Serious.
Engineering for things that have to work.
- Embedded systems
- Firmware and device software
- Web applications and PWAs
- Proof-of-concept builds
- Production-oriented engineering
For exampleAAC Time Bridge →
DIM8 Labs · Independent engineering · Grove City, Ohio
We build serious things.We build ridiculous things.We build ridiculous things seriously.
DIM8 Labs is an independent engineering company. We build embedded systems, firmware, and web and mobile software, from first proof-of-concept to documented, hardened product.
What we build
Two kinds of things. One way of building them.
Ridiculous.
Our own products, experiments, and odd builds, made because they were interesting.
- Vintage-computer games that install as PWAs
- An aquarium clock that sounds an alarm if someone falls asleep on the toilet
- Whatever is on the bench next
For exampleBathroom Clock V2 →
Seriously.
The method behind both.
- Architecture before code
- Documented decisions
- Failure handling and recovery
- Testing and measurement
- Hardening, then shipping
For exampleAbsurdly Accurate Clock →
Featured work
Selected work
Embedded system · Timing
Absurdly Accurate Clock
A GPS/PPS-disciplined clock on a Raspberry Pi Pico 2. Firmware keeps authoritative UTC independent of the display, drives a serial VFD over RS-232, and serves a read-only network-time interface.
Network appliance
AAC Time Bridge
An ESP32 appliance that qualifies UTC from the clock over SPI and serves it to the local network as NTP, with a WebUI for source qualification, network state, and diagnostics.
Website · Concept build
Hearts-a-Fire
A bold, mobile-friendly food truck site built around menu, location, and event discovery.
How we work
Spec → Prototype → Harden → Ship
The same four stages, whether it's a timing appliance or a bathroom clock.
Spec
What it must do, what it must never do, and how we'll know. Interfaces and failure cases come first.
Prototype
Prove the risky part early and cheaply, on the bench, with real hardware and real data.
Harden
Qualification, watchdogs, bounded retries, recovery paths. Measure behavior instead of assuming it.
Ship
Reproducible builds and documentation someone else can maintain.
On the Absurdly Accurate Clock, that meant PPS qualification before trusting time, a hardware watchdog, and a read-only network boundary.Read the case study →
From the lab
Products
Small, focused apps we design, build, and maintain ourselves. All three run in the browser and install as Progressive Web Apps.
DIM8 Solitaire: Klondike
Classic Klondike: just the cards and the game. Green felt or DIM8 dark mode, installable for offline play, with no ads, accounts, or tracking.
Model 8 Pinball
A vintage-computer-inspired pinball table, playable in the browser and installable as a Progressive Web App.
Mem Block 8
A cell-based puzzle game with memory-bank progression, a register-style HUD in hex, binary, or decimal, and microchip bonuses.
Capabilities
In the parts bin
- Silicon
- RP2040
- RP2350
- ESP32
- STM32
- Languages
- C
- C++
- MicroPython
- JavaScript
- Interfaces & timing
- GPS / PPS
- NTP
- SPI
- UART / RS-232
- Web
- Astro
- PWAs
- Static sites
- Device WebUIs
- Fabrication
- 3D printing
- Bench prototyping
Have a serious problem?Or a ridiculous one?
Embedded, firmware, or web. Tell us what it needs to do.