rTerm: ~/electronics/readme.txt

Hardware Projects

Posted 3-7-2026; Edited 3-7-2026

This is where I will be posting my ideas and progress on hardware projects, involving some nature of electical circuits and mechanics. If all goes well (meaning I get to a certain point), I will post some form of instructions or schematics.

Under each project, I will also add an indicator to show project status:

    Brainstorming: Just an idea, might be doing research.

    Unrealized: Another dream in the clouds, never to be achieved.

    In Progress: I am now working on it, may take time.

    Functional: The project works, but needs polishing. I may or may not return to it.

    Shelved: Functional, but abandoned. No finalization will be done.

    Complete: The project is completely finalized and polished.

    On Hold: Something is holding me back, abandonment imminent. On the back burner.

    Abandoned: I was in the midst of working on it, but I gave up for a given reason.

rTerm: ~/electronics/printer.txt

A Printer Computer?

Posted 3-7-2026; Edited 3-16-2026
Status: Unrealized

So, not long ago, my dad's proprietary HP printer (see right) finally gave out after over a decade or so of use: it complained about the ink cartdiges even after a carriage replacement. Naturally, he gave it to his geek son for him to tinker with... I have heard that some printers have what is essentially a desktop within them (well a motherboard and a cpu and some ports), so why not take it apart and take it for a test run?

There is a couple things I would like to try, starting off with installing Linux, and moving on to try running a graphical environment and maybe even run DOOM?? I have a loose set of criteria I will be applying to this and similar projects of this criteria:

  1. Show signs of life without its related peripherals connected (if applicable).
  2. Boot without its firmware, possibly running Linux or an era appropriate sytem (ie. FreeDOS).
  3. Output proper video, with or without external help.
  4. Compile a simple proggram in C.
  5. Run DOOM.
  6. Run more demanding games like Quake or Half-Life (if I think it is possible).

Nevermind!

Posted 3-16-2026

Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, the printer uses a 16-bit MCU and ROMs I cannot access with my currect equipment. Consider it dead for all intents and purposes. Most likely, it was only older printers that had such hardware, as this printer is newer in the grand scheme of things.

rTerm: /var/log/hardware.log

Project Log

First Entry 3-7-2026; Last Entry 3-16-2026

3-29-2026 ./lora.txt updated.

3-16-2026 ./lora.txt created.

3-16-2026 ./printer.txt updated and closed.

3-7-2026 ./printer.txt created.


rImg: ~/electronics/printer.jpg
rTerm: ~/electronics/lora.txt

LoRa: Off The Grid Comms

Posted 3-16-2026; Edited 3-29-2026
Status: On Hold

A while back, a friend introduced me to LoRa (Long Range); it is a radio protocol for sending binary information over long ranges without permanent infrastructure, which is extremely useful in rural or damaged environments. I did a little more research and found Meshtastic, a protocol on top of LoRa that allows for text communications between users using small nodes, allowing for mesh networking across wider ranges (~3km urban, ~15km rural).

At first, I didn't think too much of it, "cool, it is used for instruments and sensors, and by emergency services." However, with how recent events have been turning out, I started to see that it would be useful to be prepared. At first I was only thinking of investing in a simple Meshtastic node, but quickly saw the novelty as well, "why not design it." After all, I have once been an avid user of IRC and a fan of P2P. I decided to design my own devices.

With this, I have a 2-stage project, and the largest I have had in a while... or ever. For the first phase, I will create a simple LoRa node to teach myself the basics, making use of an ESP32 and a SX1262 module to create a basic bluetooth/serial device to let me use Meshtastic on my phone or computer. This should be fair straight forward, and this may even become a great way to teach myself PCB design if I want to make a less janky version.

Now, stay with me, once that is complete, I design a standalone device capable of using LoRa, AM/FM radio, and maybe even GPS! This will require a lot more work, since I intend on creating a RaspberryPi Zero 2 W based device with a built in keyboard, screen, audio, and various other modules. I anticipate that the modules may compete with one another for data buses, and this will definitely consume a lot of power so it will require a chunky battery. In the end, I should be able to design a Linux handheld capable of LoRa, which may possibly have nifty features like a folding screen!

Please keep in mind that this is still in the planning phase, I only have a bill of materials for the first project and a sketch for the second.

Progress

Posted 3-29-2026

I have since since made some progress, and there is hope for continued work, so I will move any new progress into a new sub-page.