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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

"AI isn't here to replace you." -- the people replacing you with #AI

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Agree or disagree?... "That which can stimulate senses or sensors is observable."

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In YOUR opinion, what's the best way to regulate #AI?

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I figure we'll get one last blast of summer-like weather. Then it's frost and foliage from here on out. 🍂 🍁 🎃

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

1. An uncelebrated social media post isn't necessarily a bad social media post. 2. You've seen the crap that goes viral.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

🧵 Welp, I'm back after a short mid-summer research hiatus. Sometimes, you set out to complete one project only to dive into a sub-project that becomes more captivating than the original. For me, it was my 2021 drone project, which morphed into a custom Remote Procedure Call (RPC) specification...

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

QUIZ: A new drug is invented that removes the need to ever sleep. But users age 30% faster. Do you take the drug?

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

For me at least: posting true information on Twitter has been a surprisingly counterproductive endeavor.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Those last 2 weeks flew by! I've been going down the rabbit hole of formal verification for hardware description languages ( #HDL). The trouble with modern electronics is there are so many possible inputs and internal states that even a supercomputer would take ages to test each case for bugs...

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Well, my first field programmable gate array ( #FPGA) solderability test board is nearly ready for production. This was a pretty good test of the CAD program itself, since the design is a lot more space-constrained than my usual 2-layer boards. Hopefully it's ready by early August.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

After perusing AI white papers, I've concluded grad students LOVE doing facial recognition projects. Civil liberties projects? Not so much at the moment.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

If a component can't be removed for isolated testing, you'll need to calculate an equivalent circuit for everything it's wired to. This is easier said than done, since it takes a SOLVABLE system of equations to do so. This is why graph theoretic methods like EET and approximations like OCTC help.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Opinion: People who deliver uncomfortable truths when it's actually helpful usually wind up being normal. It's the people who constantly bloviate about how empathetic they are that are the ones to steer clear of.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

I still need to try one of these. With a dot matrix display, 16 kiB is enough space to fit a few Atari-style games! 🕹️ #microcontroller #MCU

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

From the look of things, #FPGA datasheets are pretty next-level as long as you're not looking for silicon-level, "secret sauce" type details. The 7 Series FPGAs seem surprisingly well-documented.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

It's been over 2 weeks and 27 Twitter users couldn't answer this question. 😂

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Any tips for traveling to Korea? The good one, that is.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Hopefully everyone had a great Independence Day holiday. For once I actually made a genuine vacation out of it and didn't do much #STEM work outside of some reading. But today, work resumes on this field programmable gate array ( #FPGA) test project.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

🇺🇲 Happy 250th Independence Day!

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Trade-offs of Using Meanders These meanders (♒︎) are what we use to fine-tune the time it takes a signal to go from one location to another. Intuitively, we might guess this has the same effect as making a wire longer. In reality,

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

As long as the materials and their geometries are known, this is technically all you need to solve any passive circuit...

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I figure electrical #engineering books operate on 2 types of axioms: 1. Constitutive - i.e., describing mixtures of materials, fields, and their relationship with voltage and current.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I think deleting all tracks and starting over was the right move. At this rate, I'll be done by Saturday. Maybe even a tad sooner. #KiCad #drafting #electronics

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Track-Routing Problem Solved I may have found the reason why I couldn't route tracks through the ball grid array (BGA). Long story short, you've got at least two ways to configure track: (1) Net Classes (2) Pre-defined Sizes Net classes control both track width and track clearance. However...

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

As I often say, the tendency to check one's own past and future thinking is a strong sign they might be gifted. What I look for personally is what I call "decision backtrace." That is: people who can explain how they've formed *specific* beliefs, AND thier level of uncertainty in any step.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

PCB Floor-Planning for High Density This week, I'm getting a feel for how to pre-plan for #FPGA #electronics with high pin counts. Generally, we try to minimize the number of "hop-overs" among copper traces. Luckily, the manufacturer was very organized and grouped the pins together by function...

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Well, I've discovered what I think might be missing from the default KiCad experience: an effective way to configure and breakout ball grid array (BGA) packages. For one, the traces will not route between pads and vias as expected. The other issues are pretty minor compared to this. #KiCAD #CAD

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Rush hour in New Taipei City, #Taiwan during the late spring's rainy season. Taipei is at about the same latitude as Miami Beach. But it also has a monsoon season to consider before you #travel. Despite the name, the rainy season doesn't mean it rains constantly, as you can see here!

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Work on test board 18 will resume this weekend. While this board will only require 4 layers, the need for blind vias that only visit specific layers was a cost-driver. And not every circuit board manufacturer offers them. #CAD #PCB #KiCad #Blender

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Part 2 They say necessity is the mother of all invention. With new mathematical tools in hand, electrical engineers of the early 1900's were faced with a new problem: monumental setbacks in electromagnetic theory... #STEM #engineering #history

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Reposted by Unboxing Tomorrow

Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Do not curse the obstacle. Study it. It is the day's instructor, sent to teach the exact lesson you have been avoiding. - original aphorism

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Here's a new #Blender based animation of a partial ball grid array (BGA) fanout pattern I'm testing. This version is only partially routed while I decide on a circuit board supplier. Otherwise I run the risk of needing to undo a lot of geometry.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Well, the first *official* day of Summer is coming up on Sunday, June 21st. I try not to be superstitious about it, but I feel whatever I'm doing around that time sets the pace for the rest of the season (because this day has peak daylight). Hopefully, it's not software. #STEM #summer

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I might change my mind about it, but I wager engineering's rate of improvement peaked somewhere between the 1850's and the 1930's. By this, I a mean the creation of new engineering mental models, not necessarily the creation of new technologies. (1/6) #engineering #STEM #history

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

For a revision, this particular project has been more challenging than I thought it would be. That said, it's also a complete, from-the-ground-up overhaul (electric pun there), and it implements a few technologies like ideal diodes I'm trying for the first time. #CAD #electrical #engineering #STEM

Electrical schematic with sheet hierarchy.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

People tend to have political amnesia. If it happened more than a year ago, it may as well have happened in the stone age.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Friday night #travel: I took this during the tail end of 2023's Tropical Storm Yun-yeung. Because I had a meeting scheduled here the next day, I wanted to get the lay of the land first. It was a good thing because it's extremely easy to get lost in the #Akiba area, even with a mapping app! #Japan

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Unpopular opinion: compared to detailed records from the past, most predictions are worthless.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Currently looking for PCB manufacturer recommendations. Requirements: - 4 layers - Blind vias - 10 mil drill size - 20 mil via size - Trace thickness 5 or 6 mil

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Blind via vs. through via conundrum Well, I'm at an impasse here. Break out every position, but limit myself to suppliers who support blind vias. Or break out ONLY the outer 4 layers and have more suppliers to choose from.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

✏️ Here's a first! It's my first crack at a custom ball grid array (BGA) symbol in #KiCad

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Friday night travels: can YOU identify this bird call in Chiba, #Japan? 🐦🤔

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Page 1 is almost unrecognizable from the weekend. One more good day of layout, and it will be ready for proofing. #kicad #electronics #DIY

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

LIMITS TO THE HYDRAULIC ANALOGY IN CIRCUIT THEORY There's a trope in beginner-friendly electrical engineering materials comparing circuit elements to plumbing systems. The idea is straightforward. Substitute voltage for water pressure, diodes for check valves, etc.. #electronics #STEM #engineering

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Study this to become unstoppable in amplifier design! This winter, I hunted for the top 20 or so most influential circuit theory techniques going all the way back to the 1800's. Despite appearances, every method shown REDUCES complexity rather than add to it. #electrical #engineering

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

When you're small, nobody wants to be your first like.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

This design is taking longer than I expected. But it might also be my best-organized schematic of all time. - All connectors on page 1 - Buses for wires grouped 4 or more - All power nets defined on page 1 (see image) - Hierarchical sheets with correct direction markings #PCB #KiCad #electronics

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

On Twitter/X, apparently all of my questions are rhetorical questions. And not by choice.

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Unboxing Tomorrow @unboxing-tomorrow.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

For a revision, this turned out to be more complicated that I had hoped it would be. Also, am I the only one who thinks the default USB-C connector symbol is way too big? #PCB #EDA #electronics

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