The Bootloader

<h2>Show Notes</h2> <p>In this episode, Tod and Paul discuss the recent Hackaday Supercon, including a talk and a workshop, Microsoft open sources Zork, the return of 80s style computer magazines, 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>We have stickers! <a href="https://forms.gle/tSsyyREgjA38pUgv6">Request a sticker here.</a></p> <h3>00:23 Supercon Recap</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://hackaday.io/superconference/">Supercon 2025</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_tws4AXg7avJ_LIOgabBGxM065s7Lh0l&amp;si=6InxqmGYN7ZD6To4">YouTube playlist</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>2:10 Tod’s favorite Supercon talks</h3> <h3>3:57 Arduino Uno Q Workshop (Tod #1)</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz3pD3_CDUE">Jeff Geerling’s video review</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://shawnhymel.com/3074/how-to-use-the-command-line-cli-with-the-arduino-uno-q/">Using arduino-app-cli on Uno Q by Shawn Hymel</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://docs.arduino.cc/tutorials/uno-q/user-manual/">Uno Q user manual</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://radxa.com/products/x/x4/">Radxa X4 SBD w/ RP2040 MCU</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>13:21 Covert Regional Communication with Meshtastic (Paul #1)</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/2_xXU-u4QTQ?si=NUwnZBTXSOZK1ori">Covert Regional Communication with Meshtastic by Daryll Strauss</a></li> </ul> <h3>17:18 Supercon 2025 Badge</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/27/the-supercon-2025-badge-is-built-to-be-customized/">Supercon 2025 Badge</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.solder.party/docs/keebdeck/basic/">Solder Party Keebdeck</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>20:07 Ultrawideband (Tod #2)</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.makerfabs.com/esp32-uwb-ultra-wideband.html">Makerfabs ESP32 UWB</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://how2electronics.com/getting-started-with-esp32-dw1000-uwb-ultra-wideband-module/">Getting started with ESP32 UWB</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://circuitdigest.com/microcontrollers-projects/diy-indoor-uwb-positioning-system-using-esp32-and-qorvo-dwm3000">Build UWB Position system w/ ESP32 &amp; Qorvo DWM3000</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>24:30 Microsoft open sources Zork 1 - 3 (Paul #2)</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/11/20/preserving-code-that-shaped-generations-zork-i-ii-and-iii-go-open-source">Microsoft announcement</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/11/zork-is-open-source">Andrew Blotkin’s blog: Zork is now open source</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://github.com/historicalsource/zork1">GitHub repository with source code</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/zork-and-the-z-machine">Z-Machine for CircuitPython Guide</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>27:18 How to buld a dev board (Tod #3)</h3> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://kaipereira.com/journal/build-a-devboard">Let’s Design an RP2040 Devboard! by Kai</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://github.com/KaiPereira/build-a-devboard">project github repo</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/11/10/rp2040-from-scratch-roll-your-own-dev-board-magic/">Hackaday discussion</a></p> </li> </ul> <h3>30:03 DocType magazine (Paul #3)</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://vole.wtf/doctype/">DocType magazine</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>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>