hey, i’m Tommy

STM32 Nucleo Microcontroller

embedded systems · hardware experiments · low-level programming

The STM32 Nucleo is a development board family built around STM32 microcontrollers. I use it as a practical way to learn how software talks to physical hardware: pins, timers, interrupts, registers, serial output, sensors, and the small details that make embedded code feel very different from normal desktop programming.

Embedded programming is super enjoyable, as you get to directly correlate source code directly to physical stimuli. It also enabled me to fine-tune micro-optimizations which is a good mindset to have in any workflow.

My Neovim Config

tooling · ricing · workflow

If I was on "My Strange Addictions", deleting and revamping my Neovim config would be my addiction. My Neovim config is a perfect case of how I want to employ my tools. Not only as just software, but also a platform on which I can shape it according to my preferences, till it becomes something that belongs to me. Consistency in terms of visual aspects plays a crucial role in setting up my workspace: be it editor, terminal, status line, borders, transparency, file browser, or syntax coloring. It's not about achieving an appealing setup (even though that's half the battle), but about crafting a smooth and sleek workspace each time I use it.

The configuration is written in Lua, which thankfully I'm familiar with, and structured around Lazy.nvim, which lets me keep plugins organised as small, readable configuration files instead of one huge tangled setup. It's useful for me to configure different aspects of my editor that provide completeness to it, such as navigation, file tree view, fuzzy search, syntax coloring, LSP, autocompletion, code formatting, status bar interface, and theming behavior. With Lazy, the configuration process feels highly modular, where each plugin serves its purpose, has its options, keybindings, and load order, which helps in maintaining editor speed and heavy customization. I also found it very enjoyable creating a file system layout for all of my plugins.

My ergonomic keyboard

ergonomics · custom hardware · workflow

My keyboard uses the nice!nano v2 microcontroller unit, which I flashed with ZMK firmware, in addition to Memory-in-Pixel displays. Both splits are powered by 3.7V 401230 120mAh LiPo batteries that are rechargable and most importantly lightweight. I'm using Choc v1 Kailh Brown tactile switches as they give me a mix of low operating force with the nice tactile feeling I'd get from a Macbook. I use a 3D printed case to contrast the white keycaps I have on it.

I had a lot of fun building and soldering this keyboard. Coming from a 75% QWERTY staggered layout keyboard (which I spent too much money on to sound good), it was so refreshing switching to this ergonomic split. I was sold by the fact we've always been using the same standard that was used in the typewriter era, even though the way we use computers has completely changed since then. This keyboard has made my workflow feel more comfortable. Having each half positioned naturally at shoulder width makes long sessions feel less cramped, and using layers for symbols, navigation and shortcuts has made me think about typing less as "pressing keys" but moreso controller my setup efficiently.

The biggest change in this layout was learning to rely on layers as opposed to reaching across a full-size keyboard. At first it felt slower, but once the layout started to become muscle memory, common actions like moving around text, using shortcuts and symbols became much more fluid.

It also made me appreciate how much thought goes into input devices. Small details like switch weight, thumb key placement, wireless reliability through bluetooth, battery size and case height all affect how natural the keyboards feels, especially during long programming sessions. Building it myself made the final product feel a lot more personal, because every part of it was chosen for a reason than just accepting features as the default.