LEDs are getting smaller and smaller, and the newest generations of indexable RGB LEDs are even fiddlier to use than their already diminutive predecessors. [Alex Lorman] has written some notes about the minuscule SK6805-EC10 series of LEDs, which may be helpful to those wanting to learn how to deal with these in a more controlled manner.

Most hardware types will be very familiar with the 5050-sized devices, sold as Neopixels in some circles, which are so-named due to being physically 5.0 mm x 5.0 mm in the horizontal dimensions. Many LEDs are specified by this simple width by depth manner. As for addressable RGB LEDs (although not all addressable LEDs are RGB, there are many weird and wonderful combinations out there!) the next most common standard size down the scale is the 2020, also known as the ‘Dotstar.’ These are small enough to present a real soldering challenge, and getting a good placement result needs some real skills.

[Alex] wanted to use the even smaller EC10 or 1111 devices, which measure a staggering 1.1 mm x 1.1 mm! Adafruit’s product page mentions that these are not intended for hand soldering, but we bet you want to try! Anyway, [Alex] has created a KiCAD footprint and a handy test PCB for characterizing and getting used to handling these little suckers, which may help someone on their way. They note that hot air reflow soldering needs low temperature paste (this scribe recommends using MG Chemicals branded T3 Sn₄₂Bi₅₇Ag₁ paste in this application) and a very low heat to avoid cracking the cases open. Also, a low air flow rate to prevent blowing them all over the desk would also be smart. Perhaps these are more suited to hot plate or a proper convection oven?

As a bonus, [Alex] has previously worked with the slightly larger SK6805-1515 device, with some good extra notes around an interesting nonlinearity effect and the required gamma correction to get good colour perception. We’ll leave that to you readers to dig into. Happy soldering!

We’ve not yet seen many projects using these 1111 LEDs, but here’s one we dug up using the larger 1515 unit.

The tale of the Microsoft Xbox Kinect is one of those sad situations where a great product was used in an application that turned out to be a bit of a flop and was discontinued because of it, despite its usefulness in other areas. This article from the Guardian is a quick read on how this handy depth camera has found other uses in somewhat niche areas, with not a computer game in sight.

It’s rather obvious that a camera that can generate a 3D depth map, in parallel with a 2D reference image, could have many applications beyond gaming, especially in the hands of us hackers. Potential uses include autonomous roving robots, 3D scanning, and complex user interfaces—there are endless possibilities. Artists producing interactive art exhibits would sit firmly in that last category, with the Kinect used in countless installations worldwide.

Apparently, the Kinect also has quite the following in ghost-hunting circles, which as many a dubious TV show would demonstrate, seem almost entirely filmed under IR light conditions. The Kinect’s IR-based structured light system is well-suited for these environments. Since its processing core runs a machine learning application specifically trained to track human figures, it’s no surprise that the device can pick up those invisible, pesky spirits hiding in the noise. Anyway, all of these applications depend on the used-market supply of Kinect devices, over a decade old, that can be found online and in car boot sales, which means one day, the Kinect really will die off, only to be replaced with specialist devices that cost orders of magnitude more to acquire.

In the unlikely event you’ve not encountered non-gaming applications for the Kinect, here’s an old project to scan an entire room to get you started. Just to be perverse, here’s a gaming application that Microsoft didn’t think of, and to round out, the bad news that Microsoft has really has abandoned the product.