trailcurrentopensource
ESP32 projects, Arduino tutorials, and single board computer (SBC) reviews. Raspberry Pi, Arduino Uno Q, Radxa, Orange Pi, and more. We build real embedded systems and IoT projects from start to finish: firmware development, custom PCB design, 3D printed enclosures, CNC parts, sensors, CAN bus, and edge AI.
Whether you're a maker getting started with microcontrollers or an embedded engineer shipping product, you'll find hands-on builds, honest hardware reviews, and open-source designs you can use.
Home of TrailCurrent a modular open-source platform that makes any vehicle smarter, with 19 interoperable modules: power distribution, GPS tracking, solar management, climate control, air quality, and more. Off-grid, DIY, and fully yours.
trailcurrentopensource
When we first received the Waveshare ESP32 P4 the mic and speakers were key features. The primary use case for these was to allow the HMI used to control lights, view device data, could also communicate with Peregrine our AI voice assistant running on the Dragon Q6A. We got it working, and this video walks through how it works, the code, and the case design that allows the mics to reach the back side of the display.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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trailcurrentopensource
We just finished our case design for Fireside our 7 inch HMI that you can take with you. The concept is simple use the Wavesahre ESP32P4 with a similar interface to Milepost, but use WiFi + MQTT. Then add a battery so that it can be taken off the wall and go Fire Side with you. Allowing you to control and monitor what's happening inside your rig, while you are outside. Now as it gets dark you can remotely turn on the outside lights, keep an eye on the temperature inside as it drops, see how your battery is doing without the sun providing power. Then we added to it a push to talk functionality that interacts with Peregrine our AI Assistant. Video walk through dropping today at 9AM CT. We walk through the functionality, the code, and the case design. Hope others enjoy and find it helpful for a project they have.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 4
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trailcurrentopensource
For anyone who was interested in the ESP32P4 that we featured a review of and you use Arduino. Good news it appears the board support packages are available now. github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32 We haven't had a chance to build an Arduino sketch with it yet, if we get time we'll do this and put the example code on our GitHub
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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trailcurrentopensource
We purchased the Arduino Uno Q to create a lite version of our edge computer in the TrailCurrent platform. Some interesting findings after exploring the board fully. If you're considering Raspberry Pi for your next project, this might be worth knowing about. So check out the video, and let us know whether this seems like a good fit for your project or not. Also let us know the details about the project so others can see which ones it might make the most sense for.
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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trailcurrentopensource
What SBC brand are you currently using in your projects? We are always curious to hear hardware selection from others.
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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trailcurrentopensource
After spending a lot of time and effort designing and fitting components into a custom 3D printed case. We discovered this off the shelf IO base that covers everything we need. This should make it easier to build, and you might be surprised as to what features it has. If it ends up making it's way into one of your projects, please let us know what that project is.
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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trailcurrentopensource
After our Radxa Dragon Q6A Review video we received requests for a how to guide. We just published it, along with a script that shows how to get the local Llama 3.2 1B parameter model running on this boards NPU. For right around $200 you can have a credit card size computer running a LLM locally and offline and the how to only takes 6 minutes to watch. This is thanks to a script we prepared that is a download and run option.
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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trailcurrentopensource
Question for viewers. What are your most common use cases for HMI displays?
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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trailcurrentopensource
We just finished the implementation of TrailCurrent Spotter in our Open Source project. The screen we used the ESP32 S3 4.3" from Waveshare was the hardware we selected. It met all of our criteria and we published a video to share those details with everyone. It includes the dashboard we built as the example and showcase for the hardware features. Be sure to check it out.
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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trailcurrentopensource
There are a lot of ESP32 boards out there and some specific vehicle dev kits allowing you to connect to CAN Bus. After we found this one though we stopped looking for others. Given it comes with generous flash, reverse polarity protection and a host of other features it's our GoTo now. It's advertised for home assistant and DIN rail mounting so it gets overlooked. If you are looking for an easy option to just do CAN sniffing or other automotive related tasks, be sure to check this one out. It might be the easy to get perfect fit.
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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