Aleksorsist

@aleksorsist
649 Followers
58 Following
623 Posts

A series of edge cases packed into a vaguely human shape, my skill set can be best described as ”Oops! All Hardware”

I started the ThunderScope project, which you can now find on Crowd Supply! It's designed to be the best PC connected scope out there *and* it's open source.

My goal is to make open source the default choice for test equipment, like RepRap did for 3D Printing.

I may not have an OSHW tattoo, but at least I'm not a hypocrite.

Wolfgirl on main, she/her

Show threadAleksorsist2d ago
Was gonna trace out JTAG and whatnot but got sniped by making an xy digital microscope gantry. Not gonna be poking around any ICs with this but it should result in nice high res sitched board images
Show threadAleksorsist2d ago
The processor had a really strange thermal pad made up of ferrite material, anyone know why this would be used over a normal style thermal pad? I haven't seen this kind of thermal pad before
Aleksorsist2d ago
Tearing down the world's spiciest e-stim toy
AleksorsistMar 7
call me an oversaturated solution the way I'm crashing tf out
AleksorsistMar 6
Andrew ZonenbergMar 6

Wrote up the blog-format version of the TCXO failure analysis including a bit more backstory and commentary all in one place

https://serd.es/2026/03/06/TCXO-failure-analysis.html

TCXO failure analysis

AleksorsistMar 6
Show threadAndrew ZonenbergMar 6

And here's the failed one top down under 20x objective, with the focal plane at two different steps.

With the focal plane at the pad surface, you can't see the wire at all. With the wire tip in focus, the pad is very blurry.

That means they're at very different heights and not touching. So we have an open circuit failure here.

Given that the board was sonicated, this is the longest bond wire by far (the one crossing across the controller die to the opposite side of the package), and there's no support for the wire like IC molding compound would provide, it seems reasonable that it probably shook around violently during the cleaning process and built up enough momentum to snap the bond at the wire-to-package interface.

AleksorsistMar 6
Andrew ZonenbergMar 6
OK, oscillator failure analysis step one: Cleaning residual solder off the underside so it sits flat on the mill table. Then a final cleaning with acetone to get any flux residue off.
AleksorsistFeb 28
spironolactone sounds like the name of a seasonal anime
AleksorsistFeb 21

Whenever I write an impassioned rant or something, I can't help but replay the Cave Johnson lemons speech in my head.

I don't want your damn LLMons, what am i supposed to do with these!?!

Show threadAleksorsistFeb 21

Reject mediocre AI prose!

Embrace the unhinged rants, cuss laiden infodumps, and stupid puns. Write proudly, with soul, put your personality in it!

The thing that makes text worth reading is the knowledge that someone put more time, care, and effort into writing it than you did reading it. That was always the deal, and you are right to be mad at those who break it!

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. I'm just angry at a certain writer and wanted to vent