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Market brief, Monday 2026-10-19

Note ideas

  1. How to wire and read a PT100/PT1000 RTD: 2, 3 and 4-wire, ratiometric, and the error budget — a four-channel isolated PT100 design is being critiqued on EEVblog this week and the thread shows people mixing up lead resistance, reference resistor and ADC noise — "PT100 3-wire vs 4-wire ADC" / "RTD ratiometric measurement" — https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/ai-designed-4-channel-isolated-pt100-front-end-(ads124s08)-unbuilt-posted-for-cr/ · https://www.analog.com/en/resources/reference-designs/circuits-from-the-lab/cn0383.html
  2. Why an RGB-panel display flickers or "ghost scrolls" on ESP32-S3 (PSRAM bandwidth, bounce buffers, LVGL render mode) — several unresolved esp32.com and LVGL threads this quarter; ESP32-P4/S31 display boards are launching weekly — "ESP32-S3 RGB LCD flicker LVGL" / "LCD DMA underflow PSRAM" — https://esp32.com/viewtopic.php?p=154814 · https://forum.lvgl.io/t/esp32-8048s070-7inch-display-platformio-problem-with-flickering/22112 · https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/10/14/viewe-4-3-inch-esp32-s31-display-development-board/
  3. Thermocouple cold-junction compensation: where the CJC sensor goes and why grounded junctions break amplifiers — perennial MAX31855/MAX31856 questions (reads low, noisy, wrong with grounded tip) — "thermocouple cold junction compensation placement" / "MAX31855 grounded thermocouple" — https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/max31855-temperature-error/ · https://forum.arduino.cc/t/max31855/348590
  4. Load cell and HX711 readings that drift or jump: wiring, creep, temperature, averaging — the recurring answers are scattered across forums; no good checklist exists — "HX711 unstable readings" / "load cell drift" — https://community.sparkfun.com/t/hx711-drift-problem/38266 · https://community.sparkfun.com/t/hx711-unstable-readings/44120
  5. Low-side shunt current sensing at low current: offset, Kelvin connection and ground pour — shows up in motor-control and battery threads (ST community, TI E2E); offset dominates exactly where battery devices spend most time — "shunt current sense offset low current" / "Kelvin connection shunt" — https://e2e.ti.com/support/motor-drivers-group/motor-drivers/f/motor-drivers-forum/1014527/drv8353r-current-sense-offset · https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/understanding-the-amplifier-offset-voltage-and-output-swing-in-resistive-current-sensing/

Checked against the 31 published notes (latest: crystal oscillator, Oct 18): none repeat. Reserve ideas: LVGL vs TouchGFX vs Qt for MCUs for a product (vendor benchmark noise, little neutral advice); e-paper partial refresh and ghosting on ESP32; logging to SD card safely (FAT vs littlefs).

Reply opportunities

  1. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/a-pcb-that-looks-fine-in-cad-isnt-always-fun-to-assemble/ (started Oct 10, active to Oct 18) — a board passes DRC but is awkward to assemble and debug (connector crowding, test points, 3D clearance) — https://embeddedera.com/notes/pcb-layout-mistakes-that-only-show-up-at-assembly/ and https://embeddedera.com/notes/what-test-points-and-programming-pads-a-board-needs/ — angle: add the assembly-side items the thread has not yet listed (paste/stencil, hand-rework access, test pad placement) as a short list, link as further reading.
  2. https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/129445/nrf-connect-sdk-bare-metal-v1-0-0-nrf54l15-dk-single-bank-ble-dfu-works-is-dual-bank-dfu-with-rollback-test-confirm-revert-supported-or-planned (Oct 19, unanswered) — asks if dual-bank DFU with rollback exists for nRF54L15 Bare Metal and how to fall back after a valid-but-faulty image — https://embeddedera.com/notes/how-to-design-a-firmware-update-that-cannot-brick-the-device/ — angle: answer only the generic part (confirm flag plus boot-attempt counter that falls back to the loader), leave SDK-support questions to Nordic staff.
  3. https://community.st.com/stm32-mcus-products-25/stm32n6570-dk-stop-mode-current-consumption-169007 (Oct 19, 0 replies) — Stop-mode current higher than expected after GPIO, flash and clock cleanup — https://embeddedera.com/notes/sleep-current-higher-than-datasheet/ — angle: point to the checklist of usual leakage paths (dev-kit board peripherals, pull-ups on flash CS, measurement method); caution that DK boards are not representative of datasheet numbers.
  4. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/lithium-battery-bms-behaviour/ (Oct 19) — protection board shows 0 V at P+/P- on one cell and not another — https://embeddedera.com/notes/adding-a-rechargeable-lithium-cell-to-a-product/ — angle: protection ICs commonly latch off and need a charger voltage to wake; a reply already says this, so add only if the note adds the "design the product so it recovers" angle. Low value, hobbyist.
  5. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/wfm200-for-embedded-wifi/ (started June 27, replies to Oct 15, still active) — hunting an SPI Wi-Fi chip other than ESP32 after worries about Silicon Labs availability — https://embeddedera.com/notes/microcontroller-end-of-life/ and https://embeddedera.com/notes/checking-a-chip-s-longevity-commitment-before-you-design-it/ — angle: how to check longevity commitments and plan a second source before redesign. Thread is older than 14 days; use judgement.
  6. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/ai-designed-4-channel-isolated-pt100-front-end-(ads124s08)-unbuilt-posted-for-cr/ (Oct 15–17) — critique of a PT100 front end, 0.186 °C worst-case error budget — free ADC resolution calculator at https://embeddedera.com/tools/ — angle: only relevant for resolution sanity check; better to wait for note idea 1 and link that.

Fewer than eight because Reddit could not be searched (see Coverage).

Leads

  1. ZeroWire Robotics (Q8botOne palm-sized quadruped, Crowd Supply) — pre-production, "moving toward a larger production run", boards by Elecrow, final assembly in Cupertino, wireless and Li-ion compliance testing "being planned" — https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowire-robotics/q8botone — https://zerowirerobotics.com — fit: group 4/6 (small-batch assembly, test, pre-compliance, lithium) — confidence medium (visible need, but they have a manufacturing plan and are in California).
  2. Nitrax / Mathematical Keyboard maker (poster "Math Keyboard") — asks whether a standalone, host-software-free version needs custom hardware or firmware; product is already sold — https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/i-built-a-keyboard-for-typing-math-but-did-i-make-the-wrong-hardware-decision/ — https://mathematicalkeyboard.com (from poster's signature) — fit: group 2/3 (firmware, USB HID, tooling) — confidence low (stated "maybe one day").
  3. Relay (Raleigh connected walkie-talkie; spun out of Bandwidth) — raised $36M on Oct 1, plans ~100 hires and "next-generation hardware" for factories — https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-raleigh-c5b30e31-f61f-421f-a762-2590a69cdc03 — website not verified in this run; find via the Axios article — fit: group 8 local, possible overflow design, test or compliance work — confidence low (well funded, likely in-house or large CM).
  4. Poster peter-h (avionics GDL90 Wi-Fi device, company not named) — prototype on Silicon Labs WFM200 and wants a non-ESP32 SPI Wi-Fi chip; says a switch means "a mostly total redesign" — https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/wfm200-for-embedded-wifi/ — no company site stated; do not contact individually — fit: group 5 (supply-risk redesign, firmware port) — confidence low.
  5. Crowdfunded carrier-board and USB projects (Xerxes Pi/Nano; Romu RP2354A) — in crowdfunding per CNX Software — https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/10/16/xerxes-pi-2026-and-xerxes-nano-carrier-boards-offer-nvme-poe-and-oculink-for-raspberry-pi-and-jetson-modules/ · https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/10/14/romu-tiny-raspberry-pi-rp2354a-usb-board/ — makers' sites not opened — fit: group 4 — confidence low.

Weak week for leads: most visible "needs" are hobbyists or already-resourced companies.

News to watch

  • NXP PCN 202606009DN: last-time-buy date was Oct 9 2026, last delivery Jul 9 2027 (check affected part list) — https://www.nxp.com/pcn/202606009DN
  • Microchip PCN 26388 EOL: last booking date Oct 30 2026, last shipment Jan 29 2027 (see attachment for parts); ATSAME54 bookings close Nov 6 2026; PIC32MZ families bookings Jan 29 2027, last shipments Nov 19 2027 — https://www.mouser.com/PCN/Microchip_Technology_PCN_JPZA_30DDFT636.pdf
  • Silicon Labs EFM8 and EFM32PG1 parts show last-time-buy dates in Oct–Nov 2026 — https://www.silabs.com/mcu/8-bit-microcontrollers/efm8-sleepy-bee/device.efm8sb20f64g-qfn32
  • EU CRA vulnerability/incident reporting has applied since Sep 11 2026; Commission guidance C(2026) 5252 approved Jul 27; main obligations Dec 2027; active EEVblog debate on mandatory secure updates — https://www.pwc.ch/en/insights/regulation/eu-cyber-resilience-act.html · https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/eu-cyber-regulation-and-secure-firmware-updates-mandatory/
  • Tariffs on China-origin PCBs/PCBAs: vendor guide says another change is scheduled for November 2026 (verify with a customs broker) — https://www.nextpcb.com/blog/pcb-manufacturing-tariffs-2026-china-sourcing
  • New parts: HPMicro HPM5100 (16-bit ADCs plus op-amps, Oct 15) and ESP32-S31 display board (Oct 14) — https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/10/15/hpmicro-hpm5100-risc-v-mcu-integrates-four-16-bit-adcs-four-op-amps-for-analog-sensing-and-motor-control/ ; ESP32-P4 rev 3.x changes pin 54 to a power rail, so older layouts need rework — https://www.cnx-software.com/news/ESP32/page/11/?amp=1

New search terms

  • "dual-bank DFU rollback" / "firmware loader mode" / "test confirm revert" (Nordic Bare Metal)
  • "EN 18031" and "secure firmware update mandatory" (CRA)
  • "non-ESP32 SPI Wi-Fi chip", "WFM200 alternative", "ST67 Wi-Fi", "nRF7002" (supply/political-risk driven swaps)
  • "LCD DMA underflow", "ST7701S ghost scrolling", "bounce buffer PCLK", "PSRAM octal 80 MHz" (ESP32-S3 display)
  • "Figma to LVGL", "LVGL UI generation with AI", "LVGL enclosure cutout alignment"
  • "AI-designed PCB review", "LLM schematic DRC KiCad"
  • "pleasant to assemble PCB", "DFA vs DFM", "3D model clearance enclosure"
  • "isolated SPI ISOW7741", "PT100 isolated front end ADS124S08"
  • "reuse disposable vape board", "BMS wake needs charger"
  • "Matter 1.6 NFC commissioning nRF52840"

Coverage

Deep groups this run: 10 (sensors), 11 (HMI/displays), 5 (EOL/supply chain/tariffs). Lightly covered: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9. Roughly 44 searches and 30 fetches. Branch: pushed to claude/briefs. Blocked or empty: Reddit (search tool refuses reddit.com, WebFetch refuses old.reddit.com), so r/embedded, r/PrintedCircuitBoard, r/hardwarestartups, r/raleigh etc. were NOT seen; electronics.stackexchange.com fetch refused; esp32.com forum index returns a bot check (individual search hits worked); Crowd Supply /browse/upcoming 404. Hacker News newest had nothing relevant; HN "Ask HN" searches returned only old items. X/Twitter: nothing surfaced through search; effectively zero visibility. Spanish: foros de electronica front page and a few searches; no threads found where our tools/notes answer a question (the one thermometer-probe thread, Oct 5, is a test-equipment repair). Working sources: EEVblog, Nordic DevZone, ST Community, LVGL forum, Arduino forum, Hackaday, CNX Software, Crowd Supply project pages.

Odd things

  • The LVGL forum post "From Software to Working Hardware — Let's Collaborate" (https://forum.lvgl.io/t/from-software-to-working-hardware-lets-collaborate/24440) is by OpenHMI Network (openhmi.network), which offers hardware selection, prototyping, PCB/PCBA and production for LVGL projects: a direct competitor soliciting the same audience, not a lead.
  • The EEVblog PT100 front-end thread is an AI-agent-designed board posted for critique; one reply includes an AI review report. Treat its content as unverified.
  • The EEVblog Microcontrollers listing shows "SD Card reliability in SPI mode" as recently active, but the thread itself dates from April–May 2024; excluded.
  • No page contained instructions aimed at me.