Charles Lohr

Bit Banging LCD + Touch + USB on the ch32v003

In this video, I show how I used a ch32v003, RISC-V 48MHz 10 cent processor to drive a raw LCD, as well as turning it into a touch sensor, and also communicating over USB back to a PC. Source Code / Docs: https://github.com/cnlohr/ch32v003_...

Sending LoRa messages long distances without a radio

This video has been a LONG TIME COMING. And, it's finally here! You can send LoRa signals now with a variety of processors, without any extra hardware, just your normal micro-controller and just careeefullyyy control the GPIOs to modulate and transmit LoRa.

The insane part isn't that this works. It's how far it works...

USB without USB, in 10 cents!

Shorty video today!  Maybe a longer one soon!  But, wanted to keep everyone up to date with the big things coming down the pipeline!

Powering Nixies off USB with a 10¢ Micro

I saw some nixie tubes on Aliexpress, and I wanted to see what I could do to make them light up, using a confluence of some of my recent mini projects.

In the end, I was able to make my CH32V003, a 10 cent RISC-V microcontroller and make it operate as an flyback converter. 

Dueling Across Realities

New video, will be released in about 24 hours.  This is just the draft link, so please don't share. 

I document the process of making a multiplayer-cross-platform video game  that has parts that run on everything from a tiny microcontroller to a  high end VR setup.

Pushing Doom. Smaller and simpler.

I know I haven't made many videos recently but this took so long to edit I figured I'd charge. I'll try to keep my canter to once a month at most in the future.

Writing a Really Tiny RISC-V Emulator

Wow, I didn't think I'd ever charge for a post again, but here we are.  A project, properly in my old style.  I hope y'all like it.

Also, I will not be releasing videos on Patreon in advance of my youtube channel by very much.  Don't join my Patreon if you are here for early access.

Changing Gears - Now on Tech and Gaming

My interests have changed significantly.  I no longer focus on electronics, and as such.  I’ll return to charging for early access. Regular viewers will continue to have free access to all videos, a few days after Patreons are given access.  But the videos won't be explicitly electronics videos anymore.

Writing C apps in Windows two ways.

Mochie from VRChat asked me about writing C apps in Windows, and there aren't really many good guides I could find, so I made one.

I have two more non-hardware videos lined up before we delve into the ESP32-C3!

Poly LMN: Nanomaterials for Making Stretchy Circuit Boards

I visited my friend Zach back at the end of August, and got to experiment with some neat new nanomaterials he's working on.  Check out some of the things we learned while messing with it! (Note: Video will go private approximately 3 hours before release)

E-Paper Picture Frame for my Mom's Birthday

I was surprised just how great the 7-color e-paper displays were from waveshare!  So much so, I decided to try to trick my mother into thinking I gave her a different picture.  They really look like actual pictures (Even though a little news print-y).

Check out this video to see the whole story!

Also, I ...

ESP8266 DMX-512

Eh, had to get this working for another project.  Figured I'd post about it.

MAGFest Swadges in VR

FREEBIE! This year,  @MAGFest   might not be happening but we're still making swadges!  I decided to  see how hard it would be to take the swadge and bring it into VR.  It  only took about 3 h...

Installing the esp82xx toolchain (ESP8266 development)

Recently, I put a lot of work into the esp82xx toolchain, bringing it up to date and making it compatible with Windows subsystem for Linux.   This makes it much easier to install and run in any environment.  So, here, I show how to fire it up, and run channel3 as well as a Minecraft server on this little ESP826...

Talking to USB Devices with Android in C

I went at it again.  This time, I caught wind that Android apps could access USB devices.  I didn't believe it, but sure enough!  BINGO BANGO.  I got my tensegrity lamp, and my android phone playing together with colorchord.  Watch this video to see what new antics are possible with rawdrawandroid. 2020-05-17 21:35:27 +0000 UTC View Post

Writing Android apps in C

It's not electronics so it's free.   This video shows of a git repo I've been working with for a while to let you use exclusively C on Android without the need for any Kotlin or Java.  Everything can be done through the C JNI.  

SpyTag - a HvZ-like game.

At MAGStock this year I saw something very cool.  It was a bunch of folks playing a game with these electronic arm bands, and I caught a glimpse of an... esp8266!  I had to meet the creator and learn more about this game!

Second freebie (promise paid post next!)

Ok, so this wasn't content I normally charge for anyway, so no harm, right?  Well, check out this fun little aside project I did a few weeks ago.

Forgot to do patreon first (so no charge!)

Just for completeness's sake, I figured I would post this here, but because I didn't give y'all advance notice, I'm making it an unpaid post.

I tried underclocking the BBPLL (Baseband PLL) inside an ESP8266, which slows all of its peripherals, INCLUDING the baseband circuitry.  This royally messes with all of the ...

Meet my Raspberry Pive

We're getting closer and closer to a solid tracking system without steamvr, or any of the other stuff.  And, now that a regular raspberry pi can do the video output, it will make working on the pive stuff easier than ever! this is a very short video showing it off, but, I encourage others to start working with this, too. &n...

LibSurvive coming to Fruition!

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

It's been a wild ride, for several months I had actually given up, but people have come and started working libsurvive, improving it and filling in the areas where I couldn't.  It's with great pleasure I can announce that the open source lighthou...

April First Freebie

No, I haven't forgotten about you guys, I just couldn't figure out a way to make posts that I could really charge for since I've been doing livestreams.  

I am hoping to get a per-pay video up soon with a higher level overview of libsurvive, etc.  That I'll charge for!

Lighthouse video from last may. Finally edited.

THIS IS AN UNPAID (FREE) POST.

Last May I opened up a HTC Vive lighthouse and began to tinker with it.  Just got around to posting some of my exploits.  People in the libsurvive channel are still at it tinkering away!  Check out this video if you want to see some musing on an HTC Vive lighthouse!

Jumping the gun with low-power on the ESP8266

This was a pretty intensive weekend with a bunch of fairly interesting rabbit holes.  

WARNING:  I am sending this to you guys BEFORE I even know if it will be ready as the test has only been running for two hours at the time I'm sending this!

Anyway, between a bunch of unusual tricks and learning a ton of stuf...

Cypress FX3 as a Possible Logic Analyzer

It was Dec 23, and I had the next 3 days off for work.  It was time.  I gave the FX3 a whirl.  I was absolutely surprised by just how far I got and how quickly I got there.  In the wake of Saleae's price rise, this may be a beacon of hope!!!

Charged video, as it a normal video.  Hopefully I won't mess ...

Crazy caps from bad sources

I know.  First video in forever.  Hopefully 2018'll have a couple more vids.  Anyway, I'll be publishing this post soon.

I accidentally made a per-pay post and deleted it.  I don't know if it will charge, so I'm not charging this post.

CNLohr's Vive Box

My patron videos get posted a day in advance of general release, but I was hoping to reach anyone else who may still be at work and not headed out to the fest, so no charge for this one.  But, I'm also simultaneously releasing.

Vive development prototypes from Valve

Paid post for this month.  Hopefully there will be some livestreaming and maybe a post about a vive lighthouse a little later.  Won't charge for them.

Much to my surprise Alan Yates from Valve sent me two boxes.  Boxes chock full of awesome Vive gear from their prototypes.  Check it out as I open it all up!...

PCBs from PCBWay in 108 hours???

This is a non-pay post. I feel weird about charging for content where I'm also selling something on ebay.  How do you guys feel about it? 

People often think of getting PCBs from China as waiting for the slow boat.  But, that's not always the case.  If you use DHL and PCBWay, sometimes they can do amazi...

Freebie: LameNet

Mostly because this had a shameless plug for NeonFM (because we used it to help make NeonFM), I didn't want to charge for this.  It also meant I forgot to post it to patreon at all.  So, today, I'm fixing that.  Need to debug your applications that use internet access?  Try lamenet! It lets you create physica...