iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 19/06/2026

This is not normal in south Germany. How blind, ignorant and/or stupid do you have to be to still deny climate change?

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 04/06/2026

More renders? More renders! I tweaked the shaders a bit more, after taking some reference pictures from various manufactured PCBs under my microscope and trying to replicate that as best as possible. What do you think?

A picture of a printed circuit board from the front.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 01/06/2026

I took the 3D models from ECAD and put them into #Blender. I've tried two different techniques to represent the layers of the PCB: 1. Using the exported geometry (tracks, vias, silk, etc.) 2. Using textures exported and combined in a shader. Which of the two images do you prefer?

A picture of a printed circuit board focusing on an Raspberry Pi RP2040 integrated circuit chip in the middle.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 12/05/2026

We're currently getting a new heat pump. And right at the entrance of the utilities room in the basement a thick 6 AWG wire is sticking out of the wall. I bet you it's live. If someone walks into that, they're toast.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 25/04/2026

Yeah, no, it was an absolute brilliant idea to write the Windows start menu in React and NodeJS. I totally wanted to have my start menu not accessible. /s

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 21/04/2026

Today I learned that there are colorful solar panels. And the FC St. Pauli soccer club has a pride flag 🏳️‍🌈 made from solar panels on their roof. I want a rainbow flag on my roof to trigger all the ultra conservative old people in my neighborhood.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 27/03/2026

Go to GitHub.com and change your settings to not allow your code to be used for AI training. MicroSlop is truly going back to the old ways of being evil.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 26/03/2026

Any reading recommendations to more thoroughly understand (specifically) Linux networking? I do have good reading on the lower levels of the stack.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 12/03/2026

The aftermath of cutting a stencil free of the JLCPCB frame. Mistakes were made and the stencil was ordered with the frame. It's now got a more manageable size.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 07/03/2026

To be baked in my Ninja (tm) reflow oven.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 07/03/2026

First assembly job with my new(ish) JBC manual pick'n'place. Board manufactured by @aisler.net.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 01/03/2026

Fedora versions are only supported for about a year before being EOL. RHEL is probably the longest supported Linux distro. Please don't get argue with Arch. It's an unstable distro, and only worth it if you don't value your own time. I have a job and family, I don't have time to play sysadmin.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 01/03/2026

Every commercial, and most non-commercial, Linux distributions literally have planned obsolescence. Exactly the same as macOS or Windows. The same applies for the Linux kernel itself (minor versions go EOL after only a few months). Ubuntu versions only receive between two or five years of updates.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 11/02/2026

Yes! It drives. Since buying it I have sold the pump because they're sought after and I wanted to help out a fire department looking for a replacement. This is the truck at a gas station.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 05/02/2026

I felt like a little kid again unwrapping mine under the Christmas tree!

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 31/01/2026

I double and triple checked the datasheet, and the timing looks correct. A quick test revealed that adding a 100kR pull down on CS fixes the issue. Professionally jammed between the pins of the connector.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 27/01/2026

What do you connect embedded Rust with? For me, embedded Rust is massively generic programming, to the point where it's almost ridiculous. The following is an entirely normal struct impl block, like I have in many of my generic drivers. #rust #embedded

A screenshot of some code in an editor that has 10 generic arguments.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 22/01/2026

I'm using @kicad.org for like a week. I'm four crashes, and one bug report in. I really like KiCad, and I really want to continue liking it, but it's some of the most crash prone software I have ever used.

A screenshot of a list of issues on the GitLab issue tracker showing five open bug reports, four of which are crashes, and one is a bug.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 22/01/2026

Nice round numbers! This is what you get for making sure things are aligned within a 100 mil grid.

A screenshot of the "Board Size" statistics in KiCad reading 45.7200 mm for width, and 78.7400 mm for height.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 15/01/2026

Yet, I'm getting the unicorns.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 15/01/2026

They send you a cartridge map with any JBC purchase. Man, a tip for desoldering QFN or QFP would be so nice.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 27/12/2025

Testing the reflow oven. The kitchen was converted into a test lab for a while.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 19/12/2025

It's the 1980s again and there is a #Commodore64 under the Christmas tree. 🎄 Merry Christmas.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 06/12/2025

I know the judging eyes in those cases. This was this evening.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 28/11/2025

Presented without comment.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 22/11/2025

There's a fringe possibility that my dog may be a bit spoiled.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 13/10/2025

I have assembled the original ErgoDox, that I bought ten years ago in 2015 and assembled incorrectly. Until a couple of months ago I was missing a good solder sucker and hot air to desolder the switches and reflow the bad joints. Incredibly, it runs the same software as my newer ErgoDox EZ.

A split keyboard on a table with the left and right halfs next to each other.

The left half of a split keyboard in a close up shot.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 11/09/2025

Days since a Windows 11 forced reboot lost work: 0

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 03/09/2025

Scanning and parsing of the part barcodes from electronics part suppliers (Mouser, DigiKey, Farnell), so that I can easily and electronically manage my inventory of parts (and most importantly, record where I stored them). Next step, getting order in my inventory.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 02/09/2025

This Chinese manufacturer of a water spray bottle was apparently fed up with their customers asking for the impossible. The stupidity required to think something could spray literally forever is unfathomable to me.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 30/08/2025

It's almost the perfect symmetry. Almost.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 27/08/2025

Hard drives open up like a tin can. Shiiiny!

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 27/08/2025

Hobby Programmer is good. I've only triggered C++ programmers by claiming C is better. I think I had a similar badge at CppCon.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 21/08/2025

If you Google "cordyceps", a fungus grows on the bottom of your screen.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 19/08/2025

Everything old is new again. #C64

A picture showing a new print of the Commodore 64 programmer's reference guide.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 05/08/2025

One of my pull requests broke @github.com. Even after a refresh, the page is inaccessible. What is going on?

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 24/04/2025

The folks at goodenough.us have a physical guestbook that prints entries on a thermal printer. So I drew (badly, if I may say so) the @rust-lang.org logo and it was print out. #rust

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 24/04/2025

This funnel might not be a great funnel, but it's a decent funnel. (It's actually brilliant. I just like the pun)

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 19/03/2025

Google Chrome is telling me why I don't use it anymore.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 11/03/2025

Ending a long day with a beautiful homemade Schnitzel is the best gift my girlfriend could've given me. Love definitely goes through the stomach.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 06/03/2025

Took the truck for a little ride. It's been a while.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 05/03/2025

Soldering is such a good relaxing activity after a day at work.

A messy workbench with a PCB being soldered.

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Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 09/02/2025

Our dog loves these. I may need to get a strategic reserve as well.

Arvid Gerstmann @arvid.io · 30/01/2025

Implemented by this beautiful macro here: docs.rs/serde/latest...