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The latest EEVblog Mailbag (Episode 1785) is a treasure trove for electronics makers and custom hardware enthusiasts. In this episode, Dave Jones unboxes several highly innovative prototype designs and hardware tools, showcasing the current state of homebrew hardware engineering.
Custom PCBs for Hexapod Robotics
A standout highlight of the mailbag is a set of stunning green-and-gold prototype PCBs from hexapod.au. Designed for a custom, fully open-source hexapod robot project, these compact boards demonstrate excellent trace routing, dense packaging, and precise gold-plated pads. Dave holds up the beautiful boards, demonstrating how modern maker-focused PCB manufacturing allows hobbyists to achieve commercial-grade quality for complex, multi-legged mechanical designs.
Eliminating Glare with Polarized Inspection
Dave also reviews the Polar Inspect from Prunt3D, a clever polarized magnifying tool currently featured on Crowd Supply. For anyone who has struggled to read tiny, laser-etched markings on modern ICs or inspect shiny solder joints, the Polar Inspect offers a brilliant solution. It integrates a cross-polarized light source and filter that eliminates specular reflections and copper glare completely. The difference is striking, turning highly reflective components into clear, high-contrast, easily readable surfaces.
Equipping Your Maker Workbench
For makers developing their own custom hardware boards, having the right assembly, programming, and inspection tools is crucial. While Dave unboxes specialized polarized magnifiers to debug modern surface-mount designs, those working on classic 8-bit retro systems often require robust programmers for custom firmware. If you are assembling your own custom retro boards or need a reliable way to write to EEPROMs and flash memory, Anders Nielsen’s Relatively Universal ROM Programmer (RURP) DIY kit is an excellent, bench-friendly programmer designed by a maker, for makers.
Watch the Full Episode
Check out the full EEVblog mailbag episode below for detailed teardowns of environmental sensors, articulating borescopes, and much more:
Original Video: EEVblog 1785 – Mailbag published by EEVblog on November 8th, 2026. Still frame used under editorial fair use, credited to EEVblog.
