Less sensors, more firmware
Good solder joints are shiny, smooth and a little unexciting. I attempted the hand-soldered version first. It did not last.
What I would do differently
Thanks for reading, and for the gentle observations that keep arriving. The enclosure took longer than the electronics, as usual. It took me three attempts to see the pattern. Nothing here requires a hot air station, though it does make things easier.
Low-power design is mostly about what the device does not do. I would rather do one thing deliberately than five things quickly. The result is not perfect, but it is candid. Between measuring things and writing firmware, the second one taught me more. Repairing things teaches more than building them from scratch.
Every autumn I revisit the same questions about e-paper displays. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about power supplies. I keep coming back to keyboards, mostly because it rewards time. Nothing here requires a logic analyser, though it does make things easier. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out.
I attempted the hushed version first. It did not last.
Closing thoughts
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about e-paper displays. I wrote most of this on a hushed Saturday morning. Looking back, the cheap approach was the right call. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. The best advice I got was just to slow down.
Small things
There is no single right way to approach repairing old gear, but some ways are kinder than others. This got going as a quick note and slowly turned into something longer. I like sensors that shows the marks of how it was made. Between designing a board and measuring things, the second one taught me more. None of this is new, and that is partly why it works.
It is effortless to overthink measuring things. It is harder to just start. It is not glamorous, but it holds up. I wrote most of this on a hushed Wednesday morning. You can get surprisingly far with a logic analyser and some time.
- Note the date and the weather
- Note the date and the weather
- Start with e-paper displays and nothing else
I like e-paper displays that shows the marks of how it was made.