Receiving and beginning bench testing of the Rev A Digital IO Expander and RS485 building block boards, starting with output testing on the Digital IO Expander using a Raspberry Pi Pico 2W and MicroPython.

Improving the Protoworks demos and tools, including an in-browser Gerber viewer and an electrical engineering calculation workbench.

Sending the RS485 non-isolated board and revised Digital I/O Expander Board off for fabrication, while also preparing for future USB-C Power Delivery experiments using STM32 Nucleo development boards.

Creating a smaller non-isolated RS485 building block board based on lessons learned from the earlier RS485 and 48 V passthrough design.

A practical look at trying EasyEDA for PCB design, weighing its smooth JLCPCB/LCSC workflow against concerns about vendor lock-in and long-term project control.

Final testing of the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board, including higher-speed RS485 communication tests over approximately 20 metres of Cat 6 cable.

Thinking through the next stage of the Protoworks building block board roadmap, including RS485 communications, isolated RS485, digital I/O expansion, low-side driver outputs, 48 V distribution, USB to serial, and future prototype board ideas.

Reflecting on the first RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough board and why the next revision may split RS485 communication and 48 V distribution into separate building block boards.

Further testing of the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough board, including validation of the 48 V polarity protection, identifying a backfeed issue, and testing basic RS485 serial communication over Cat6 cable.

Testing the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board using a simple transmitter and receiver setup, including basic signal checks and cable testing over approximately 20 metres of Cat 6.