2026: The Year of Solder

One of the highlights of Congress was attending the soldering workshops run by Mitch Altman. If you've never had the chance to learn from him, you're missing out. The man has been teaching people to solder for decades and has a knack for making electronics accessible to complete beginners.

He's also the author of a fantastic comic called Soldering is Easy that explains the basics in a way that actually sticks. No dry technical manuals, just clear illustrations showing proper technique, common mistakes, and how to fix them. If you're starting out, find that comic. Also I always wanted to have a Brain Machine. I was looking forward to this years ago when being addicted to the books of Robert Anton Wilson but got scared off when knowing you have to assembly it yourself. This was my chance to learn from the inventor himself!

I did three additional ones on the Congress. One with Mitch too based on Arduino and his TV-B-Gone project (a TV remote shutting off all possible TVs haha) and one about Lora building an own ground station. So I guess all in all I was so happy to spark some more excitement about Tech.

There's something deeply satisfying about soldering. The smell of burned stuff, the precision required, the immediate feedback of a shiny joint versus a cold one. It's a meditative process that results in something tangible. A stark contrast to the ephemeral nature of most software work.

At the workshops I built a few kits and finally understood why my previous attempts at soldering had been so frustrating. Turns out, a decent iron and proper flux make all the difference. Who knew.

This year I want to do more electronic projects. Not just soldering kit builds, but actually designing and creating things:

• Experiment with microcontrollers beyond the usual Arduino blink sketches
• Something something ESP32 magic
• Maybe finally tackle that custom macro pad idea I've had for years
• Learn to read schematics properly
• Learn how to do my own PCB designs (Because why not!)
• Ordering way tooooo much stuff on aliexpress
• Creating blinking stuff
• Own programmable christmas lights for my Homeoffice plan/tree "Nain"

The hacker spaces and assembly halls at Congress were full of inspiration. People building everything from synthesizers to badge add-ons to art installations. That energy is contagious.

Time to heat up the iron.