Josh Brake
@joshbrake.com
I write about technology, education, and human flourishing all through the lens of a prototyping mindset. | Husband, Dad, Engineering Prof. at Harvey Mudd, Coffee roaster, Pizzaiolo
Substack → joshbrake.substack.com
Website → joshbrake.com
Substack → joshbrake.substack.com
Website → joshbrake.com
Interesting. That is a new term to me.
April 13, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Interesting. That is a new term to me.
It’s a Heatherwick kind of day.
December 9, 2024 at 4:34 PM
It’s a Heatherwick kind of day.
Our dreams matter because they shape reality—and not just our reality, but that of everyone around us.
December 8, 2024 at 11:00 PM
Our dreams matter because they shape reality—and not just our reality, but that of everyone around us.
Another great guest lecture in MicroPs this week, this time from FPGA and digital design engineer Adam Taylor. Adam shared his journey with the class, highlighting a number of the interesting projects he's worked on.
December 8, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Another great guest lecture in MicroPs this week, this time from FPGA and digital design engineer Adam Taylor. Adam shared his journey with the class, highlighting a number of the interesting projects he's worked on.
🔴 A physics simulation with colliding pixels that move around based on how you tilt the LED matrix It drives a 64x64 LED display with the FPGA and uses the MCU to interface with accelerometers.
December 6, 2024 at 10:45 PM
🔴 A physics simulation with colliding pixels that move around based on how you tilt the LED matrix It drives a 64x64 LED display with the FPGA and uses the MCU to interface with accelerometers.
🎵 A system to help you correct your pitch when singing. It samples an audio signal and uses the digital signal processing capabilities on the MCU to process the audio wave and determine the frequency.
December 6, 2024 at 10:45 PM
🎵 A system to help you correct your pitch when singing. It samples an audio signal and uses the digital signal processing capabilities on the MCU to process the audio wave and determine the frequency.
♟️ A smart chess board that interfaces with magnetic pieces and shows you the available moves when you pick up a piece.
December 6, 2024 at 10:45 PM
♟️ A smart chess board that interfaces with magnetic pieces and shows you the available moves when you pick up a piece.
🖥️ An image processing system that implements an edge detection algorithm on an FPGA and outputs the results on a VGA display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:45 PM
🖥️ An image processing system that implements an edge detection algorithm on an FPGA and outputs the results on a VGA display.
💪 A hands-free arm wrestling game that uses electrodes to sense the tension in your flexed muscles and then displays the results on an LCD display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:45 PM
💪 A hands-free arm wrestling game that uses electrodes to sense the tension in your flexed muscles and then displays the results on an LCD display.
🐀 A 3d-printed model of Remy from Ratatouille that you can control by moving your arms. The team uses IMUs to sense the angle of your arms and then moves Remy's accordingly.
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
🐀 A 3d-printed model of Remy from Ratatouille that you can control by moving your arms. The team uses IMUs to sense the angle of your arms and then moves Remy's accordingly.
🔦 A light controller for the DMX interface, commonly used for stage lighting. They used a bunch of sliders to control the different parameters.
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
🔦 A light controller for the DMX interface, commonly used for stage lighting. They used a bunch of sliders to control the different parameters.
💿 A custom DJ deck which streams data from an audio analog-to-digital convertor using the I2S protocol on an FPGA and then uses the on-board MCU digital-to-analog convertor to output it to speakers with the ability to digitally filter the signal.
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
💿 A custom DJ deck which streams data from an audio analog-to-digital convertor using the I2S protocol on an FPGA and then uses the on-board MCU digital-to-analog convertor to output it to speakers with the ability to digitally filter the signal.
🏋️ A system to sense your posture and help you improve your squatting form in the gym. It uses IMUs to estimate the angles of various parts of your body and nudge you in the right direction.
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
🏋️ A system to sense your posture and help you improve your squatting form in the gym. It uses IMUs to estimate the angles of various parts of your body and nudge you in the right direction.
🖌️ Digital art drawing on a VGA display. The MCU takes in inputs and sends the information over to the FPGA which renders pixels on the display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
🖌️ Digital art drawing on a VGA display. The MCU takes in inputs and sends the information over to the FPGA which renders pixels on the display.
It's MicroPs Demo Day (aka one of my favorite days of the academic year). At the end of the fall semester, each of the students in my embedded systems class (#E155) at @harveymudd.bsky.social gets to show off their end-of-semester projects. Here's what they cooked up this year: 🧵
December 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM
It's MicroPs Demo Day (aka one of my favorite days of the academic year). At the end of the fall semester, each of the students in my embedded systems class (#E155) at @harveymudd.bsky.social gets to show off their end-of-semester projects. Here's what they cooked up this year: 🧵
🎵 A system to help you correct your pitch when singing. It samples an audio signal and uses the digital signal processing capabilities on the MCU to process the audio wave and determine the frequency.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🎵 A system to help you correct your pitch when singing. It samples an audio signal and uses the digital signal processing capabilities on the MCU to process the audio wave and determine the frequency.
♟️ A smart chess board that interfaces with magnetic pieces and shows you the available moves when you pick up a piece.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
♟️ A smart chess board that interfaces with magnetic pieces and shows you the available moves when you pick up a piece.
🖥️ An image processing system that implements an edge detection algorithm on an FPGA and outputs the results on a VGA display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🖥️ An image processing system that implements an edge detection algorithm on an FPGA and outputs the results on a VGA display.
💪 A hands-free arm wrestling game that uses electrodes to sense the tension in your flexed muscles and then displays the results on an LCD display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
💪 A hands-free arm wrestling game that uses electrodes to sense the tension in your flexed muscles and then displays the results on an LCD display.
🐀 A 3d-printed model of Remy from Ratatouille that you can control by moving your arms. The team uses IMUs to sense the angle of your arms and then moves Remy's accordingly.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🐀 A 3d-printed model of Remy from Ratatouille that you can control by moving your arms. The team uses IMUs to sense the angle of your arms and then moves Remy's accordingly.
🔦 A light controller for the DMX interface, commonly used for stage lighting. They used a bunch of sliders to control the different parameters.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🔦 A light controller for the DMX interface, commonly used for stage lighting. They used a bunch of sliders to control the different parameters.
💿 A custom DJ deck which streams data from an audio analog-to-digital convertor using the I2S protocol on an FPGA and then uses the on-board MCU digital-to-analog convertor to output it to speakers with the ability to digitally filter the signal.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
💿 A custom DJ deck which streams data from an audio analog-to-digital convertor using the I2S protocol on an FPGA and then uses the on-board MCU digital-to-analog convertor to output it to speakers with the ability to digitally filter the signal.
🏋️ A system to sense your posture and help you improve your squatting form in the gym. It uses IMUs to estimate the angles of various parts of your body and nudge you in the right direction.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🏋️ A system to sense your posture and help you improve your squatting form in the gym. It uses IMUs to estimate the angles of various parts of your body and nudge you in the right direction.
🖌️ Digital art drawing on a VGA display. The MCU takes in inputs and sends the information over to the FPGA which renders pixels on the display.
December 6, 2024 at 10:43 PM
🖌️ Digital art drawing on a VGA display. The MCU takes in inputs and sends the information over to the FPGA which renders pixels on the display.
Had an amazing guest lecture from Ben Chelf and John Boiles over at Sol Reader today in my embedded systems class. They gave the students a live teardown with a step-by-step discussion of component selection, the firmware development process, and the challenges from going from prototype to product.
December 6, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Had an amazing guest lecture from Ben Chelf and John Boiles over at Sol Reader today in my embedded systems class. They gave the students a live teardown with a step-by-step discussion of component selection, the firmware development process, and the challenges from going from prototype to product.