August 2023 Round Up
Hello everyone! It's the last month of summer - you'd think everyone would be out and about enjoying themselves, but instead they've been beavering away producing a whole bunch of interesting content!
Welcome to the August Edition
There are some great videos in this edition - Effects pedals for your mouse, LED Bead curtains, prototypes, mini ESP32 boards - if you can think of it, we’ve probably got it.
There is also a bumper collection of article links. I’m not sure what it is about summer, but those creative juices have really been flowing.
I’ve also dug out an oldie - it’s a 200-page PDF on antennas from the US Navy! I love these deep dives into subjects that I don’t know much about.
I can also recommend having a look at the Vision Language Action Models article - the robots are a bit shaky at the moment, but it’s definitely a glimpse into the future.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read the newsletter and don’t forget to share it with your friends!
Things to Watch
An Effects Pedal… for your Mouse and Keyboard?
Did you want to be in a band when you were younger? Well, now you can live out your fantasy of being a rock guitarist with this effects pedal from Guy Dupont.
It’s a Blink Sketch - Why the Excitement?
Why would atomic14 be getting all excited about a blink sketch working? It’s on a custom PCB that he’s designed himself! You can see why in this playlist.
DIY LED Beaded Curtain
Becky Stern faces a classes maker occurrence - her project took so long that by the time she was halfway through there were already completed ones on AliExpress!
Hardware dev with Formal Methods
Psychogenic Technologies gets formal with us and show how you can supercharge your hardware development!
Prototyping a USB Card Reader
Over on element14 Presents Clem takes us on a journey through the most common troubles you might have with your first-generation prototype.
Things to Do
Tiny Tapout 4
Just over a week left until Tiny Tapeout 4 closes for submissions! If you're interested in learning how to design your own chips and getting them made, check the Tiny Tapeout website
Things to Read
Roadside Arcade Finds
Can you believe someone just threw this thing out? A fully functioning Discs of Tron arcade cabinet!
Multifaceted Vision-Language-Action Models
What is a Vision Language Action model? It’s pretty impressive, you tell the robot what to do and it works it out for itself. I for one welcome our new robot overlords!
Design and Build Your Own ESP32 Thermostat!
Who doesn’t love a bit of home automation? Especially when it involves an ESP32.
If it’s good enough for the Marines…
Ever wanted to learn about Antennas? This document from the US Navy is almost 200 pages long - and it’s jam-packed and full of useful information.
What does lithium look like?
Probably one of the most critical elements for modern life - without it, our batteries wouldn’t work. But what does it actually look like?
Putting the “You” in CPU
What exactly happens when you run a program on your computer? Find out by reading this fantastic step-by-step guide.
ESP32 smart doorbell
Privacy focused “smart” doorbells seem to be few and far between so Tristam decided to build one that integrates with Home Assistant via ESPHome and is easy to build.
Final Thoughts
Summer is almost over (at least it is where I am in the world!) and the nice long summer days that tempt you outdoors late into the evening are coming to an end. Should we feel sad? No! The long winter nights are perfect for getting on with projects!
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this month’s newsletter. As always, we love hearing from our readers - any feedback or comments you may have are simply invaluable. Please continue to share our newsletter with other tech enthusiasts in your circle! Until next time, keep those wits sharp and the creative juices flowing.