Designing a domain-specific language (DSL) for a digital sequencer, including program structure, execution model, and a plan for compiling to bytecode for embedded systems.
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.
Building a Digital Sequencer (Concept)
Exploring the idea of a digital sequencer for automation, timing control, and embedded systems.
Using Low Code / No Code Approaches for Business Automation
A practical look at using low code tools like Microsoft Power Automate to automate business processes without the overhead of custom software.
Considering Production Runs
Considering Moving to Production
Keeping a Stock of Components
My approach to ordering and keeping a stock of components.
Weather Station Pt 4
Building an in-browser Gerber file viewer to speed up PCB iteration
Weather Station Pt 3
Sending PCB’s to be manufactured
Weather Station Pt 2
Tweaking my Weather Station Design and a First Pass at designing the PCB
Weather Station Prototype
Designing a Weather Station Prototype using KiCad and PCBWay (using an ESP32-C3 SuperMini module)
Yocto Fun
Using Yocto to build a custom Linux distribution for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W