Just upgraded my basic AliExpress crystal balls with some tech wizardry - I've thrown in an ESP32-S3-MINI, a mic, and made them battery powered. Thanks to WLED software, they're now smart and responsive! Shared the KiCAD project for fellow tinkerers. Check out my video to see these balls in action!
After many months of using EasyEDA for PCB design due to its tight integration with LCSC's parts catalog, I switched to KiCad for one critical feature: 3D model exports for designing enclosures. Despite KiCad's vast library, sourcing symbols, footprints, and 3D models for less common parts was no picnic. Luckily, the 'easyeda2kicad' Python package became a game-changer, converting EasyEDA models from LCSC into KiCad-compatible formats. It's a neat workaround, though one must stay vigilant to verify footprints against component datasheets to avoid manufacturing mishaps. Blend freeware magic with a dash of tinkering in CAD software, and voilà - your custom...
Recently, I've been dipping my toes into the world of KiCad action plugins, specifically one for generating coils. In this post, I've jotted down some key learnings that would serve as a guide for myself in the future and for anyone else interested in building KiCad action plugins. Here, you'll find insights on getting the current board, adding objects, specifying the start and end points for tracks, creating vias, adding silk screen text, flipping text to the other side, connecting things to your PCB, and more. You'll find code snippets for these and links to additional resources. As my understanding...
After some stress and trepidation, I finally took the plunge and sent my PCB design off for manufacturing. My design centers around building a large seven-segment clock with LED filaments. Jumping hurdles such as voltages, pin usage, and limiting the load on my power supply, I've settled on the ESP32 as the system's heart and come up with a final circuit design. While doing this, I've quickly realized I could improve my layout and fixed a small mistake. Also, I've prepared for either types of LED filaments - the high-voltage ones or the larger, 3v ones. However, I did bungle...