My Journey: From the Z80 Era to the Pi Pico

My Journey: From the Z80 Era to the Raspberry Pi Pico

Welcome to my maker space! My background in electronics dates back to the late 1980s—an era dominated by the Z80 and 8031 microcontrollers, where assembly code was the norm and the Texas Instruments TTL Data Book was literally my bedside reading material.

Where it all started: My original Z80 breadboard computer alongside the 1985 TI TTL Data Book and Rodnay Zaks' programming bible (sharp-eyed viewers will notice my copy is the classic French edition!). A true anthology piece from over 40 years ago. Let's not be too nostalgic, though—we live in wonderful times. Just hand-soldering a QFN-56 package on a custom PCB is pure euphoria... and no, it’s not because of the flux fumes!

Although life led me straight into an IT career right after graduation, meaning I never officially worked in hardware design, the passion never truly faded. In the mid-2010s, the maker movement caught my eye, and I started tinkering again with Arduino and 3D printing.

The turning point came during the pandemic lockdowns. I discovered the Raspberry Pi Pico and dove headfirst into MicroPython. It was love at first sight. It inspired me to dust off my soldering iron, upgrade my workbench, and start designing custom multi-layer PCBs.
I am here to share the various projects that have occupied my free time over the last few years. I hope these designs will spark interest and inspire other passionate makers like me!

📜 Philosophy

All my projects are shared open-source under the Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. They are purely educational, hobbyist, and hand-assembled. Feel free to explore the repositories, check the schematics, or reach out for collaborations!

🌍 Language Note & AI Collaboration

As a native French speaker who spent almost my entire IT career working in a French-speaking environment, English is my second language. To ensure all my complex hardware nuances, assembly guides, and technical explanations are clear and accessible to makers and educators worldwide, I collaborate with an AI assistant to refine and polish my documentation into professional English. Every PCB design and prototype, however, is 100% hand-crafted on my workbench!