💍 Open Ring - Open-Source Smart Ring

This series follows the development of Open Ring — an open-source Smart Ring engineered to pack full wireless connectivity, sensing, haptics, and charging into a tiny, finger-sized wearable. Parts 1 and 2 uncover both the early research phase and the deep hardware design decisions that make such a compact device possible.

Key features of the project:
➡️Provides market research, product teardowns, and early prototyping insights
➡️Rigid-flex PCB design enabling ultra-thin construction and dense component placement
➡️Detailed exploration of BLE SoC selection, antenna engineering, and RF constraints
➡️Power management, curved batteries, and a fully custom wireless charging system
➡️Scalable design for multiple ring sizes with reusable PCB sections
➡️Mutual-capacitance touch sensing paired with dual-MCU control for gesture input
➡️Miniaturized haptic feedback achieved through tiny motors boosted by a high-capacity capacitor bank

With the first two parts laying out both the research journey and the hardware engineering behind Open Ring, the series gives a clear and honest look at what it takes to turn a small idea into a real piece of wearable tech. The project has its own 😹 GitHub repository. The project is still in progress, and the upcoming Part 3 will dive into the firmware that brings all of this hardware to life.

More information:
🔗 Part 1: Research and Prototype
🔗 Part 2: Hardware Design

#projects #articles #smart_ring

💻 The smallest ESP32 board (Open-Source)

The f32 is an ultra-miniature open-source ESP32-C3 development board measuring just slightly larger than a USB-C connector. It integrates an ESP32-C3FH4 MCU with USB-C power and programming in an extremely compact form factor.

Features of the project:
➡️ESP32-C3FH4 RISC-V SoC with 400 KB SRAM and 4 MB flash
➡️2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0
➡️USB-C port for power/programming
➡️Single GPIO connected to an onboard LED
➡️Ceramic antenna with tested wireless range up to ~38 m
➡️Open-source PCB design using very small components

This board is ideal for advanced makers who need Wi-Fi connectivity in the smallest possible footprint. Its minimal I/O and challenging assembly make it best suited for experimental ultra-compact devices rather than general-purpose IoT development.

⛓ More information...

#projects #esp32

💻 Velxio: Open Embedded Development for Everyone

Velxio is an open-source, browser-based platform for simulating embedded hardware such as Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi without requiring physical devices or local setup. It began as a personal project exploring microcontroller emulation and evolved into a complete, self-hostable development environment.

Features of the project:
➡️Browser-based emulation for multiple architectures (AVR8, RP2040, RISC-V, ESP32, Raspberry Pi)
➡️Multi-board simulation within a single circuit
➡️Integrated code editor with compilation and debugging tools
➡️Rich hardware support (GPIO, ADC, PWM, UART, SPI, I2C, WiFi)
➡️Visual circuit builder with components and wiring system

Velxio provides a hardware-free way to develop, test, and understand embedded systems with high realism and flexibility. Its open-source and self-hostable nature makes it especially useful for education, experimentation, and scalable classroom environments without infrastructure barriers.

More information:
🔗 Demonstration
😹 The GitHub repository

#projects

🤖 MSG-compliant Open-Source Stepper Gripper

The MSG-compliant stepper gripper is a modular robotic gripper designed for precise force control using StepFOC stepper drivers. It is well-suited for tasks like assembly and human-robot interaction, with a design that works well in visually monitored environments.

Features of the project:
➡️Precise and responsive force control based on FOC technology
➡️Modular design allowing adjustment of grip span and force output
➡️Fully open-source system compatible with custom tools and robotic platforms

Overall, this project provides a flexible and customizable gripping solution for robotics enthusiasts and developers looking to build or integrate a capable gripper into automation or collaborative systems.

⛓ More information...

#projects #robots

🎙 AERIS-10: Open-Source Phased Array Radar

Traditional phased array radar systems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, placing them out of reach for most researchers, drone developers, and hobbyists. AERIS-10 solves this by providing a fully open-source, modular 10.5 GHz radar for under a fraction of that cost, making advanced beamforming and pulse compression experimentation accessible.

Features of the project:
➡️Full electronic beam steering (±45°)
➡️360° mechanical rotation
➡️Two versions: 3km range or 20km
➡️On-board FPGA for signal processing
➡️GPS/IMU integration
➡️Python GUI with maps

This hackable platform removes cost barriers to radar experimentation. It will interest university researchers, drone startups, and serious SDR enthusiasts who have PCB assembly and FPGA experience.

⛓ More information...

#projects #radar #fpga #drones

📺 Air Powered Segment Display

This video documents the creation of a unique air-powered seven-segment display that functions as a clock. It shows how vacuum transistors, latching segments, and multiplexing allow multiple digits to be controlled with limited inputs. Inspired by earlier air-powered robots and microfluidic circuits, the video shows the progression from simple air distribution to full computation, including the accidental creation of pneumatic memory. The final build combines solenoid valves, a microcontroller, and a vacuum pump into a working clock with modes like a stopwatch and simple animations.

⛓ https://youtu.be/E1BLGpE5zH0

#video #projects

🧠 ClawdMeter Token Dashboard

Clawdmeter is a desk dashboard built around the ESP32-S3 and the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.16 board. It monitors Claude Code token usage in real time on a 2.16-inch AMOLED display, helping users keep track of their limits through animated visuals and live statistics.

Features of the project:
➡️ESP32-S3-powered dashboard with a 480×480 AMOLED touchscreen display
➡️Real-time Claude Code token usage monitoring with animated pixel-art visuals
➡️Bluetooth LE connectivity using the NimBLE stack
➡️Built-in BLE HID keyboard support for Claude Code shortcuts
➡️Firmware written in C with 🇳🇱 LVGL-based graphical interface
➡️Portable hardware with WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, microSD slot, IMU, microphones, and optional battery support
➡️Easily portable firmware thanks to clean code structure and resolution-independent constants

Clawdmeter is an interesting project for developers, makers, and Claude Code power users who want a dedicated physical monitor for tracking AI usage. Since it relies mostly on firmware and off-the-shelf hardware, it’s also a practical and approachable ESP32 project for embedded and UI development enthusiasts.

⛓ More information...

#projects #esp32 #claude

📸 Optocam Zero - Raspberry Pi Zero based compact digital camera

Optocam Zero is a compact DIY digital camera built around a Raspberry Pi Zero and off-the-shelf electronic components. It is designed as a playful, easy-to-build device inspired by toy cameras, with an emphasis on portability and simplicity. The housing is fully 3D printable, making it accessible for makers to reproduce and customize.

Features of the project:
➡️Pocket-sized and easy to carry
➡️Simple, intuitive controls
➡️Autofocus camera with 2592×2592 JPEG capture
➡️1.4-inch LCD preview screen
➡️8 photo filters and GIF recording
➡️Fast wireless image transfer
➡️USB-C charging with swappable battery
➡️Fully 3D-printed enclosure

In summary, Optocam Zero combines the flexibility of DIY electronics with the charm of a compact, toy-like camera. It is best suited for those who want a customizable, portable device that emphasizes fun and experimentation over professional-grade photography.

⛓ More information...

#projects #raspberry

🧑‍🚀 ESP32-based Plane Radar

Plane Radar is an open-source ESP32 firmware that transforms an ESP32-C3 with a 1.28-inch round display into a live ADS-B aircraft radar. It visualizes nearby aircraft in a sonar-style interface, showing their position, distance and flight details in real time.

Features of the project:
➡️Live ADS-B aircraft tracking
➡️Sonar-style radar display
➡️Flight context and weather
➡️Wireless OTA firmware updates

Plane Radar is a compact and easy-to-build project for aviation enthusiasts and ESP32 makers. The materials are available on ☁️ GitHub. Its combination of real-time aircraft tracking, customizable firmware and convenient wireless updates makes it an appealing choice for anyone interested in embedded hardware or flight monitoring.

⛓ More information...

#projects #esp32

💻 Barely Adequate Browser ESP32

Babe32 is a lightweight text-based web browser for ESP32-S3 touchscreen boards such as the Cheap Black Display. It renders a subset of HTML with 🇳🇱 LVGL library, supports optional image loading, and focuses on practical browsing without JavaScript.

Features of the project:
➡️Direct browsing with proxy fallback
➡️HTML rendering and forms
➡️Touchscreen navigation and keyboard
➡️WiFi, history and power management

Babe32 delivers a surprisingly capable browsing experience on inexpensive ESP32 hardware while remaining lightweight and resource-conscious.

More information:
🔗 The main article
😹 The GitHub repository

#projects #esp32 #lvgl

🧠 Qapla': Training AI on ESP32 microcontroller

Qapla' is an open-source project that demonstrates training a transformer model entirely from scratch on an inexpensive ESP32-S3 microcontroller.

Instead of running a pre-trained model, it performs the complete training process—including backpropagation and weight updates—directly on the device.

Features of the project:
➡️Full on-device transformer training
➡️Handwritten C backpropagation
➡️No pre-trained model required
➡️Open and reproducible setup

Qapla' proves that even low-cost microcontrollers can train small transformer models without GPUs or cloud infrastructure. It is an interesting project for embedded AI developers, TinyML enthusiasts, and researchers exploring on-device learning under extreme hardware constraints.

⛓ More information...

#projects #esp32 #artificial_intelligence

📺 Creating the invisible earphones from scratch

The author built a pair of custom invisible wireless earphones by completely modifying a pair of wireless earbuds. One earphone was molded to fit inside the ear using silicone and clear resin, while the second was miniaturized and built into a pen as a tiny wireless microphone. The original electronics, touch controls, and charging case were modified to fit the new designs. The project combines reverse engineering, electronics miniaturization, soldering, custom ear molding, resin casting, and precision assembly.

⛓ https://youtu.be/q7nG6rCxbK4

#video #projects