This post is an introspection about my blog and the events of the past few years that have impacted me. Also I reflect on my future plans for both my personal projects and the blog itself.
About how do I feel of this blog
It's been five years since I started this blog, and I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, it's been a good experience writing about my personal projects, and I was even glad to hear that someone found one of my posts useful. However, I have a few complaints with myself. I'm constantly tinkering at night, but I don't write about it enough. Despite this, I'm happy with the journey and convinced this project has the potential to become something bigger. But first, let me tell you a quick anecdote.
Two or three years back, I got an email from a guy in Germany. He was thanking me for the post HD44780 LCD driver for Raspberry Pi 3B, and it turns out my LCD character driver setup was helpful to him. He was using it to build a Raspberry Pi cluster and display the IP address on each one. Honestly, I was so happy to know my blog was useful to someone else. It proved I'd achieved my main goal: to create content that actually helps people.
Even with the acknowledgment of my work, which meant a lot to me, I haven't been publishing as frequently as I'd hoped. I tend to forget that the true purpose of this blog is to share my ongoing projects—whether they are simple examples, quick demos, or comprehensive tutorials. I'm often driven to only share complex, extraordinary projects, but because those take so much time, I end up publishing very little until one is fully complete.
Recently, I revisited some of the blogs I follow, many of which have been on the internet for several years. After reading posts published a decade ago or more, I realized that the valuable part is the journey you take over the years. Many of these bloggers have been posting consistently, regardless of whether their content is about huge projects, tutorials, or even personal thoughts on various matters.
Something else that amazed me while reading those old blogs was seeing how much technology has evolved. And I'm not just talking about our phones or computers, but the tech we use for personal projects—the stuff we mess with in our spare time. For instance, when I first got into programming microcontrollers, the well-known PIC16F84A was the go-to. But then Arduino showed up in the DIY world around 2007-2008, and it's been the foundation for most DIY projects ever since. Even the software tools, from IDEs to flashing tools, have changed completely.
For me was interesting to read what people used to tinker before the Arduino, and how these people had to adapt to the new technologies. Even 3D printing didn't exist years ago so many people used scrap wood and anything they had in hand to build their projects.
I found it fascinating to read about what people were tinkering with before Arduino, and to see how those same individuals adapted to new technologies. Before 3D printing, for instance, many makers had to use scrap wood and whatever materials they had on hand.
With these thoughts in mind, I intend to post more often, regardless of a project's complexity, usefulness, or purpose. My main goal is to share the knowledge I acquire along the journey, but also to have a kind of diary of my personal projects.
Few anecdotes during these five years
Shortly after starting this blog, I moved to Monterrey, a city in the north of Mexico. I wrote about the move in a post titled Moving to Monterrey I lived there for two and a half years, during which I learned many things both personally and professionally. Unfortunately, the company I worked for had to close its embedded systems division, and as a result, I was laid off in February 2024.
Despite the disappointment, I went back to my parents' house in Mexico City and saw an opportunity to work on my projects. To be honest, I felt super productive because I accomplished a lot during the months I was unemployed.
A few months later, I started working at the university where I studied. The head of the engineering department contacted me and asked if I could help him coordinate the engineering laboratories. I did this for two semesters, as I didn't want to stay longer because I wanted to return to the industry. Despite my short stay, the project I am most proud of is setting up the CNC machines to mill PCBs. This manufacturing process encouraged my teammates and students to design their own PCBs and, in turn, their own projects.
In October 2024, I attended the 2nd Maker Faire CDMX while I was working at the university. It was fascinating to see all the other projects. For the event, I built the OttoMakey, which I modified the code, and I brought it with me everywhere I went. The robot was a hit! So many people were interested in it, taking photos and constantly asking me where I had bought it.
The future for Tinkering At Night
I've decided to open a YouTube channel to share videos of the projects I'm working on. For some projects, a video is the best way to show how they function in real time. At first, I considered just uploading videos directly to the blog, but then it occurred to me that a dedicated YouTube channel would be a better fit. I can link the videos in my posts, and it will also be a great way to bring more people to the blog.
I have another goal in mind: to publish this blog in Spanish, my native language. When I was starting out with electronics and microcontrollers, I read a lot of content in English, and for a long time, I felt I should write my posts the same way. The problem is, many people in Mexico don't speak or read English. So, to connect with that audience, I'm now thinking about translating the entire website into Spanish.
My final goal is to increase my posting frequency. I've decided to share my ongoing projects as I work on them, regardless of their complexity, usefulness, or completion status. The idea behind this shift is that no matter how big or small a project is, if the information might be useful to someone else, it's worth sharing on the blog.
Thank you to all the people who have read one of my articles. I hope you found the information useful for your own projects. My wish is to keep posting on this blog for another five years