{currentIndex + 1} / {images.length}
-{@html images[currentIndex].desc}
+{@html d}
+ {/each} +self-imposed drawing challenge
February – March 2026
-Here are some of my favourite drawings from that time:
+Back in January, I was thinking to myself that I'd really like to learn to draw. It would have some practical benefits like potentially being able to draw concept art for my game, but ultimately I just liked the idea of drawing as a hobby. I doodled a few small things before deciding that I should challenge myself to draw something every single day for an entire month (4 weeks); I documented the entire thing here, but spoiler alert: I think I succeeded in learning to draw and I am now able to sketch like I was never able to before!
+ +Here are some of my favourite drawings from around that time, in reverse chronological order:
DIY charging port mod
@@ -47,31 +114,51 @@I modded my New 3DS XL (SNES Edition) to give it a USB-C port to charge!
++ I modded my New 3DS XL (SNES Edition) to give it a USB-C port to charge! +
I used a small USB-C breakout I had lying around that is wired straight into the charging pads of the original charging port, which is left completely intact. The breakout board also has a 5.1kΩ resistor between ground and one of the CC pins (which I had to manually find because it's unlabelled) to allow for using C-to-C cables.
++ I used a small USB-C breakout I had lying around that is wired straight + into the charging pads of the original charging port, which is left + completely intact. The breakout board also has a 5.1kΩ resistor between + ground and one of the CC pins (which I had to manually find because it's + unlabelled) to allow for using C-to-C cables. +
-What I wrecked in turn was the wrist strap loop, which I completely cut out to create the hole for the port. The stylus port also got cut down to make space, but my stylus is kind of broken and doesn't stay put when I put it into the system, so I didn't really care about that.
- -It works well! The hole isn't the prettiest but it was pretty simple to pull off, and extremely cheap as well. In turn I got a 3DS that I can charge using any USB-C cable and I no longer need to lug around the proprietary 3DS charger!
++ What I wrecked in turn was the wrist strap loop, which I completely cut + out to create the hole for the port. The stylus port also got cut down + to make space, but my stylus is kind of broken and doesn't stay put when + I put it into the system, so I didn't really care about that. +
++ It works well! The hole isn't the prettiest but it was pretty simple to + pull off, and extremely cheap as well. In turn I got a 3DS that I can + charge using any USB-C cable and I no longer need to lug around the + proprietary 3DS charger! +
PC companion audio source controller
@@ -83,44 +170,104 @@ subtitle="a handful of device for controlling a handful of other devices" alignment="left" smaller - /> - -This little device was inspired by one a friend of mine built his own version of: a deej volume slider panel. This thing allows you to control different applications with individual, physical, sliders. Super cool thing.
+ /> -Except – I didn't need all these sliders, really. A single slider would be cool, I thought. You know what I really wanted? Buttons to control the audio source, because I switch between speakers and headphones constantly, and that's at least 3 clicks every time I want to switch. So I built a device based on deej, but with some expansions.
++ This little device was inspired by one a friend of mine built his own + version of: a deej + volume slider panel. This thing allows you to control different + applications with individual, physical, sliders. Super cool + thing. +
-I only used few components: a HID-enabled Arduino-compatible Pro Micro with USB-C controls the whole thing. Hooked up to it are four Cherry switches and a Soldering slider I had lying around from my Daisy project, and I added two LEDs for good measure. It's all packaged into a 3D-printed enclosure I designed myself. The slider is screwed in tightly, and so is the top of the case; the key switches are clipped in from the top so they don't fall out; the Arduino and the LEDs are just hot-glued in. For extra flair, the four output buttons are marked with symbols for my outputs: two monitors, a pair of loudspeakers, and a pair of headphones. In the final device, they're arranged so that my two most frequently-used buttons are at the bottom for easier reach.
++ Except – I didn't need all these sliders, really. A single slider would + be cool, I thought. You know what I really wanted? Buttons to control + the audio source, because I switch between speakers and + headphones constantly, and that's at least 3 clicks every time I want to + switch. So I built a device based on deej, but with some expansions. +
-Software-wise, I set this up with the original deej software to control main volume. For the audio, I used a program called SoundSwitch. The program listened to key presses for the F21-F24 keys, which the Arduino triggers when the output keys are pressed. The red LED lights up when a key is pressed; the white LED has no assigned function. This worked pretty well, but this is no longer the setup I use, since I switched to Fedora Linux, as I needed to adapt/change the software for the new OS!
+ I only used few components: a HID-enabled Arduino-compatible Pro Micro + with USB-C controls the whole thing. Hooked up to it are four Cherry + switches and a Soldering slider I had lying around from my Daisy project, and I added two LEDs for good measure. It's all packaged into a + 3D-printed enclosure I designed myself. The slider is screwed in + tightly, and so is the top of the case; the key switches are clipped in + from the top so they don't fall out; the Arduino and the LEDs are just + hot-glued in. For extra flair, the four output buttons are marked with + symbols for my outputs: two monitors, a pair of loudspeakers, and a pair + of headphones. In the final device, they're arranged so that my two most + frequently-used buttons are at the bottom for easier reach. +
+ +
+ Software-wise, I set this up with the original deej software to control
+ main volume. For the audio, I used a program called SoundSwitch. The program listened to key presses for the F21-F24 keys,
+ which the Arduino triggers when the output keys are pressed. The red LED
+ lights up when a key is pressed; the white LED has no assigned function.
+ This worked pretty well, but this is no longer the setup I use, since I switched
+ to Fedora Linux, as I needed to adapt/change the software for the new OS!
+
When pressing a keyboard's volume button, Windows raises or lowers volume in increments of 2. Fedora does 5. I found this much handier, so I stopped reaching for the slider and just defaulted to using my keyboard. This meant I didn't bother setting up the slider in Fedora. The buttons work, though, but they needed some adjustment. I think (and I might be wrong??) that Linux doesn't support function keys past F12, so I changed the Arduino script so the buttons trigger Shift + F9-F12. Instead of a separate program (which kept asking to be updated...), I now use KDE's built-in Shortcuts that trigger a script. The script is one line: pactl set-default-sink [sink-name]. The sink name is hard-coded into the file because, as extensive testing proved, Shortcuts does not allow arguments when entering a command. I currently only have two files set up: one for the primary monitor, one for the headphones.
+ When pressing a keyboard's volume button, Windows raises or lowers
+ volume in increments of 2. Fedora does 5. I found this much handier, so
+ I stopped reaching for the slider and just defaulted to using my
+ keyboard. This meant I didn't bother setting up the slider in Fedora.
+ The buttons work, though, but they needed some adjustment. I think (and
+ I might be wrong??) that Linux doesn't support function keys past F12,
+ so I changed the Arduino script so the buttons trigger Shift + F9-F12. Instead of a separate program (which kept asking to be updated...), I
+ now use KDE's built-in Shortcuts that trigger a script. The script is
+ one line: pactl set-default-sink [sink-name]. The sink name
+ is hard-coded into the file because, as extensive testing proved,
+ Shortcuts does not allow arguments when entering a command. I currently
+ only have two files set up: one for the primary monitor, one for the
+ headphones.
+
I much prefer the setup now because it doesn't rely on third-party software anymore.
- -This thing is, no exaggeration, one of the handiest things I have ever built, because I use it quite literally every single day. I often switch between my monitor's speakers and my headphones, and being able to do that with the press of a single button is unbelievably handy. I don't even think about it anymore, I just reach for the buttons whenever I switch. It's a part of my routine now and I wouldn't want to miss it.
++ I much prefer the setup now because it doesn't rely on third-party + software anymore. +
++ This thing is, no exaggeration, one of the handiest things I have ever + built, because I use it quite literally every single day. + I often switch between my monitor's speakers and my headphones, and + being able to do that with the press of a single button is + unbelievably handy. I don't even think about it anymore, I just reach + for the buttons whenever I switch. It's a part of my routine now and I wouldn't + want to miss it. +