Robert Lipe
@robertlipe.bsky.social
Tinkerer with electronics, RISC-V, ESP-32.
Creator of www.gpsbabel.org.
Infrequent wordsmith at www.robertlipe.com.
Former Googler.
Creator of www.gpsbabel.org.
Infrequent wordsmith at www.robertlipe.com.
Former Googler.
But Martin's work is pretty darned impressive!
November 1, 2025 at 2:40 AM
But Martin's work is pretty darned impressive!
The Furbys from last century are the choice of many because the electronics are dead simple to hack. Single motor, bridge electronics that aren't alien to interface with, plentiful teardowns:
community.element14.com/challenges-p...
community.element14.com/challenges-p...
community.element14.com
November 1, 2025 at 2:37 AM
The Furbys from last century are the choice of many because the electronics are dead simple to hack. Single motor, bridge electronics that aren't alien to interface with, plentiful teardowns:
community.element14.com/challenges-p...
community.element14.com/challenges-p...
Bummer. The DevKitC's (not the Minis & Zeros) come out to a USB-C connector for exactly that reason. They can be dom or sub. The other connector is hooked to a legacy USB/Serial bridge (e.g. CH340)
You may have to jimmy a jumper to get power to your USB target device, but they're awesome.
You may have to jimmy a jumper to get power to your USB target device, but they're awesome.
November 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Bummer. The DevKitC's (not the Minis & Zeros) come out to a USB-C connector for exactly that reason. They can be dom or sub. The other connector is hooked to a legacy USB/Serial bridge (e.g. CH340)
You may have to jimmy a jumper to get power to your USB target device, but they're awesome.
You may have to jimmy a jumper to get power to your USB target device, but they're awesome.
Not to kill your buzz, but on most of mine, even the chubby ones will fit with one row on each side.
Failing that, when I have two breadboards, I just span across them, like water skis.
Failing THAT, I put it against the edge of a desk, give it a solid CHOP and they break in two and work fine!
Failing that, when I have two breadboards, I just span across them, like water skis.
Failing THAT, I put it against the edge of a desk, give it a solid CHOP and they break in two and work fine!
November 1, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Not to kill your buzz, but on most of mine, even the chubby ones will fit with one row on each side.
Failing that, when I have two breadboards, I just span across them, like water skis.
Failing THAT, I put it against the edge of a desk, give it a solid CHOP and they break in two and work fine!
Failing that, when I have two breadboards, I just span across them, like water skis.
Failing THAT, I put it against the edge of a desk, give it a solid CHOP and they break in two and work fine!
I have a few. I love 'em for developing blinkies. A "strip" of 64 px, a dual-core S3, serial monitor, JTAG AND power, all on one USB cable is the bee's knees for development and testing.
I don't need to blind the man in the moon. I need to write code that doesn't crash.
github.com/PlummersSoft...
I don't need to blind the man in the moon. I need to write code that doesn't crash.
github.com/PlummersSoft...
GitHub - PlummersSoftwareLLC/NightDriverStrip: NightDriver client for ESP32
NightDriver client for ESP32. Contribute to PlummersSoftwareLLC/NightDriverStrip development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:41 AM
I have a few. I love 'em for developing blinkies. A "strip" of 64 px, a dual-core S3, serial monitor, JTAG AND power, all on one USB cable is the bee's knees for development and testing.
I don't need to blind the man in the moon. I need to write code that doesn't crash.
github.com/PlummersSoft...
I don't need to blind the man in the moon. I need to write code that doesn't crash.
github.com/PlummersSoft...
It's a whole Russian Nesting Doll stack of technologies from RF to Analog to old protocol (You've figured out the '83' in in "NMEA-83", surely. :-) ) to a whole field of annoyingly incompatible, specialized hardware and apps. Competitive windsurfing & parasailing, fitness running & cycling, etc...
November 1, 2025 at 1:30 AM
It's a whole Russian Nesting Doll stack of technologies from RF to Analog to old protocol (You've figured out the '83' in in "NMEA-83", surely. :-) ) to a whole field of annoyingly incompatible, specialized hardware and apps. Competitive windsurfing & parasailing, fitness running & cycling, etc...
I haven't needed to shop for one in about 20 years, when I did the hardest part of GPSBabel, but the big brother to these, a reradiating antenna, is handy if you're trying to ensure a whole herd on the bench has the "same" view of the sky.
The gpsr got good enough to just "see" out the window.
The gpsr got good enough to just "see" out the window.
October 31, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I haven't needed to shop for one in about 20 years, when I did the hardest part of GPSBabel, but the big brother to these, a reradiating antenna, is handy if you're trying to ensure a whole herd on the bench has the "same" view of the sky.
The gpsr got good enough to just "see" out the window.
The gpsr got good enough to just "see" out the window.
Ian, to your GPS resource, please consider adding the cross-platform, free, and open-source GPSBabel. CLI and GUI. Twenty four years & counting. It can reduce, interpolate, toss out junk, etc.
Coming soon (merged to Git): Kalman filter
www.gpsbabel.org Specfically
www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-deve...
Coming soon (merged to Git): Kalman filter
www.gpsbabel.org Specfically
www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-deve...
GPSBabel: convert, upload, download data from GPS and Map programs
www.gpsbabel.org
October 31, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Ian, to your GPS resource, please consider adding the cross-platform, free, and open-source GPSBabel. CLI and GUI. Twenty four years & counting. It can reduce, interpolate, toss out junk, etc.
Coming soon (merged to Git): Kalman filter
www.gpsbabel.org Specfically
www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-deve...
Coming soon (merged to Git): Kalman filter
www.gpsbabel.org Specfically
www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-deve...
TBF: "Wind at my back" means no walls & close enough to touch the Ubiquiti gear. It's totally unrelated to the real world. But a "mere" 800 mbps a wall or two away isn't UNpleasant.
2 Gbps to even prosumer single-family is pretty detached from reality. Web pushes are nice. Backup? Seeding? Maybe.
2 Gbps to even prosumer single-family is pretty detached from reality. Web pushes are nice. Backup? Seeding? Maybe.
August 15, 2025 at 6:20 AM
TBF: "Wind at my back" means no walls & close enough to touch the Ubiquiti gear. It's totally unrelated to the real world. But a "mere" 800 mbps a wall or two away isn't UNpleasant.
2 Gbps to even prosumer single-family is pretty detached from reality. Web pushes are nice. Backup? Seeding? Maybe.
2 Gbps to even prosumer single-family is pretty detached from reality. Web pushes are nice. Backup? Seeding? Maybe.
Too much hardware works unless you can change the internal pullups. I don't use ESPHome, but I know they're pretty clueful about such realities.
esphome.io/guides/confi...
esphome.io/guides/confi...
Configuration Types
Documentation of different configuration types in ESPHome
esphome.io
July 30, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Too much hardware works unless you can change the internal pullups. I don't use ESPHome, but I know they're pretty clueful about such realities.
esphome.io/guides/confi...
esphome.io/guides/confi...
Those are my go-to board.
Nuttx also works really well with them.
Nuttx also works really well with them.
July 30, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Those are my go-to board.
Nuttx also works really well with them.
Nuttx also works really well with them.
There's an API to set the pull state high, low, or high impedance.
docs.espressif.com/projects/esp...
docs.espressif.com/projects/esp...
GPIO & RTC GPIO - ESP32 - — ESP-IDF Programming Guide v5.5 documentation
docs.espressif.com
July 30, 2025 at 6:02 AM
There's an API to set the pull state high, low, or high impedance.
docs.espressif.com/projects/esp...
docs.espressif.com/projects/esp...
Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out soon.
July 30, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out soon.
I don't remember a trick on C3, but it'd have been a year or two since I last tried, so I'm sure the versions, well, everything has changed since then.
C6 is new-ish. Arduino 3 is still in turmoil. File bug reports. They burn them down pretty aggressively.
C6 is new-ish. Arduino 3 is still in turmoil. File bug reports. They burn them down pretty aggressively.
July 30, 2025 at 5:01 AM
I don't remember a trick on C3, but it'd have been a year or two since I last tried, so I'm sure the versions, well, everything has changed since then.
C6 is new-ish. Arduino 3 is still in turmoil. File bug reports. They burn them down pretty aggressively.
C6 is new-ish. Arduino 3 is still in turmoil. File bug reports. They burn them down pretty aggressively.
Thanks for the tip. I added it to my calendar to check it out! I'm not really into robotics, but I may have enough useful software and electronics skills to share. I'd welcome some 3D friends!
I tried to fit in with the Maker group years ago and just didn't.
I tried to fit in with the Maker group years ago and just didn't.
July 25, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Thanks for the tip. I added it to my calendar to check it out! I'm not really into robotics, but I may have enough useful software and electronics skills to share. I'd welcome some 3D friends!
I tried to fit in with the Maker group years ago and just didn't.
I tried to fit in with the Maker group years ago and just didn't.
Here, I've selected the base class of each of their major product lines.
C = Commodity 😉
ESP32-C3 - successor to 8266
C5 - Faster. Adds PSRAM. 5Ghz WiFi
C6 - Zigbee, WiFi 6
S =Speedy. Faster the old esp32.
S2 - single core "new" Xtensa.
S3 - Dual core of same. NPI. Great part!
P4 = Performance
C = Commodity 😉
ESP32-C3 - successor to 8266
C5 - Faster. Adds PSRAM. 5Ghz WiFi
C6 - Zigbee, WiFi 6
S =Speedy. Faster the old esp32.
S2 - single core "new" Xtensa.
S3 - Dual core of same. NPI. Great part!
P4 = Performance
July 25, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Here, I've selected the base class of each of their major product lines.
C = Commodity 😉
ESP32-C3 - successor to 8266
C5 - Faster. Adds PSRAM. 5Ghz WiFi
C6 - Zigbee, WiFi 6
S =Speedy. Faster the old esp32.
S2 - single core "new" Xtensa.
S3 - Dual core of same. NPI. Great part!
P4 = Performance
C = Commodity 😉
ESP32-C3 - successor to 8266
C5 - Faster. Adds PSRAM. 5Ghz WiFi
C6 - Zigbee, WiFi 6
S =Speedy. Faster the old esp32.
S2 - single core "new" Xtensa.
S3 - Dual core of same. NPI. Great part!
P4 = Performance
PlatformIO won't play nice with either Espressif OR Pi foundations for 2350, the corresponding fork that actually supports new ESP32 parts is pioarduino share.google/xL8F49FFItU1... - a fork actively maintained by the most excellent Jason2866&peers.
It is to esp as Maxgerhardt's fork is to RP2350.
It is to esp as Maxgerhardt's fork is to RP2350.
pioarduino
pioarduino has 26 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub.
share.google
July 24, 2025 at 11:51 PM
PlatformIO won't play nice with either Espressif OR Pi foundations for 2350, the corresponding fork that actually supports new ESP32 parts is pioarduino share.google/xL8F49FFItU1... - a fork actively maintained by the most excellent Jason2866&peers.
It is to esp as Maxgerhardt's fork is to RP2350.
It is to esp as Maxgerhardt's fork is to RP2350.
Indeed. Esp32-p4 also has i3c.
"Only" usb-2 with high speed, but still steps forward.
WCH is building some really nice interface "RISC-V+some kind of specialized I/O" parts these days. 80 gpios in the 307 is nuts.
"Only" usb-2 with high speed, but still steps forward.
WCH is building some really nice interface "RISC-V+some kind of specialized I/O" parts these days. 80 gpios in the 307 is nuts.
July 24, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Indeed. Esp32-p4 also has i3c.
"Only" usb-2 with high speed, but still steps forward.
WCH is building some really nice interface "RISC-V+some kind of specialized I/O" parts these days. 80 gpios in the 307 is nuts.
"Only" usb-2 with high speed, but still steps forward.
WCH is building some really nice interface "RISC-V+some kind of specialized I/O" parts these days. 80 gpios in the 307 is nuts.
Here's a migration guide. The changes aren't voluminous, but they're just wide enough to break a lot of projects. Like DMA registers got renamed, led arglists fixed, etc.
It's the curse of it being in C
Migration from 2.x to 3.0 - - — Arduino ESP32 latest documentation share.google/g8Q3TunAqPcw...
It's the curse of it being in C
Migration from 2.x to 3.0 - - — Arduino ESP32 latest documentation share.google/g8Q3TunAqPcw...
July 24, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Here's a migration guide. The changes aren't voluminous, but they're just wide enough to break a lot of projects. Like DMA registers got renamed, led arglists fixed, etc.
It's the curse of it being in C
Migration from 2.x to 3.0 - - — Arduino ESP32 latest documentation share.google/g8Q3TunAqPcw...
It's the curse of it being in C
Migration from 2.x to 3.0 - - — Arduino ESP32 latest documentation share.google/g8Q3TunAqPcw...
That was indeed my impression. My interest in helping fell off pretty quickly. I can crop pictures and copy tables, but custom python and editing pages and DNS records didn't seem very welcoming.
Still, its a cool result, so thank you!
Still, its a cool result, so thank you!
July 24, 2025 at 11:26 PM
That was indeed my impression. My interest in helping fell off pretty quickly. I can crop pictures and copy tables, but custom python and editing pages and DNS records didn't seem very welcoming.
Still, its a cool result, so thank you!
Still, its a cool result, so thank you!