The Bootloader

<p>Liz Clark joins the show for a second time. Liz, Paul, and Tod each share two things they found interesting including remoting in to a Raspberry Pi, code as PCB design, an open source ereader, and more.</p> <p>Follow the show on <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@thebootloader/follow">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thebootloader.net">Bluesky</a>.</p> <h2>Show Notes</h2> <p>00:00 Welcome</p> <p>00:20 Stickers!</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://forms.gle/tSsyyREgjA38pUgv6">Request a sticker</a></li> </ul> <p>00:31 Welcome Liz Clark</p> <p>00:53 <a href="https://connect.raspberrypi.com/">Raspberry Pi Connect</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/services/connect.html">Raspberry Pi Connect Documentation</a></li> <li><a href="https://connect.raspberrypi.com/">Raspberry Pi Connect</a></li> </ul> <p>4:24 <a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/open-book-touch">The Open Book Touch</a></p> <p>8:39 <a href="https://atopile.io/">Atopile</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://atopile.io/">atopile homepage</a></li> <li><a href="https://packages.atopile.io/">atopile package repo</a></li> <li><a href="https://atomic14.substack.com/p/vibe-coding-a-pcb-surprisingly-good">Vibe-coding a PCB</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/eeschema/eeschema.html#schematic-design-blocks">KiCad schematic design blocks</a></li> </ul> <p>16:32 <a href="https://www.disasterareadesigns.com/shop/p/midi-baby">Midi Baby Gen 4</a></p> <p>18:44 <a href="https://gametank.zone">GameTank</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://gametank.zone">GameTank.zone</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/clydeware/gametank">CrowdSupply campaign</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/clydeshaffer/gametank">GitHub repository</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/clydeshaffer/GameTankEmulator">Emulator</a></li> <li><a href="https://discord.gg/8z7hncf4GY">Discord Server</a></li> </ul> <p>21:49 <a href="https://www.bergsonnelabs.com/tiles">Tiles from Bergsonne Labs</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.bergsonnelabs.com/tiles">About Tiles</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.bergsonnelabs.com/reference-sets">Tile Reference Sets</a></li> <li><a href="https://bergsonnelabs.notion.site/27c94a2cf4c680dab209ecd4024445ee?v=27c94a2cf4c6801fb000000c7c766957">Tile library</a></li> </ul> <p>25:32 Wrap-up</p> <footer><p>Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/pages/sponsors">www.circuitpythonshow.com</a>. Thank you for your support!</p> </footer>

<p>Paul and Tod discuss speeding up a Raspberry Pi, parts management with Inventree, product reviews, synths, and more.</p> <p>Follow the show on <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@thebootloader/follow">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thebootloader.net">Bluesky</a>.</p> <h2>Show Notes</h2> <p>00:00 Intro</p> <p>00:23 <a href="https://github.com/geerlingguy/rpi-clone">Make Your Raspberry Pi Faster</a></p> <p>5:13 <a href="https://inventree.org">Inventree</a></p> <p>7:59 <a href="https://frame.work/laptop12">Framework 12 Laptop</a></p> <p>15:18 <a href="https://getchannels.com">Channels</a></p> <p>19:26 <a href="https://github.com/poetaster/arduinoMI/">Mutable Instruments ported to the Pico</a></p> <p>23:38 <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2493756-3d-printed-electronics-can-dissolve-in-water-for-quick-recycling/">3D Printable and Dissolvable Circuit Boards</a></p> <footer><p>Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/pages/sponsors">www.circuitpythonshow.com</a>. Thank you for your support!</p> </footer>

<p>This episode is a replay of The Bootloader’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05c2LV6krvM&amp;t">live CircuitPython Day 2025 show</a> from August 15th, 2025 hosted on Adafruit’s YouTube channel. The episode has been lightly edited.</p> <p>Follow the show on <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@thebootloader/follow">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thebootloader.net">Bluesky</a>.</p> <p>00:00 Intro</p> <p>00:26 Welcome</p> <p>1:02 Thank you Anne Barela</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.adafruitdaily.com">Subscribe to the Python on Hardware newsletter</a></li> </ul> <p>1:46 <a href="https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython-fonts">CircuitPython Fonts</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython-fonts">CircuitPython fonts repository</a> with <code>circup</code> instructions</li> <li><a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/custom-fonts-for-pyportal-circuitpython-display/overview">CircuitPython BDF &amp; PCF font Learn Guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://gist.github.com/todbot/b966f51307aca8dab64af70dc2954aee">CircuitPython font code shown</a></li> </ul> <p>6:57 CircuitPython v2 extension for VS Code</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/joedevivo/vscode-circuitpython">CircuitPython VS Code extension v1</a> by Joe Devivo</li> <li><a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=wmerkens.vscode-circuitpython-v2">CircuitPython v2 for VS Code</a> by Will Merkens</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/wmerkens/vscode-circuitpython-v2">CircuitPython v2 for VS Code source code</a></li> </ul> <p>11:40 <a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/SamBlenny/pages/fruit-jam-usb-host-midi-tester">Fruit Jam USB Host MIDI Tester</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/SamBlenny/pages/fruit-jam-usb-host-midi-tester">Fruit Jam USB Host MIDI Tester</a></li> <li><a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/SamBlenny/pages/fruit-jam-portable-midi-synth">Fruit Jam Portable MIDI Synth</a></li> <li><a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/SamBlenny/pages/fruit-jam-two-gamepad-demo">Fruit Jam USB Gamepad Demo</a></li> </ul> <p>15:52 <a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/relic_se/pages/fruit-jam-fruitris-tetris">Fruitris</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://relic.dcdalrymple.com">Cooper Dalrymple’s homepage</a></li> <li><a href="https://adafruit-playground.com/u/relic-se/pages/fruit-jam-fruitris">Fruitris on Adafruit Playground</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/relic-se/Fruit_Jam_Fruitris">Fruitris GitHub repository</a></li> <li><a href="https://relic.dcdalrymple.com/fruitris-tetris-on-the-adafruit-fruit-jam/">Fruitris blog post</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/ie0D5Acjne4?feature=shared&amp;t=762">Fruitris demo on Show &amp; Tell</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@circuitpythonshow/episodes/cooper-dalrymple">Cooper on The CircuitPython Show May 5th, 2025</a></li> </ul> <p>19:37 CircuitPython Workflows</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://docs.circuitpython.org/en/latest/docs/workflows.html">https://docs.circuitpython.org/en/latest/docs/workflows.html</a></li> <li><a href="https://code.circuitpython.org/">https://code.circuitpython.org/</a></li> </ul> <footer><p>Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/pages/sponsors">www.circuitpythonshow.com</a>. Thank you for your support!</p> </footer>

<p>In this episode, Tod and Paul welcome John Park to the show. They discuss a floppy disk MIDI boombox, live-coding music, RP2350 as a mini-computer, and more.</p> <p>Follow the show on <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@thebootloader/follow">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thebootloader.net">Bluesky</a>.</p> <h2>Show Notes</h2> <p>00:00 Intro</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/josephine-wolf-oberholtzer">Joséphine Wolf Oberholtzer</a>, creator and maintainer of Supriya</li> </ul> <p>00:54 Floppy Disk Midi Boomboxes (John #1)</p> <ul> <li>Vintage: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ks3ucumilU">Roland MT-80S</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.roland.com/us/products/mt-300s/">Roland MT-300S</a></li> <li><a href="https://nicole.express/2024/elementary-midi-watson.html">Yamaha MDP-10</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>DIY: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGETt74vVA-/">MIDI Blaster by Luke.the.maker</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/midi-blaster-v1-126826036">build instructions</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1882509568/midi-blaster-floppy-disk-boombox-pre">pre-built</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.jonasbengtson.se/mt-420">MT-420 by Jonas Bengtson</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>9:04 AlgoRave (Tod #1)</p> <ul> <li>DJ_Dave: <ul> <li>Instagram reels: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL0P-2WusOO/">https://www.instagram.com/p/DL0P-2WusOO/</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DIKC6D6SpQM/">https://www.instagram.com/p/DIKC6D6SpQM/</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dj_dave__">TikTok</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dj_dave____">YouTube livestreams</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://strudel.cc/">Strudel</a> <ul> <li>Originally mentioned in <a href="https://www.thebootloader.net/blog/2022/10/10/episode-2-m-is-for-makers-music-and-machine-learning/">Bootloader Episode 2 back in Oct 2022</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://github.com/toplap/awesome-livecoding">Awesome livecoding list</a></li> </ul> <p>14:00 The RP2350 Mini-Computers are here</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/product/6200">Adafruit Fruit Jam</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.olimex.com/Products/RaspberryPi/PICO/RP2350pc/open-source-hardware">Olimex RP2350pc</a></li> </ul> <p>18:39 <a href="https://us.store.bambulab.com/collections/cyberbrick">CyberBricks</a></p> <p>24:28 KiCad cli and diff viewer</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://docs.kicad.org/9.0/en/cli/cli.html">kicad-cli</a></li> <li><a href="https://gist.github.com/todbot/aa644de99d9dacf0307267ea03fdbc64">Tod’s visual diff shell script</a></li> </ul> <p>28:56 <a href="https://www.commodore.net">Commodore 64 Ultimate</a></p> <p>31:48 Wrap-up</p> <footer><p>Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/pages/sponsors">www.circuitpythonshow.com</a>. Thank you for your support!</p> </footer>

<p>Tod and Paul discuss a MIDI chip, an epic rant, a love letter, and more.</p> <p>Follow the show on <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/@thebootloader/follow">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thebootloader.net">Bluesky</a>.</p> <p>00:00 Welcome</p> <p>00:17 SAM2695 General MIDI chip</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-MIDI-Synthesizer-p-6462.html">Seeed XIAO MIDI</a></li> <li><a href="https://shop.m5stack.com/products/midi-synthesizer-unit-sam2695">M5stack w/ speaker</a></li> <li><a href="https://shop.m5stack.com/products/midi-unit-with-din-connector-sam2695">M5stack w/ MIDI in/out</a></li> <li><a href="https://diyelectromusic.com/2025/06/26/xiao-esp32-c3-midi-synthesizer/">DIYElectroMusic articles</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.dream.fr/pdf/Serie2000/SAM_Datasheets/SAM2695.pdf">SAM2695 datahsheet</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/sQW1XVhu-iw?si=TsH9pujz_LLW6hGb&amp;t=342">Tod demo on Adafruit Show-n-Tell</a></li> </ul> <p>3:51 Supercollider and Supriya</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://supercollider.github.io/">Supercollider synth engine</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/dayunbao/supriya_demos">Supriya</a> Python API</li> <li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/supriya/">Supriya subreddit</a></li> </ul> <p>5:47 The STM32 rant</p> <p>12:18 A love letter to embedded engineering</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TFsfcIx04Q">Prof. V. Hunter Adams’ November 2023 lecture, “Why I love building things with microcontrollers.”</a></li> </ul> <p>16:10 Alternate music keyboard layouts</p> <p>20:09 <a href="https://upperstory.com/en/spintronics/">Spintronics</a></p> <p>22:47 Wrap-up</p> <footer><p>Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at <a href="https://www.circuitpythonshow.com/pages/sponsors">www.circuitpythonshow.com</a>. Thank you for your support!</p> </footer>