Live from the Desk of Ladyada

Ladyada explores I2S DACs, testing PCM51xx as a UDA1334A alternative. Work continues on the TLV320DAC3100, we test an AI API interface for setters/getters for Claude with pay per token. A new Pi Compute Module backpack is in progress - And we search for tall connectors for CM4/CM5. Read more https://blog.adafruit.com/2025/02/17/desk-of-ladyada-i2s-dacs-claude-api-and-compute-module-backpack-adafru...

Fruit Jam! Our new credit card-sized computer inspired by IchigoJam! Built on the Metro RP2350 with DVI & USB host, it's a retro-inspired mini PC with modern features. Plus, we're hunting for the perfect I2S DAC for high-quality audio output!

BabyAda's bumper car toy stopped working after overnight charging - turns out 24V charger + 12V battery = problems. Quick fix: replaced battery with correct one from DigiKey. Pro tip -Always check voltage compatibility!

Testing ESP programmer board, working on 3.5" Captouch TFT with new ST7796S display & FT6236 touch chips. Board needs redesign for new FPC. Got exciting screen samples round/bar/rect. Also found great ultra-fine tweezers on DigiKey, for both engineers & entomologists!

This week at the Desk, we worked on our Sparkle Motion Mini (https://www.adafruit.com/product/6160) and not-so-Mini testers. The Mini (https://www.adafruit.com/product/6160) tester came together super fast, and we got the boards into the shop. The classic version got much more complicated with a few mistakes that cascaded into frustration during testing, but we worked through it and hopefully will...

Sparkle Motion Mini PCBs are here, featuring a compact 5V-only design. We are also refining small breakout boards like the DAC7578 and working on a TMC2209 driver by refactoring BusIO for versatile interfaces. Lastly, Claude & exploring compact, sensorless BLDC motor drivers via DigiKey.

Wrapping up last year with display and LED PCB projects, including GC9A01A round display protos and Sparkle Motion boards. Solenoid driver testing underway, fixing WLED/mic interference. Great Search: Picking SOD-323 flyback diodes for solenoids, balancing specs and cost. ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://ad...

Ladyada's Desk celebrates light-filled PCB designs, including round TFT, transparent OLED, tiny displays, and new 'sparkle motion' WLED prototypes and live xLights demos. On The Great Search, SMT nuts enable flush mounting for a 1.8" round TFT with capacitive touch, we explore options at DigiKey!

This week, Ladyada tests the Sparkle Motion WLED board with xLights for large-scale LED animations and began decorating. A smaller version of Sparkle Motion and a NeoPixel-inspired USB PCB, and In The Great Search, storage solutions for components and dev boards!

This week at our desk...we're back from a family visit! We had Tannewt visit over the last few days, and chatted about CircuitPython goals for the coming year - we'll post the video soon. We're also doing some workspace organization because we've moved to a new room for the office. We're trying to organize with some IKEA ALEX drawers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRxr8liq9FU) - approximately 1...

Post-Turkey updates from Ladyada! We tested new boards (minor FPC tweak, no respin needed) and started designing a sleek WLED board with help from firepixie & the community. Plus, check out The Great Search for high-power diodes and Day 1 of #Retrocomputing Advent: Apple II nostalgia!

This week on Desk of Ladyada: A look inside North Korean missiles. Motor drivers galore, prototypes for A4988, TMC2209, and TMC2130 are here, plus a detour with ‘Newxie,’ a retro-style 1.14" TFT. Metro RP2350B boards arrived—CircuitPython support coming soon! Also, NEMA-23 stepper fun on The Great Search!

Prototypes are in! Tested our USB/Solar/DC to 5V booster—note: loads 200mA need a workaround, but it’s a win for the price. Also tested cables & a spinning motor for holiday vibes! SOIC debugging clips—perfect for 0.3" SOICs on Metro RP2350 boards! And on The Great Search: SOIC SMT Clips

Floppsy Rev B debugging (floppy pins, power, boot button) & prepping Disk tests. Crafted a split-supply board (-12V throwback to 6.101!) and boosted 5V solar power magic with bq25185 + TPS61023. Also hunting for a modern 5V stepper driver!

Ladyada’s Desk goes standing! This week’s upgrades include LINAK swag, a desk-mount USB PD hub for powering gadgets, and under-desk cable management. Plus, on EYE ON NPI, we spotlighted Lepton IR cameras and explored ideas for a DMX FeatherWing. Check out the latest updates!

We've got working Pixel Shifter prototype PCBs, leveling WS2811s and inverting TM1814s—final boards are booked! Also revising the Floppsy board for 3.25" drives, adding buttons, Apple Disk support, & more. Plus, we’re on the hunt for a short rotary encoder!

We're tackling our breakout board backlog! Dusting off designs from 2021-2023 with help from ChatGPT for repetitive firmware tasks. Featured: VCNL4200 & LPS28 drivers. Plus, The Great Search is all about tubing for ported pressure sensors!

This week on Desk of Ladyada, we’re checking out some new cafe light samples! The RGB WS2811s are easy-peasy with NeoPixel, but the TM1814 RGBWs needed a custom CircuitPython solution. We even designed a level shifter/inverter to make it smoother. Details in The Great Search!

Two BQ25185 boards were designed: a LiPo charger and a 3.3V buck output variant. The corrected HSTX to DVI converter boards were tested and ordered. Revisited the LPS28 breakout project and found a dual-UART USB chip (CP2105). Locating an ultra-thin RG-174 coax cable.

This week, we had our official 'Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony' - complete with big scissors from https://bigscissors.com/. We had ada-friends come from around the area to visit and speeches from Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (https://www.brooklynchamber.com/) and Industry City (https://industrycity.com/). So we didn't get a ton of new hardware worked on this week - hopefully, next week will...

This week at our desk, we're working on my desk! We purchased a motorized 'sit-stand' kit so that we can spend a few minutes not on our butt. We can look at some design decisions for how the motors and controls work together. We also got back a few prototypes we worked on from previous weeks: the sunken USB C breakout & ICS-43434 I2S mic work out of the box. Next, we might try wiring up the PC...

This week, we worked on getting a bunch of small designs into the pipeline to have a nice crop of new products in a few weeks. Last week, we looked at TDK microphones and were inspired by the T5838 (https://www.digikey.com/short/bzvzbnm9) PDM microphone with configurable low-power wake pin. We also looked at our pile of old 202x protos and re-found the PCM1840 (https://blog.adafruit.com/2021/01/17...

Multistreaming with https://restream.io/ Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Join the Adafruit Discord http://adafru.it/discord ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe Join our weekly Show & Tell on G+ Hangouts On Air: http://adafru.it/showtell Watch our late...

Multistreaming with https://restream.io/ Motor Samples!

Multistreaming with https://restream.io/ Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Join the Adafruit Discord http://adafru.it/discord ----------------------------------------- Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe Join our weekly Show & Tell on G+ Hangouts On Air: http://adafru.it/showtell Watch our late...