#1

General Discussion / Need Help Understanding Sensor...

Last post by Amy Morris - Today at 06:56:18 AM

Hello everyone, I am working on a tiny project using small boards and sensors, and I am still not so strong with electronics. I want to make a simple setup that can read vibration or small movement, something like detecting shaking on a surface. My goal is just hobby learning, but I also compare how different sensors work because in my other field we deal with concrete construction estimating, and sometimes vibration data is important. So I try to understand this technology from basic level. Can anyone tell me which TinyCircuits sensor is easiest for starting? I see accelerometers and some others but not sure which one is simple and stable for beginner. Any advice or small example is very appreciated. Thank you!

#2

New Product Ideas / Re: Pre-soldered Breakout Wire...

Last post by Duztin - December 09, 2025, 08:52:04 AM

Great find on the 5-pin screw terminals! That Amazon bundle from Cermant is a steal at $0.45/piece. Definitely beats the Adafruit/Digi-Key price.

Thank you so much! I appreciate the compliments! I double-checked that Amazon Cermant link, and strangely enough, that product page seems to only sell 2-pin screw terminals now. Plus, as a fair warning to any interested buyers, a lot of the reviews for that product are quite negative.

These screw terminals may work well! From my experience, as I have used these terminals myself, the screws are quite small, and the screws are also flathead instead of Phillips. But these terminals do function well in terms of conducting current, even after soldering! These terminals work best under low mechanical strain (don't pull any attached wires very hard). Still, I suppose less mechanical strength is to be expected since the terminals are so small.

Has you considered using spring-loaded (push-in) terminal blocks instead of screw terminals? I've seen them used on other micro-boards; they seem like they might put less mechanical stress on the solder joints since you aren't torquing a screwdriver against them. Would those fit the standard 0.1" spacing?

#3

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: TinyTV 2 - always random s...

Last post by swash1 - December 06, 2025, 05:53:20 PM

Hi, same problem months later (Dec 2025) trying to get TinyTV 2 to start at the beginning of video 1 on power-up. I've updated the firmware and adjusted the settings for randStartTime and randStartChan to false, per the help page. (I even tried renaming randStartChan to randStartChannel, the way it's listed on the FAQ/help page). I also tried per a suggestion here to make the file read-only.  I even tried turning off loop in case that locked it in to where it was when it powered off. No dice.
Anyone find or figure a solution? I'd really like this to start at the top of channel 1 whenever powered on.
Otherwise - loving it!

Thanks

#4

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: Any way to load more than ...

Last post by CocoJacksVille - December 05, 2025, 09:27:22 PM

It is actually a very simple firmware fix, you only need to change one line in TinyTV2.h:

Code Select Expand

#define MAX_VIDEO_FILES 100to

Code Select Expand

#define MAX_VIDEO_FILES 200
I compiled it and uploaded it to my Tiny TV 2. It works without any issues.

#5

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: Maximum number of files?

Last post by CocoJacksVille - December 05, 2025, 07:02:17 PM

+1 I would also be interested in this.

#6

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: TinyTV2 encoding parameter...

Last post by CocoJacksVille - December 03, 2025, 07:09:02 AM

@NatetheMac
@ang-tinytv

I'm using HandBrake to convert my videos from MKV to MP4 first, with a resolution of 216 × 134 pixels, a variable bitrate, constant quality set to RF 20, and the audio track set to AAC Mono at 128 kbps. After that, I convert the file with FFmpeg using the following terminal command on macOS:

Code Select Expand

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v mjpeg -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 24 -s 210x135 \
  -c:a pcm_u8 -ar 10000 -ac 1 \
  output.avi
What works even better for me is adding the quality parameter (-q:v) and setting it to 1, which noticeably increases overall sharpness. For most videos, setting it to 2 should be fine as well. Also there is a volume parameter (-af "volume=[val]dB")  which might come in handy:

Code Select Expand

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
-c:v mjpeg -q:v 1 -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 24 -s 210x135 \
-c:a pcm_u8 -ar 20000 -ac 1 -af "volume=2dB" \
output.avi
Interestingly, setting the audio sample rate to 20 kHz works just as well as 10 kHz, and my TinyTV 2 still plays it without any issues. I thought higher sample rates weren't supported, but it seems like they are!

#7

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: Tiny TV Power On Issues

Last post by RichArcade - December 02, 2025, 06:11:36 PM

Great question, I would like an answer to his as well!!

#8

TinyTV & Tiny Video Player / Re: TinyTV2 Auto Power On

Last post by RichArcade - December 02, 2025, 06:09:38 PM

I would like to know this as well. I have the TV embedded in an enclosure so access to the power button is not easy. Is there a way to make the remote always power on/off the unit?

#9

TinyDuino Processors & TinyShields / TinyZero Won’t Power Up on Bat...

Last post by isleviolence - November 26, 2025, 02:32:09 AM

I'm using a 3.7V Li-ion/Li-Po battery with a TinyZero, IMU, and Bluetooth module. Everything runs perfectly when the board is connected to my computer, even if the battery is plugged in. But as soon as I unplug the USB cable, the system won't power on at all.

I've tried multiple fully charged batteries and ordered a few new ones just to be sure, but nothing changes.

Does anyone know what the actual power requirements might be or what could cause the TinyZero not to run from battery power alone? This setup should operate directly from a battery, right?

#10

New Product Ideas / Voice activated screen

Last post by Hfcxws2356dc - November 24, 2025, 12:31:12 PM

I'd like a way to have a tiny screen play a video, but only while someone speaks near it (or any other sound), and have the whole outfit battery operated.