NotBlackMagic
@notblackmagic.com
Electronics engineer with a passion for DIY. Always building, exploring, and taking on new challenges. Check out my projects at notblackmagic.com.
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NotBlackMagic
@notblackmagic.com
· Oct 21
Newest acquisition to the home lab arrived!
These are amazing, the build quality and the stiffness of the rotation/motion part is very well choose/tuned!
Only may need to get a bigger metal base.
These are amazing, the build quality and the stiffness of the rotation/motion part is very well choose/tuned!
Only may need to get a bigger metal base.
November 10, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Newest acquisition to the home lab arrived!
These are amazing, the build quality and the stiffness of the rotation/motion part is very well choose/tuned!
Only may need to get a bigger metal base.
These are amazing, the build quality and the stiffness of the rotation/motion part is very well choose/tuned!
Only may need to get a bigger metal base.
Ordered some JST-GH connectors from #AliExpress, first time I got one with the different plastic housing. The one in the bottom right, it's lighter color almost a bit translucent.
Will see if it's a lower grade plastic or not...
Will see if it's a lower grade plastic or not...
November 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Ordered some JST-GH connectors from #AliExpress, first time I got one with the different plastic housing. The one in the bottom right, it's lighter color almost a bit translucent.
Will see if it's a lower grade plastic or not...
Will see if it's a lower grade plastic or not...
While on one hand I fixed the BGA Tenting mistake for the work project, I have also continued to work on my new personal project!
The layout and routing is not roughly 80% done, looking forward to getting it in my hands!
The layout and routing is not roughly 80% done, looking forward to getting it in my hands!
October 31, 2025 at 1:41 PM
While on one hand I fixed the BGA Tenting mistake for the work project, I have also continued to work on my new personal project!
The layout and routing is not roughly 80% done, looking forward to getting it in my hands!
The layout and routing is not roughly 80% done, looking forward to getting it in my hands!
And this is how it is supposed to look, with the vias properly Tented!
October 28, 2025 at 12:54 PM
And this is how it is supposed to look, with the vias properly Tented!
To the embedded developers around here, for your embedded system (no Linux), what structure do you use for your HAL drivers?
I started and kept with UART1Init(), UART2Init(), etc... option. With all the functions "duplicated" between insurances. Extremely customizable between instances but ugly...
I started and kept with UART1Init(), UART2Init(), etc... option. With all the functions "duplicated" between insurances. Extremely customizable between instances but ugly...
October 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
To the embedded developers around here, for your embedded system (no Linux), what structure do you use for your HAL drivers?
I started and kept with UART1Init(), UART2Init(), etc... option. With all the functions "duplicated" between insurances. Extremely customizable between instances but ugly...
I started and kept with UART1Init(), UART2Init(), etc... option. With all the functions "duplicated" between insurances. Extremely customizable between instances but ugly...
Don't forget to double/triple check your generated Gerber files!
By mistake forgot to set the vias to tented (Altium defaults to untented ...) on a first prototype at work. KiCAD defaults to tented vias and JLC for 6L and up does not seem to have an overwrite of this.
By mistake forgot to set the vias to tented (Altium defaults to untented ...) on a first prototype at work. KiCAD defaults to tented vias and JLC for 6L and up does not seem to have an overwrite of this.
October 14, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Don't forget to double/triple check your generated Gerber files!
By mistake forgot to set the vias to tented (Altium defaults to untented ...) on a first prototype at work. KiCAD defaults to tented vias and JLC for 6L and up does not seem to have an overwrite of this.
By mistake forgot to set the vias to tented (Altium defaults to untented ...) on a first prototype at work. KiCAD defaults to tented vias and JLC for 6L and up does not seem to have an overwrite of this.
I was looking at the new Arduino Uno Q, out of curiosity. What strikes me as strange is that there seem to be no shield for the bottom connectors yet? So no way for now to use the MIPI interfaces (camera and display)? Am I missing something?
www.arduino.cc/product-uno-q
www.arduino.cc/product-uno-q
Discover the New Arduino UNO Q: The All-In One Toolbox
Arduino UNO Q bridges high-performance computing with real-time control. Discover innovation made simple.
www.arduino.cc
October 10, 2025 at 7:56 AM
I was looking at the new Arduino Uno Q, out of curiosity. What strikes me as strange is that there seem to be no shield for the bottom connectors yet? So no way for now to use the MIPI interfaces (camera and display)? Am I missing something?
www.arduino.cc/product-uno-q
www.arduino.cc/product-uno-q
This is an amazing video! Putting it into words and confirming my own experience when using AI to find solutions and/or information.
The issue of AI quoting AI articles is also only starting and will get much worse...
And then they want us to pay for unreliable information...
The issue of AI quoting AI articles is also only starting and will get much worse...
And then they want us to pay for unreliable information...
AI-generated content is flooding the internet, and we're entering a new era of information overload. Watch our latest video to find out how AI slop affects the internet and why kurzgesagt videos will always remain human-made: https://kgs.link/AISlop
October 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
This is an amazing video! Putting it into words and confirming my own experience when using AI to find solutions and/or information.
The issue of AI quoting AI articles is also only starting and will get much worse...
And then they want us to pay for unreliable information...
The issue of AI quoting AI articles is also only starting and will get much worse...
And then they want us to pay for unreliable information...
What?! Now that is an acquisition that I did not expect! What hobbiest/consumer facing products do they even sell? All there SoC are basically impossible to get as a DIYer...
www.pcmag.com/news/qualcom...
www.pcmag.com/news/qualcom...
Qualcomm Buys Arduino, Will Bring AI Tools to Your DIY Tech Projects
The Arduino brand will remain for future products as it becomes part of the Qualcomm business. Plus, there's a brand-new Arduino Uno Q single-board computer.
www.pcmag.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:48 PM
What?! Now that is an acquisition that I did not expect! What hobbiest/consumer facing products do they even sell? All there SoC are basically impossible to get as a DIYer...
www.pcmag.com/news/qualcom...
www.pcmag.com/news/qualcom...
New toy arrived! The all new ESP32-C5 from #Espressif! The first dual band (2.4+5GHz) WiFi chip from them. Will be interesting to test the new bands and the potential higher throughput!
October 7, 2025 at 8:23 AM
New toy arrived! The all new ESP32-C5 from #Espressif! The first dual band (2.4+5GHz) WiFi chip from them. Will be interesting to test the new bands and the potential higher throughput!
Found this tool that looks very useful for soldering paste application! Should make it much easier to dose it then just using the syringe directly.
Ordered already, will see if it makes a good addition to the reflow soldering setup!
Ordered already, will see if it makes a good addition to the reflow soldering setup!
October 3, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Found this tool that looks very useful for soldering paste application! Should make it much easier to dose it then just using the syringe directly.
Ordered already, will see if it makes a good addition to the reflow soldering setup!
Ordered already, will see if it makes a good addition to the reflow soldering setup!
Ordered it, will make a post about it once I have it and tested it a bit!
While I'm still working on the new project board (the flying squirrel shaped one 🐿️🪽), I'm also looking on how I'll solder the BGAs.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
October 2, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Ordered it, will make a post about it once I have it and tested it a bit!
While I'm still working on the new project board (the flying squirrel shaped one 🐿️🪽), I'm also looking on how I'll solder the BGAs.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
October 1, 2025 at 8:26 AM
While I'm still working on the new project board (the flying squirrel shaped one 🐿️🪽), I'm also looking on how I'll solder the BGAs.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
Plan is to re-flow with a Hotplate, like this one. It's 40€ shipped and has the power supply integrated in contrast to smaller USB-PD ones.
Just found out that #Espressif launched it's first dual-band (2.4G and 5G) WiFi 6 ESP32 this year, the ESP32-C5!
Anybody has tried it out, or has it on order, around here?
Anybody has tried it out, or has it on order, around here?
September 26, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Just found out that #Espressif launched it's first dual-band (2.4G and 5G) WiFi 6 ESP32 this year, the ESP32-C5!
Anybody has tried it out, or has it on order, around here?
Anybody has tried it out, or has it on order, around here?
Just added the table and some additional thoughts and information to the Snippets section on the website:
notblackmagic.com/snippets/hd-...
Feedback is welcome!
In the future, with time, I want to test the encoders out and compare performance and quality.
notblackmagic.com/snippets/hd-...
Feedback is welcome!
In the future, with time, I want to test the encoders out and compare performance and quality.
September 25, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Just added the table and some additional thoughts and information to the Snippets section on the website:
notblackmagic.com/snippets/hd-...
Feedback is welcome!
In the future, with time, I want to test the encoders out and compare performance and quality.
notblackmagic.com/snippets/hd-...
Feedback is welcome!
In the future, with time, I want to test the encoders out and compare performance and quality.
It's crazy that @jlcpcb.bsky.social can make 6-Layer PCBs with capped vias and ENIG for <30€! When I started to order PCBs there, 2L were ~10€ and 4L ~30€.
In competing manufacturer in China can cost over 100-200€ for the same. How do they do it, just higher level of automation, scale?
In competing manufacturer in China can cost over 100-200€ for the same. How do they do it, just higher level of automation, scale?
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
It's crazy that @jlcpcb.bsky.social can make 6-Layer PCBs with capped vias and ENIG for <30€! When I started to order PCBs there, 2L were ~10€ and 4L ~30€.
In competing manufacturer in China can cost over 100-200€ for the same. How do they do it, just higher level of automation, scale?
In competing manufacturer in China can cost over 100-200€ for the same. How do they do it, just higher level of automation, scale?
Added a few more parameters, the high speed interfaces that in a vision application are of high importance! A high performance camera subsystem and encoder is no much use if you can't save and transmit the data. Looking forward to the first MCU with USB 3.0!
September 19, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Added a few more parameters, the high speed interfaces that in a vision application are of high importance! A high performance camera subsystem and encoder is no much use if you can't save and transmit the data. Looking forward to the first MCU with USB 3.0!
I have done quite a bit of searching and comparing of different MIPI CSI-2 enabled MCUs for the new project. The Table below summarizes my findings, maybe some of you find it useful for your own adventures/projects.
Tell me if a MCU is missing or some value/parameter!
Tell me if a MCU is missing or some value/parameter!
September 18, 2025 at 11:57 AM
I have done quite a bit of searching and comparing of different MIPI CSI-2 enabled MCUs for the new project. The Table below summarizes my findings, maybe some of you find it useful for your own adventures/projects.
Tell me if a MCU is missing or some value/parameter!
Tell me if a MCU is missing or some value/parameter!
First power up was successful! The modified driver recognized the chip but there are some configuration mistakes and it did not fully initialize correctly into the full media chain... At least this time it got recognized and not destroyed by miss connecting it 🫣
Finally got all the parts for the SC132GS global Shutter camera module adapter PCB! Converts from the cameras DF40C-24DS connector to a 24-pin FFC connector compatible with my #NavQPlus.
September 15, 2025 at 5:22 PM
First power up was successful! The modified driver recognized the chip but there are some configuration mistakes and it did not fully initialize correctly into the full media chain... At least this time it got recognized and not destroyed by miss connecting it 🫣
Finally got all the parts for the SC132GS global Shutter camera module adapter PCB! Converts from the cameras DF40C-24DS connector to a 24-pin FFC connector compatible with my #NavQPlus.
September 15, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Finally got all the parts for the SC132GS global Shutter camera module adapter PCB! Converts from the cameras DF40C-24DS connector to a 24-pin FFC connector compatible with my #NavQPlus.
Continuation on the placement of all the components, its getting dense!
September 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Continuation on the placement of all the components, its getting dense!
Some more progress images for the new project! Trace length matching, although not *strictly* required at these speeds (up to 200MHz) it is still good practice and provides me some learning opportunities.
Besides, they look cool!
Besides, they look cool!
September 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Some more progress images for the new project! Trace length matching, although not *strictly* required at these speeds (up to 200MHz) it is still good practice and provides me some learning opportunities.
Besides, they look cool!
Besides, they look cool!
Teaser of a PCB for a new (in reality revived) project of mine! It will be a very long term and complete project (if I keep the motivation up)!
It's a project I have started and restarted many times over the years but never shown.
It's a project I have started and restarted many times over the years but never shown.
September 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Teaser of a PCB for a new (in reality revived) project of mine! It will be a very long term and complete project (if I keep the motivation up)!
It's a project I have started and restarted many times over the years but never shown.
It's a project I have started and restarted many times over the years but never shown.
The Mini Optical Filter Wheel can be mounted on the Multi spectral illuminator creating a very versatile system!
September 2, 2025 at 6:47 AM
The Mini Optical Filter Wheel can be mounted on the Multi spectral illuminator creating a very versatile system!
First test pictures from the NEW Multispectral Imaging System using my Mini Optical Filter Wheel (notblackmagic.com/projects/min...). Using a cheap low res. RGB camera, with the interesting effect of showing the lower resolution in the RED vs GREEN band/color (typically 2 times lower).
August 30, 2025 at 8:33 AM
First test pictures from the NEW Multispectral Imaging System using my Mini Optical Filter Wheel (notblackmagic.com/projects/min...). Using a cheap low res. RGB camera, with the interesting effect of showing the lower resolution in the RED vs GREEN band/color (typically 2 times lower).