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Tim/foamyguy

@foamyguy.bsky.social
73 followers 66 following 65 posts

Husband, software developer, tinkerer. Creative engineer working for Adafruit on CircuitPython & related projects, libraries, guides, and more. Always on the lookout for cool things and cool people.

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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Shirt design and flyers for this weekend #NoKings
No Kings text and logo with a crossed out crown. A happy frog cartoon above the text "FROGS AGAINST FASCISM"
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
TY. Each byte is encoded into a blinking sequence of 3 colors and there are 8 total different colors. More permutations than are needed because I wanted to also avoid repeating the same color twice in the sequences.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
*Flashing Warning* An idea 🐛 that got stuck in my brain while working on the #CircuitPython driver for the OPT4048: Transmitting data with a series of blinking colored lights. Successful transmission & receipt achieved 🎉. Transmitter top, receiver bottom, message highlighted at end. 🌈💡📡
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Shout out to Zach's Math Zone on YT: www.youtube.com/@ZachsMathZo... This friendly person makes concise informative videos breaking down mathmatical concepts visually. Bonus points in my book for the recent videos on different ciphers.
youtube.com
Zach's Math Zone
This channel provides educational videos that can help anyone learn math.
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Anne @anneb.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
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circuitpythonshow.com @circuitpythonshow.com · 02/05/2025
Catch up on the latest episode with guest @foamyguy.bsky.social - we chat about the challenges of designing games for CircuitPython and some of the games he's created.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Props to the friendly librarians at Putnam County OH District Library for their ongoing PSA-like series about the latest techniques commonly in use by scammers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdbU... I really appreciate them taking the time record and publish these. ♥️ #Library
youtube.com
Hospice Fraud: it’s a thing now
YouTube video by Putnam County District Library
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#CircuitPython @circuitpython.org · 29/04/2025
Improving garbage collection time in CircuitPython blog.adafruit.com/2025/04/28/i...
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learn.adafruit.com @learn.adafruit.com · 25/04/2025
Using a Keyboard with USB Host
learn.adafruit.com
Using a Keyboard with USB Host
USB Keyboards are things that we often take for granted while working on devices with a full OS with support for them like Linux on a Raspberry Pi, or Mac / Windows on a PC. Using a USB keyboard with a microcontroller requires a more deliberate effort to find and connect to the device, and then read and interpret data that it sends. This guide covers the steps necessary to use a USB keyboard with CircuitPython and Arduino.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
North Korean hackers looking on as people throw millions into crypto grift coins in an attempt to curry favor with his orangeness.
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Brian JM Quinn @bjmquinn.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
🍊🤡💸
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
youtu.be/X7PLaaIo6F0?... wouldn't ordinarily listen to or share crypto vid, but Tigran has my utmost respect. Former IRS agent. Helped investigate and bring justice in many high profile crypto cases. Lived through a nightmare held hostage by Nigeria for months. No coin shilling, just humanity.
youtu.be
Binance's Tigran Gambaryan's Near-Death Detention in Nigeria: An Exclusive Interview
YouTube video by Henri Arslanian
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Hackaday @hackadayofficial.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with the Part Picker
hackaday.com
Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with the Part Picker
Hackaday Article
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circuitpythonshow.com @circuitpythonshow.com · 21/04/2025
New episode! You may have seen @foamyguy.bsky.social doing a livestream on Fridays or Saturday mornings, now get to know him. We chat about how he first started with computers and designing games in CircuitPython. Visit www.circuitpythonshow.com/@circuitpyth...
circuitpythonshow.com
Designing Games for CircuitPython with Tim "foamyguy" Cocks
Tim Cocks, better known as foamyguy in the Adafruit community, shares his experiences in designing games for CircuitPython. Tim and Paul also discuss some recent games Tim has worked on. 00:00 Intro 00:16 Tim’s start with computers 1:48 Discovering CircuitPython 8:16 Challenges designing games for microcontrollers 13:16 1D Chomper 15:44 Blinka Says 18:58 Karel the Robot 23:24 Which microcontroller? 25:42 Wrap-up
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
The FBI says it can't find "missing" records about hacking tools it purchased www.404media.co/the-fbi-cant...
404media.co
The FBI Can't Find ‘Missing’ Records of Its Hacking Tools
The FBI bought multiple hacking tools for $250,000. Despite that, the FBI says it can't find any more records about the tools.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Randomized #egg painting in #CircuitPython with TilePaletteMapper. Original sprites from onocentaur.itch.io/eggs. Code: github.com/FoamyGuy/Cir... 🥚🎨🐍 #easteregg
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Had the thought last night: "If I can encode 1 book into the blue channel of pixels, then it should be possible to encode 3 books into an image using all 3 color channels right?". Indeed it is. I think I like the dark one more, but both are neat. #python
Pixelated static in an array of different colors. Horizontal band patters are visible in a few sections. The pixels are the data from 3 books encoded into each of the three color channels red, green, and blue.Pixelated static in an array of different colors. Horizontal band patters are visible in a few sections. The pixels are the data from 3 books encoded into each of the three color channels red, green, and blue.
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circuitpythonshow.com @circuitpythonshow.com · 19/04/2025
Coming Monday: Meet @foamyguy.bsky.social - Paul and Tim chat about how Tim got his start with computers, designing games for CircuitPython and some of his favorite games he's written.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
I saw it originally here: bsky.app/profile/pixe...
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Saw this idea on bsky the other day... Wrote scripts to encode/decode a book into a pixelated image and back. 1st book I encoded is The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book 🥪📘. TY gutenberg.org. Code: github.com/FoamyGuy/Boo... #python 🐍
Blue pixelated image that looks mostly like random noise or static. The pixels contain encoded characters from the book.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Thanks for sharing, this post inspired me to write some scripts to do something similar. Though I went with blue, and the first book I encoded is a book about sandwiches. github.com/FoamyGuy/Boo...
Blue pixelated image. The different shades of blue in the pixels contain encoded characters from a book.
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learn.adafruit.com @learn.adafruit.com · 16/04/2025
Match3 Game on the Adafruit Metro RP2350
learn.adafruit.com
Match3 Game on the Adafruit Metro RP2350
Use MicroPython and the Raspberry Pi RP2350 chip to make this fun game played with two USB connected mice. Output is to most HDMI displays in glorious color.
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matttrentini.bsky.social @matttrentini.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
MicroPython v1.25.0 has been released! github.com/micropython/... A *huge* update, particularly for the ROMFS feature, and the new Alif port. However, as with all MicroPython releases, there are hundreds of improvements and fixes. Such focus on refinement!
github.com
Release ROMFS, alif port, RISCV inline assembler, DTLS, mpremote recursive remove · micropython/micropython
After more than three years in development, the "ROMFS" feature has been finalised, its filesystem format specified, and the VFS driver and supporting code are included in this release of MicroPyth...
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Hackaday @hackadayofficial.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with John Lennon’s Typewriter
hackaday.com
Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with John Lennon’s Typewriter
Hackaday Article
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The Bootloader @thebootloader.net · 07/04/2025
New episode! Special guest @andypiper.me joins @todbot.bsky.social and @paulcutler.org and they chat about a new home page for your browser with Glance, open source soundfonts, automatic filament detection for your 3D printer, and more. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
circuitpythonshow.com
Welcome Andy Piper
Andy Piper joins Tod and Paul and they discuss an open source laptop, 3D printing filament detection, synths, and more. Visit Andy’s homepage Check out TheBootloader.net for detailed show notes and transcript. Follow us on social media: Andy Piper on Mastodon or Bluesky Paul Cutler on Mastodon or Bluesky Tod Kurt on Mastodon or Bluesky 00:00 Intro 00:59 Glance app 5:33 Soundfonts, General MIDI, and a ROMpler 11:55 OpenSpool and SpoolEase 15:39 MNT Pocket Reform 21:55 DIYR Design Lamps and Speaker 25:20 Podcast Later 28:22 Wrap-up
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
No need to worry, they learned their lesson. Case closed. #Signal #OPSEC
Satirical Signal chat screenshot with the messages: "PH: Guys, we can't have a repeat of last time. The new comms hardware is in",[Image of childrens walkie talkies with spyX logo], "TG: eXm says these things are super s3cure.", "M: Opsec clean [broom  emoji] [zipped mouth emoji] [fire emoji]"
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
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#CircuitPython @circuitpython.org · 04/04/2025
#CircuitPython 10.0.0-alpha.2 released! blog.adafruit.com/2025/04/04/c...
blog.adafruit.com
CircuitPython 10.0.0-alpha.2 Released!
CircuitPython 10 From the GitHub release page: This is CircuitPython 10.0.0-alpha.2, an alpha release for 10.0.0. Further features, changes, and bug fixes will be added before the final release of …
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#CircuitPython @circuitpython.org · 01/04/2025
blog.adafruit.com/2025/04/01/c... Highlights: - Bug fixes.
blog.adafruit.com
CircuitPython 9.2.7 Released!
From the GitHub release page: This is CircuitPython 9.2.7, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release. WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bo…
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Implemented autosave and resume in the #CircuitPython Set card game. Game state is msgpack'd and written to the new CPSAVES partition of flash. #GameDev 🐍🃏💾
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Simon Threadgold🍂 @sthreadgold.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
She died in binary. That’s dedication. RIP.
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Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 01/04/2025
Today's discussion about protecting Section 230 was timely — it's Trans Day of Visibility. Today and every day I will go to the mat to defend the law and stop Trump and Republicans from erasing trans Americans from the internet.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
I'll be working on the Set card game #CircuitPython implementation this morning. #LiveCoding stream about 45 minutes from now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Wi... and www.twitch.tv/foamyguy_twi...
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Yep
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Next #CircuitPython game is the Set card game. Numberphile on YT has a great vid on it www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkFX.... I'm using their numerical representation in the code. It's also using the new TilePaletteMapper to re-color the cards from 1bit colored sprites to the 3 game colors. 🐍🖱️🎮🎨
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Тsфdiиg @tsoding.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
The attitude we desperately need in Tech
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#CircuitPython @circuitpython.org · 26/03/2025
UPDATED LEARN GUIDE: Return To The Matrix Now With #CircuitPython #AdafruitLearningSystem blog.adafruit.com/2025/03/26/u...
blog.adafruit.com
UPDATED LEARN GUIDE: Return To The Matrix Now With #CircuitPython #AdafruitLearningSystem
With some help from the friendly robot Claude.ai I have ported the Arduino Matrix rain code to a new CircuitPython version. There is a new page in the guide covering the CircuitPython version with …
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
#NintendoSwitch on RGB Matrix Panels with #RaspberryPi5, a USB HDMI adapter, and github.com/adafruit/Ada... 🎮🥧🐍
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 25/03/2025
Wyden: "I'm of the view that there ought to be resignations, starting with the national security adviser and the secretary of defense."
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
TIL how to use multi-interface USB devices in #CircuitPython. Now I have a launcher menu 🚀 and games 🕹️ using both parts of a kbd/trackpad combo over USB Host on RP2350 ⌨️🖲️🐍
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Chris Lovell @mrlovellcomp.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
I have created several games on the @microbit.org that I use to teach python in my classroom because making games is fun, and it's a powerful way to learn to code 😀 🕹️🎮 Access the code and worksheets for 🆓 on @github.com here 👉 github.com/MrL832/mrlov...
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Different kinds have different numbers of outputs and some use other schemes to drive them instead of SPI, but in general shift registers allow you to use a smaller number of pins on the microcontroller to control a larger number of actual outputs.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Look into shift registers. Here is one such device: www.adafruit.com/product/450. There are different kinds, these ones connect over SPI and give you 8 outputs per chip and are chain-able up to 3 to give a total of 24 outputs using just the 1 SPI bus worth of pins.
adafruit.com
74HC595 Shift Register - 3 pack
Add lots more outputs to a microcontroller system with chainable shift registers. These chips take a serial input (SPI) of 1 byte (8 bits) and then output those digital bits onto 8 pins. You ...
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Here's the latest #CircuitPython Fruit Jam animation. I'm happy with how it's come along. I pushed the code to a repo: github.com/FoamyGuy/Ada.... I walked through this code, and worked on it during deep dive tonight if anyone is interested in how it works in more depth. 🍏🎨🐍🤿
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circuitpythonshow.com @circuitpythonshow.com · 21/03/2025
Coming Monday on a new episode of The CircuitPython Show: Liz Clark and Noe Ruiz join the show and discuss how they collaborate on projects together and share some of their favorite collabs. Here’s a clip of how they start off a collab:
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#CircuitPython @circuitpython.org · 21/03/2025
There are now 600 CircuitPython compatible microcontroller boards #CircuitPython #Python @adafruit.com blog.adafruit.com/2025/03/21/6...
blog.adafruit.com
There are now 600 CircuitPython compatible microcontroller boards #CircuitPython #Python @Adafruit
CircuitPython is one of the easiest ways to program microcontrollers. CircuitPython is a programming language designed to simplify experimenting and learning to code on low-cost microcontroller boa…
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
No further editing needed thus far. I did use GIMP to count some pixels to know where to tell PIL to cut from, and I'll dive back into GIMP today to work on the transparency. It is admittedly a little clunky compared to photoshop, but free and open source ♥️. Version 3 just dropped, I need to try it.
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
I started from tweaked version of the logo video created by Bruce the Adafruit art wizard: youtu.be/btgmmoyuLXU?... It was made in AfterEffects. I used ffmpeg to split the mp4 into images of each frame, then python PIL to cut out each letter from each frame.
youtu.be
Adafruit Top Secret for March 19, 2025 #adafruit
YouTube video by Adafruit Industries
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
There is bitmaptools.rotozoom() docs.circuitpython.org/en/latest/sh... which can do non integer scaling of Bitmap data. I suspect it may not be fast enough for an animated effect like this, but haven't actually tried it.
docs.circuitpython.org
bitmaptools – Collection of bitmap manipulation tools — Adafruit CircuitPython 9.2.5 documentation
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Tim/foamyguy @foamyguy.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Each letter has a sprite sheet like this one which contains all of the frames of the squish animation. At the appropriate time the code starts swapping from frame to frame quickly. I think of it like a flipbook.
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