Times Like These

Tod and Paul share a new AI CAD service, a $70 hackable synth, KiCad in the browser, and more. Detailed show notes are available at thebootloader.net.Tod and Paul will be hosting a livestream on their Discord server on Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30 p.m. EST / 4:30 p.m. PST. We hope to see you there!00:00 Intro00:23 PartForge.AIPartForge AIEllen Shapiro's Mastodon post sharing PartForgePaul's first project - a stand for the Podtrak P4 NextPartForge model evaluations7:14 M-VAVE FM-1 synthM-VAVE FM-1 home pagePicoDexedReverse Engineering of the M-VAVE FM-1BaudGirl FM-1+VA firmwareFelucca firmwareFM1 Open by M-VaveThe FM-1 Firmware Hub14:40 Sprout PiSprout Pi on Crowd SupplySprout Pi video18:21 ZiroDesignerZiroEDA projectPHILOSOPHY.mdIIT Madras NirmaanHackaday coverage22:27 DVinylDVinyl GitHub repositoryDVinyl demo site28:17 SketchingPadBuy SketchingPad on SmallRun.netSketching in Hardware conferenceSketchingPad GitHub repoSketchingPad web flasher38:10 Wrap-up and Livestream informationJoin our Discord server for our monthly livestream on Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30 p.m. EST / 4:30 p.m. EST. We’ll chat about the latest episode, stories that almost made it on the show, and what we’re up to. Hope to see you there!

Tod and Paul are back and share CircuitPython Turbo, an open source ambient TV lighting project, LoRa radios, and cheap music gadgets.Show Notes00:00 Intro00:30 CircuitPython Turbo6:53 HyperHDRHyperHDR documentationHyperHDR GitHub RepositoryHyperSerialPicoPaul's blog posts on installing HyperHDRHyperHDR 30 second demo video13:42 Evil-M5 ProjectEvil-M5project repoVideo walkthroughNFC module for CardputerLoRA/Meshtastid module for Cardputer18:08 Mesh Core and Meshtastic and FCC regulationsHackadayMeshtasticMeshCorePhilly Mesh switches to MeshCoreCircuitPython Meshtastic library by fede221:53 Broke BeatsBKLVA Pocket DAWESP32 Launcher ProjectLivtra NanocoreSonicState Broke Beats pt1SonicState Broke Beats pt126:49 IKEA KALLAX Skyrim ModTom's Hardware coverage1 minute YouTube video for Kallax Storageborn28:36 Wrap-up

Tod and Paul take a look back at the last year and share some of their favorite CircuitPython projects and features. This is a replay of The Bootloader's livestream on the Adafruit YouTube channel on CircuitPython Day. It has been slightly edited and we do use screensharing, so you may want to check out the video on YouTube.Show Notes00:00 Intro00:57 CircuitPython in the last year1:24 CircuitPython 10 Audio EffectsTing alternate CircuitPython voice effects firmware4:24 CircuitPython 10.1 and 10.2 updates4:37 MicroPython and upstreamMicroPython home page5:03 The Adafruit Fruit JamAdafruit Fruit Jam Learn GuideFruit Jam OS5:27 Sean Carolan’s Pac-Man CloneSean on The CircuitPython Show6:24 Dan Cogliano’s Z Machine and Zork8:20 Dan Cogliano’s Fruit Jam ScreensaversMoon Miner9:14 Liz Clark’s Fruit Jam Video Music PlayerAtari Video Music original hardware11:41 picogame by Vladimir SmitkaWrite-up of picogame on chiptron.eu16:24 Lorraine’s Autonomous LEGO Train with CircuitPython and LIDARAmazon LIDAR example or dfrobotPython code for Raspberry Pi19:42 RV Circuit Studio by Armstrong Subero24:11 Liz Clark’s Chiptune PlayerCircuitPython AY8912 libraryVGM fan websites27:31 PicoTTYEmbedded Systems News story30:30 Wrap-up

In this episode, Tod and Paul share everything you wanted to know about USB, what's new in CircuitPython, a retro MP3 player, and more.Follow the show on BlueSky.00:19 Understanding USBKnow what your USB-C cable can really doRD TC66 USB TesterTreedix USB Cable TesterLinux lsucpd6:13 Terry GodierA Room You Can’t See video essaySome Decisions Aren’t Supposed to be Optimized video essayTerry on MastodonTerry on BlueskyHome pageCurrent RSS Reader10:19 CircuitPython Updates16:55 AP30 Music Boy MP3 PlayerAP30 Music Boy Kickstarter page19:11 awesome-selfhostedawesome-selfhosted23:09 LibrePods and Sony Head TrackerLibrePodsTom’s Hardware coverate of Sony Head TrackerSony Head Tracker on GitHub25:11 CircuitPython Day 2026 and wrap-upCircuitPython Day schedule

Paul and Tod share a new CircuitPython IDE, a new selling platform for makers, Space Cadet Pinball, and more. Follow the show on Mastodon or Bluesky. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:19 RV Circuit Studio RV Circuit Studio GitHub page with download links 4:20 The curse of being a production maker About SmallRun SmallRun FAQ SmallRun Discord SmallRun on BlueSky RetroDisks, Aron’s store on SmallRun todbot store on SmallRun.net todbot store on Lectronz.com todbot store on Tindie.com 10:00 Bambuddy Home Page GitHub repository Live demo 13:28 Mechanical Space Cadet Pinball Machine CNCDan “I’m building a Space Cadet Pinball Machine” pt1 CNCDan “I’m building a Space Cadet Pinball Machine” pt2 Technology Connections video about EM pinball Play Space Cadet Pinball online Decompilation of Space Cadet Pinball source 16:23 ListenBrainz all the things Listening Post: a macOS app that listens in the background and submits your listening history to Shazam and Last.fm or ListenBrainz ListenBrainz widget: Embed an iFrame in a website to show what you’re currently listening to ListenBrainz autoposter - Every month share your top listens to social media ListenBrainz to Bluesky - Automatically update your Bluesky profile with your last listened to track 18:28 BC250 The Budget E-waste Steam Machine Bless The BC250, The Budget E-waste Steam Machine $100 Steam Machine GPU Unlocked! PS5 APU (ASRock BC-250) BC250 cases on Makerworld BC250 wiki Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!

Paul and Tod are back and discuss a nostalgia archive on the web, Web Serial in Firefox, real time OSes, a follow-up to last episode’s story on Parachord, and more. Follow the show on Mastodon or Bluesky. We have stickers! Request a free sticker here. (US Only, sorry!) Show Notes 00:00 Welcome 00:20 FreeMediaHeckYeah “freemediaheckyeah“ 3:34 Flipper One Flipper Zero All the fun things to do with a Flipper Zero Flipper One Collabora’s work on the Flipper One 8:55 You Don’t Need an RTOS You Don’t Need an RTOS Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 15:22 Web Serial comes to Firefox Mozilla WebSerial announcement Mozilla engineering blog post about WebSerial 17:40 USB Probester USB Probester GitHub repository 23:17 Achordion, a Parachord follow-up Parachord Achordion announcement Achordion Community Layer Paul’s Achordion profile MusicBrainz Last.fm goes independent Paul’s SongMatrix project Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!

Paul and Tod discuss a new review site for dev boards, add textures to your 3D prints, an open source music player, and more. Follow the show on Mastodon or Bluesky. We have stickers! Request a free sticker here. (US Only, sorry!) Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:20 OpenBoardsGuide.com Ventuno Q Review Arduino Nesso N1 review Pimoroni Badeware Tufty review Straithe’s BlueSky comment 4:49 BumpMesh.com CNC Kitchen’s video about BumpMesh CNC Kitchen Youtube channel 8:10 Parachord Parachord 11:51 SerialPlotster SerialPlotster 18:19 picoCAD2 picocad.net Feature trailer on YouTube Learn picoCAD 2 in 5 minutes picoCAD 2 manual 21:13 Wave Overhangs Print steep overhangs without supports Hackaday article WaveOverhangs fork of OrcaSlicer Original LaSO thesis work by Rieks Kaiser 25:49 Wrap-up Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, Tod and Paul share a secondary display for your Bambu Labs 3D printer, a small eink eReader, an open source microcontroller, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome 00:15 BambuHelper BambuHelper is a tiny ESP32-powered desk friend to tell you how your 3d printer is doing! BambuHelper sourcecode BambuHelper assembly video 3d printed case on Makerworld CircuitPython library by Paul! CircuitBambu printer monitor 5:56 OpenScan OpenScan is a low-cost and high quality 3D scanner that you build yourself that is open source and modular. OpenScan homepage OpenScan Mini ($239) OpenScan Mini accuracy test OpenScan Classic OpenScan Mini BOM OpenScan YouTube channel OpenScan GitHub repository 8:53 Xteink X4 eReader The Xteink X4 eReader is small 4” eink eReader that can read ebooks and can also be an ESP32 dev board. Xteink X4 eReader Crosspoint Reader Xteink Flash Tools Xteink X4 & Crosspoint Quick video section on how to hack the Xteink X4 Chris Pearson bsky thread Xteink X4 review CircuitPython builds by Liz! CircuitPython helper library 12:58 Project Aura Project Aura is a crowd-funded air quality monitor that costs $30 for the 3D print design and firmware. Project Aura Project Aura GitHub repository 17:06 The Baochip The Baochip-1x by Bunnie Huang is another microcontroller platform like the RP2040 or the ESP32, but unlike those chips, everything about the Baochip is open source. Dabao eval board crowdfund page Details on the chip Inside the BIO IO processor, like PIO 21:51 OpenCode OpenCode is a 100% open source AI coding agent licensed under the liberal MIT license. It’s built for privacy and does not store any of your data. OpenCode Home page 26:16 Wrap-up Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!

Paul and Tod chat about an open source record player, MicroPython’s new operating system, 3D printing news, and you won’t believe who is going to Eurovision. Follow the show on Mastodon or Bluesky. We have stickers! Request a free sticker here. (US Only, sorry!) Show Notes 00:00 Welcome 00:19 The Statimatic STM-01 Automatic Turntable Hackster coverage YouTube series GitHub repository Gareth Halfacree on Mastodon 5:00 MicroPythonOS and WaveShare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2 Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2 wiki Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2 product page CircuitPython for it CircuitPython driver for touchscreen MicropythonOS MicropythonOS apps source Fruit Jam OS, a simlar idea in CircuitPython 10:16 3D Printing News Roundup Tool Trace AI is a site that allows you to upload a picture of your tools and it will create foam shadowboxes or grifinity inserts you can 3D print to hold your tools. 3D printing uses AI to fix prints in real time - using multiple LLMs, researchers have created a way for AI to monitor, correct, and fix your 3D prints in real time. Creality Filament maker - Creality has introduced a filmament shredder for your old filament and a filament maker to use from the shredded filament. It can create up to 1 kilo of filament per hour. 14:37 Teenage Engineering Ting EP-2350 Ting EP-2350 product page Ting Micropython API Customizing the Ting via config.json Online Ting Preset Editor Sound packs for Ting Riddum & Ting teardown Teradown 20:248 OpenSplit Deck and JoyPad OS The OpenSplitDeck is a home built gamepad controller inspired by Valve’s Steam Controller. It features two trackpads, joysticks, and more and can also split into two halves to make it more ergonomic. Linus Tech Tips YouTube video Joypad OS (Adafruit coverage) allows you to build a dongle to connect your game controller to other platforms. The dongle is powered by the rp2040 and you can buy a dev kit for $50 at Joypad.AI. 24:46 LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER is going to Eurovision 2026 LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER YouTUBE Page 1000 Oscillator Megadrone 45 Furby Organ Simplest DIY Audio Oscillator for $1 This Museum is Not Obsolete Example LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER live improv performance Another example LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER live improv performance Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, Tod and Paul discuss hacking Flock cameras, the Adafruit Fruit Jam, Neural Networks in CircuitPython, some bad 3D printing legislation, and more. Follow the show on Mastodon or Bluesky. We have stickers! Request a free sticker here. (US Only, sorry!) 00:00 Intro 00:17 Flock Camera Hacking This Flock Camera Leak is like Netflix For Stalkers We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Breaking the Creepy AI in Police Cameras EFF on Flock 5:46 Naya Connect Naya Connect modular keyboard ZDNet coverage Kickstarter 8:58 ESP32 supports 5GHz Wireless https://www.seeedstudio.com/blog/2026/01/16/xiao-esp32-c5-5ghz-dual-band-wifi6/ https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/xiao_esp32c5_getting_started/ https://openelab.io/blogs/seeed-studio/a-deep-dive-into-seeed-studio-xiao-esp32-s3-c6-and-c5 13:19 The Adafruit Fruit Jam Adafruit Fruit Jam Hardware Fruit Jam OS Fruit Jam OS includes a number of apps and games, including Breakout, an IRC client, Minesweeper, PyPaint, and more. Retrojam Fruitris, a Tetris clone by Cooper Dalrymple Pac-Wio Zork and the Z Machine by Dan Cogliano Paul’s interview with Dan on The CircuitPython Show Moon Miner Learn Guide Fruit Jam Mac emulator Apple II emulator Intel 286 emulator 18:04 Neural Networks in CircuitPython Bringing TensorFlow & PyTorch Models to CircuitPython TensorFlow Lite for EdgeBadge 2022 github gist I wrote for someone describing CirPy native modules outdated Adafruit guide on CircuitPython native modules 21:17 Washington State’s proposed 3D printer laws Adafruit blog post HB 2320 HB 2321 Contact form for Rep. Osman Salahuddin 23:55 Wrap-up StandWithMinnesota.com Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!