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MCU Driver Development that Doesn't Suck
Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Blog
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All I’m going to say here is to make your bed before you get in and close the barn before the horse puts in his two weeks notice. Writing MCU device drivers can suck. It can suck for many reasons. As someone who recently spent best part of a …
Setting Up Multiple FTDI Devices
Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Blog
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Background I’m building a test jig for a device that needs both RS-232 and RS-485 transceivers. Since this is a test jig, I prefer to build it using off-the-shelf components—ideally ones that can be delivered overnight. Inside the jig, I have …
Scripting FreeCAD from an AppImage
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 in Blog
(Updated: )Introduction AppImages are another packaging methods for distributing code with all dependencies included. It’s one of the simpler approaches, there’s no package manager for it, you download the image and go. The FreeCAD AppImages (here) …
KiCad Board Outlines
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 in Blog
(Updated: )I recently posted a video walk through of how I use board outlines and form factors as footprints in KiCad. It’s a useful approach I encourage you to try – especially when you are supporting many different designs. Simplifying and …
KiCad 7 Build Environment
Sunday, February 26, 2023 in Blog
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KiCad 7 has some notable improvements, not least among these is the addition of kicad-cli. Check out the Hackaday article for more. Why a Build Environment? I am a bit obsessed with pragmatic approaches to building and designing electronics. I want …
Fixed Point Python Libraries
Thursday, February 02, 2023 in Blog
TL;DR Use spfpm or numfi. spfpm behaves exactly like a standard fixed point in a compiled language with exceptions on overflow. numfi also behaves like a standard fixed point with overflows at the limits, no exceptions are thrown. Introduction …
Reusing PCB Design Elements
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 in Blog
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Board template layout Here’s the scenario: you’ve come up with a great product design, designed the electronics, written the software, set up testing, designed an enclosure, set up manufacturing, and are shipping products. Version 0.1.0 …
Building an Automated Test Jig: Hardware
Sunday, November 27, 2022 in Blog
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Merifix MF300 Fixture Part 2. of figuring out how to build a series of automated testing jigs for Hobbs ElectroOptics and ElectroOptical Innovations. The first part “Requirements and Resources” is available here. Like the first part this …
Building an Automated Test Jig: Requirements & References
Thursday, November 24, 2022 in Blog
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Summary Here’s a list of design goals to guide the design of a series of related production test system. A list of interesting resources and and companies is included. Introduction Blue Clover Tester Chassis As the number of projects …