Blog

Conference, DSP, Electronics, FPGA

Designing My Very Own ASIC with Tiny Tapeout

First, what is an ASIC? An ASIC is an Application Specific Integrated Circuit which basically means that it is an Integrated Circuit on a single piece of silicon and its use is limited to a particular application or function. An example would be an ASIC to process an audio CODEC or run a specific cryptographic… Continue reading Designing My Very Own ASIC with Tiny Tapeout

3D Printing, Electronics, Image Processing, Photography, Software

Pieca: A Raspberry Pi Camera System for Leica M Mount Lenses

Taking pictures and geeking out over cameras was one of my first hobbies starting with an old Olympus point and shoot, I then moved up to a DSLR upgrading as new and exciting technology became accessible to my summer job budget. I then got the opportunity to buy a Leica M8 and was immediately hooked… Continue reading Pieca: A Raspberry Pi Camera System for Leica M Mount Lenses

Docker, RF, SDR, Software

Creating a WiFi Monitor with a Kismet Docker Container

In my quest to become more familiar with Docker I decided to create a container to run another wireless radio software called Kismet. Kismet is a wireless network and device detector, sniffer, wardriving tool, and WIDS (wireless intrusion detection) framework. Kismet works with Wi-Fi interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, some SDR (software defined radio) hardware like the… Continue reading Creating a WiFi Monitor with a Kismet Docker Container

Electronics, Software

Quick and Dirty ATTiny85 LiPO Battery Gauge

Portable projects require some kind of battery, but getting information on the voltage level or how much battery life you have left is a whole other problem. This can be solved by monitoring the voltage on the battery using an analog to digital converter, and then some firmware to read that digital value and produce… Continue reading Quick and Dirty ATTiny85 LiPO Battery Gauge

Docker, RF, SDR, Software

Simple GNURadio Server Setup with noVNC Docker

I have been using GNURadio since college, and even now just getting the software installed and working with your hardware radio can be a challenge. So I decided to create a Docker image that not only has GNURadio installed but can be accessed via VNC in a browser tab. This allows this container to be… Continue reading Simple GNURadio Server Setup with noVNC Docker

Photography

Analog Experience: Shooting Film With The Leica M4

Shooting film has always interested me. I started out using my mom’s Pentax ME Super as well as a Leica iiic that I had picked up off of eBay for $250 with a 50mm collapsible Elmar lens. Coincidentally still my only true Leica lens. But I always wanted a film Leica M camera but as… Continue reading Analog Experience: Shooting Film With The Leica M4

RF, Software

First Look at CENOS Antenna Design Software

Hobbyist and low-cost antenna design software have been usually limited to basic theoretical calculations based on ideal EM equations that could be done on the back of the hand. It is only recently that full EM simulation has drifted down to the masses in a semi-affordable way. CENOS Antenna Design software is one of the… Continue reading First Look at CENOS Antenna Design Software

Photography, Software

Emulating Kodak Aerochrome Infrared Film with Python Image Processing

What is Aerochrome film? It is an analog film stock that is sensitive to infrared light and uses false-color reversal to express infrared light as a visible color. Infrared (IR) light is invisible to the human eye but is all around us and be felt as heat. All objects in the universe emit some level… Continue reading Emulating Kodak Aerochrome Infrared Film with Python Image Processing

Electronics, RF

Measuring the Range of nRF24L01 Modules with CircuitPython

I became really interested in the capabilities of the nRF24L01 radio modules due to their insanely low price ~$2 in quantity, compared to something like a LoRa module ~$25. So you can basically have 10 for the price of one. Now I am not saying these are comparable devices, since the LoRa devices can be… Continue reading Measuring the Range of nRF24L01 Modules with CircuitPython