Maya Posch writes about Aaron Christophel disassembling a €15 UGreen USB-C cable rated at 240 watts, which features an integrated IPS LCD screen and a single touch control. The teardown reveals a PCB with an EN32LF056 Cortex-M0+ MCU, voltage regulators, and a MOSFET for backlighting. By probing the exposed SWD interface, Christophel confirmed the chip has 64 kB of Flash and 4 kB of SRAM, then flashed custom firmware to display video frames on the tiny display.
- The MCU is not wired to the USB data interface, so it cannot act as a man-in-the-middle or keylogger
- A commenter noted that such dense integrated cables raise concerns about secure pairing and encryption for USB connections
Tom Nardi writes that Mateusz Juszczyk has created a desktop gadget called ESP32-Plane-Radar, which uses an ESP32-C3 Super Mini and a round GC9A01 display to visualize aircraft movement. Rather than using actual radar hardware, the device connects via WiFi to adsb.fi to pull crowdsourced Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) flight data, creating a professional-looking circular radar display that reflects real-world local airspace activity.
- The project features a minimalistic 3D printed enclosure for its components.
- A web-based configuration interface is included for easier setup via WiFi.
- Despite the name, it does not sniff ADS-B signals directly from radio waves but uses internet data instead.
socquique writes of Capsule Radar, a live ADS-B aircraft radar designed for the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED series (1.75 and 1.43 inch round displays). The software pulls real-time flight data via WiFi to plot nearby aircraft on various visual themes like Phosphor or Orb, offering touch interaction for detailed flight information such as routes and altitude.
- Supports browser-based flashing via ESP Web Tools
- Includes a native SDL2 desktop simulator for testing without hardware
- Features automated route lookups using adsbdb
- Provides "face-down" sleep mode triggered by the onboard IMU
- Compatible with Waveshare's 1.75 and 1.43 AMOLED boards
theleestarr writes an open-source ESP32 firmware designed for 1.28″ round displays that functions as a sonar-style radar showing live ADS-B aircraft data around a user's location. The project is compatible with the Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 and can also be used with an ESP32-C3 Super Mini paired with an external GC9A01 display.
- Uses live traffic from adsb.fi
- Features selectable range scales (5, 10, 15, or 25 km) via the BOOT button
- Provides optional runway overlays for major airports
- Includes a sonar-style UI with aircraft symbols, callsigns, and altitude data
Waveshare offers a long-wave infrared thermal imaging camera module designed for Raspberry Pi and other platforms, featuring an 80×62 pixel array using hybrid microbolometer and thermopile technology. The device can generate thermal images by converting field of view data into surface temperature readings and is suitable for various industrial and intelligent control applications like motion detection or heat trend analysis. It is available in two main formats: a HAT version with a 40-pin GPIO header and a USB version with a Type-C port, both offering options for basic (45° FOV) or wide-angle (90° FOV) lenses.
- Features an 80x62 pixel array with a shutterless design for continuous video streaming up to 25 FPS.
- Provides a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 150mK RMS at a 1Hz refresh rate.
- Supports temperature measurements ranging from -20°C to 400°C with an accuracy of ±2℃ in ambient temperatures between 10-70°C.
- Compatible with Raspberry Pi boards (including Zero and 5), Windows PCs, and Android phones via the respective connector versions.
shell scripts to automate the Ubuntu environment setup for the Waveshare ESP32-S3 Touch AMOLED 1.8.
mogenson wrote a Rust application that lets a Flipper Zero write to a Waveshare e-Paper Tag over NFC, effectively turning the passive paper tag into a programmable display.
Gleb Shalimov presents esp_ble_finder, a BLE scanning tool designed for the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 hardware. The application helps users locate nearby devices by monitoring RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) through a visual dotted UI and auditory feedback that mimics parking sensors.
- Uses an AMOLED display to show signal strength with dots and a filling line indicator.
- Features "parking-sensor clicks" where audio speed increases as the user gets closer to the target device.
- Allows users to hunt for specific devices by editing the `TARGET_NAME` in the source code.
- Includes a mute function that silences speaker clicks while maintaining the scan and visual updates.
Andrew Liszewski writes that CrossPoint Reader alternative firmware for Xteink'''s X3, X4 and X4 Pro is adding plug-in support that lets the pocket e-readers open DRM-protected EPUBs borrowed via OverDrive/Libby or purchased from stores like Kobo, using a Protected Content plug-in that processes ACSM files through the firmware'''s built-in web server.
- Stock firmware must be replaced via browser-based flashing tool on crosspointreader.com
- Plugin Store and Protected Content plug-in are installed to microSD card
- Access requires a free ByteBooks account to authorize Adobe DRM on the device
- ESP-32 hardware prevents direct Libby search/download on the reader itself
- Common Stacks app automates borrowing from Libby and pushing books to the e-reader