Cutting DIY Solder Paste Stencils for PCBs
Inkscape extension for creating low cost solder paste stencils. Laser-cutting or bladed Silhouette machine...
Climbers.net Electronics
Many fun projects with detailed photos & build instructions. Clusters of low cost Single Board Computers. Reviews. Benchmarks. Electronics kits for sale.
Latest posts
Home Lab: MultiJig magnetic solder paste stencil holder + Ruler
Multifunction jig: magnetic+taped PCB clamping, handy metric+imperial ruler, common SMD/SMT footprints, RPi+ESP pinouts, soldering practice...
Cheatsheet for writing KiCad v6 plugin scripts in Python
Tutorial with examples of many common API functions, plus open-source complete plugin...
More ESP8266 GPIO pins with IOexpander library
Open source library to auto-detect & support different incompatible 16-channel I 2 C I/O expander chips in a single firmware...
ESP32 low-power accurate clock using network time
Calibrated time-keeping library for ESP32 deep sleep mode. Improved ESP32 clock drift from 8 minutes/day to just 8 seconds/day, without extra hardware or power consumption. Open source download...
Surviving the Great Chip Shortage of 2022
Component choices and PCB layouts for improved manufacturability. Includes open hardware design for an I 2 C I/O expander breakout board...
Benchmarked: Raspberry Pi3 vs. The World
Battle of the Boards! The popular Raspberry Pi 3 takes on Seven Three Evil Exes Worthy Competitors: the PINE A64+, Orange Pi Plus2E and NanoPC-T3...
Home Lab: Building PCB programming / test jigs
Rapid testing of assembled PCBs, and flashing production firmware using 3 simple jigs with spring-loaded pogo pins...
Home Lab: Magnetic PCB holders
DIY holders using M8 nuts, grub screw & 6mm neodymium magnets. Overview of other magnetic PCB holders...
Dual Rail �12V DC/DC Converter
Low cost step-up converter from a single 3.7V LiIon battery to �12V. Download open hardware files...
Breadboard circuits using surface mount components
Skip using through-hole chips for prototypes and go straight to SMD with generic breakout boards, plus designs for DFN-12 & QFN-20...
KiCad Web Viewer
Lightweight 17Kb Javascript library for embedding KiCad schematics and PCBs in web documentation, with zoom/pan & search...
Safe shutdown with an external button on ARM single board computers
Lightweight daemon written in C compared to Python scripts for monitoring a GPIO pin on Raspberry Pi & similar boards...
Using KiCad to build an accurate 3D model of the NanoPi NEO3
Workflow for creating virtual models of commercial electronics using open source KiCad and FreeCAD...
ESP8266 testing jig/breakout board combo
Jig using spring-loaded pogo pins for rapid testing of ESP12E/12F modules, and flashing production firmware...
KiCad PCB Panelization with Javascript
Simple online tool builds a framework to panelize your PCB in KiCad v5, ready for manufacture. No download required...
IoT Battery Runtime calculator
Online estimator for battery life when designing Internet Of Things projects. Supports LiIon, LiPo and NiMH rechargeable batteries. No download needed...
WiFi-controlled stepper motors with ESP8266 revB
Updated. £20 Open Hardware driver board kit for controlling one or two stepper motors over WiFi with its own web server, using the popular A4988 and ESP-12F modules. Needs no Arduino/Raspberry Pi/Feather/etc. Free shipping...
Making a laser-cut box/case with elastic clips
Make a laser-cut box/case of any size that uses elastic clips, without needing any glue or screws. Downloadable plans. Ideal for acrylic (perspex) or MDF...
96-core ARM supercomputer using the NanoPi-Fire3
Building a high performance supercomputer for under £100 (£550 including twelve Fire3s). Parts list, benchmarks and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...
WiFi-controlled stepper motors with ESP8266
Open Hardware driver board kit for controlling one or two stepper motors over WiFi with its own web server, using the well-proven EasyDriver and ESP-12F modules. Needs no Arduino/Raspberry Pi/Feather/etc...
Easy laser-cut electronics cases
Downloadable acrylic case designs for the Raspberry Pi Zero+Stackable USB Hub, Orange Pi Lite & Marvell ESPRESSObin...
DIY 5 Node Cluster of Raspberry Pi 3s
Updated. Building a Raspberry Pi 3 cluster for only £80 (£250 including five RPi3s). Parts list, build photos and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...
Bargain 5 Node Cluster of PINE A64+
Building a 5-node PINE A64+ quadcore cluster for under £75 (£190 including five quadcore A64+s). Parts list, build photos and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...
Fanless Skylake desktop PC build with the HDPLEX H1.S case
Building a silent ultra low-power 17W desktop PC, with heatpipe passive cooling, and custom transparent case lid/window that shows off LED motherboard lighting...
ClusterHAT Review for the Raspberry Pi Zero
Cluster computing on a £100 budget with 4 Raspberry Pi Zeros and a ClusterHAT, networked together using USB gadget mode and no cables. Includes downloadable plans for a tiny acrylic case for the cluster...
5 Node Cluster of Orange Pi Plus 2Es
£250 - one only for sale -->Building a 5-node Orange Pi Plus2E cluster for under £75 (£250 including five Plus2Es). Parts list, build photos and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...
40-core ARM cluster using the NanoPC-T3
Building a high performance 5-node NanoPC-T3 cluster for under £100 (£375 including five T3s). Parts list, build photos and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...
Silent cooling for the Raspberry Pi 3
Stop the RPi3 CPU overheating to get maximum performance, using a silent fan powered from GPIO 5V. Use a variable boost convertor 5V-12V to tune the optimum fan speed...
DIY 5 Node Cluster of Raspberry Pi 3s
Building a Raspberry Pi 3 cluster for under £100 (£250 including five RPi3s). Parts list, build photos and downloadable plans for laser-cutting the acrylic case...