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antronicsltd.bsky.social
Antronics Ltd
@antronicsltd.bsky.social
530 followers 450 following 2.4K posts
Developer of embedded microntroller-based systems. Contract/consultant. Specialist in IoT, M2M communications and interfacing.
May also contain cats, steam engines, and more.
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antronicsltd.bsky.social
Starting to settle now
View over a patio to grass, which is getting white with snow. The patio remains just wet, but there is a wooden bench in the left foreground with slushy snow on it.
November 19, 2025 at 9:19 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Frost yesterday morning; snowing now.
November 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Morning, all.
View of red sky over rooftops. A tree is silhouetted on the right.
November 18, 2025 at 7:50 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
But then these are still the standard UK road signs for level crossings
Top: a wicket gate within a red triangle - the warning sign for a gated crossing. Bottom: a steam locomotive - for an ungated crossing
November 16, 2025 at 8:41 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Ah, yes: the miners strike; the rolling power cuts; etc.

Such fun!
🙄
Screenshot of a Telegraph headline: "Most people think Britain was better 50 years ago"
November 14, 2025 at 11:05 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
You can get these:
November 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Need some hydroelectric there!
November 13, 2025 at 2:10 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
I remember the days when a mobile phone was the size of a medium handbag!

@mobilephonemuseum.com bsky.app/profile/scie...

Hard to believe that something I once worked on is now a museum piece!
An Orbitel 901 mobile phone - the first phone to achieve GSM type approval. https://www.mobilephonemuseum.com/phone-detail/orbitel-901 Another Orbitel 901 mobile phone. https://www.retromobe.com/2022/05/orbitel-tpu-901-1992.html
November 11, 2025 at 3:49 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Snail on a window, viewed from the "foot" side. There is a house and hedge in the background Shell of a giant African snail. The shell is on a shelf amongst Warhammer figures.
November 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Main picture: my Grandad with an anti-aircraft battery somewhere in England, early years of WW2.

Inset: my Dad & uncles in their National Service uniforms
The main picture is a group shot with 3 rows of men, front row seated. The inset (bottom right) is 3 men standing in front of a door. Both B&W
November 9, 2025 at 10:39 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
#AllotmentCats #NotMyCats
Two cats lying on a path of black weed-suppression fabric. The nearer cat is brown and very fluffy. The furthest cat is black, with bright yellow eyes. To the left there are apples on branches. To the right is rather overgrown.
November 8, 2025 at 1:35 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
This hedgehog was munching on a dead frog in our garden earlier this year
A hedgehog with the carcass of a frog. On grass with a scattering of leaves
November 8, 2025 at 12:22 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Presumably people who do this kind of thing with vintage machinery must have some sort of insurance?
November 4, 2025 at 2:20 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Have had to wear "reading" glasses for about 8 years now.
Still annoying having to keep putting them on & off.
A person wearing glasses, standing under a beam and pointing at a "MIND YOUR HEAD" sign.
November 4, 2025 at 9:56 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Dartmouth #railway station opened in 1864 - it has never had any railway tracks, let alone any #trains!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmou...
Photograph of Dartmouth railway station, standing above Dartmouth harbour at low tide. There are many small boats in the harbour. Picture credit: Derek Harper, via Wikipedia.
November 4, 2025 at 9:48 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
B&M a few years ago - 2 for the price of nearly 3:
Photograph of shop shelf-edge label: "Philips 50W LED GU10 Spoy. £2.99. Any 2 for £8" Various boxed lightbulbs in the background.
November 3, 2025 at 6:10 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
#Microcontroller #firmware tends to be fairly low-level stuff.

Today, for a change, I have been working on a high-level platform
A tall, thin scaffold tower against a red brick wall. The tower reaches almost to the eaves of the two-storey building. There is clear blue sky in the background.
November 2, 2025 at 6:59 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But ...
Photograph of an open fire
October 31, 2025 at 8:51 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who has liked and/or reposted this.

For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not a game developer myself.
I'm an #EmbeddedSystems developer - making #firmware for #microcontrollers.

#IoT #electronics and all that
Two electronic circuit boards on a piece of perforated matrix prototyping board. The upper circuit board is white, has Arduino-style connectors, and is in a "portrait" orientation. The lower board is red, in "landscape". The matrix board is also white.
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Well, so there is!

(I think the AI is being a bit optimistic calling Ringwood "near")
Screenshot of Google search for "owls near me". First hit is the Owls Near Me website. Then there's the "AI Overview": You can find owls near Basingstoke at wildlife parks like the New Forest Wildlife Park and Hawk Conservancy Trust. To see them in the wild, look for rough grassland areas at dawn or dusk, especially on still evenings, where barn owls hunt for voles, notes The Wildlife Trusts. Other nearby options include Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre and Birdworld.
October 30, 2025 at 2:44 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Hmmm ... a "normal" Google search gives several actually useful results, but the AI mode just gives excuses:
Screenshot of a Google "normal" search for "list of streets in basingstoke". The 1st 6 hits are: Geographic.org - Basingstoke Street Index Basingstoke.co.uk - On this page you will find a list of streets in Basingstoke... maxlove.co.uk - This page contains the origins of some of the street names in and around the Basingstoke area. streetmapof.co.uk - Online Street Map of BASINGSTOKE, UK. Below map you can see BASINGSTOKE street list. Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council - Street naming and numbering. We maintain the definitive record of all street names and property addresses, known as the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG). Hampshire County Council Screenshot of a Google "AI mode" search for "list of streets in basingstoke". It says, "Basingstoke has a vast number of streets, and a complete list is not readily available online. However, sources that detail the history of local streets provide many examples, and here is a selection:" It then lists 9 streets under the heading "Central Basingstoke". A heading "Essex Road area" follows ...
October 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Of course a box is always best.
And a cushion helps...
A large tabby cat sitting up in a box. The cat is looking sternly at the photographer - as if the box lacks something... The same cat now contentedly lying down asleep in the box. A cushion has been placed in the box - the cat is lying on it.
October 30, 2025 at 10:35 AM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
I couldn't eat a whole one, but ...
screenshot of advert for "Cub Scout taster day"
October 29, 2025 at 5:41 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Gimli and Meg were always keen to help ...
A large tabby cat sitting up on a desk. Behind are 2 computer screens; to the right is various electronic test equipment. A small black cat lying in front of a large red electronic circuit board. To the right is a laptop
October 29, 2025 at 4:33 PM
antronicsltd.bsky.social
Absolutely!

Credit: @marketoonist.bsky.social
A 2-panel cartoon: 1. Person seated at a screen with 1 line of text at the top says to bystander, "AI turns this single bullet point into a long email I can pretend I wrote" 2. Person seated at a screen full of text says to bystander, "AI makes a single bullet point out of this long email I can pretend I read"
October 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM