I tried Super Useful Future Tech! (That you can use Today)
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Date: 2025-09-01
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Comments and reviews: 20
greatscott
I use the LD2420C which you can get bunch for less than a decent pizza. It’s a great security radar detector for my barn and triggers an ESP32 camera and mic for my raspberry pi to store the event and alert me via 128x64 LED display with a soft audible tone that wakes me but not my wife. A bit of auto associative NN discrimination using infra red and other cheap sensors quickly tells me if it’s a rabbit, deer or a person and I can log onto my raspberry pi Apache server in the barn to review the video/auduio just captured. If the AI determines it’s a human I step out onto my 2nd story deck and launch my drone. The barn has all sorts of sensors on the door, windows and other places that detect any openings happening so they’d be foolish to actually try and break in. If they do a really irritating set of super bright strobe lights that immediately blind them. I got guns so if they’re still around I expect they’ll agree to wait till 911 gets the cops up here. If I’m away I have a static IP to do the same monitoring from anywhere through a port and password authentication to the Apache server. $5 a month for a static IP is a lot less than a useless hour later ADT dude to cruse by and knock on my front door and usually just leave before I can even get down there to say hi as he puts a check mark on his pad. I avoided batteries, my barn has power and backup battery banks. Cost a couple $hundred for piece of mind. My house is at another valence level of security. The key is an auto associative NN that can piece together fragments of data to provide a positive determination from disparate sensor inputs. This is just a warm up for LoRa transceivers I’m going to populate all across my land in the forest on my mountain. They can transmit critical data from ICs that detect vibrations, chemicals like ammonia and pheromones that creatures leave along with a seemingly endless array of infra red movements, Doppler shifts etc. Super fun to understand the critters running around at night. Raspberries collect LoRa transmissions from over a kilometer away and mesh via WiFi back to my deck and into the auto associative NN where I’ll soon have a Nvidia mini processor to get fast convergence as to what is happening in the rainforest along with compressed video, audio, humidity, scent, vibrations and on and on. $2-$5 sensors for most of these ICs and Arduinos, ESP32s, raspberry pi’s all host the sensors along with IC op amps to normalize data before local FFTs and Kalman filters lift the signal out of of the noise so the data I transmit back is salient. My degrees were in Math and I was an embedded software/firmware engineer for decades. Fun to be an old geezer connecting with the beauty of the vast forest around me in the PNW on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. I’m a bit long in the tooth to program like once could but AI puts it all together with ease. Sometimes I change the data structures and describe via prompts how I want to choreograph the architecture and flow, but I don’t have fool with much. The stuff I augment is usually minor This type of gear used to cost a quarter of a $million dollars back in the day; now, it’s less than a good meal. Incredible.
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I use the LD2420C which you can get bunch for less than a decent pizza. It’s a great security radar detector for my barn and triggers an ESP32 camera and mic for my raspberry pi to store the event and alert me via 128x64 LED display with a soft audible tone that wakes me but not my wife. A bit of auto associative NN discrimination using infra red and other cheap sensors quickly tells me if it’s a rabbit, deer or a person and I can log onto my raspberry pi Apache server in the barn to review the video/auduio just captured. If the AI determines it’s a human I step out onto my 2nd story deck and launch my drone. The barn has all sorts of sensors on the door, windows and other places that detect any openings happening so they’d be foolish to actually try and break in. If they do a really irritating set of super bright strobe lights that immediately blind them. I got guns so if they’re still around I expect they’ll agree to wait till 911 gets the cops up here. If I’m away I have a static IP to do the same monitoring from anywhere through a port and password authentication to the Apache server. $5 a month for a static IP is a lot less than a useless hour later ADT dude to cruse by and knock on my front door and usually just leave before I can even get down there to say hi as he puts a check mark on his pad. I avoided batteries, my barn has power and backup battery banks. Cost a couple $hundred for piece of mind. My house is at another valence level of security. The key is an auto associative NN that can piece together fragments of data to provide a positive determination from disparate sensor inputs. This is just a warm up for LoRa transceivers I’m going to populate all across my land in the forest on my mountain. They can transmit critical data from ICs that detect vibrations, chemicals like ammonia and pheromones that creatures leave along with a seemingly endless array of infra red movements, Doppler shifts etc. Super fun to understand the critters running around at night. Raspberries collect LoRa transmissions from over a kilometer away and mesh via WiFi back to my deck and into the auto associative NN where I’ll soon have a Nvidia mini processor to get fast convergence as to what is happening in the rainforest along with compressed video, audio, humidity, scent, vibrations and on and on. $2-$5 sensors for most of these ICs and Arduinos, ESP32s, raspberry pi’s all host the sensors along with IC op amps to normalize data before local FFTs and Kalman filters lift the signal out of of the noise so the data I transmit back is salient. My degrees were in Math and I was an embedded software/firmware engineer for decades. Fun to be an old geezer connecting with the beauty of the vast forest around me in the PNW on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. I’m a bit long in the tooth to program like once could but AI puts it all together with ease. Sometimes I change the data structures and describe via prompts how I want to choreograph the architecture and flow, but I don’t have fool with much. The stuff I augment is usually minor This type of gear used to cost a quarter of a $million dollars back in the day; now, it’s less than a good meal. Incredible.
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nick066hu
I wonder (and would be interested in this feature of any radar IC/board) if this is feasible to do my use case with these radars:
- I'd like to scan a empty (no people) room for its geometry including the stationary objects (furniture, devices) and their locations. Save this fingerprint data ie. the summary result of all the echoes, scattering of the RF wave as a reference.
From time to time (e. g. once per minute) rescan the room for any changes to the reference RF fingerprint. So I could detect the removal / entry / displacement of any object since the last scan. Don't you get me wrong, I don't want to know what moved where, it would be enough for me just to detect any change.
Is this feasible I guess I would need access to raw RF data waveforms to achieve this. which is most likely available only to the IC's built-in firmware.
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I wonder (and would be interested in this feature of any radar IC/board) if this is feasible to do my use case with these radars:
- I'd like to scan a empty (no people) room for its geometry including the stationary objects (furniture, devices) and their locations. Save this fingerprint data ie. the summary result of all the echoes, scattering of the RF wave as a reference.
From time to time (e. g. once per minute) rescan the room for any changes to the reference RF fingerprint. So I could detect the removal / entry / displacement of any object since the last scan. Don't you get me wrong, I don't want to know what moved where, it would be enough for me just to detect any change.
Is this feasible I guess I would need access to raw RF data waveforms to achieve this. which is most likely available only to the IC's built-in firmware.
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greatscott
4: 48 you have the board showing a price of 12, 96 E. Following the Mouse link, took me to a page saying 0 in stock (which I can understand given your publicity of this, but a price of $176. 53! That is a development kit, so I looked around further and found variants of IWRL6432, but none showed the board you feature. Do you have a link directly to the board you display in your video
[Edit] Digikey has the board and header you showed and lists it for $174. That you are publicizing a component for 12, 96E and my attempts to find the same one takes me to $175 USD makes me wonder what is going on here
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4: 48 you have the board showing a price of 12, 96 E. Following the Mouse link, took me to a page saying 0 in stock (which I can understand given your publicity of this, but a price of $176. 53! That is a development kit, so I looked around further and found variants of IWRL6432, but none showed the board you feature. Do you have a link directly to the board you display in your video
[Edit] Digikey has the board and header you showed and lists it for $174. That you are publicizing a component for 12, 96E and my attempts to find the same one takes me to $175 USD makes me wonder what is going on here
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TriodeTetrode
Anybody knows what this OSRAM TCS3448_EVM_KT FTDI controller board includes Can't find any info on it. Looks like no MCU on board. So I2C directly to USB Not sure. High quality pictures from both sides of this board would be great. About the light sensor board itself there is schematic available, but that is only pretty much only sensor. Want to make open source version of this compatible with this software. Don't want to pay 300 euros just to reverse engineer a bit.
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Anybody knows what this OSRAM TCS3448_EVM_KT FTDI controller board includes Can't find any info on it. Looks like no MCU on board. So I2C directly to USB Not sure. High quality pictures from both sides of this board would be great. About the light sensor board itself there is schematic available, but that is only pretty much only sensor. Want to make open source version of this compatible with this software. Don't want to pay 300 euros just to reverse engineer a bit.
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greatscott
Thanks for video. I'm going to check out the light sensor. I paint vehicles for a living and light source is important. And this is a great tool to get an idea of your light source when your matching colors. Not to read the color itself. Way more expensive chips and spectrometers for that. But color standards are only matched in certain light. So the wrong light can cost me hours ending up with not the best choice of formula
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Thanks for video. I'm going to check out the light sensor. I paint vehicles for a living and light source is important. And this is a great tool to get an idea of your light source when your matching colors. Not to read the color itself. Way more expensive chips and spectrometers for that. But color standards are only matched in certain light. So the wrong light can cost me hours ending up with not the best choice of formula
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marekklucka4407
You (and one of my friends) are basically the only reason I even bother tinkering with small electronicsyou really opened my eyes to so many possibilities. It would be awesome to see how you actually put something together in n8n, Home Assistant, or any other framework, step by step from start to finish. Kind of like, watch me build this project from the ground up. Great video, and please keep the USB-C shenanigans coming!
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You (and one of my friends) are basically the only reason I even bother tinkering with small electronicsyou really opened my eyes to so many possibilities. It would be awesome to see how you actually put something together in n8n, Home Assistant, or any other framework, step by step from start to finish. Kind of like, watch me build this project from the ground up. Great video, and please keep the USB-C shenanigans coming!
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bepstein111
wait wait wait im confused, how/why do normal (aliexpress-style) USB-C PD trigger units require a microcontroller sometimes they power microcontrollers, but I use them just fine wired right up to my 5/9/12/20V devices. How is the Microchip one any different is it just all in one IC instead of multiple as long as theyre all on one board, I really don't care how many chips it took, maybe I'm in the minority there though.
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wait wait wait im confused, how/why do normal (aliexpress-style) USB-C PD trigger units require a microcontroller sometimes they power microcontrollers, but I use them just fine wired right up to my 5/9/12/20V devices. How is the Microchip one any different is it just all in one IC instead of multiple as long as theyre all on one board, I really don't care how many chips it took, maybe I'm in the minority there though.
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Lerc0
I'd be interested to see how precisely you could measure distance using a DVD style surface and the diffraction color, Given the ability to detect flickering it must have a decent update rate, so shining an array of individually flickering leds at a DVD would get you lots of sample points at slightly different angles. Probably even better than DVD would be if you could source bits of failed silicon wafer.
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I'd be interested to see how precisely you could measure distance using a DVD style surface and the diffraction color, Given the ability to detect flickering it must have a decent update rate, so shining an array of individually flickering leds at a DVD would get you lots of sample points at slightly different angles. Probably even better than DVD would be if you could source bits of failed silicon wafer.
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reedreamer9518
Lots of fun and so many modules to play with! I've just been experimenting with a 10. 525GHz Doppler Effect Microwave Motion Sensor, but there are many types available with different frequency bands antenna array configurations, and detection concepts. I think I'll make something to spy on my neighbors walking past my house, if I can gat one with 3D detection to work.
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Lots of fun and so many modules to play with! I've just been experimenting with a 10. 525GHz Doppler Effect Microwave Motion Sensor, but there are many types available with different frequency bands antenna array configurations, and detection concepts. I think I'll make something to spy on my neighbors walking past my house, if I can gat one with 3D detection to work.
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IanEgerton-ud4pk
Hi, Interesting reviews - thanks - the radar board is hundreds of dollars though! I’d really like help with a 433MHz accessory (lighting detector from Acurite) that requires purchase of an expensive weather station to be useful. All I want is to be able to analyse the 433MHz signal to extract data. Can you suggest a solution Thanks, Barrie
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Hi, Interesting reviews - thanks - the radar board is hundreds of dollars though! I’d really like help with a 433MHz accessory (lighting detector from Acurite) that requires purchase of an expensive weather station to be useful. All I want is to be able to analyse the 433MHz signal to extract data. Can you suggest a solution Thanks, Barrie
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bumpedhishead636
The light sensor would be great for people into growing plants indoors and also for aquarists raising corals or aquatic plants. All of those require specific light spectrums and typically very expensive lighting setups. DIY lighting setups can be built for far less money, and having such a sensor would make the DIY path much more effective.
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The light sensor would be great for people into growing plants indoors and also for aquarists raising corals or aquatic plants. All of those require specific light spectrums and typically very expensive lighting setups. DIY lighting setups can be built for far less money, and having such a sensor would make the DIY path much more effective.
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Niyazmen
ive got idea for u, can this type(or something similar) of radar be used like a metal detector(in the ground) with possibility of coloring different type of metall I can understand that it wouldnt be efficient and compact(and also it could be haevy and not so carriable) lika a traditional MDs, but as a project it would be great piece of tech
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ive got idea for u, can this type(or something similar) of radar be used like a metal detector(in the ground) with possibility of coloring different type of metall I can understand that it wouldnt be efficient and compact(and also it could be haevy and not so carriable) lika a traditional MDs, but as a project it would be great piece of tech
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RubenKelevra
Can you compare the first radar thingy to the LD2450 That's what many people, including me, use at home because it's cheap and offers 2D. But I'm not entirely happy with it in terms of detection-ability. So an upgrade would be nice.
Please test it indoors, not outdoors with line of sight and sitting/standing very still and far away.
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Can you compare the first radar thingy to the LD2450 That's what many people, including me, use at home because it's cheap and offers 2D. But I'm not entirely happy with it in terms of detection-ability. So an upgrade would be nice.
Please test it indoors, not outdoors with line of sight and sitting/standing very still and far away.
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valentinhoppe
Last one looked pretty promising. But I was surprised that you didnt consider the STM32WB55 for Zigbee/BLE application I found it little bit complicated to get into or find examples, but I finally got it running as multi-purpose Sensor/Light Actuator in my smart home via Zigbee. If youre interested, I can share the Github link.
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Last one looked pretty promising. But I was surprised that you didnt consider the STM32WB55 for Zigbee/BLE application I found it little bit complicated to get into or find examples, but I finally got it running as multi-purpose Sensor/Light Actuator in my smart home via Zigbee. If youre interested, I can share the Github link.
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mizukikazama5164
Could you do a new series where you redo your old vids like videos 11yrs ago, how much of difference is your old self vs now with more knowledge and superior technology than before. Like if you were to redo the diy lab bench power supply or diy crt oscilloscope what changes would you put in it today vs before
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Could you do a new series where you redo your old vids like videos 11yrs ago, how much of difference is your old self vs now with more knowledge and superior technology than before. Like if you were to redo the diy lab bench power supply or diy crt oscilloscope what changes would you put in it today vs before
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MrSongib
I wish you a walkthrough of some reverse engineering of a random electronic in the future. It would be fun seeing all the random gadgets that you bought in commercial products.
I think it would be helpfull as well, when fixing some broken stuff, or just build some cheaper DIY alternative.
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I wish you a walkthrough of some reverse engineering of a random electronic in the future. It would be fun seeing all the random gadgets that you bought in commercial products.
I think it would be helpfull as well, when fixing some broken stuff, or just build some cheaper DIY alternative.
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SD-ft6gs
wow those boards are expensive the radar is $200 and the USB power is $100 am I looking at the wrong things (sorry so used to you posting super cheap gear this took me by surprise. (I wanted to use the radar as part of a backyard bear deterrent system for my friends up here in Vermont USA)
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wow those boards are expensive the radar is $200 and the USB power is $100 am I looking at the wrong things (sorry so used to you posting super cheap gear this took me by surprise. (I wanted to use the radar as part of a backyard bear deterrent system for my friends up here in Vermont USA)
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ted_van_loon
to bad it doesn't give a 3d map/ 3d array weight map(the 3d radar.
I wanted to use those old boards, either multiple, or one attached to a servo to make multiple scans and then make a 3d cloud of that to show distance/density in colour to kind of make a xray like camera/scanner.
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to bad it doesn't give a 3d map/ 3d array weight map(the 3d radar.
I wanted to use those old boards, either multiple, or one attached to a servo to make multiple scans and then make a 3d cloud of that to show distance/density in colour to kind of make a xray like camera/scanner.
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Badg0r
I wish there was a standard implemented open source tool for 3d measurements in home assistant. One in which you'd be able to create your own esp home sensors with a 3d mesh environment to trigger events in a 3d space instead of manually adjusting parameters by sliders or number input.
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I wish there was a standard implemented open source tool for 3d measurements in home assistant. One in which you'd be able to create your own esp home sensors with a 3d mesh environment to trigger events in a 3d space instead of manually adjusting parameters by sliders or number input.
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greatscott
now we need a slightly bigget PAR Phased Array Radar with a 2mile range, I want to be able to detect the actual funnel of a tornado before its actually visible before teh condensation funnel forms. or as soon as there is a full on Pressure drop from miles away
GET IT DONE!
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now we need a slightly bigget PAR Phased Array Radar with a 2mile range, I want to be able to detect the actual funnel of a tornado before its actually visible before teh condensation funnel forms. or as soon as there is a full on Pressure drop from miles away
GET IT DONE!
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