🔧 Tool of the Week
PulseView (sigrok) — the free logic‑analyzer UI you actually use
If you work with USB logic analyzers or cheap FX2/STM32 boards, PulseView is the fastest way to capture, decode, and iterate on signals. The latest installers and platform builds are on the sigrok downloads page. 🔗 sigrok / PulseView downloads (sigrok.org)
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🛒 Deals & Finds
- Waveshare ESP32‑C6‑DEV‑KIT‑N8
– Compact, Wi‑Fi‑6 / Thread capable dev kit for prototyping Thread/Matter or low‑power Wi‑Fi projects. Good for testing ESP‑IDF examples quickly. 🔗 Waveshare product page (waveshare.com)
- Waveshare ESP32‑C6‑Zero (mini dev board)
– Tiny, battery‑friendly C6 board for sensor nodes or HMI test rigs. Good when you need a very small footprint. 🔗 Waveshare ESP32‑C6‑Zero (waveshare.com)
- Waveshare ESP32‑C6 Touch AMOLED 2.16"
– All‑in‑one HMI dev board (display + touch + IMU + audio) for fast UI prototyping with the C6. 🔗 Product / docs (waveshare.com)
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🧪 Cool Build
Solar‑ready ESP32 sensor board (reddit build)
A practical, battery + solar friendly ESP32‑C6 based sensor node built for outdoor telemetry — real BOM, layout choices, and power‑path notes in the thread. Good reference if you want a weather / soil node that actually survives outside. 🔗 reddit: Built my own solar ready ESP32 board for outdoor sensors (reddit.com)
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📚 Worth Reading
- Mastering PCB Design: A step‑by‑step PCB layout process guide (JLCPCB) – Practical checklist and rules that actually change first‑spin success rates. 🔗 jlcpcb: PCB layout process guide (Jul 2026) (jlcpcb.com)
- Grounding and decoupling basics (Analog Devices) – Short, engineering‑first primer on ground strategy and decoupling placement for mixed‑signal boards. 🔗 Analog Devices: Grounding and decoupling basics (ez.analog.com)
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⚡ Quick Hits
- Hackaday: web tool to design laser/UV artwork for YubiKey — neat, offline first, and useful if you have access to a laser or UV printer. 🔗 Dress Up Your YubiKey (Hackaday) (hackaday.com)
- PulseView/ sigrok winget installer published (Windows package available for easy installs via winget). 🔗 PulseView on wingetly (installer) (wingetly.io)
- Quick PCB review: SHT‑41 + ESP32‑C6 layout thread — small but practical layout tips for sensor boards and 2‑layer tradeoffs. 🔗 reddit: PCB review - SHT‑41 with ESP32‑C6 (reddit.com)
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📺 Cool Videos
- Electronic Basics #29 — Solar Panel & Charge Controller (GreatScott!)
– Short primer on wiring solar panels, blocking/bypass diodes, and the difference between PWM and MPPT charge controllers. Useful before you pick a charge path for a sensor node. 🔗 YouTube: GreatScott! — Solar Panel & Charge Controller (archive.ventilaar.net)
- ESP32 Deep‑Sleep & low‑power tips (Andreas Spiess)
– Practical tips that show what matters for multi‑week battery life and solar setups (deep sleep, power paths, supervisor choices). 🔗 YouTube: Andreas Spiess — ESP32 deep‑sleep / low‑power examples (twitter.yandex.com.tr)