https://trailcurrent.com/blog.html Build logs, field reports, deep dives, and release notes from the open-source Software Defined Vehicle platform. en-us Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://trailcurrent.com/blog/cnc-pendant-cameras-and-cabinets.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/cnc-pendant-cameras-and-cabinets.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The repos have been quiet, the shop has not. A handheld CNC pendant built on the same ESP32-P4 touchscreen that runs Fireside, headed for the cabinets in the cargo trailer conversion that started TrailCurrent. Plus early hardware testing on a camera controller that runs object detection on your rig, Milepost settled into the wall and behaving, and the heat problem holding up Cornerstone. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/closing-in-on-1-0.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/closing-in-on-1-0.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A status update from the bench. The field bugs we could not reproduce indoors now happen on demand, with a cable attached so we can watch why. Plus a talk button that reaches Peregrine from out at the fire, cameras on Headwaters, a matching look across every screen, a rolling hour of history on Fireside, and Cornerstone now in testing. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/live-camera-monitoring.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/live-camera-monitoring.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Overlook now has a Live Monitoring tab. Plug USB webcams into your Headwaters, turn them on in settings, and every camera shows up as a live tile on any phone, tablet, or laptop on your rig's wifi. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/mixed-navigation.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/mixed-navigation.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Overlook now routes you down real roads to the trailhead, then hands over to a GPX track you uploaded for the trail itself. All offline, on your rig, while every TrailCurrent sensor and alarm stays running. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/place-search-and-routing.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/place-search-and-routing.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Headwaters can now search for places by name and give you turn-by-turn directions, all from the map on your rig. No cell signal needed. A big step toward full offline navigation. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/one-build-phone-setup-live-maps.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/one-build-phone-setup-live-maps.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The next Headwaters image is here. One build turns out both CM5 variants at once, the download drops to 2.6 GB, first-time setup happens from your phone with no terminal, and uploading a fresh map from the browser is now working end to end. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/whats-cooking-maps-setup-cornerstone.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/whats-cooking-maps-setup-cornerstone.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Three big changes on deck for TrailCurrent. Real navigation in the offline map, a first-boot flow that skips SSH, and a combined firmware called Cornerstone that runs six modules on one board. Expect the repos to go a little quiet while this lands. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/easier-to-build.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/easier-to-build.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 TrailCurrent should be easier to build with every release. The new Buy It path for Headwaters is the latest step. Four off-the-shelf parts, no PCB, no printer, no soldering on this module. This is a direction, not a one-off. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/one-app-every-screen.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/one-app-every-screen.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Overlook now adapts to the screen you're on. Camping, Driving, and Storage modes; Spotter-level driving dashboard on any phone; reverse geocoded location; and locale settings for speed, temperature, and altitude. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-cm5-wireless-base.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-cm5-wireless-base.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A new Headwaters build option using the Waveshare CM5-IO-Wireless-Base. Skip the 3D print, skip the CAN HAT, skip the DTM connector. One board, one case, one order. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/heat-wave-test.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/heat-wave-test.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Multiple days above 100 degrees inside the test trailer. Headwaters ramped its fan, held CPU under 70 degrees Celsius, and kept the system online without a blink. On 200W of solar and a 100Ah battery. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/field-testing-spotter-milepost.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/field-testing-spotter-milepost.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Three days of real-world towing with Spotter and Milepost surfaced bugs the bench never showed. Most of the Spotter list is fixed. Milepost still has a couple of items in flight. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/sunsetting-torrent.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/sunsetting-torrent.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Torrent is retired. Switchback now covers light switching and Picket-format sensor inputs in one off-the-shelf module. One fewer custom PCB on the build list. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/cabinet-watch-everywhere.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/cabinet-watch-everywhere.html Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Cabinets you cannot see from the driver's seat. Stabilizer jacks below the rig. A fridge switch you bumped off on the way out the door. A ramp door you forgot to raise. Today the same alarm engine watches all of them across three TrailCurrent screens, and you decide what counts as worth knowing on each one. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/trailcurrent-claude-skills-open-source.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/trailcurrent-claude-skills-open-source.html Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The notes we write for the Claude AI assistant are now public on GitHub. First card is the EEZ Studio skill that built the FluidNC pendant's touchscreen in a single day. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/spotter-tow-vehicle-dashboard.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/spotter-tow-vehicle-dashboard.html Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Spotter is the little screen that rides up front with you. After a major rework, the Drive screen now shows battery, tire pressure, solar, turn signals and 7-pin trailer lamps at a glance. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/eez-studio-touchscreen-tutorial.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/eez-studio-touchscreen-tutorial.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 We build TrailCurrent, we give it away as open source, and we teach others how to do the same with their own ideas. This post and video are example three. A feature tour of EEZ Studio and LVGL, the free open source stack behind the touchscreens on Milepost and Fireside, demoed on a handheld FluidNC CNC pendant. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-community-build-australis.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-community-build-australis.html Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A builder in Europe is putting a TrailCurrent rig together from scratch and has designed a new module of their own. Australis watches the air inside a dog trailer and can tell the fan to kick on. The dashboard is already showing a spot for it. The sensors are in the mail. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-screen-reviewed.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-screen-reviewed.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Milepost runs on the Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-7B: an ESP32-S3, a 7-inch 1024x600 capacitive touch IPS panel, WiFi, and USB-C on a single board. A bench review of the screen, what is on the back, and why it earns its slot on the wall. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-llama-3b-runtime-gap.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-llama-3b-runtime-gap.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 What happened when we tried to move Peregrine's on-device language model from Llama 3.2 1B to 3B on the Radxa Dragon Q6A. What we tried, what blocked us, and what changes about the path forward. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/raspberry-pi-5-vs-radxa-q6a.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/raspberry-pi-5-vs-radxa-q6a.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A side-by-side look at the Raspberry Pi 5 and the Radxa Dragon Q6A, the $139 board that runs Playbill, runs Peregrine, and is the candidate second brain we are working through for Headwaters. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-q6a-hardware-acceleration.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-q6a-hardware-acceleration.html Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Two weeks of polish on Playbill. Local 4K movies play smoothly. The case is quieter and the buttons are where your hand expects them. The full desktop side of the box is more capable for users building their own things on it. Plus a public lessons-learned doc for anyone considering the Radxa Dragon Q6A for their own project. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/waveshare-esp32-s3-relay-can-review.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/waveshare-esp32-s3-relay-can-review.html Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hardware review of TrailCurrent Switchback, the 8-relay 8-input CAN-bus module built on the Waveshare ESP32-S3-ETH-8DI-8RO-C. Plus the design decision that quietly knocks a part off the BOM: the inputs broadcast in Picket format byte-for-byte. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/borealis-hardware-arrived.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/borealis-hardware-arrived.html Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Borealis sensor parts landed on the bench. Next up: wire the four sensors to the Waveshare ESP32-S3 carrier, burn in the MQ-6, validate against Headwaters over CAN, and start cutting the case in FreeCAD. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/farwatch-cert-renewal-in-container.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/farwatch-cert-renewal-in-container.html Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Three days of field testing surfaced a quiet failure mode in Farwatch's Let's Encrypt renewal. The fix moves certbot inside the Docker stack so the cloud heals itself without a host cron job. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-v01-image.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-v01-image.html Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Playbill v0.1 is a flashable image for the Radxa Dragon Q6A. Live TV, radio, AirPlay, DVD-to-library with metadata, YouTube, and rig telemetry, all from one flash. A prebuilt .img is on the way for people who don't want to install the dev tools. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/fireside-on-esp32-p4.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/fireside-on-esp32-p4.html Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Why Fireside runs on the ESP32-P4: a RISC-V MCU with dedicated MIPI-DSI, a 2D pixel pipeline, and an ESP32-C6 co-processor for WiFi 6. The video walks through the hardware and what it changes for a 7-inch touch dashboard. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-remote-in-the-pwa.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/playbill-remote-in-the-pwa.html Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Overlook PWA can now drive Playbill like a remote. Power, D-pad, transport, volume, and a streaming text field that types into whatever is focused on the TV. All over MQTT on the local network. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-switchback.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-switchback.html Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Switchback detail page is live. Eight relay outputs, eight Picket-format digital inputs, one off-the-shelf module. Bill of materials, hardware overview, wiring, CAN protocol, and a high-voltage safety section. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/raspberry-pi-5-vs-cm5.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/raspberry-pi-5-vs-cm5.html Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Raspberry Pi 5 vs CM5: why Headwaters switched. Availability, cost, assembly, and what the new Waveshare-base stack changes underneath. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/introducing-playbill.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/introducing-playbill.html Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Playbill is a low-power Linux desktop for your rig that doubles as the evening entertainment center. Built on the Radxa Dragon Q6A and tied into the rest of TrailCurrent. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/borealis-safety-sensor-suite.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/borealis-safety-sensor-suite.html Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Borealis adds real NDIR CO2, electrochemical CO, VOC trending, and propane leak detection in one open-source RV sensor. Firmware ready, parts on order. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-cellular-data.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-cellular-data.html Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 24/7 RV cloud monitoring uses about 100 MB over 7 days. ~430 MB a month fits inside your existing phone plan with room left for camping data. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/waveshare-esp32-s3-can-review.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/waveshare-esp32-s3-can-review.html Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hardware review of the Waveshare ESP32-S3 RS485 CAN board, the off-the-shelf module behind Bearing, Solstice, Reservoir, and most TrailCurrent CAN nodes. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-radxa-confirmed.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-radxa-confirmed.html Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Radxa Dragon Q6A build of Headwaters is confirmed working with the plain Waveshare RS485 CAN HAT. A 4 GB Q6A is about fifteen dollars more than a 4 GB CM5, but it skips the carrier board and uses a cheaper CAN hat, so the total Headwaters bill of materials lands lower. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-screen-timeout.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-screen-timeout.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Milepost lives on a wall in a space people sleep in. A lit screen at night is a problem. Here is why Milepost now goes truly dark on timeout, and what we learned about the CH32V003 backlight controller getting it there. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/trailcurrent-on-hackaday.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/trailcurrent-on-hackaday.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 TrailCurrent now has a project page on Hackaday.io. A short note on why, who it is for, and what we plan to post there alongside this blog. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-radxa-variant.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-radxa-variant.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A second reference platform for Headwaters. The Radxa Dragon Q6A joins the CM5 with on-board NVMe, on-board 12V input, and a cheaper CAN hat, widening availability and trimming cost so more people can build TrailCurrent. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-solstice.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-solstice.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Solstice detail page is live and the enclosure is now printable with a single click on MakerWorld. A full build guide for the solar and battery gateway: bill of materials, drawings, print profile, CAN map, and assembly. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/solstice-absorbs-ampline.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/solstice-absorbs-ampline.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Solstice now handles both solar MPPT and battery shunt monitoring. Ampline is retired. One module, one enclosure, one fewer line on the bill of materials. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-enclosure-on-makerworld.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-enclosure-on-makerworld.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Milepost 3D printed enclosure is now on MakerWorld. The physical design is locked, firmware is progressing fast, and OTA updates are validated on the 7-inch vehicle touchscreen display. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-milepost-update.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-milepost-update.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Peregrine is getting a pre-built image installer. Milepost shipped configurable buttons, web OTA, and a full dashboard UI. Overlook now supports zip deployments so the full system update story works whether you run a cloud or not. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-image-installer.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-image-installer.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Peregrine is moving to a flashable image installer. Flash once, boot twice, answer a few questions on first login, and your offline voice assistant is running. No provisioning scripts, no manual setup. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-reservoir.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-reservoir.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Reservoir detail page is live and the case is on Makerworld. Bill of materials, wiring, orthographic drawings, assembly animation, and a step-by-step build guide for the tank level monitor. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-case-on-makerworld.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-case-on-makerworld.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Peregrine case is now live on Makerworld. Print-ready, slicer-profiled, and ready to house the offline voice assistant module. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-peregrine.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-peregrine.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Peregrine detail page is live, and the case is now printable with a single click on Makerworld. A full build guide for the offline voice assistant: bill of materials, drawings, print profile, and assembly. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/multi-device-addressing.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/multi-device-addressing.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Torrent, Switchback, and Tapper firmware now support multi-device addressing. The web flasher picks the right binary for your setup. Run multiple power modules and switch panels on one CAN bus. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/reservoir-firmware-v1.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/reservoir-firmware-v1.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Reservoir v1.0.0 firmware is released alongside full wiring diagrams. Three tanks, twelve sensors, one ribbon cable, zero guesswork. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/v1-firmware-releases.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/v1-firmware-releases.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Torrent, Switchback, and Tapper ship their first stable firmware. Version 1.0.0 brings multi-device addressing, OTA updates, CAN bus discovery, and pre-built binaries for the web flasher. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/reservoir-takes-shape.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/reservoir-takes-shape.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Reservoir's tank level sensors are mounted and validated. Case design and connectors are in the final stretch — we expect to complete this module this week. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-hardware-locked.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/milepost-hardware-locked.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Milepost locks in the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-7B with a 1024x600 display and dimmable backlight. A new detachable wall-mount case keeps the install clean. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/flash-from-your-browser.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/flash-from-your-browser.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A new web-based flashing tool lets you program any TrailCurrent module directly from your browser. Pick a module, pick a release, plug in USB, click flash. No toolchain, no command line. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-case-on-makerworld.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-case-on-makerworld.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The first TrailCurrent case is now live on Makerworld. Headwaters leads the way, with every other module's case to follow. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-bearing.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-bearing.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bearing is the second TrailCurrent module to get a full detail page — bill of materials, dimensioned drawings, print settings, and assembly steps. We're working through every module at this level of detail. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/proximity-rules.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/proximity-rules.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Farwatch gets proximity-based rules for location-aware automation. A new repo, Reservoir, quietly joins the family. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-headwaters.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/build-your-own-headwaters.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The first detail page is live. Headwaters now has a full build guide — bill of materials, technical drawings, print settings, and assembly steps — so anyone can put one together. Every other module is next. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-in-the-trailer.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/headwaters-in-the-trailer.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Headwaters is now installed in the trailer and monitored live via Farwatch. Averaging 15W constant, 200W of solar and a 100Ah battery keep it running around the clock. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/why-spitz-plus.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/why-spitz-plus.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Why the GL.iNet Spitz Plus (GL-X2000) is the recommended router for TrailCurrent: low power, dual LAN, dual SIM, wall mount, barrel connector, and four SMA antennas. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/esp-idf-and-discovery.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/esp-idf-and-discovery.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Twelve firmware repos migrated from Arduino to ESP-IDF in a single week. Module auto-discovery lands across the bus. Node-RED comes out of the stack. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/goodbye-pi5-hello-cm5.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/goodbye-pi5-hello-cm5.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Headwaters drops the Raspberry Pi 5 in favor of a CM5 on a Waveshare base with a Waveshare CAN hat. All off-the-shelf, broadly available, and an entire carrier board EDA deleted. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/plateau-learns-to-level.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/plateau-learns-to-level.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Plateau moves to an IMU-based leveling approach, Peregrine gets a new language model and real intents, and Borealis is ready for DIY manufacturing. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-and-borealis.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/peregrine-and-borealis.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Peregrine (voice assistant) and Borealis (air quality) join the platform. Switchback ships its first Gerbers. And every repo gets renamed. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/fireside-goes-wireless.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/fireside-goes-wireless.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fireside trades wired CAN for WiFi + MQTT and becomes a real wall-mounted remote. Picket and Spotter pick up their first real firmware. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-deployments-end-to-end.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/first-deployments-end-to-end.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 WiFi credentials now travel over CAN, every firmware repo stops storing secrets, and the iOS PWA finally installs cleanly behind Let's Encrypt. https://trailcurrent.com/blog/public-on-github.html https://trailcurrent.com/blog/public-on-github.html Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 21 TrailCurrent repositories land on GitHub under trailcurrentoss. Headwaters gets a proper first-run experience and Milepost lights up for the first time.