advanced version of the good old (physical) logo turtle

All it's missing is a pen

[half smelt]

when the next adafruit video?

[tardy badger]

🤷‍♂️

[raw jasper]

ponders crystal ball

It's funny, I am on this forum, but I am not consuming any adafruit content or buying adafruit parts

[half smelt]

they nail it with feather rp2040 super tiny and great board

[hollow flint]

There's been a livestream every Sunday, so I'd assume tomorrow.

[umbral phoenix]

ESP32: uh-oh https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25554812-2025-rootedcon-bluetoothtools/ (en-us reporting: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/undocumented-backdoor-found-in-bluetooth-chip-used-by-a-billion-devices/)

[raw jasper]

I was actually reading this presentation right now (via machine translation of the Spanish)!

My understanding is that use of the "backdoor commands" require USB serial (aka physical) access, and the researchers presented them as a mechanism to access the lowest levels of the BT stack so that they could easily implement bluetooth exploits for other devices

[umbral phoenix]

yeah, more likely through physical access, but potentially through malicious firmware

[raw jasper]

Yes, but I'd imagine most people would load firmware they have written?

Otherwise all precautions relevant to connecting to unknown devices apply ;)

[stoic mesa]

Depending on how Bluetooth stacks handle HCI commands on the device, remote exploitation of the backdoor might be possible via malicious firmware or rogue Bluetooth connections.

[umbral phoenix]

the latter (firmware) probably more of an issue for connected consumer devices from sketchy inexpensive vendors. lack of trust in the supply chain (and of course privacy) is why I don't let connected devices (I refuse to call them "smart") escape the LAN (unless I'm in control of the client and the server)

[stoic mesa]

in other words, it looks like it is possible to access the backdoor commands via Bluetooth

so if I happen to be within 10 meters of an ESP32 device, I might be able to access its low-level commands over bluetooth - and this is a very serious problem

[raw jasper]

On the other hand, some random device can output arbitrary BT packets anyway...

[dusty citrus]

Is it reproducible or is it yet the same press no sense?

[rotund canopy]

Do you think the price of esp32s will go down

[glad ruin]

1. They are dirt cheap already.
2. It isn't a backdoor. It's just undocumented commands.

[stoic mesa]

well, undocumented commands giving one low-level access to memory are security risk at best

[haughty solstice]

Can I use a microcontroller to detect when a lipo battery voltage drops too low and turn off a relay?
Something like this: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/116320/simple-low-voltage-disconnect-circuit-for-arduino

I got this module which handles charging and boosting the output voltage of a 3.7V battery but it's overdischarge voltage is at like 2V which isn't safe so I need to tack on another solution

[glad ruin]

I recommend getting a different charge controller. That's not something you want to deal with in your code.

-# Translation: yes, it is technically possible. Don't do it.

[haughty solstice]

Would it be worth it to just add on another component so I can still keep the boost/charging boards?

AKA I don't think I can return these and I'm $7 down and the sunk cost fallacy won't allow for it

But otherwise do you have any recommendations? I saw a video covering this module and they said they found an updated model on AliExpress with overdischarge protection but it's not being sold anymore

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805644898105.html

But also what are the dangers of doing it via microcontroller?

[glad ruin]

Don't worry, you'll be able to get your $7 back from the fire sale, then you can use it to pay your lawyer to haggle with the half dozen insurance companies.

To answer your question though, it's because if your microcontroller program does something unexpected (such as end up in an infinite loop), your "protection" goes out the window.

As more general advice, please don't trust anything that is even remotely safety-related from AliExpress (or Amazon, or Temu). Get a module with a well-known BMC chip from somebody like Analog, TI, STMicro, Renesas, etc.

[haughty solstice]

Lipo batteries catch fire if they drain too much?

I haven't even heard of any of those companies D:

[glad ruin]

They can catch fire if they are overcharged (or possibly discharged too rapidly). In general managing them is something you should never do. It should be handled by a dedicated chip designed for the purpose.

Also those are all major semiconductor companies. The first two are US-based, ST is European, and Renesas is Japanese.

[haughty solstice]

Have any chip/module recommendations?

I need to boost to 12V

[glad ruin]

Not off the top of my head. How much are you trying to draw?

[raw jasper]

If anybody needs it, the bug got assigned a CVE. The attack vector is listed as "physical":

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-27840

[oak abyss]

I'm looking for a addressable led of some sort, for creating a bitcoin "tug of war" sort of indicator, i have a LED ring now, but it just does not have enough leds, it hs 16, what are my alternatives? not saying it has to be a ring tho

[thick wind]

You can get strips of addressable LEDs from a number of sources, Adafruit, included. Definitely the easiest way to get a lot of them for a reasonable price. There's also the option of designing your own custom layouts and assembling them by hand or through the PCB supplier's assembly services, if you want something more custom.

[oak abyss]

Hmmm for now I just want a ready to use but I need more leds, v does not necessary have to be a ring

[thick wind]

Probably strips then, just find one with an appropriate spacing and cut to size.

[haughty solstice]

About 400mA

It's just a linear actuator, some 7 segment displays, LEDs, and an arduino nano

Linear actuator uses about 140mA

[glad ruin]

Is that the stall current?

[haughty solstice]

Like when it's idle?

It uses none when idle IIRC

[glad ruin]

No, stall current would be during startup.

If it draws 140mA during operation it'll probably draw 800+mA when starting.

[haughty solstice]

Oh

I measured the drop with a 1 ohm resistor and I did see any spike

Though it may have missed it

[glad ruin]

You won't be able to see it with a DMM.

[haughty solstice]

That makes sense

[glad ruin]

Also 1 ohm is probably too high to use for load sensing there.

My point is that, especially with a motor, I don't recommend using a single LiPo cell. Keep in mind that 400mA drawn from your 12V supply will look like 1300mA to your battery. While there are definitely cells that can withstand that, it's not a load I'd be comfortable just connecting any old LiPo to.

[night crescent]

Fully automating Arduino development - Giving Claude Code access to hardware 🤖⚡️💻
https://youtu.be/Yt8mc5v7MYA

Testing Claude Code, to automate Arduino coding/debugging for Metro & OPT 4048!

[haughty solstice]

I do have a 5V battery pack that can output 2A but it's big and clunky so I was hoping to avoid it

I do have another 3.7V that's 800mAh that I can probably chain with it

[glad ruin]

Well, as long as you have appropriate protection on the cell and it is rated to output enough current, it should be alright.

[glad ruin]

No. You need matched cells for both series and parallel combinations. Also you'd need something to do load balancing.

[haughty solstice]

I didn't have any issues driving the actuator off the battery which is good

Just need to get an overdischarge protection module

[haughty solstice]

Oh shoot I forgot about that

Alright, order for that board made

[fluid bobcat]

Do I have to push the upper iron into the breadboard?

[raw jasper]

First of all, have you soldered them in?

[half smelt]

great tutorial

[thick wind]

Typically the short side of the headers are soldered to the board and the long side is pushed in the breadboard.

[little quest]

no

[little quest]

why is the ai slop programming the arduino

personally i wouldn't tru

oh never mind

most people don't waste their lives doing the overcomplicated engineering i do

i forget normal arduino code isn't....

4k lines and ever expanding

[half smelt]

its a good tutorial for advanced users if you want to try something easier go with cursor ai

[sweet flower]

Is this for tech stuff only, or a general maker space?

[tardy badger]

General Chat can be for any appropriate non tech related discussion following the CoC. General Tech for general technical discussion. And then of course the other channels for specific questions/discussions

[sweet flower]

Yeah, looking for another maker centered place after Adam savages discord. Genuinely hate that place.

[tardy badger]

Never been in it

This place is very respectful and lots of nice people here

[sweet flower]

This kind of stuff is common there, now

Idk just angry :3

[raw jasper]

Even though it is probably a "public" discord, I do not feel it's nice to cross-post convos without permission

[sweet flower]

Hey, they called me slurs I’ll post the rage bait wherever lol

[raw jasper]

OK, that is very much unacceptable (using slurs on people)

[sweet flower]

But in other words, anyone here have experience w searching for components on Amazon? Putting required things on the listing in quotes is not working

[raw jasper]

I've never managed to get amazon search to work for me

[sweet flower]

Yeah… I took a lot of the rage bait, Adam savage doesn’t run/have any interaction w that discord it’s fan run (dispute their claims it’s not)

[sweet flower]

21a.
Amazon: nope, have 15a. Take it or leave it.

[tardy badger]

Digikey or Mouser would be better for parametric search plus reliability of parts

[raw jasper]

Perhaps you'd have better luck by searching via google by appending site:amazon.com (or whatever the TLD of your country is)

If you are searching for electronics components, you may also want to consider searching in more appropriate places for that kind of thing, like digikey or mouser

[sweet flower]

USA, yeah… mouser doesn’t sell them, digikey, I genuinely hate them. They sell none of the stuff I need

[raw jasper]

What do you need? Perhaps somebody here could help you find it

[sweet flower]

A 21a micro switch, this footprint… I may know, but if I’m going to a site, there’s quite a few things- mainly working on a nerf project, building a controller for a solenoid off of off the shelf stuff

[tardy badger]

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/V-214-1C6/1829169

They’re usually pretty chonky for that current rating

[raw jasper]

that was faster than it took me to type the digikey URL and force it to US mode :P

[tardy badger]

Lol

Digikey app

[sweet flower]

Amazon, plus digikey doesn’t ship to me

[tardy badger]

Mouser?

[sweet flower]

I’d have to pay the courier to go pick it up from their physical location

[tardy badger]

LCSC will ship anywhere

[sweet flower]

Doesn’t have them (that and a few other chips I need)

Mouser has almost everything, tho.

Shipping is 34, plus whatever the courier wants

I have hardware somewhat settled for main project, electronic wise-

[tardy badger]

https://www.lcsc.com/mobile/products/Limit-Switches_426.html?s_z=s_Switches%257CLimit%2520Switches

They have 10 rated for 21A or more

Only 1 isn’t preorder lol..

[sweet flower]

None of those are the right footprint, as far as I see… plus, either mouser or amazon.

I’ve got the smaller micro switches

[raw jasper]

Question: Why do you need to be able to switch 21A for NERF stuff?

[solar kindle]

https://outofdarts.com/products/tezuo-21a-microswitches?variant=40751150891050

[sweet flower]

thats outofdarts tho- not the best of companies. their switches VERY often burn out. they may say 21a, may say tezuo, but i got unbranded 15a AC switches from them.

[night crescent]

🚀 The Metro RP2350 is here, along with glowing 🌈 LED alphabet filaments, flexible vibrant nOOds, RGB Backlight Displays, easy RS232 Breakout, plug-in USB Temp/Humidity Trinkey, and precise 8-Ch DAC breakout. All the new at Adafruit.

https://www.adafruit.com/new

[stoic mesa]

Talking about current rating, notice this (taken from the datasheet of the digikey link sent by @tardy badger ):

in other words, it is only rated for less than 1A for DC currents - as expected. I wouldn't believe that a switch that small can be rated for 21A DC

[stoic stag]

Hello everybody!
I'm new around here and everything related to electronics, programming and all this stuff.

After watching several videos on youtube and looking for suitable components for my project I have come to this great community in which I hope some of you can help me to solve some doubts regarding a project idea that I am developing.

I am starting a project in which I have the idea of integrating preferably a flexible oled screen in the shoulder area of a custom nylon jacket (bomber jacket), The idea is to have a futuristic design with a screen on each side of the jacket for the sole purpose of playing animations or images.

Could someone explain to me how feasible this idea is and what specific components do you think I should use to make it successful.

Thanks in advance!

[sweet flower]

yeah, nerf mainly measures in ac, as dc is a new thing to mark on switches

[dusty citrus]

I don't want to spend 10€ for a cable, anywhere else where I can source a ftc hdmi connector?
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwLREWg

[half smelt]

I hope they nail it with the RP2350 with USB Host by adding 512 KB SRAM, a high-precision low-jitter 12 MHz crystal, and an optimized PCB layout for high-speed signals.

does adafruit ship world wide from their official website?

[hollow flint]

I don't know, but check https://www.adafruit.com/distributors to find an Adafruit distributor near you.

[haughty solstice]

Boards arrived (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KSPYMJ2). I found I need to "prime" them so I applied 12V to the P+ and P- like the reviews said. That fixed the issue where it'd oscillate output between 1V and 1.9V, but now it only outputs 3.1V when the battery is 4.2V. Any ideas on what's up?

I'm certain I can still use the 3.1V but it just seems odd

Looks like it's using 2 8205A's under the hood

Check that, it starts oscillating once I connect it up to the boost/charger board

If I compare B- and P+, I get 4.2V. P- and P+ is only 3.14V?

[haughty solstice]

Alright, so connected B- and B+ with a 1k ohm resistor fixes it. Why?

It also works if I short B- and P- together

Check that, it don't work with the resistor if I attach another load (like an arduino to it) and I have no clue what I'm doing. These boards may be faulty but I'm wondering if anyone has insight

[night crescent]

A coming soon! QT adapter for Sensirion SEN6x 🔌🌡️

Sensirion just came out with the new SEN6x series of 'everything including the kitchen sink' environmental sensors - and you can pick them up at DigiKey right now (https://www.digikey.com/short/c4tndnd4). We noted that the cable for the 6 series is the same as the SEN5x, BUT power supply requirements differ, so our existing SEN5x adapter won't work (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5964). Here's a simple level-shifting breakout that converts to the JST GH cable connector. (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5754)

[terse lava]

Errrrr, WHAT? Switch manufacturers have been marking AC and DC ratings (which are often very different) on their switches forever. This is not a new thing. Also I suggest that 99% of the stuff you find on Amazon is basically the same stuff you find on Aliexpress that people buy and then resell on Amazon for a considerable markup. So I would suggest DigiKey and Aliexpress as 1st and 2nd searches before resorting to Amazon.

[haughty solstice]

Anyone know what this is called?

Was hoping to find a single digit 7-segment display with a backpack but apparently they don't make those so this will have to do

Not sure if they make them in multiple colors though

Shoot I'd take a two digit 7 segment display if they had a gap between digits, but no such luck

[lapis anchor]

led bar graph 🙂

[haughty solstice]

Perfect! Thank you!

Dang, was hoping to find one half one color and half another, no dice

[sweet flower]

Aliexpress doesn’t mark dc for alot, and digikey still doesn’t supply the right parts.

(And they wanted to charge 212 shipping)