The Bootloader

By Paul CutlerTechnology

The Bootloader episodes

February 03, 2025Bamboozled
Paul and Tod discuss drama in the world of 3D printing, oscilloscope music, inventory management for makers, and more.
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Show Notes
bamboozle: To deceive or dupe; hoodwink. synonym: deceive.
00:00 Welcome
00:14 Drama in the world of 3D printing
Bambu Firmware Update Introducing New Authorization Control System
The Verge coverage

8:36 Oscilloscope music
Tutorials and how-to links
Oscilloscope Music

13:00 ucritair
15:50 Buchla and friends
19:02 Inventory management for makers
22:14 Wrap-up
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23 min
January 06, 2025Sunsets, Synths, and Pinball!
Happy New Year! Tod and Paul are back, each with three things to share. They discuss sunsetting a popular IDE, Tod’s favorite synth (which does so much more), 3D printing, pinball, and more.
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Visit The Bootloader.net for detailed show notes, links, transcripts, and more.
00:00 Welcome
00:19 Sunsetting Mu
3:23 The Synthstrom Deluge
9:11 Home Assistant Voice (Preview Edition)
12:13 The Sound of Logic: Klangorium
15:50 3D Printing News Round-up
A 4D axis printer, where the nozzle can rotate.
MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printer, without a bed. Hackaday YouTube
Make a working PCB using a SLA printer’s UV light.
The Lemontron 3D printer costs just over $400 to make yourself and is small enough to transport in an empty filament box. Hackaday and Tom’s Hardware
PolyDye adds an ink jet toner cartridge to your 3D printer to allow printing in color. Hackaday
PETFusion 2.0 launched a Kickstarter that fully funded in 3 hours to create a bottle recycler and custom 3D printer filament maker. It includes the STL files and bill of materials you need to build your own. STLs start at $39 up to $109 for a commercial license version.

19:18 Pinball!
Pacific Pinball Museum
Find machines near you with Pinballmap.com

23:01 Good-bye RadioFreeFedi.net
23:15 Wrap-up
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24 min
December 02, 2024 Supercon 2024
Tod and Paul discuss the recent Hackaday Supercon. They share some of their favorite talks, the Supercon badge, and notable add-ons for the badge.
For detailed show notes, including pictures, visit TheBootloader.net. And while you’re there, sign up for our newsletter!
00:00 Welcome
00:25 What is Supercon?
3:23 The Supercon badge
5:25 Supercon badge simple add-ons
6:44 The 2024 Supercon badge
7:16 Tod’s simple add-on, the touchwheel SAO
10:03 Conference talks overview
10:35 Giving Robotic Friends a Voice (Paul #1)
12:59 CircuitGraver (Tod #1)
15:17 Solving the Last Mile with 3D Printed Packaging (Paul #2)
18:10 In Living Color: A New World of Full Color PCBs (Tod #2)
19:27 Microcontrollers are Just Radios in Disguise
24:41 Notable Simple Add-Ons
29:28 Wrap-up
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30 min
November 04, 2024Welcome Kevin Santo Cappuccio
Welcome to the show
For detailed show notes and a transcript, visit TheBootloader.net
Join our newsletter! Keep up with the show and what Paul and Tod are up to. Visit The Bootloader’s newsletter page to browse the archives or subscribe.
Welcome to our second guest, Kevin Santo Cappuccio, the creator of Jumperless.
6:20 The UNO Plus+ (Kevin #1)
The UNO Plus+ from John Loeffler is what the Arduino UNO should’ve been all along. It’s the same shape and hardware as the Arduino UNO, with the added bonus of LEDs on every pin to show you the state.
10:36 Manyfold (Paul #1)
Manyfold is a self-hosted solution to organize and share your files for 3D
printing. It’s also connected to the Fediverse, allowing you to follow instances (aka server) or
creators. You can run it in single-user mode or multi-user. You can also make files public or private,
which is great for saving models you might have paid for but don’t or can’t share publicly.
Suported file formats include 3MF, Blender,
FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, STEP, STL, OBJ, GCode, BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, and even video files in MP4 or MPEG.
It also support Markdown, PDF, and text files.
Demo instance
Public instances
GitHub repository
FLOSS Weekly podcast episode with James Smith

13:52 Quake on a SparkFun Thing Plus Matter board (Tod #1)
next-hack.com got Quake running on a Feather-sized board
The folks at nexxt-hack.com have Quake running on a SparkFun Thing Plus Matter board.
This board is in the Feather format (0.9“ x 2“) and sports a MGM240P wireless module
for doing Bluetooth and Matter wireless protocols. This module also sports a EFR32MG24 chip,
which is a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M33 processor at 39 MHz, 1.5MB flash and 256 kB of RAM.
(This is essentially the same specs as the new RP2350 from RasPi, so maybe we’ll see Quake on an Adafruit Feather soon?)
After proving the idea using the SparkFun board, they designed a complete Quake-playing
gamepad with built-in screen, joysticks, sound, and battery.
This time using the Arduino Nano Matter board (which has a similar MGM240-series module on it) Oh also: you can do BLE-based multiplayer and it runs at 35 fps at 320 x 240.
SparkFun Thing Plus Matter board
Writeup on the Silabs.com tech blog
Next-hack gamepad using Arduino Nano Matter board
Next-hack gamepad design files

18:00 Evolvable Hardware (Kevin #2)
Evolvable Hardware
Been around since 1990
Developed at the University of Sussex by Adrian Thompson
Used a XE6200 FPGA (100 gates - 10x10 FPGA)
Project IceStorm is reverse engineering a modern FPGA

23:18 FlexiPi Kickstarter (Paul #2)
The FlexiPi is a new Raspberry Pi Pico with a few tricks up its sleeve. First - it’s flexible,
hence the name and wafer thin. It also includes a few upgrades from the original Raspberry Pi Pico, including using USB-C instead of Micro-USB and a programmable Neopixel built-in. Otherwise, the pinout stays the same as the popular Pico.
Kickstarter campaign
Tom’s Hardware coverage

Update Since recording, the FlexiPi Kickstarter project was suspended by Kickstarter and the reasons why are unknown. To stay updated on the project, you can sign up for their newsletter here.
25:11 EMMG MIDI Synth (Tod #2)
A hacker in our community, Johnathan Bisson / @bjonnh, created the
EMMG Midi Synth as
a teaching tool for a Workshop on MIDI and music synthesis at the
Pumping Station One hackerspace in Chicago
The workshop taught what MIDI is, from down at the signalling level to how it’s used by performers. The board each student got was custom-designed. It has 8 pots, 12 captouch pads, an OLED display and stereo audio out, all driven with a USB-C 16MB Pico clone. The workshop also talks about how GPIOs work and how capsense works. Looks like it was pretty great!
EMMG MIDI Synth homepage
Workshop notes
Workshop slides
Pra32-u synth engine
pico-test-synth – my test platform for playing with synths on a Pico
picoslidertoy
eight_by – my yet-to-used take of adding 8-pots to a single analog in using
analog mux chip

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30 min
October 07, 2024Welcome Liz Clark
Paul and Tod welcome their first ever guest, Liz Clark aka BlitzCityDIY. They chat about the itsaSNAP iOS app from Adafruit, the new Raspberry Pi AI camera, maker skill trees, and more.
Join our newsletter! Keep up with the show and what Paul and Tod are up to. Visit The Bootloader’s newsletter page to browse the archives or subscribe.
Show Notes
00:25 Adafruit itsaSNAP iOS App (Liz #1)
I have to say I’m a little biased with this pick because I contract with Adafruit, but I’m mildly obsessed with the new itsaSNAP app. This is the latest iOS app from Adafruit by our iOS developer Trevor. It acts as a bridge between your iOS device and your Adafruit IO feeds. There is support for Apple Shortcuts, which means that you can log health data, home data, any data that’s on your iOS device. You can also read feeds from the device and have Adafruit IO affect tasks on your phone. I’ve worked on two guides with it so far. The first uses a Qualia board with a round display to show photos from my photos app. I’m able to encode the photo in a Shortcut, send it to an IO feed and then decode it with CircuitPython. I’ve also worked with using Matter devices in Apple HomeKit with itsaSNAP to log sensor data and also to control an RGB light strip. I’m really excited about all of the functionality and I’m looking forward to seeing what people do with it.
itsaSNAP Intro Learn Guide
Qualia S3 Photo Frame
Health Status Board

5:09 Raspberry Pi AI Camera Module (Tod #1)
There is a new camera module from Raspberry Pi. It’s an “AI” camera. What does that mean?
It appears as a regular camera to the Pi, plugs into the CSI camera port.
The “AI” part is that it has an RP2040 and 16MB of flash to store a pre-trained AI model you upload to it.
Raspberry Pi blog post
Hackster hands-on article
Getting started
Picamera2 repo
demo videos: Pose estimation, Object detection

10:05 The Bumpin’ Sticker by Guy Dupont (Paul #1)
Guy Dupont creates his take on the “Keep Honkin’ I’m Listening to…” bumper stickers. Using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, a screen from Ali Express, a Particle IoT board, and his Last.fm account, the screen dsiplays a bumper sticker with what Guy is currently listening to.
Guy Dupont on The CircuitPython Show
Guy Dupont MakerChat on CircuitPython Day 2024
The Bumpin’ Sticker YouTube video
GitHub Repository

13:40 Nothing To See/Hear : Wireless Fuzz Pedal (Liz #2)
I follow quite a few guitar pedal folks on instagram and saw the newest post from @different.noises last week. It’s a “wireless fuzz” that completes the circuit by transmitting it via an infrared LED. The circuit converts the signal from the guitar to headphone audio level and then again into light that is sent out the infrared transmitter to an infrared LED. He includes the schematic in the post as well as an explainer and a few demo videos to prove that the signal is in fact transmitting via infrared.
Nothing To See/Hear : Wireless Fuzz Pedal Post
different.noises on Instagram

16:10 X1Plus alternative open source Bambu X1 firmware (Tod #2)
I’ve been thinking of getting a new 3d printer. My Prusa mk2.5s has seen better days.
And I’m wowed at the literal 2x speed improvement I could get out of a Prusa mk4s or a Bambulab X1. So when I discovered this X1Plus alternative firmware for the X1, I was intrigued.
The X1Plus firmware runs on the “application processor” (AP) board of the X1,
(sort of like what Octoprint does for me currently). It doesn’t touch the motion control system.
And seems like all does to the the AP firmware is patch the bootloader to also look for a firmware file on the SD card, and use that if present. So you can always go back to stock firmware quickly.
And the team behind it have started a CrowdSupply campaign for an expansion board X1Plus can use for extra features light lights and cameras. I don’t think I’d want this, but I’m glad they’re finding a funding path for the keep them going.
X1Plus
X1Plus expansion board crowdfunding
Hackster article

22:31 Maker (and more) Skill Trees (Paul #2)
Steph Piper aka Maker Queen has created Maker Skill Trees as a way to track your progress across a range of skills. These include things like PCB Design, 3D Printing and Modeling, and Dev Boards to crafting skills like Crochet, Knitting and more. There are almost sixty different skill treens to pick from. Each skill tree has 73 skills or experience hexagon tiles, with basic skills at the bottom to more advanced skills at the top.
There’s a web app to create your own skill tree apps designed by Shane Gadsby.
There’s also a book in development with an even more expansive range of skill trees, tools to track your progress and calculate your life score across all areas.
Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
26 min
September 02, 2024From Arcade to Synth
Welcome to a new episode of The Bootloader. For detailed show notes and transcripts, check out TheBootloader.net. Join our new newsletter or check out the archives.
00:00 Welcome
00:26 Recap: The Bootloader live on CircuitPython Day
3:00 MICRORACK (Tod #1)
08:16: Pimoroni’s Picade Max (Paul #1)
Paradise Arcade Shop

13:17 A bug in the Raspberry Pi RP2350 (Tod #2)
Hackster article

18:36 Stratasys sues Bambu Lab (Paul #2)
Ars Technica
Tom’s Hardware - Is Bambu being targeted for being successful?

22:18 Wrap-up
Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
23 min
August 05, 2024Teardown 2024 with Debra Ansell
In this episode of The Bootloader, Paul and Tod are joined by Debra Ansell who recaps Teardown 2024. Tod and Paul share a few interesting things including the Tulip Creative Computer, code editors, metal 3D printing, and more.
Stay until the end for a special announcement about CircuitPython Day on August 16, 2024.
For detailed show notes, transcripts, and to join our newsletter, visit The Bootloader.net
00:28 Interview with Debra Ansell
Tod and Paul are joined by Debra Ansell (geekmomprojects on Instagram and Mastodon). Debra recaps her experience at the recent Teardown 2024 conference hosted by Crowd Supply.
Building Up Excitement for Teardown 2024
Teardown 2024

14:17 The Tulip Creative Computer (Tod #1)
Tod shares the Tulip Creative Computer, a MicroPython powered ESP32-S3 computer and synthesizer with a focus on music creation.
Tulip homepage
Build your own Tulip
Floyd Steinberg’s video on Tulip
AMY - Additive Music librarY

18:27 ViperIDE and Zed (Paul #1)
ViperIDE is a brand new IDE in a web browser focused on MicroPython, with CircuitPython support created by Volodymyr Shymanskyy.
Review from Les Pounder at Tom’s Hardware
Live demo with Volodymyr Shymanskyy on Tom’s Hardware Pi Cast

Zed is a fairly new code editor and IDE for macOS and Linux users who might miss Atom or Sublime Text. It’s open source, released under the Apache and GPL 3.0 licenses, and focused on speed and collaboration.
Zed homepage
GitHub repository
pyright static type checker for Python

23:03 CeraMetal - 3D printing metal using clay (Tod #2)
CeraMetal can be made using a relatively inexpensive clay 3D printer combined with a metal powder fired in a kiln.
CeraMetal: A New Approach to Low-Cost Metal 3D Printing with Bronze Clay“ – Leah Buechley, Jaime Gould, Fiona Bell
CeraMetal talk on ACM SIGCHI
Hackaday blog post on CeraMetal
Fermat’s Natural Spirals
“Fermat Spirals for Layered 3D Printing” on Two Minute Papers
Fun Fermat Spiral toy in Processing

27:08 CircuitMatter (Paul #2)
Scott Shawcroft, CircuitPython’s lead developer, shared he is working on CircuitMatter, a pure Python implementation of some of the Matter specification that will be compatible with CircuitPython and potentially MicroPython.
What is Matter? - Wired Magazine
Matter and Home Assistant
Sparkfun Thing Plus Matter dev board

29:47 Special Announcement about CircuitPython Day 2024
Tune in to the Adafruit YouTube channel on CircuitPython Day, August 16th for a special live stream of The Bootloader with Paul and Tod.
Stay positive!
Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
31 min
July 01, 2024Four Topics and an Interview
Paul and Tod chat about Professor Gallaugher’s CircuitPython tutorial videos, Embedded Swift, a special interview with Justin Myers, the author of the new CircuitPython ConnectionManager library, and more.
For detailed show notes and transcripts visit The Bootloader.net
Show Notes:
00:21 CircuitPython videos by Professor John Gallaugher
Professor Gallaugher interview on The CircuitPython Show
Professor Gallaugher’s YouTube channel
CircuitPython playlist
Raspberry Pi Pico tutorials using CircuitPython
Bluefruit School - using a CircuitPython Bluefruit and tutorials
Use PyCharm with CircuitPython on macOS video
Easily install or upgrade CircuitPython Libraries with Circup video

4:58 Embedded Swift
https://www.cnx-software.com/2024/06/13/embedded-swift-esp32-c6-raspberry-pi-rp2040-stm32f7-nrf52840-microcontrollers/
https://www.hackster.io/news/apple-embeds-swift-into-hardware-125131557514
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqxbsADqDI4
Swift Embedded Examples - https://github.com/apple/swift-embedded-examples
Swift Matter Examples - https://github.com/apple/swift-matter-examples/tree/main/smart-light

8:53 Accessibility Matters
The Micro:bit Access:bit
Adafruit’s TRRS Trinkey

11:55 CadQuery
https://cadquery.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html – good intro
https://github.com/CadQuery/cadquery – the main repo
https://github.com/CadQuery/CQ-editor – GUI editor, like OpenSCAD, one of the many ways to use CQ
https://github.com/Wren6991/CQCAD – Luke Wren (ASIC designer at RasPi)’s collection of CQCAD parts
Also simliar: OpenJSCAD but also cannot export STEP
And the original: OpenSCAD

16:47 Interview with Justin Myers, author of CircuitPython’s ConnectionManager library
ConnectionManager

Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
25 min
June 03, 2024Beautiful Bezier Curves
In episode 9, Paul and Tod chat about the M5Stack Cardputer, RadioFreeFedi, migrating to Kicad, the CircuitPython Online IDE, and more.
For detailed show notes, visit TheBootloader.net.
00:00 Welcome
00:20 The M5Stack Cardputer - Tod #1
2:10 CircuitPython build for the Cardputer
2:40 Available from Electromaker.io
4:29 RadioFreeFedi.net - Paul #1
5:57 FediVision
6:20 Bandcamp Friday / Faircamp Friday
6:48 Faircamp static site generator
8:19 Moving from Eagle to Kicad - Tod #2
9:55 PlumPot YouTube channel with Kicad tutorials
11:16 What is the most challenging part of the transition to Kicad?
13:35 What was a surprise in using Kicad?
15:31 Meet the Maker: André Costa and the Pico W Air - Paul #2
MagPi story with André Costa and rpilocator

18:09 Algorithm videos by Freya Holmér - Tod #3
“Lerp smoothing in broken”
“The Beauty of Bézier Curves”
“Why can’t you multiply vectors?”

22: 53 Circuitpython-staroids game by todbot
23:16 CircuitPython Online IDE by River Wang - Paul #3
Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
27 min
April 29, 2024 Built from the ground up
In this episode, Paul and Tod each share three interesting things from learn to solder kits to programming ARM in assembly and more. Visit TheBootloader.net for more information including detailed show notes and transcripts.
00:22 Meet the Maker: Carrie Sundra of Alpenglow Industries. (Paul #1)
1:29 SMT Garden - surface mount soldering kit
3:51 Building a synthesizer with the Daisy Seed from Electrosmith (Tod #1)
5:56 synthUX Academy classes on YouTube
8:08 Microdot web framework for MicroPython (Paul #2)
9:08 Programming for both CPython and CircuitPython or MicroPython
10:25 ARM Assembly Deep-dives by Carlynorama (Tod #2)
16:52 ARM Simulator in the browser
18:50 gcc and Clang compilers for ARM
19:20 Bambu Labs 3D printer follow-up from Episode 1 (Paul #3)
20:35 Bambu extends firmware support until 2027 and security updates until 2029
23:08 Let’s talk about Capacitive Touch Sensors and Sliders (Tod #3)
29:00 Tod’s Tindie Store
29:31 Wrap-up and visit TheBootloader.net for detailed show notes and transcripts
Enjoying the show? You can now sponsor the show, learn more at www.circuitpythonshow.com. Thank you for your support!
30 min

About The Bootloader

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A monthly podcast loading you up with news, project updates and product talk from the CircuitPython and maker communities. Hosted by Tod Kurt and Paul Cutler.

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