Simple Electronics

...But if I didn't hoard Cool Stuff for 16+ years, how would I eventually dig up the perfect pair of vintage watch lenses to go with these LED #robot eyes??? (Someday I'll scan the packets, and use some in my long-dreamed-of dieselpunk Archimedes... but in like 12 more years... can't be hasty now)

Anyone working in the hardware or software space - preferably at a company that has remote positions - have some availability to chat? I would like some advice for skillsets I need to learn to work in the field, preferably without a degree.

Are you learning @kicad.org and want some tips to make a successful PCB? My notes for what to do/check/think about are here: github.com/Blenster/PCB... #MakeAllTheThings

I swear my treadmill exists in a time bubble - 30 minutes on it feels like 2 hours of walking outside

Sometimes I feel like I am just shouting into the void loop()

Learning @python.org is teaching me that marketing is mostly lying, and coding languages are no different.

I don't think I'll ever be a command-line enjoyer

Started a new coding website - Boot.dev - really cool gamified learning system, making it feel like an RPG. I plan on continuing @freecodecamp.bsky.social but I am making some big moves in 2026 using @python.org so I couldn't help myself. 71/179 in python. @wagslane.bsky.social

Day 49 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was a long workshop - which is fine but I am afraid I may not 'get it' when it is too guided - only the future will tell! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 2 Stream of the Radio Advent Calendar youtube.com/live/GaOFvfl...

Day 48 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was a massive game of "my code works but the software disagrees" so that was frustrating - the solution? Use a totally different syntax than when the site asked me to do it last time 🙃. I guess that's coding sometimes. @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 47 of ??? of my learning to code journey. Today was a whopper of a workshop where an entire cityscape is created using only <div> and CSS - and it is responsive, turns to a night scape using a @media enquiry! cool stuff!

Microsoft VSCode makes a good alternative when you want to program your Arduino and ESP boards. youtu.be/ZzvDGfNfpt0

Day 46 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Not as much done today but did a certification project which took a lot of time - still making slow and steady progress!

Day 45 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Got a good chunk of stuff done today and I am feeling good about the progress - maybe I will get my first certification before the end of the year? Who knows! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 44 of ??? of my learning to code journey. Today I did some massive progress including finishing a lab that I had a lot of trouble with - feeling quite accomplished today and I am well on my way to the Responsive Web Design Certification! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 43 of ??? of my learning to code journey. Today I went back after over a month of not following the journey and a lot has changed - it seems there are more, smaller certifications, so here is my progress on the first one! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

@simpleelectronics.bsky.social A challenge to makers! youtu.be/iHP8fFc4mME?...

After a bad impression from last week's unboxing, I took a closer look at the #arduinouno Q. I look at not only getting the board working, but the App Labs software as well. youtu.be/DIghS9B6qss

I really wanted to like the new #Arduino Uno Q. It had a lot of potential and looked interesting. I continued to play with it for over an hour after last night's stream. My overall impression is it's too expensive, and too complex for the Maker Community. Such a shame.

Day 42 of ??? of my learning to code journey. I have to admit I fell off the train for a bit because I hated a lab, but this morning I decided to skip that lab until later and move on - so I finished some new HTML workshop and tomorrow is a new day! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Giving up on Linux for my HTPC - @pop-os.bsky.social froze twice in 20 minutes today, time to swap back to windows. I concede that my hardware is old and the GPU is Nvidia, so I'm not done forever with Linux, but it was an educational experience, not to set-up Linux unless I have 12 hours to burn.

Watch "unboxing" for geeks! youtu.be/au5xxgejn2E

It only took 15 minutes after installing Linux to REQUIRE the terminal. Even then, the system started freezing up, 8 times in an hour. Switched distros and it's more stable, but I STILL can't share my usb drive via Samba... is W11 the least worst option?? 🙃

Pumpkin Jam #2 signup is live! It's set to start October 18th. It's an event geared towards participants advancing their 3D modeling skills by making a model according to a Theme within a limited time. Info/ signup here: www.carlthepumpkinman.com/pumpkin-jam Jam #1 recap: youtu.be/4i_7wCGuWAc

It's been a huge effort, but my new kids book, Skill Seeker Young Maker Edition is coming out soon - Perfect for holiday activities! I'm so happy with how it's turned out and excited for kids to enjoy these. Available in mid November ready for Christmas.

I'm taking a break from soldering this week to look at a bag of gifts from @simpleelectronics.bsky.social and to work on research for an upcoming video. youtube.com/live/jGfDbvu...

Too exhausted to learn to code today and as much as I want to push myself to learn quickly - I have to also give myself a break from time to time. This will only be the 3rd day I don't learn to code since I started this journey, 44 days ago. I'm pretty happy about that!

Day 41 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Not a lot of "progress" to speak of but I have spent HOURS on the pictured lab and I figure I am about half finished. Most of it is trying to figure out what @freecodecamp.bsky.social wants me to do - quite muddy when you are targeting 3+ elements deep

Day 40 of ??? of my learning to code journey! This time the cheeky buggers at @freecodecamp.bsky.social added more HTML, so I went to do the workshop and started on the lab - busy day today but I made time to code a bit!

Day 39 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Finished the balance sheet workshop and that's all for today, had a busy day, but the importance is to make time to learn something! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 38 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Those sneaky buggers at @freecodecamp.bsky.social added some stuff in the HTML category (go check yesterday's post!) so I polished that off and got 2/3 of the way through the workshop I was working on.

A nofrills assembly of the I2C Scanner by @simpleelectronics.bsky.social. To expose the female I2C header, I used an angled header for the display. I bent the pins on the display instead of trying put new ones on. My first attempt to desolder the header delaminated the pads.

Day 37 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was a few lectures and partially a workshop on Attribute Selectors - the workshop hasn't progressed to the point of demonstrating its use yet so - tomorrow! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 36 of ??? of my learning to code journey. Today was a lab about positioning and making a house. The borders are a bit messed up because the lab requires exact positioning. To make it look nicer, it doesn't pass the requirements. Oh well! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 35 of ??? of my learning to code journey. I am REALLY enjoying the workshops more than the lectures and labs - I love when I have to do things in order to demonstrate functionality. Who guessed yesterday's image would be a cat? I'm more of a dog guy myself. Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Looks like this is becoming a weekly stream. Why stop when we're having fun? youtube.com/live/lihThWk...

My new video is up - and it seems to be a banger! Check it out if you're interested in #electronics and #diy: youtu.be/NPpPVw-4qi8

Day 34 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Didn't get quite as much done today as I wanted to but I did it anyway. See attached and guess what it's going to become!

Day 33 of ??? of my learning to code journey. Today I just knocked out a few lectures about positioning but I am pretty excited by tomorrow's workshop to solidify the concepts! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

A lethal Optus outage may also have nuked the 2.4 GHz band on my router, or maybe it was a coincidence? Anyhoo, poor old Little Bin who tells me each week whether it's recycling day or not lost contact with the outside world. Here's the story of its rebirth... youtu.be/KnXiz07Npq4

Day 32 out of ??? of my learning to code journey and today I only had 30 minutes to dedicate to coding, so this wasn't a real lesson, it was only a tribute! (building a tribute page) course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

I HAVE SLAIN THE PROCRASTINATION MONSTER! (for today) - New video on patreon!

UGH - why does the procrastination monster always rear its ugly head when you're on a deadline?

@css-tricks.com Your flexbox infographic is god-tier! Thanks for making visual references for those of us on a learning journey!

Day 31 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was finishing up a workshop - but more importantly, my search for references brought me to an AWESOME infographic for Flexbox: css-tricks.com/snippets/css... - absolutely incredible resource! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 30 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was a lab making a newspaper article (see attached) and started some accessibility lectures and a workshop - so far so good! Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

Day 29 of ??? of my learning to code journey! Today was just finishing up the workshop making a nutritional label - quite simple although I tend to get lost in the layers and layers of <span> and <div> tags nested over each other. Course by @freecodecamp.bsky.social

I'm going to continue my soldering project on stream later. Please come and join me for a chat. youtube.com/live/wY0KET4...