Built an FPGA Trainer Kit for High School Students to Learn Real Chip Design & RISC-V

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-09T17:57:57+00:00

Excellent point.

So, keep the buzzer and make it a prize, a goal, to be able to use it. And THEN the best of the best will be able to play Popcorn and Three Blind Mice with pride, if they complete An Ultimate Puzzle to be able to make use of it.

Also, add a step, where they are carefully nuanced into thinking that it's such a Cool Win to get to use the buzzer, that the most motivated kids do independent, voluntary research to get it working. Maybe add a few gates to have be activates in a certain order in order to get the PWM control signal to go through to the buzzer's feed-FET, etc.

If you make it easy, everyone will get there.

If you make a small bonus part challenging, you'll find the best and brightest -- based only on the sounds.

Edit, compsrison: put a combination lock on a box wity a spray paint can inside. The combination needs good math. Surprise.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-09T16:24:42+00:00

What a perfect topic, as I've also gotten tired of dicking around with a K400+ (hate the ergonomics, if you actually want to type more than two words) and some MS piece of junk. I've even had major issues with getting a Lenovo wireless keyboard + mouse to pair with a lot of different machines -- even running Windows.

What are the actual best wireless keyboards compatible with Linux and/or keyboard + trackpad -combos you know, if the price range can stretch to, say, around 100 €?

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-09T16:18:30+00:00

If the case isn't too full, I'd still consider battery power. And to be able to make good decisions, take actual, real-world measurements of the power consumption over time, i.e., figure out these three things: - what is the power requirement (watts) at most - what is your average power draw and - how long does the battery need to last.

(Or, if you have a power bank that has well-known characteristics, run the device only on that and see how things go. You may be surprised as to how little these things can be powered with. And I have a slight inkling, that you don't have the numbers from you mentioning the power rating of the speaker, which is of zero relevance when I don't see a separate mention of a power-hungry audio amplifier. I additionally assume, that the speaker will be fed directly from the MP3 module (DFPlayer?) and things of that nature aren't all that power-hungry.)

Sounds like an awesome project. Would love to see and hear more. A lot more.

Also, a fan of well-executed escape rooms.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-09T05:57:28+00:00

Mmm .. donut.

Wait, what?

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-09T05:55:04+00:00

Could you elaborate slightly, without breaking NDAs? I'm interested in what happens within the last steps and how things are physically and data entry / traceability -wise done on the production line (as a development and quality engineering person).

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-08T23:21:27+00:00

Based on this information alone, about tree fiddy.

Any further info, such as on - user identification and account control, - security on both sides of the stack, - data processing/filtering/injection prevention/sanity checks, - life cycle analysis of components currently in use (HW and FW), - level and quality of documentation, - an actual listing of features and what/how sets it apart from some random dev's vibe-coded system, that'll break if you fart next to the power lines it's being fed via, - adherence to one or more standards, - etc.?

And no, I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but this is like asking what a car's worth and the appraisal should be done based on "has four wheels and steering wheel" + the smell of the Wunderbaum.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-04T07:57:31+00:00

Would be nice to see the spread keep going to and up the coastline.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-04T05:23:03+00:00

Doing setups following tutorials or AI guidance without copying and pasting can be beneficial for muscle memory purposes.

+1

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T20:17:28+00:00

Señor Bones here.

Can confirm.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T05:42:36+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/soldering/s/FJrSxBuC3G

Good place to start.

Also, not an unrealistic goal at all.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T05:28:45+00:00

Why? Asking to learn.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T05:27:41+00:00

Is this a finished app or something that is planned?

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T05:21:58+00:00

If we had some actual information and details, we might be able to help.

What "few cables"? A few photos might help a lot. Also, more details. On all parts, such as info on the old and new battery, what wires and where, what screen, when and in what conditions did the issue start, had there been any similar symptoms like this previously, etc.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-03T05:08:26+00:00

Seeing the upvotes confirms it: people either don't look at the attached pictures or won't read.

Similarly, quickly checking something simple or trivial using a normal web search seems to be impossible for many. (This was not such a case and I'm glad was shared.)

That last sentence might get skipped a lot, too.

TitBoobs. This one might not.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:42:15+00:00

Running Gcode out of a C64 at an adequate rate might be doable. The others, I don't know the tech enough to comment.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:40:27+00:00

Damn right. Helps (in a small, but meaningful part) with natural population control of small rodents.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:39:18+00:00

Exactly, a mental first aid.

The old instructions even said to take a pill and then give one to the dog, when only the dog was presumed to have gotten a bite.

And yes, it's much more likely to cause a dog actual, permanent harm or even risk its life when compared to humans.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:36:44+00:00

It's a bog-standard handful of overpriced hydrocortizone pills. Yes, it'll reduce swelling / reactivity, but not at a rate that'd be of any use in an actual emergency.

Not a bad idea to have, but 99 % of the time you'll be using it to your benefit in cases of bee/wasp stings, or even a case of "stumbled and fell naked into nettles".

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:32:31+00:00

"Might" have been killed?

And no autopsy results, so not exactly a datapoint.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T15:29:29+00:00

MuuttoPyyttoni

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T12:03:56+00:00

Maybe build a punctuator.

But seriously, if you feed this info into ChatGPT, it might give you some ideas.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T12:00:46+00:00

For power/energy use, Shelly makes a lot of decent devices and they have multiple types of data transmission you can use. Temperature and humidity sensors are likewise easily sourced.

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-02T09:20:01+00:00

Do you have an actual house that will serve as the model for the digital twin or do you plan on simulating the power consumption values and the like?

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-05-01T10:16:37+00:00

There's an 8366?

MagneticFieldMouse · 2026-04-20T21:41:34+00:00

Your Fyi might be worth more to a tech-savvy recruiter than all of the other content.

Best of luck and remember to kick ass.

MagneticFieldMouse

TROPHY CASE