Sending the first RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board for manufacture, while refining the design around screw terminals, JLCPCB parts selection, and practical field use.
Welcome to JKTDEV.CO.UK — my personal engineering notebook, where I document projects, experiments, build logs, lessons learned, and the occasional technical rabbit hole along the way.
I’ve worked in and around software development for over 20 years, across everything from large-scale enterprise systems to embedded software, automation, hardware-adjacent projects, and practical prototyping. More recently, my focus has shifted further into electronics, PCB design, embedded systems, radio, test equipment, manufacturing, and small hardware building blocks.
At heart, I’m a tinkerer and builder. I enjoy projects that force me to learn something new — whether that means writing code, debugging hardware, designing a PCB, testing a tool, bringing up a board, or working out why something that looked simple on paper is misbehaving on the bench.
This site is where I capture that process — warts and all.
Some articles are polished write-ups. Others are closer to field notes from whatever I am working on at the time. That might include designing a circuit, ordering PCBs, testing a regulator under load, debugging an embedded board, experimenting with radio, trying out tools, or documenting the decisions behind a prototype.
A lot of the content now revolves around electronics, embedded systems, PCB design, practical prototyping and the process of turning ideas into working hardware. Software development, automation, AI, amateur radio and the occasional unrelated technical experiment still make appearances along the way.
Much of the engineering work documented here also feeds into Protoworks, my product design and prototyping business in Northern Ireland, including its Building Block Boards, UCMOD modules, tools and other products. I also run Ards Tech Fix, providing practical software troubleshooting and workflow automation for local businesses across the Ards Peninsula. JKTDEV remains my personal engineering notebook — a place for documenting the work, learning, mistakes and thinking behind those builds, as well as projects that have nothing to do with either business.
Recent articles are listed below.
USB-C Breakout and 3.3 V Regulator Building Block Board — Part 3
Load testing the USB-C and 3.3 V regulator building block board, including short-circuit behaviour, PPTC protection, and sustained 500 mA output testing.
USB-C Breakout and 3.3V Regulator Building Block Board — Part 2
The first assembled batch of my USB-C and 3.3V regulator building block board arrived from JLCPCB, ready for inspection, bring-up, and load testing.
RS485 Breakout with 48V Passthrough Building Block Board — Part 2
Refining an RS485 breakout board with 48V passthrough by removing the RJ45 connector, switching to screw terminals, and separating the 48V and logic ground regions.
RS485 Breakout with 48V Passthrough Building Block Board
Designing an RS485 breakout board with screw terminals, optional RJ45 cabling, selectable termination and biasing, and 48V passthrough protection.
USB-C Breakout and 3.3V Regulator Building Block Board
Designing a small USB-C breakout and 3.3V regulator building block board for future embedded and prototyping projects.
Building Block Boards
Creating reusable PCB modules for common circuit functions, with a focus on faster prototyping, safer regulator designs, and more production-ready hardware.
First Look at the TS21 Soldering Iron
A first look at the Miniware TS21 USB-C soldering iron after a quick trial, covering heat-up time, portability, and early impressions for electronics prototyping.
Improving My Process
Improving my embedded development workflow by creating modular, reusable PCB building blocks in KiCad, with an eye toward open hardware prototyping boards.
Testing out the UPDI Friend
Testing the Adafruit UPDI Friend by programming an ATtiny1614 and validating a simple blink setup.
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