iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

If you're building a portable or a custom controller, give it a try. Feedback welcome!

Calibration and shaping get combined into a small precomputed transform at boot (or whenever they change). The poll loop just calls "apply", a handful of integer operations with no FPU required. Plain C99, no dependencies, no allocation.

Shaping comes second, and is where the feel comes from. Inner and outer deadzones in axial or radial shapes, gamma response curves, and circular, square, or octagonal virtual gates, all in one struct you can change at runtime without recalibrating.

Calibration comes first. Pickaxes runs a calibration session on the firmware that captures rest position, min and max travel, and orientation. Release the stick, push it in each direction, rotate it around the rim. Drive it from a homebrew app or a button combo on the device.

Portablizers cobble together sticks and triggers from whatever fits the design: Joycon sticks, 3DS sliders, random ALPS sticks from Digikey. Pickaxes lets you tune the raw ADC values from these to match OEM feel, or to your own preference.

I'm open sourcing Pickaxes, a C library for calibrating and shaping analog sticks and triggers on 32-bit microcontrollers, designed for people building portables and custom controllers. github.com/loopj/pickaxes

GitHub - loopj/pickaxes: Input calibration and shaping for sticks and triggers on 32-bit microcontrollers

Input calibration and shaping for sticks and triggers on 32-bit microcontrollers - loopj/pickaxes

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Hey, at least the deku tree isn't voiced by Jack Black

James Smith @loopj.com · 01/07/2026

I like to call this "the project pile"

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James Smith @loopj.com · 26/06/2026

When doing custom firmware update logic, you often need to parse a binary on a host before sending it to the device being updated. I wrote a portable C parser for Pi Pico binary_info, check it out here: github.com/loopj/pico-b...

GitHub - loopj/pico-binary-info: Portable Pi Pico binary_info parser

Portable Pi Pico binary_info parser. Contribute to loopj/pico-binary-info development by creating an account on GitHub.

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James Smith @loopj.com · 30/05/2026

Designed a little 1U 10" bench power supply based around the RK6012 for my Rack Nook desk shelf (github.com/loopj/rack-n...)

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Reposted by James Smith

YveltalGriffin @mks.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

GOWIN GW1NR-LV9 digital video development board

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The whole thing is really simple, honestly it's just a shelf on some 3D-printed legs, but having the rack rails allows for a lot of flexibility in how you set it up, and what you put on it. Let me know if you build your own!

For the center rack module I installed a DeskPi 6.91-inch touch screen, and wrote a quick Flutter application for media control.

For my desk, I went with a 5ft wide butcher block shelf, using 10" rack components in a 2U:1U:1U:1U:2U configuration. This allows for a wide cubby in the middle for tucking away my keyboard and mouse.

James Smith @loopj.com · 05/05/2026

I wanted a truly modular/customizable desk shelf, so I built one. Rack Nook is a desk shelf system, based around 10" or 19" rack components. It's open source, you can find everything you need to build your own here: github.com/loopj/rack-n...

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Working on a DIY monitor riser system based around 10-inch "half rack" modules. It uses cheap Penn Elcom (or compatible) steel rack rails, hardware store lumber, and 3d-printed legs. I'm building this form factor for my desk - 5ft wide with a cubby for keyboard/laptop in the middle.

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James Smith @loopj.com · 04/03/2026

This guy built a semiconductor lab in a shed, absolutely insane, instant susbscribe www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfSO...

youtube.com

There’s a Class 100 semiconductor cleanroom inside this backyard shed.

YouTube video by Dr.Semiconductor

Bucket Mouse @mousebitelabs.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Reposted by James Smith

As part of a collaboration with the incredibly talented @redherring32.com of Opentendo fame, we are happy to announce the OpenTendo-AGB (OpenGBA)! This is a fully open source recreation of the AGB-CPU-01 circuit board. (Repository is attached in the next post)

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🚀 what did you choose as a replacement, are you self-hosting or using something like proton?

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For the protocol nerds out there, I managed to get the target response time (time between message being received from a console, and us sending the reply) down to ~3us on the Pi Pico backend. This is *very* close to the ASIC's response time in OEM controllers.

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Looking forward to seeing what people build with this! If you make something, let me know!

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This allowed me to do cool things like getting carried away and writing a full protocol-identical reimplementation of the official GameCube controller USB adapter on a Pi Pico: github.com/loopj/libjoy...

libjoybus/examples/pico-sdk/gcc-adapter at main · loopj/libjoybus

An implementation of the Joybus protocol used by N64 and GameCube controllers, for 32-bit microcontrollers - loopj/libjoybus

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The Pi Pico implementation is written from scratch using PIO and fits in a single state machine, so theoretically can support 8 simultaneous buses on a Pi Pico, or 12 (!) on a Pi Pico 2.

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This was initially extracted from the WavePhoenix project with the goal of being more broadly usable. This library supports "host mode", aka acting as an N64 or GameCube console and communicating with a controller, as well as "target mode" aka emulating a controller on the joybus.

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👋 just released the first public version of libjoybus, an open implementation of the Nintendo Joybus protocol used by N64 and GameCube controllers, with initial support for Pi Pico (1 and 2) and SiLabs Gecko microcontrollers: github.com/loopj/libjoy...

GitHub - loopj/libjoybus: An implementation of the Joybus protocol used by N64 and GameCube controllers, for 32-bit microcontrollers

An implementation of the Joybus protocol used by N64 and GameCube controllers, for 32-bit microcontrollers - loopj/libjoybus

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Reposted by James Smith

Weskmods @weskmods.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

I've finalised and released my Asrock BC-250 case, with multiple designs to hopefully tickle your fancy. Files can be found here: www.printables.com/model/157024...

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James Smith @loopj.com · 06/01/2026

Thanks for all your efforts on this project dude!

BlueShell3D @blueshell3d.com · 09/12/2025

Reposted by James Smith

And they tried to tell me it shouldn’t be done! But behold! The #Cuboid! It’s rocking both the GCLoader and the Dual. And also, it’s shorter! SD card smartly tucks in the back above the optional handle.

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Reposted by James Smith

Sam Ettinger @settinger.net · 08/09/2025

A silly idea that turned out well! Most flex PCBs are cut by laser, not milled, so you can make perforations by adding incomplete edge cuts. These disks are for cleanly joining LED strips at different angles and different radii, and they break apart with just my fingers, no other tools.

A flex PCB with concentric copper rings and perforations so it can be torn into smaller arcs and wedges.

The same flex PCB with one quarter of it torn out and turned into three curved connector pieces of different radii. The remaining board has a silkscreen that says "Do it [...] coward" in Jokerman font.

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James Smith @loopj.com · 12/11/2025

Everybody knows all the best cube shaped consoles have a handle

A steam machine console with a GameCube style handle

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Reposted by James Smith

YveltalGriffin @mks.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Here's a quick hands-on overview of the Raspberry Pi CM0, a 39x33mm RP3A0 castellated compute module @raspberrypi.com and EDATEC have released exclusively for the Chinese market!

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Reposted by James Smith

Macho Nacho Productions @machonachomedia.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Hey everyone! Today at 11am EST I will be Premiering a video that's been nearly one year in the making. I worked with some amazing modders and @pcbwayofficial.bsky.social to make this Project a reality and I really hope you all enjoy it! WATCH HERE 👉 youtu.be/0OMP8JvGWNY

youtu.be

I Built Microsoft’s $36,000 XBOX Prototype . . . And Made It Better!

YouTube video by Macho Nacho Productions

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Reposted by James Smith

Weskmods @weskmods.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

I've created a 3D model for the Sony A14/D14 BVM Bezel. If printed it should fit 1:1 with the stock unit. Files can be found here: bitbuilt.net/forums/threa...

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Reposted by James Smith

Kinell @sinistercinemastudios.art · 28/08/2025

This is some of the hardest shit I've seen in my life

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Reposted by James Smith

Technology Connections @techconnectify.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

*cracks knuckles* okay so you know how the media has a problem with taking snippets of scientific studies out of context and writing articles which mislead the public? now imagine a computer program is doing that when you ask it questions about scientific literature but also it makes stuff up.

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Reposted by James Smith

Tube🍂Time @tubetime.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

i reverse-engineered the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5! check it out at github.com/schlae/cm5-r...

board layout in KiCad with lots of layers and colors

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Reposted by James Smith

Natalie @nataliethenerd.com · 25/07/2025

Allison has made a Game Boy cart based around the RP2040. The RP2040 acts as a MBC! The documentation is freaking fantastic and Allison has released the files under the CC BY-NC-SA license abc.decontextualize.com

abc.decontextualize.com

Allison’s Bootleg Cart

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James Smith @loopj.com · 23/07/2025

This is straight fire

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James Smith @loopj.com · 23/07/2025

you have to fill it completely with transparent resin once you are done or else

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James Smith @loopj.com · 22/07/2025

If we can lobby GitHub to allow the KiCanvas embed on READMEs that would be my dream.