iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Keep up to date on all the latest Pimoroni learning guides via this handy RSS feed :) learn.pimoroni.com/rss It seems as though I have been rather busy :D

Screenshot of Pimoroni's learning portal

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My 20th and latest guide is live at Pimoroni. This time I show you how to create custom animations on #Badgeware to celebrate YouTube subscriber milestones. We use the YouTube API, #micropython and Blinky 2350 to celebrate our achievements! learn.pimoroni.com/article/cele...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Starting a new series of @pimoroni.com learn guides covering Tiny FX a #LEGO ®-compatible light, sound and sensor platform. Part 1: Getting to know the board and how to use it. learn.pimoroni.com/article/what...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I've been tinkering with #FreeCAD and a recently acquired Prusa CoreONE+ 3D printer to deisng and build layered trays that pack your electronics projects inside @pimoroni.com brand loot boxes! www.printables.com/model/177490... Yes, I am remarkably happy with how they came out!

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Making wedges to go with dinner tonight. Paprika, garlic granules, majoram, oregano, salt and black pepper. Crinkle cut with my poundstore cutter :)

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Made a barra brith tea loaf with muscavado sugar, cherries, honey, and fruit soaked in earl grey tea.

Barra brith tea loaf fresh from the oven and covered in honey.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Today marks three months at Pimoroni! It has been great and the team are lovely, but I knew that before I started. Really greatful that I can keep writing maker content, something that I have been doing for 13 years now! Blog: blog.pimoroni.com/author/les/ Learning guides: learn.pimoroni.com

Image showing all of the Pimoroni blog posts that I have written since I started back in April 2026

Image showing all of the Pimoroni learning guides that I have written since I started back in April 2026

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

New tutorial! Build a thermal camera with a @pimoroni.com Tufty 2350 and an MLX90640 thermal camera breakout. Now your conference badge can do more than tell everyone your name! learn.pimoroni.com/article/buil...

Thermal image of Connor, taken with a Tufty 2350 thermal camera

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I recently made an RGB doorbell with a Stellar Unicorn and Home Assistant, but it was missing something. A stand! So I learnt a little #FreeCAD and 3D printed one. Here is my journey and you too can download a print your own stand! blog.pimoroni.com/my-stellar-u... #HomeAssistant #RP2350

A Stellar Unicorn 3D printed stand. Side view showing the board in the channel cutout.

A Stellar Unicorn 3D printed stand, rear view

A Stellar Unicorn 3D printed stand, rear view showing the board in the stand

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Today @pimoroni.com I'm learning FreeCAD because I want a nice stand for my new Stellar Unicorn RGB doorbell. I'll be writing a blog post, blog.pimoroni.com on my findings and the process that I took.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Today I had the pleasure of taking this distinguished gentleman out for a 4 mile walk. Duke is a working cocker spaniel and is five years old. He lives down the road and we know his owners very well. He enjoys long walks, sniffing everything and randomly changing direction.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

I've dipped my toe into #smarthome #homeassistant and built a 256 RGB LED doorbell using @pimoroni.com Stellar Unicorn, Home Assistant Green and a Zigbee button. Learn how to connect Zigbee to MQTT via Home Assistant. learn.pimoroni.com/article/rgb-... www.youtube.com/shorts/qXdv8...

Home Assitant Connect, Home Assistant Green, Sonoff Zigbee button and a Pimoroni Stellar Unicorn

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

This week I've been building a custom media playback controller with SPOKE. Powered by the RP2040, SPOKE is a capacitive touch controller that can be used to make music, control art and interact with your computer. learn.pimoroni.com/article/spok... www.youtube.com/shorts/9APfa...

A laptop with SPOKE connected via USB. There is a piece of card and copper tape connected by crocodile clips.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I've just opened the box and plugged in SPOKE for the first time and somehow I made the beat from the Sega MegaDrive game Streets of Rage title screen. Anyway. I'm tinkering with this today, full write up will be on Pimoroni very soon. youtube.com/shorts/9APfa... shop.pimoroni.com/products/spo...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

New @pimoroni.com tutorial based on Presto, a lovely 4 inch IPS display with an RP2350 at its heart. Get the latest news headlines direct to your desktop every 30 seconds,and with embedded QR codes to take you straight to the story www.youtube.com/shorts/o3atn... learn.pimoroni.com/article/buil...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The good @drfootleg.bsky.social has been busy, creating a "hardware abstraction framework" to run MicroPython games on any hardware! His first task? Porting Asteroids to the Tufty 2350! Read all about it on the @pimoroni.com blog! blog.pimoroni.com/dr-footleg-s...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

£4.50 for an A1 sized piece of foamcore board from Hobbycraft, £1 for Poundland "Command Strips" and we have the start of a sticker wall.

a sticker wall has begun on a piece of foamcore board

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

THIS IS NOT A DRILL...it's an impact driver that I picked up for £28 at Morrisons supermarket. What I like: Price, weight, build quality, easy to use. What I dislike: Battery charging via DC jack on top of battery!

Workpro impact driver, £28 from Morrisons

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Learn how to use APIs with your @pimoroni.com Badger 2350. In this tutorial, I show you how to connect to a free API and get live status updates on the London Underground. learn.pimoroni.com/article/badg...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Luckily I don't need to take the District or Hammersmith and City tube today... Largely because I live in Blackpool. Today I'm writing up a new @pimoroni.com Badgeware tutorial. Demonstrating how to use APIs and data with your badge.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Been busy @pimoroni.com and here is a sneak peek at an upcoming tutorial. Using Tufty 2350 to control RGB LEDs connected to Plasma 2350 W via the magic of MQTT. www.youtube.com/shorts/-ijFh...

A messy desk of Pimoroni products. Tufty 2350, Plasma 2350 W and a crystal skull full of RGB LEDs

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

In case you missed it. Here is my review of three LTT screwdrivers and the projects that they helped me fix during my testing.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

A couple of months ago, Linus Media Group got in contact, asking me to review its range of screwdrivers. After many weeks of testing (fixing two PCs, 3D printer and some shelves), my review of the #LTT screwdrivers is now live! bigl.es/ltt-screwdri...

The full range of LTT screwdrivers on a green cutting mat, on top of a wooden table

The "OG" LTT screwdriver on a green cutting mat

The LTT Stubby Screwdriver on a green cutting mat.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Currently at 3365 words in a review of three screwdrivers. Coming soon to bigl.es

A collection of screwdrivers on my bench.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

All being well, I will be at #Oggcamp next weekend. I'll also have some bits for the swapshop table :D

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I've also tidied up the maker section of my office.

The maker section of my office. There is a 3D printer, soldering iron, tools and shelves full of gadgets and gizmos.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I'm calling this a win! Printed a quick Star Trek commbadgie (benchy to just test that it works, and I can give to a Star Trek fan.) 6 minutes in rapid PLA.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Bed levelling is a pass! Now input shaping and PID tuning before I run a test print.

3D printer screen showing that levelling is complete

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Currently taking my Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D printer to pieces to check levelling sensor wiring. Not the funnest job ever, but I keep getting a 502 error regarding bed alignment and I've tried many other "fixes".

A messy desk full of tools and a 3D printer which is being worked on.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Got the Lego USS Enterprise D and need a custom red alert system? That was my first project using Pimoroni's TinyFX W. At the press of a button it will illuminate five RGB LEDs and play a red alert klaxon. I've not built the Enterprise, yet! youtu.be/ZD6z6gK62_I

youtu.be

Make it Glow! Adding lights and sound to Lego with TinyFX

We sent our new shipmate, Les, a TinyFX W Starter Kit to play with and he made a Star Trek red alert effect for his Lego Star Trek: The Next Generation USS Enterprise…

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

My first piece of work for Pimoroni talks about the new Badgeware range. Badger, Tufty, and Blinky may sound like cartoon characters, but they are the new RP2350 powered boards. Badger is e-paper, Tufty is an IPS LCD, and Blinky is 872 bright white LEDs. blog.pimoroni.com/tiny-screens...

blog.pimoroni.com

Tiny Screens, Big Ideas! Show Us Your Badgeware Projects.

At the start of 2026, we released three new wearable boards under the heading of Badgeware! This squad of Raspberry Pi RP2350 powered wearable tech is made up of... Badger 2350 — a 2.7 inch 264 x 176…

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Today I installed #CachyOS #Linux on to an HP EliteDesk 800 mini desktop. It has 8GB of RAM and a 6th gen Intel Core i5 CPU. I have to say that it runs really well. I'll be tinkering with this for a few days over Easter.

A HP Elitedesk mini PC running CachyOS Linux.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I'm a maker with a leaning towards retro it seems. #shelfie

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

My ArgonOneUP Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 powered laptop now runs TwisterOS and I am very impressed! I should do a video on this.

An ArgonOneUP Raspberry Pi laptop running TwisterOS. The desk is very messy.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Today is my last day at Tom's Hardware. It has been a great experience. I've learnt so much from my colleagues and with their help we've created some great content. From how to read resistors to detailed Raspberry Pi features and tutorials. The Pi Cast show was my baby. I am hopeful to resurrect it.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

My portable vacuum cleaner has died... Again. Breaking out some new tools to have a tinker. LTT / LMG has sent me pretty much all of its screwdrivers for review on bigl.es They've got no input on the review and I turned down any form of payment. Looking forward to fixing stuff and reporting to you.

A messy desk as I repair a vacuum cleaner with my new LTT screwdrivers.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Shiver me timbers!!! After nearly six years at Tom's Hardware I am heading off for new horizons! Pimoroni, purveyors of maker toys, tools and kits has added me to its crew! From April 1st I will be Pimoroni's Content Editor. Creating content to inpsire everyone to be a maker! youtu.be/q1FYxBLDyQk

youtu.be

After six years I'm leaving Tom's Hardware and joining Pimoroni — Back to my maker roots!

Shiver me timbers!!! After nearly six years at Tom's Hardware I am heading off for new adventures! The good ship Pimoroni, purveyors of maker toys, tools and what nots has added me to its…

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Powering a Raspberry Pi 1 web server using the USB port on my DIY NAS build. Yeah, I'm scared too :) Hope to reveal more over the next week.

A Raspberry Pi we server lays atop my DIY network storage device.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

It's been a few days since my operation. I am recovering well. I've got four new holes in my stomach. The largest of which is right at my belly button and it aches when I move. Eating and drinking OK, moving around to keep mobile and doing what MrsP tells me to do. It'll be a few weeks, but I am OK.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Home from hospital, sore and tired. Going to eat a simple supper and then go to bed. But, I am alive!

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

I'm going to be offline for probably the next week. Tomorrow is my long awaited gallbladder operation and so I'll be resting up for the days after. I've got a #toolingtuesday blog post idea, but it'll have to wait an extra week. :)

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

The return of #tuesdaytooling and the Commodore Repair Toolkit is all you need to fix #commodore64 #vic20 and the #commodore128. Pinouts, oscilloscope waveforms, component lists. This free tool works on Windows and with a little Wine magic, it works on Linux too! bigl.es/c64-toolkit/

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The #RaspberryPi roller coaster share price, #AI and what the future may hold. The Raspberry Pi share price has soared this week, buoyed by #OpenClaw and many, many transactions on the London Stock Exchange. bigl.es/pi-stocks/

a roller coaster super imposed over a stock image of Raspberry Pi boards.

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Tinkering with Pimoroni's new Badger 2350, powered by the #raspberrypi #RP2350 I've written an app to get the names of the astronauts on the International Space Station using the built in Wi-Fi and a little JSON magic.

Pimoroni Badger 2350 menu with my ISS app

the names of the astronauts on the International Space Station

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

I made "Greggs Roulette", an app to decide what tasty treat to eat from Greggs! I used the new Tufty 2350 from Pimoroni, it has a lovely bright screen, great case and a powerful #RaspberryPi #RP2350 SoC (the same as the #Pico2) with Wi-Fi and onboard LiPo power! youtu.be/sCOLE6amThk badgewa.re

The Greggs Roulette app running on Tufty 2350, the screenshot has the device in the centre, with orange "Greggs Roulette" text on top of it.

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Reposted by Les Pounder

LibreCanada @librecanada.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Tom's Hardware - Article "Alien fan builds a better Raspberry Pi cyberdeck — The MU/TH/UR of all homages to a classic movie series"... www.tomshardware.com/raspberry-pi... ========================== #librecanada #linux #opensource

tomshardware.com

Alien fan builds a better Raspberry Pi cyberdeck — The MU/TH/UR of all homages to a classic movie series

In space, no one can hear you scream how good this cyberdeck is!

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Reposted by Les Pounder

Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

New blog post! Java based #Commodore #VIC20 emulator brings the classic 1980s computer to your browser. Now excuse me, I am off to play Gorf! bigl.es/vic20-in-bro...

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Les Pounder @biglesp.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Tinkering with Pimoroni's new Badgeware boards, right now it's Badger 2350 and I am having fun making my own badge with custom image of me. These new badges have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, onboard lipo and charging. They can be sooo much more than just a badge, and that is what I intend to do!

Black and white image on a smart paper screen

social media details on an e-paper display

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