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https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/will-we-recycle-fpgas-in-the-future/
Will We Recycle FPGAs In The Future?
Al Williams
[ "FPGA" ]
[ "fpga", "recycle" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…12/fpg.png?w=800
If you really want to look at how much something costs, you need to look at total cost of ownership, not just the sticker price. Same goes for things like pollution and carbon footprint. A vehicle, for example, might have a low carbon footprint in operation but require more carbon in the manufacturing or disposal proce...
21
11
[ { "comment_id": "6711011", "author": "drenehtsral", "timestamp": "2023-12-23T03:35:27", "content": "Heck, I’m pretty sure Xilinx already sells some SKUs which are built this way: A carrier die containing mostly interconnect, the support hardware to configure the interconnect fabric, and the drivers ...
1,760,372,066.181309
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/spice-up-your-earrings-with-microelectronics/
Spice Up Your Earrings With Microelectronics
Julian Scheffers
[ "Wearable Hacks" ]
[ "0402", "attiny", "earrings", "industrial earring", "jewelry" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…eature.jpg?w=800
We’ve covered [mitxela] in the past and if you know him, you’ll likely know him for putting the micro in microelectronics. This year, he’s at it again with his LED Industrial Piercing . This tiny PCB is really pushing the limits of fabrication Inspired by the absolutely tiny 0402 LEDs and industrial piercings , [mitxel...
9
6
[ { "comment_id": "6710989", "author": "Needleroozer", "timestamp": "2023-12-23T00:25:55", "content": "Here’s the link to his writeup for those who don’t want to watch a video:https://mitxela.com/projects/scaffold", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6...
1,760,372,066.128807
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/30-guitar-build-shows-what-you-can-do-with-amazon-parts/
$30 Guitar Build Shows What You Can Do With Amazon Parts
Lewin Day
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "build", "guitar" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…enshot.png?w=800
Most guitarists buy their axes fully assembled from big names like Fender, Gibson, and… maybe Yamaha? Sure. But there are a dedicated set that relish in mixing and matching parts and even building and assembling their own instruments. [Danny Lewis] decided to see what he could do with the cheapest guitar parts from Ama...
20
11
[ { "comment_id": "6710957", "author": "LookAtDaShinyShiny", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T21:23:36", "content": "Fyi. it’s not a bandsaw that was used to cut the outer faces of the body, it’s a scroll saw, pretty much a fretsaw strapped to a motor, much more forgiving on the fingers and ears, the bulk of ...
1,760,372,065.699455
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/ultra-basic-thermal-camera-built-using-arduino-uno/
Ultra-Basic Thermal Camera Built Using Arduino Uno
Lewin Day
[ "Arduino Hacks", "Tool Hacks" ]
[ "Arduino Uno", "thermal camera", "thermal imaging" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…901171.jpg?w=800
Thermal cameras can cost well into the five-figure range if you’re buying high-resolution models with good feature sets. New models can be so advanced that their export and use is heavily controlled by certain countries, including the USA. If you just want to tinker at the low end, though, you don’t have to spend a lot...
17
7
[ { "comment_id": "6710931", "author": "Phil Maitrot", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T19:48:30", "content": "I always wondered if it’s possible to stack 4 of those 32×32 sensors in a way that they overlap, and by software retrieve a higher resolution picture of those sensors", "parent_id": null, "de...
1,760,372,065.857337
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/hackaday-podcast-episode-249-data-by-laser-and-parachute-bluetooth-hacks-googles-gotta-google/
Hackaday Podcast Episode 249: Data By Laser And Parachute, Bluetooth Hacks, Google’s Gotta Google
Tom Nardi
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Podcasts" ]
[ "Hackaday Podcast" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ophone.jpg?w=800
‘Twas the podcast before Christmas, and all through the house, the best hacks of the week are dancing around Elliot and Tom’s heads like sugar-plums. Whatever that means. I’d just like to interject for a moment . What you’re referring to as Christmas is, in fact, Happy/Holidays. Before settling their brains in for a lo...
6
3
[ { "comment_id": "6710985", "author": "Thomas Brusehaver", "timestamp": "2023-12-23T00:00:23", "content": "Modulo math, Elliot remember 13 is 0 to 12.Add 1 unless you are indexing the list from 0.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6711090", ...
1,760,372,066.230797
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/saving-the-planet-with-carefully-cut-paper/
Saving The Planet With Carefully Cut Paper
Kristina Panos
[ "green hacks" ]
[ "kirigami", "packaging", "recycling" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…k-800.jpeg?w=800
You may not think much of origami or its cousin-with-cutouts kirigami, but the latter could (and already is) helping to save the planet. But let’s back up a bit. Most readers will be familiar with origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. But there is also kirigami, which uses a series of cuts to produce 3D shapes fr...
28
8
[ { "comment_id": "6710899", "author": "Gravis", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T17:35:42", "content": "As always, this will only be adopted if it’s the cheaper option. Amazon already abandoned all of it’s climate commitments.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment...
1,760,372,066.019322
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/this-week-in-security-terrapin-seized-unseized-and-autospill/
This Week In Security: Terrapin, Seized Unseized, And Autospill
Jonathan Bennett
[ "computer hacks", "Hackaday Columns", "News", "Security Hacks" ]
[ "Autospill", "phishing", "Terrapin" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…rkarts.jpg?w=800
There’s a new SSH vulnerability, Terrapin ( pdf paper ), and it’s got the potential to be nasty — but only in an extremely limited circumstance. To understand the problem, we have to understand what SSH is designed to do. It replaces telnet as a tool to get a command line shell on a remote computer. Telnet send all tha...
5
2
[ { "comment_id": "6710875", "author": "steelman", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T16:00:54", "content": "SSH wraps it all inside a public-key encrypted tunnel.No, the tunnel is symmetric-key encrypted. Public-key encrypted is the symmetric-key exchange.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies"...
1,760,372,065.740589
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/giant-demonstrator-explains-how-dlp-projectors-work/
Giant Demonstrator Explains How DLP Projectors Work
Lewin Day
[ "Tech Hacks" ]
[ "display", "dlp", "dmd", "projector" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…03504.webp?w=756
Texas Instruments developed digital mirror devices, and the subsequent digital light processing (DLP) projector, starting in the late 1980s. The technology is a wondrous and fanciful application of micro-scale electronics and optics. Most of us that have tangled with these devices have had to learn their mode of operat...
5
2
[ { "comment_id": "6710911", "author": "cplamb", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T18:16:46", "content": "Before TI used square mirrors pivoted on two opposite corners they used a different technology. The mirrors were little metal dimples which popped between concave and convex just like the silicon rubber fi...
1,760,372,065.644262
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/22/open-source-dc-ups-keeps-the-low-voltage-gear-going/
Open Source DC UPS Keeps The Low-Voltage Gear Going
Dan Maloney
[ "Battery Hacks" ]
[ "18650", "bms", "dc", "ESP32", "network", "rp2040", "stm32", "Uninterruptible Power Supply", "ups" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…S2023.jpeg?w=800
We all like to keep our network gear running during a power outage — trouble is, your standard consumer-grade uninterruptible power supply (UPS) tends to be overkill for routers and such. Their outlet strips built quickly get crowded with wall-warts, and why bother converting from DC to AC only to convert back again? T...
26
9
[ { "comment_id": "6710826", "author": "ono", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T11:44:40", "content": "If it needs 3 MCUs to achieve a simple task, it´s almost sure the software side is a clutter mess.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710890", "a...
1,760,372,066.080443
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/zerowriter-promises-zero-distractions-while-writing/
Zerowriter Promises Zero Distractions While Writing
Kristina Panos
[ "Raspberry Pi" ]
[ "e-ink display", "e-ink typewriter", "raspberry pi", "Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…r-main.jpg?w=800
As great as full-blown desktop computers may be for web surfing, gaming, and what have you, they are theaters of distraction when it comes time to write. And while there are machines out there purpose-built for writing, the price tags run awfully high for what they are, which is essentially a microprocessor handling a ...
15
9
[ { "comment_id": "6710735", "author": ".", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T06:38:15", "content": "Looks alright. I hope that the e-ink can update fast enough to not be totally unusable (sub-50 ms or so is my guess, probably very possible with localized updates)", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "...
1,760,372,065.80337
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/desalinating-water-with-the-sun/
Desalinating Water With The Sun
Navarre Bartz
[ "green hacks", "Solar Hacks" ]
[ "clean water", "desalination", "mit", "passive solar", "plumbing", "pumps", "seawater", "Shanghai Jiao Tong University", "solar", "water" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…RESS_0.jpg?w=800
Getting fresh water from salt water can be difficult to do at any kind of scale. Researchers have developed a new method of desalinating water that significantly reduces its cost. [via Electrek ] By mimicking the thermohaline circulation of the ocean, the researchers from MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University were able...
12
3
[ { "comment_id": "6710692", "author": "GotNoTime", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T04:33:13", "content": "https://hackaday.com/2023/10/02/passive-desalination-discovers-how-to-avoid-salt-clogging/", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6718677", "aut...
1,760,372,066.376682
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/vu-meter-built-with-neat-graphical-vfd-display/
VU Meter Built With Neat Graphical VFD Display
Lewin Day
[ "Arduino Hacks" ]
[ "arduino", "VU meter" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…794913.png?w=800
VFD displays are beloved for their eerie glow that sits somewhere just off what you’d call blue. [mircemk] used one of these displays to create an old-school VU meter that looks straight out of a 1970s laboratory. The build uses an Arduino Nano as the brains of the operation, which uses its analog inputs to process inc...
14
6
[ { "comment_id": "6710624", "author": "meyouthemus", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T00:07:09", "content": "Everybody keeps sayingVU meterwhat does VU even stand for?", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710677", "author": "MinorHavoc", "t...
1,760,372,066.28257
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/making-a-guitar-go-to-eleven-the-hard-way/
Making A Guitar Go To Eleven, The Hard Way
Dan Maloney
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "brass", "guitar", "knob", "machining", "potentiometer", "spline" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…r_knob.jpg?w=800
At the end of the day, all it takes to make a guitar go to eleven is a new knob. Making the knob is another thing — that takes a shop full of machine tools, the expertise to use them, and a whole bunch of time. Then again, if you’re pressed for time, it looks like a 3D printer will do nicely too. While the 3D printing ...
10
8
[ { "comment_id": "6710583", "author": "LordNothing", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T21:10:41", "content": "its sort of why my crunch box doesn’t have a stomp switch. why would i ever want to turn it off?", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6710592", "a...
1,760,372,066.326262
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/bed-sensors-do-more-than-youd-think/
Bed Sensors Do More Than You’d Think
Kristina Panos
[ "Lifehacks", "Microcontrollers" ]
[ "ESP32", "esphome", "home automation", "leak detector", "pressure sensor", "sensor" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…rs-800.png?w=800
Bed sensors do sort of sound like a gimmick — after all, who cares whether someone is occupying the bed? But if you think about it, that information is quite useful from a home automation standpoint. A person could do all sorts of things in this state, from ensuring the overhead lights in the room can’t come on, to tur...
24
11
[ { "comment_id": "6710567", "author": "Hirudinea", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T20:24:29", "content": "If the bed’s a-rockin’, start data loggin’!", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710829", "author": "Bob", "timestamp": "2023-12-22T1...
1,760,372,066.92948
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/displays-we-love-hacking-spi-and-i2c/
Displays We Love Hacking: SPI And I2C
Arya Voronova
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Parts", "Slider" ]
[ "I2C oled", "oled", "oled display", "oled screen", "OLED SSD1306", "SPI display", "SPI screen", "tft", "TFT display", "TFT LCD", "tft screen" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…bright.png?w=800
I’ve talked about HD44780 displays before – they’ve been a mainstay of microcontroller projects for literal decades. In the modern hobbyist world, there’s an elephant in the room – the sheer variety of I2C and SPI displays you can buy. They’re all so different, some are LCD and some are OLED, some have a touchscreen la...
18
7
[ { "comment_id": "6710542", "author": "KDawg", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T18:38:58", "content": "” and if you can’t find schematics, re-draw the breakout ”Nah…I like to be able for someone or myself to be able to recreate the things I make, and part of that is using things that are common and documente...
1,760,372,066.779672
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/teardown-of-fgm-148-javelin-missiles-guidance-computer/
Teardown Of FGM-148 Javelin Missile’s Guidance Computer
Maya Posch
[ "Teardown", "Weapons Hacks" ]
[ "avionics", "missile guidance" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ardown.jpg?w=800
You know it’s a good teardown when [Michel] starts off by saying to not ask him where exactly he got the guidance section of an FGM-148 Javelin from. This shoulder-launched anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a true marvel of engineering that has shown its chops during recent world events. As a fire-and-forget type guid...
45
8
[ { "comment_id": "6710508", "author": "jpa", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T16:46:44", "content": "I wonder how small you could fit all this today? Maybe an Infiray module and any fast CPU like ESP32 or STM32.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710511"...
1,760,372,066.867288
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/how-do-you-test-if-an-eeprom-can-hold-data-for-100-years/
How Do You Test If An EEPROM Can Hold Data For 100 Years?
Lewin Day
[ "Engineering", "Featured", "hardware", "Original Art", "Slider" ]
[ "accelerated aging", "eeprom", "flash", "flash storage", "hardware" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…dAging.jpg?w=800
Data retention is a funny thing. Atmel will gladly tell you that the flash memory in an ATmega32A will retain its data for 100 years at room temperature. Microchip says its EEPROMs will retain data for over 200 years. And yet, humanity has barely had a good grasp on electricity for that long. Heck, the silicon chip its...
40
15
[ { "comment_id": "6710481", "author": "hartl", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T15:32:30", "content": "“There’s no point testing EEPROMs at 500 C, where they’ll melt and burn in mere seconds”Only the plastic package would be damaged. Die, lead frame and bond wires will probably survive, their melting points ...
1,760,372,067.08473
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/teslas-plug-moves-another-step-closer-to-dominance/
Tesla’s Plug Moves Another Step Closer To Dominance
Navarre Bartz
[ "Battery Hacks", "car hacks", "green hacks" ]
[ "CCS", "chademo", "electric vehicle", "ev", "EV charger", "Federal Highway Administration", "SAE International", "SAE J3400", "standards", "tesla" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…90707.jpeg?w=800
Charging an EV currently means making sure you find a station with the right plug. SAE International has now published what could be the end to the mishmash of standards in North America with the J3400 North American Charging Standard . The SAE J3400TM North American Charging Standard (NACS) Electric Vehicle Coupler Te...
46
9
[ { "comment_id": "6710454", "author": "JKW", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T13:26:09", "content": "277 V – You Americans and your funny electrical systems :)", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710457", "author": "limroh", "timestamp": "...
1,760,372,067.006012
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/21/arduino-measures-remaining-battery-power-with-zero-components-no-i-o-pin/
Arduino Measures Remaining Battery Power With Zero Components, No I/O Pin
Donald Papp
[ "Arduino Hacks", "Microcontrollers" ]
[ "adc", "arduino", "atmega", "attiny", "battery", "low battery", "power monitor", "voltage" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…801952.png?w=800
[Trent M. Wyatt]’s CPUVolt library provides a fast way to measure voltage using no external components, and no I/O pin. It only applies to certain microcontrollers, but he provides example Arduino code showing how handy this can be for battery-powered projects. The usual way to measure VCC is simple, but has shortcomin...
22
6
[ { "comment_id": "6710408", "author": "wilhe_jo", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T09:07:15", "content": "Ähmm, guess how precise measurements have been done for the last decades on any micro that does not feature a Vref pin… Yes, exactly that way!Nothing new for a “pro”, but maybe good information for the y...
1,760,372,067.146005
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/homebrew-gel-fuel-keeps-the-steam-coming-legally/
Homebrew Gel Fuel Keeps The Steam Coming, Legally
Dan Maloney
[ "chemistry hacks", "classic hacks" ]
[ "ethanol", "external combustion", "fuel", "gel", "hexamine", "steam", "Sterno" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…a_snow.png?w=800
All it takes is one knucklehead to go and do something stupid to screw things up for everyone. We’re not exactly sure who the knucklehead is behind the recent ban on hexamine fuel tablets, but given that it’s now proscribed in the UK under the “Control of Poisons and Explosives Precursors Regulations 2023,” we expect t...
31
11
[ { "comment_id": "6710382", "author": "SayWhat?", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T06:30:36", "content": "Hexamine is a precursor for the simplest synthesis of the chemical explosive RDX; in many areas its availability is tightly regulated due to this.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": ...
1,760,372,067.489029
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/multi-view-wire-art-meets-generative-ai/
Multi-View Wire Art Meets Generative AI
Donald Papp
[ "Art", "Artificial Intelligence", "Machine Learning" ]
[ "art", "generative AI", "multi-view", "wire art" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.png?w=800
DreamWire is a system for generating multi-view wire art using machine learning techniques to help generate the patterns required. The 3-dimensional wire pattern in the center creates images of Einstein, Turing, and Newton depending on viewing angle. What’s wire art? It’s a three-dimensional twisted mass of lines which...
10
5
[ { "comment_id": "6710357", "author": "Gravis", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T04:16:27", "content": "Oh yes, my favorite character, “Caption America”. :)", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710359", "author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Re...
1,760,372,067.317592
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/floss-weekly-episode-762-spilling-the-tea/
FLOSS Weekly Episode 762: Spilling The Tea
Jonathan Bennett
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Podcasts", "Slider" ]
[ "fedora", "FLOSS Weekly", "open source", "red hat" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…pewire.jpg?w=800
Editor’s Note: We’re excited to announce that Hackaday is the new home of FLOSS Weekly, a long-running podcast about free, libre, and open-source software! The TWiT network hosted the podcast for an incredible seventeen years, but due to some changes on their end, they recently had to wind things down. They were gracio...
8
4
[ { "comment_id": "6710390", "author": "Drone", "timestamp": "2023-12-21T07:36:59", "content": "From [1]: “On December 13, 2023, TWiT dropped the podcast, citing cost concerns.[2] In response, the show was picked up by Hackaday, with Jonathan Bennett taking over as lead host.”So it seems that amongst ...
1,760,372,067.421598
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/slab-casting-a-new-way-to-combine-3d-printing-and-ceramics/
Slab Casting – A New Way To Combine 3D Printing And Ceramics
Navarre Bartz
[ "3d Printer hacks" ]
[ "3d printer", "3d printing clay", "ceramic", "clay", "curing", "research" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…-9-54.jpeg?w=800
Slip casting can be messy both in processing and in making the original plaster mold. What if there was a better way, thanks to 3D printing ? [Allie Katz] has developed a new technique using 3D printed slab molds to make ceramics. By combining the ability of 3D printing to make intricate designs and the formability of ...
11
7
[ { "comment_id": "6710306", "author": "GoguyT3d", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T23:19:49", "content": "Interesting, as I have only attempted a one piece mold for custom silicone casting. It worked out quite well. I have considered 2 piece molds for epoxy but not much else. I am trying to limit the additio...
1,760,372,067.379394
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/retrotechtacular-1960s-doc-calls-computers-the-universal-machine/
Retrotechtacular: 1960s Doc Calls Computers The Universal Machine
Drew Littrell
[ "Retrotechtacular" ]
[ "1960s", "documentary", "history", "retro computing", "retrotechtactular" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ngular.gif?w=780
It’s weird to think that an abacus would have still been used sixty years ago, or so posits the documentary series The Computer and the Mind of Man . This six part series originally aired on San Francisco local television station KQED in 1962, a time where few people outside of academia had even stood next to such a de...
5
3
[ { "comment_id": "6710295", "author": "Kasimir K", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T22:23:11", "content": "I’d like to point out that the “boops and bleeps” are by the electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick, and looks like that this series was among his very first works, if not the first.", "parent_id...
1,760,372,067.537928
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-all-the-lego/
Keebin’ With Kristina: The One With All The LEGO
Kristina Panos
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Peripherals Hacks", "Slider" ]
[ "Caligraph 2", "carpenter tau keyboard", "lego", "LEGO keyboard", "LEGO typewriter", "nyan cat", "wooden keyboard" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…Keebin.jpg?w=800
It seems like mechanical keyboard enthusiasts are more spoiled for choice with each passing day. But as broad as the open source pool has become, there’s still no perfect keyboard for everyone. So, as people innovate toward their own personal endgame peripherals and make them open source, the pool just grows and grows....
3
2
[ { "comment_id": "6710219", "author": "David", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T18:16:37", "content": "I was really hoping that lego typewriter was a functional typewriter. I guess I’ll have to settle forthis printer made of lego blocksinstead.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ ...
1,760,372,067.586089
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/a-transistor-but-for-heat-instead-of-electrons/
A Transistor, But For Heat Instead Of Electrons
Donald Papp
[ "chemistry hacks", "Science" ]
[ "conductivity", "heat management", "research", "Thermal", "transistor" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…d_fire.png?w=800
Researchers at UCLA recently developed what they are calling a thermal transistor: a solid-state device able to control the flow of heat with an electric field . This opens the door to controlling the transfer of heat in some of the same ways we are used to controlling electronics. Heat management can be a crucial task...
31
16
[ { "comment_id": "6710200", "author": "Benjamin Goldberg", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T17:18:29", "content": "I wonder if their new transistor works for phonons.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710289", "author": "Jace", "timestam...
1,760,372,067.652104
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/beyond-the-basics-exploring-exotic-scope-trigger-modes/
Beyond The Basics: Exploring Exotic Scope Trigger Modes
Al Williams
[ "Featured", "Original Art", "Skills" ]
[ "oscilloscope", "triggering" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…Models.jpg?w=800
Will Rogers once said that veterinarians are the best doctors because their patients can’t tell them where it hurts. I’ve often thought that electronic people have a similar problem. In many cases, what’s wrong with our circuits isn’t visible. Sure, you can visually identify a backward diode, a bad solder joint, or a b...
15
5
[ { "comment_id": "6710176", "author": "Don Reid", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T16:25:32", "content": "My favorite trigger was the 2nd one on old Tek scopes. You could set up the main trigger and a delay, then arm the second trigger. That lets you see an event which is after a first one but with a varia...
1,760,372,067.73424
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/up-close-and-personal-with-a-mems-microphone/
Up Close And Personal With A MEMS Microphone
Dan Maloney
[ "digital audio hacks", "Teardown" ]
[ "etching", "MEMS", "microelectromechanical systems", "microfabrication", "microphone", "scanning electron microphone", "sem", "silicon" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…em_mic.png?w=800
If you’ve ever wondered what lies beneath the barely visible hole in the can of a MEMS microphone, you’re in luck, because [Zach Tong] has a $10 pair of earbuds to sacrifice for the cause and an electron microscope. For the uninitiated, MEMS stands for microelectromechanical systems, the tiny silicon machines that powe...
14
5
[ { "comment_id": "6710139", "author": "Shoe", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T14:31:41", "content": "What boggles my mind about this the most isn’t the intricate fabrication which is needed and which can be done at scale, but the price it can be done at too. Incredible sensor tech at a handful of pennies p...
1,760,372,068.205333
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/20/explore-neural-radiance-fields-in-real-time-even-on-a-phone/
Explore Neural Radiance Fields In Real-time, Even On A Phone
Donald Papp
[ "Machine Learning" ]
[ "3d", "6dof", "deep learning", "nerf", "neural radiance fields" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…enshot.png?w=800
Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) is a method of reconstructing complex 3D scenes from sparse 2D inputs, and the field has been growing by leaps and bounds. Viewing a reconstructed scene is still nontrivial, but there’s a new innovation on the block: SMERF is a browser-based method of enabling full 3D navigation of even la...
8
7
[ { "comment_id": "6710142", "author": "Ostracus", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T14:51:32", "content": "“Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) is a method of reconstructing complex 3D scenes from sparse 2D inputs…”New and improved compression.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { ...
1,760,372,068.103401
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/how-a-lego-set-is-born/
How A LEGO Set Is Born
Navarre Bartz
[ "Toy Hacks" ]
[ "design", "lego", "product development" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…d-wide.jpg?w=800
LEGOs are the first window into making something in your head become real for many makers. The Verge dug into how a LEGO set itself goes from idea to the shelves . While most sets come from the minds of LEGO designers, since 2008, fans can submit their own sets to LEGO Ideas for the chance to become a real product. In ...
11
3
[ { "comment_id": "6710062", "author": "Kalten", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T08:46:50", "content": "“*LEGO* is the first window into”", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710075", "author": "Biotronic", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T10:03:33...
1,760,372,068.061051
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/nasas-tech-demo-streams-first-video-from-deep-space-via-laser/
NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space Via Laser
Maya Posch
[ "News", "Space" ]
[ "deep space", "laser communication" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…h-1320.jpg?w=800
Everyone knows that the most important part of a tech demo is to make the right impression, and the team over at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) definitely had this part nailed down when they showed off streaming a cat video from deep space using laser technology as part of NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communicatio...
46
16
[ { "comment_id": "6710004", "author": "Bad Ideas Abounding", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T03:09:35", "content": "If the aliens intercept it, they’ll think we’re a planet of cats.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710112", "author": "Oskar", ...
1,760,372,068.352216
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/reverse-engineering-the-stadia-controller-bluetooth-switching-procedure/
Reverse-Engineering The Stadia Controller Bluetooth Switching Procedure
Maya Posch
[ "Games", "Reverse Engineering" ]
[ "Stadia" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…a_feat.jpg?w=800
Ever since the demise of Google’s Stadia game streaming service, the associated Stadia controllers have found themselves in limbo, with the only way to switch them from the proprietary WiFi mode to Bluetooth by connecting to a special Google website. Yet as [Gary] found out, all this website does is flash a firmware fi...
11
4
[ { "comment_id": "6709976", "author": "Ostracus", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T01:11:46", "content": "Suggesting a white elephant.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6709999", "author": "Drone", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T02:36:41", "content":...
1,760,372,068.155314
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/robotic-rose-of-enchantment-drops-petals-on-command/
Robotic Rose Of Enchantment Drops Petals On Command
Kristina Panos
[ "Arduino Hacks" ]
[ "beauty and the beast", "Circuit Playground", "rose", "rose of enchantment", "servo", "trimmer line" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…e-main.png?w=683
In Disney’s 1991 film Beauty and the Beast , an enchantress curses the young (10 or 11-year-old) prince to beast-hood for spurning her based solely on her appearance. She gives him a special rose that she says will bloom until his 21st birthday, at which time he’ll be turned back into a prince, provided that he learned...
2
2
[ { "comment_id": "6710030", "author": "craig", "timestamp": "2023-12-20T05:11:29", "content": "A+ hack and even better Youtube video. Short and to the point. Bless you.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6713771", "author": "Tom", "timestam...
1,760,372,068.00659
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/raspberry-pi-zero-powers-custom-camera-platform/
Raspberry Pi Zero Powers Custom Camera Platform
Tom Nardi
[ "digital cameras hacks", "Raspberry Pi" ]
[ "diy camera", "Pi HQ camera", "Raspberry Pi Zero" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…m_feat.jpg?w=800
These days, most of us are carrying a fairly impressive digital camera with us at all times. But as capable as the hardware and software of a modern smartphone may be, there’s still plenty of reasons you may want a “real” camera to go along with it. The larger sensor, advanced controls, and selection of lenses that you...
7
2
[ { "comment_id": "6709895", "author": "spaceminions", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T21:39:06", "content": "It’s a shame that DIY cameras can’t get the sensors that established camera brands use, because their firmware is always so locked down and missing features that could easily be made to run on the ha...
1,760,372,068.270977
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/australia-bans-engineered-stone-workers-elsewhere-demand-the-same/
Australia Bans Engineered Stone, Workers Elsewhere Demand The Same
Lewin Day
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Misc Hacks", "Slider" ]
[ "asbestos", "engineered stone", "Quartz", "silicosis" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.png?w=800
Engineered stone, also known as artificial stone or composite stone, has become a popular material in the construction and design industries due to its aesthetic appeal and durability. It’s become the go-to solution for benchtops in particular, with modern kitchens and bathrooms heavily featuring engineered stone in th...
199
40
[ { "comment_id": "6709800", "author": "Mark Topham", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T18:05:38", "content": "The ban is entirely unnecessary overreaction. Techniques to deal safely with the material have been known for decades.This problem isn’t new, it just shifted markets, and the market chose to ignore th...
1,760,372,068.797694
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/making-a-kit-kat-clock-even-creepier/
Making A Kit-Kat Clock Even Creepier
Kristina Panos
[ "clock hacks", "Raspberry Pi" ]
[ "clock", "Kit-Kat clock", "secret santa", "Seeed Grove AI Vision", "servo", "Xiao rp2040" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…k-800.jpeg?w=800
If there’s anything as American as baseball and apple pie, it’s gotta be the Kit-Kat clock in the kitchen. For the unfamiliar, the Kit-Kat clock is special in that its pendulum tail and eyes move back and forth with each passing second. They’re equal parts cute and creepy. But not this particular Kit-Kat , not once [Be...
10
3
[ { "comment_id": "6709768", "author": "Bob the builder", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T16:38:59", "content": "Oh funny. I watched a video about this yesterday from the makers secret santa group on YT. They make cool gifts for each other.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { ...
1,760,372,068.399228
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/parachute-drops-are-still-a-viable-solution-for-data-recovery-from-high-altitude-missions/
Parachute Drops Are Still A Viable Solution For Data Recovery From High Altitude Missions
Lewin Day
[ "Engineering", "Original Art", "Raspberry Pi", "Space" ]
[ "aerial drop", "balloon", "balloon mission", "data recovery system", "parachute", "parachute drop", "raspberry pi", "space", "space mission" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…SAdata.jpg?w=800
Once upon a time, when the earliest spy satellites were developed, there wasn’t an easy way to send high-quality image data over the air. The satellites would capture images on film and dump out cartridges back to earth with parachutes that would be recovered by military planes. It all sounds so archaic, so Rube Goldbe...
12
6
[ { "comment_id": "6709741", "author": "dougm", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T15:12:10", "content": "A long range drone intercept capture would be really cool", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6709806", "author": "PEBKAC", "timestamp": ...
1,760,372,068.542822
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/bringing-apl-to-the-masses-the-history-of-the-ibm-5100/
Bringing APL To The Masses: The History Of The IBM 5100
Maya Posch
[ "History", "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "APL", "ibm 5100" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…gazine.jpg?w=800
The 1970s was a somewhat awkward phase for the computer industry — as hulking, room-sized mainframes became ever smaller and the concept of home and portable computers more capable than a basic calculator began to gain traction. Amidst all of this, two interpreted programming languages saw themselves being used the mos...
42
19
[ { "comment_id": "6709689", "author": "APL_Guy", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T13:19:54", "content": "Programming in APL was my first job in the field, at STSC.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6710530", "author": "wrljet", "timestamp...
1,760,372,068.892105
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/19/its-an-audio-distortion-analyzer-just-not-the-one-you-were-hoping-for/
It’s An Audio Distortion Analyzer, Just Not The One You Were Hoping For
Jenny List
[ "Teardown" ]
[ "audio", "bang & olufsen", "distortion meter" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
An audio distortion analyzer is a specialist piece of analogue test equipment that usually costs a lot of money and can be hard to track down on the second hand market. Finding one is a moment of luck for the average engineer then, but [Thomas Scherrer OZ2CPU]’s discovery isn’t quite what he might have hoped for . None...
7
3
[ { "comment_id": "6709607", "author": "Gérald", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T09:09:01", "content": "About old audio analyzer gears, i have a nice one to restore: a Meguro MK-668C Wow Flutter Meter, in rather good shape with its gorgeous japanese nixie tubes display.But i’m unable to locate user and servi...
1,760,372,068.933674
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/when-is-an-engineer-not-an-engineer-when-hes-a-canadian-engineer/
When Is An Engineer Not An Engineer? When He’s A Canadian Engineer
Jenny List
[ "Engineering", "News" ]
[ "chartered engineer", "engineer" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
In medieval Europe, many professions were under the control of guilds. These had a monopoly over that profession in their particular city or state, backed up with all the legal power of the monarch. If you weren’t in the guild you couldn’t practice your craft. Except in a few ossified forms they are a thing of the past...
218
50
[ { "comment_id": "6709306", "author": "Jared", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T16:41:47", "content": "Why should engineering graduates have exclusive claim over the title Engineer anyways? The Corps of Royal Engineers employed Military Engineers 200 years before APEGA/APEGS claimed the term.Most discussion ...
1,760,372,069.347568
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/renewable-energy-beyond-electricity/
Renewable Energy: Beyond Electricity
Bryan Cockfield
[ "Current Events", "Engineering", "Featured", "News", "Slider" ]
[ "green hydrogen", "hydrogen", "wind power" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…6/Wind.jpg?w=800
Perhaps the most-cited downside of renewable energy is that wind or sunlight might not always be available when the electrical grid demands it. As they say in the industry, it’s not “dispatchable”. A large enough grid can mitigate this somewhat by moving energy long distances or by using various existing storage method...
72
8
[ { "comment_id": "6709293", "author": "Dude", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T16:03:22", "content": ">Perhaps the most-cited downside of renewable energy is that wind or sunlight might not always be available when the electrical grid demands it.This is technically always, since wind or solar simply don’t re...
1,760,372,069.045988
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/mickey-shall-be-free/
Mickey Shall Be Free!
Jenny List
[ "Art", "Interest" ]
[ "copyright", "Mickey Mouse", "public domain" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
The end of the year brings with it festive cheer, and a look forward into the new year to come. For those with an interest in intellectual property and the public domain it brings another treat, because every January 1st a fresh crop of works enter the public domain. We’ll take a look at the wider crop around the day, ...
24
8
[ { "comment_id": "6709266", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T12:59:13", "content": "I don’t know if I do like Mickey and Disney anymore.As a child, I loved reading Micky Maus and Donald Duck comics in Donald Duck pocket books, though. These stories were amazing.But that was another Mick(e...
1,760,372,069.102753
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/storage-media-forgotten/
Storage Media Forgotten
Al Williams
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "data storage", "removable disk" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…/shark.png?w=800
These days, cheap removable storage is no problem. USB sticks are virtually free at moderate capacity and not unreasonable, even at relatively large sizes. They are rugged, work across platforms, and don’t require any exotic interfaces. But this hasn’t always been the case.  In the 1990s, people wanted to store too muc...
24
13
[ { "comment_id": "6709246", "author": "Erik Johnson", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T10:13:42", "content": "Great now there will be a spike in making the unobtanium media disappear completley", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6709268", "author": "Swo...
1,760,372,069.540133
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/remembering-ed-roberts-the-home-computer-pioneer-you-should-have-heard-of-but-probably-havent/
Remembering Ed Roberts, The Home Computer Pioneer You Should Have Heard Of But Probably Haven’t
Jenny List
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "altair", "home computer", "MITS altair" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…altair.png?w=800
We’re pretty familiar with such names as Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Jack Tramiel, Nolan Bushnell, and the other movers and shakers of the 1970s home computer world. But there’s one person who towered among them for a few years before cashing out and leaving the computer business to pursue the life he’d always wanted. [...
8
6
[ { "comment_id": "6709217", "author": "daveboltman", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T06:21:15", "content": "I think that should be [Gareth Edwards]. Easy to confuse! Feel free to delete this message after correcting, if you like.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "com...
1,760,372,069.388489
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/the-hot-chocolate-effect-explained/
The Hot Chocolate Effect Explained
Al Williams
[ "Science" ]
[ "bubbles", "hot chocolate effect" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…/12/hc.png?w=800
This is the time of year when people in the Northern Hemisphere like to enjoy hot beverages like hot chocolate. [The Action Lab] uses hot chocolate to demonstrate an odd acoustic effect . Tapping a container of hot chocolate — or even just hot water — will make a sound at a certain frequency. But if you keep tapping, t...
19
12
[ { "comment_id": "6709206", "author": "Sean", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T03:59:39", "content": "I have been baffled by this phenomenon for years. I actually just showed it to my kids this weekend when we busted out the hot chocolate for the season. Excited to share the explanation!", "parent_id": n...
1,760,372,069.591364
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/hackaday-links-december-17-2023/
Hackaday Links: December 17, 2023
Dan Maloney
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Hackaday links", "Slider" ]
[ "hackaday links" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…banner.jpg?w=800
Disappointing news from the US Senate this week as the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” failed to advance in the sausage-making legislative process. We’ve previously covered this bill , which aims to force vehicle manufacturers to provide the means to receive terrestrial AM broadcasts in their cars and trucks without t...
16
11
[ { "comment_id": "6709140", "author": "Drone", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T00:33:40", "content": "The “AM for Every Vehicle Act” is pure politics. What is said on AM radio in the U.S. may be in disagreement with a certain political ideology, therefore it must be SILENCED! Dissent now is not only treason...
1,760,372,069.640681
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/a-360-view-of-a-classic-drive-in-speaker/
A 360° View Of A Classic Drive-In Speaker
Kristina Panos
[ "classic hacks" ]
[ "bluetooth", "drive-in theater", "fusion360", "lm386", "speaker" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…r-800.jpeg?w=800
Readers of a certain vintage no doubt have pleasant memories of drive-in theaters, and we are chuffed to see that a few hundred of these cinematic institutions endure today. While most theaters broadcast the audio on an FM station these days, the choice is still yours to use the chunky, often crackly speaker that attac...
22
6
[ { "comment_id": "6709593", "author": "C", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T08:21:40", "content": "There are many free text-to-speech converters that produce a much better quality voice than this Chinese woman that tries to speak English. It ruins the total experience.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1...
1,760,372,069.705943
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/recycling-batteries-with-bacteria/
Recycling Batteries With Bacteria
Navarre Bartz
[ "Battery Hacks", "green hacks" ]
[ "batteries", "recycling", "science" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
Vehicle battery recycling is going to be a big deal with all the electric cars hitting the roads. What if you could do it more effectively with the power of microbes ? (via Electrek ) “Li-ion” vehicle batteries can be any of a number of different chemistries , with more complex cathode makeups, like NCM (LiNi x Mn y Co...
6
2
[ { "comment_id": "6709557", "author": "Nick", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T05:23:11", "content": "It feels like this article is encouraging me to throw my batteries in the ocean.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6709602", "author": "Johnu", ...
1,760,372,069.842149
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/simulate-a-better-termination/
Simulate A Better Termination
Al Williams
[ "Misc Hacks" ]
[ "SPICE", "termination" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…/scope.png?w=800
If you are making certain precision measurements, you know you need to terminate the connections with the right impedance, normally 50 ohms. Proper termination minimizes reflections on the line which can disturb measurements. Some instruments already have 50 ohm terminations, at least optionally. If not, you usually us...
3
3
[ { "comment_id": "6709597", "author": "Sm", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T08:35:30", "content": "Thanks for linking to the video – I thought the topic was well explained by the presenter.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6709628", "author": "Mordae...
1,760,372,069.798389
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/old-prius-gets-upgraded-batteries/
Old Prius Gets Upgraded Batteries
Bryan Cockfield
[ "Transportation Hacks" ]
[ "battery", "car", "hybrid", "lithium", "nickel metal hydride", "nimh", "prius", "replacement", "vehicle" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…s-main.jpg?w=800
So many of the batteries made today are lithium batteries of some sort, from mobile phones, laptops, and drones to electric cars and grid storage solutions. But this technology is relatively new; even as late as the 90s and early 00s the only widely-available batteries for things like power tools or the new hybrid vehi...
24
7
[ { "comment_id": "6709459", "author": "Brad Granath", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T22:11:36", "content": "They’ve been sold out for years. Plus, its very clear that battery chemistry that goes above and beyond the stock capacity does essentially nothing without having hacked the Battery Management system...
1,760,372,069.763758
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/hacking-an-nfc-e-paper-display-from-waveshare-with-mystery-mcu/
Hacking An NFC E-Paper Display From Waveshare With Mystery MCU
Maya Posch
[ "Microcontrollers", "Reverse Engineering" ]
[ "eink", "epaper" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…isplay.jpg?w=800
These days e-paper (eInk) displays are everywhere, with stores being one of the largest users of smaller, monochrome versions of these persistent displays. This has also made them a solid target of hackers who seek to not only reverse-engineer and reuse discarded ones, but also ones sold to consumers, with [Aaron Chris...
15
4
[ { "comment_id": "6709503", "author": "Timmy!", "timestamp": "2023-12-19T00:40:40", "content": "So how long until the crackdown when stores are forced to hack-proof these things when people demand them to honour ridiculous mark-downs, because “that was the displayed price” 😆", "parent_id": null,...
1,760,372,071.651876
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/ask-hackaday-what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-solder/
Ask Hackaday: What Do You Do When You Can’t Solder?
Lewin Day
[ "Ask Hackaday", "Hackaday Columns", "Slider" ]
[ "crimps", "scotchloks", "solder seal", "WAGO" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…oncept.jpg?w=800
Ah, soldering. It’s great for sticking surface mount parts to a PCB, and it’s really great for holding component legs in a plated through-hole. It also does a pretty great job of holding two spliced wires together. With that said, it can be a bit of a fussy process. There are all manner of YouTube videos and image tuto...
93
35
[ { "comment_id": "6709350", "author": "Tadpole", "timestamp": "2023-12-18T18:05:36", "content": "Wagos cost a small fortune, but they *just might* be worth it. It’s also nice that you can connect solid wire core to braided wire easily with them. Personally I like the 1 slot extenders that you can use...
1,760,372,072.134201
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/18/the-superconference-badge-hack-chat/
The Superconference Badge Hack Chat
Dan Maloney
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Slider" ]
[ "Hack Chat" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.png?w=800
Join us on Wednesday, December 20 at noon Pacific for the Superconference Badge Hack Chat with Elliot Williams and Voja Antonic! There’s a lot to get excited about when October rolls around and you know Supercon is right around the corner. Catching up with old friends, making new ones, hanging out in the alley, catchin...
0
0
[]
1,760,372,071.322081
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/roll-your-own-sdr/
Roll Your Own SDR
Al Williams
[ "Radio Hacks" ]
[ "gnu radio", "sdr" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…12/grc.png?w=800
If you have software-defined radio hardware and you are only using someone elses’ software, you are missing out on half of the fun. [Tech Minds] shows you how easy it can be to roll your own software using GNU Radio Companion in a recent video. GNU Radio usually uses Python, but with the companion software you rarely n...
8
7
[ { "comment_id": "6708879", "author": "RWood", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T06:49:28", "content": "Another good source for learning about SDR and GNU Radio is the “Software Defined Radio with HackRF” series by Michael Ossmannhttps://greatscottgadgets.com/sdr/Its centered around the HackRF device, but t...
1,760,372,071.483854
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/hubless-e-bike-is-nostalgic/
Hubless E-Bike Is Nostalgic
Al Williams
[ "Transportation Hacks" ]
[ "ebike", "hubless", "penny farthing" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…2/bike.png?w=800
[Chris Makes Stuff] is an aptly named channel. His recent video shows how he took a kid’s electric motorcycle toy and built a “penny farthing” bicycle . You might not know the bike by that name, but when you see it in the video below, you’ll recognize it. These Victorian-era bikes used a single large wheel before chain...
12
6
[ { "comment_id": "6708709", "author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T21:10:57", "content": "My mistake, I started reading this article thinking it was about someone putting a hub motor into a Penny Farthing.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] ...
1,760,372,071.442431
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/the-logg-dogg-how-a-mysterious-logging-robot-leads-down-twisting-forestry-paths/
The Logg Dogg: How A Mysterious Logging Robot Leads Down Twisting Forestry Paths
Maya Posch
[ "Reverse Engineering", "Robots Hacks" ]
[ "forestry" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…s_work.jpg?w=800
There are many places where you’d want to use remotely controlled robots, but perhaps forestry isn’t the first application to come to mind. Yet there are arguments to be made for replacing something like a big logging machine with grapple for a much smaller robot. The reduced ground pressure can be beneficial in fragil...
32
9
[ { "comment_id": "6708680", "author": "HaHa", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T20:15:45", "content": "Logging is dangerous AF.It’s an obvious choice for automation. But not easy.Have to program it to finish off/dispose of tree sitting protestors…Without it being obvious.Was a problem just waiting for AI. Now...
1,760,372,071.898235
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/you-cant-make-what-you-cant-measure/
You Can’t Make What You Can’t Measure
Elliot Williams
[ "Hackaday Columns" ]
[ "measurement", "newsletter", "rants" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ion-02.jpg?w=800
What’s the most-used tool on your bench? For me, it’s probably a multimeter, although that’s maybe a tie with my oscilloscope. Maybe after that, the soldering iron and wire strippers, or my favorite forceps. Calipers must rate in there somewhere too, but maybe a little further down. Still, the top place, and half of my...
30
11
[ { "comment_id": "6708591", "author": "Ostracus", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T15:24:00", "content": "“What’s the most-used tool on your bench? For me, it’s probably a multimeter, although that’s maybe a tie with my oscilloscope. ”Or the clamp meter.https://youtu.be/kawFTI5-kqU", "parent_id": null, ...
1,760,372,071.820874
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/the-small-and-silly-synth-now-even-smaller-but-just-as-silly/
The Small And Silly Synth Now Even Smaller (But Just As Silly)
Dan Maloney
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "CH32V003", "midi", "piezo", "synth", "synthesizer. monotonic", "USB C" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ynths2.jpg?w=800
What do you do when you’ve carved out a niche for yourself as a builder of small and useless synthesizers? Why, build an even smaller and less useful synthesizer , of course! If you’ve been paying even a minimal amount of attention you’ll know right away that this comes to use from [mitxela], who while not playing with...
9
6
[ { "comment_id": "6708551", "author": "Daniel", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T12:52:48", "content": "There is still potential for improvement:– Use a MEMS speaker– Use a more powerful microcontroller for better synthesisTiny Wifi/BT dongles move the controller into the USB A connector. Would that maybe be...
1,760,372,071.597976
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/forget-the-altair-remember-the-mark-8/
Forget The Altair! Remember The Mark-8!
Al Williams
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "8 bit", "8008", "mark 8" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…/mark8.png?w=800
Calling any one computer the first hobby computer is fraught with peril. Most people think the MITS Altair 8800, first featured in Popular Electronics back in January 1975, was the first. Some might argue that others were first, but there is no doubt that the Altair started the hobby computer revolution from a practica...
39
15
[ { "comment_id": "6708519", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T10:56:19", "content": "The great thing about the Altair 8800 and IMSAI 8080 were their use of expansion slots (S-100 etc) and the use of the 8080/8085/Z80.That way, they could be expanded into real Personal Computers running pro...
1,760,372,071.732163
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/take-the-minimal-pain-out-of-esp32-programming/
Take The Minimal Pain Out Of ESP32 Programming
Jenny List
[ "Microcontrollers" ]
[ "CH340", "ESP32", "programmer" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
Perhaps without many of us realising it, our single board computers perform the task of making programming their processor or SoC a lot easier. They take care of setting the right lines or commands to put the chip in programming mode, they deal with timings, such that we simply fire our code from our dev environment wi...
29
12
[ { "comment_id": "6708497", "author": "shays", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T09:48:54", "content": "Mandatory could have used a 555", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6708931", "author": "Reactive Light", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T09:51:...
1,760,372,071.551604
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/second-life-ups-mark-ii-a-ups-for-low-voltage-dc-applications/
Second Life UPS Mark II: A UPS For Low-Voltage DC Applications
Maya Posch
[ "Battery Hacks", "how-to" ]
[ "dc ups", "power supply", "ups" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…sembly.jpg?w=800
When you have a whole stack of devices and appliances that all have an AC to DC adapter and which you’d like to put on an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), you could do the obvious thing and get an off-the-shelf UPS with myriad AC outputs. In the case of a 19″ rack this means wrangling a power strip or two and any co...
17
5
[ { "comment_id": "6709080", "author": "KenN", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T21:27:10", "content": "I’ve found it easiest to get an automotive 12v lead-acid battery that’s still got some life in it. Easy to get or build a charger for that. Then a simple DC distribution board with fuses or breakers for diff...
1,760,372,072.192993
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/mind-control-no-not-like-that/
Mind Control… No, Not Like That
Al Williams
[ "Peripherals Hacks", "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "mind control", "peripherals", "snake oil" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…2/mind.png?w=800
[Vintage Geek] found an interesting device from 1996 called “MindDrive” which claims you can control your computer with your brain. Oddly, though, it doesn’t connect to your head. Instead, it has a little finger sensor that looks like a pulse-ox sensor. Did it work ? The video below will show you what it can and can’t ...
6
4
[ { "comment_id": "6709063", "author": "Steven-X", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T20:12:12", "content": "They just needed better software.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6709064", "author": "Steven-X", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T20:14:4...
1,760,372,072.235929
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/the-dark-side-of-hacking-xmas-lights-literally/
The Dark Side Of Hacking XMas Lights, Literally
Maya Posch
[ "LED Hacks", "Reverse Engineering" ]
[ "bluetooth", "home automation" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
When looking at the piles of cheap RGB, Bluetooth-controlled LED strips you can find for sale just about anywhere these days, integrating them into a home-automation setup is very tempting. Normally these strips are controlled via a special smartphone app, that speaks whatever dodgy protocol was thrown together for the...
18
6
[ { "comment_id": "6709011", "author": "Menno", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T15:31:44", "content": "Everyone knows you should only turn it up to 11.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6709052", "author": "CH", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T1...
1,760,372,072.290108
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/calculation-before-we-went-digital/
Calculation Before We Went Digital
Al Williams
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "calculator", "slide rule" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…2/calc.png?w=800
We have to like [Nicola Marras]. First, he wrote a great mini-book about analog computers . Then he translated it into English. Finally, he opened with a picture of Mr. Spock using an E6-B flight slide rule. What’s not to like? We suggest you settle in when you want to read it — there are almost 60 pages of text, photo...
18
8
[ { "comment_id": "6708980", "author": "Ostracus", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T13:19:21", "content": "“Everyone we knew wore theirs on the belt. Engineering students looked like they were carrying a short sword all around campus. Still, maybe someone had them in their pockets.”Swiping part of was a child...
1,760,372,072.393746
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/17/the-laptop-every-british-kid-would-have-wanted-for-christmas-1983/
The Laptop Every British Kid Would Have Wanted For Christmas 1983
Jenny List
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "palmtop", "spectrum", "ZX Spectrum" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
How can we convey to a world in which a 64-bit laptop can be a near-throwaway item, just how amazing a miniature laptop version of the 1980s Sinclair ZX Spectrum could have been? perhaps we don’t need to, because here in 2023 there’s a real one for all middle-aged geeks who had the original to drool over. 8-bit home co...
12
2
[ { "comment_id": "6708925", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T09:22:37", "content": "This would have been easily possible back then, too. I’d preferred an ZX81, though.There used to be portable black/white TVs running off batteries (mono cells aka D cells).The smaller portable TVs had an i...
1,760,372,072.335227
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/arduino-auto-glockenspiel-looks-proper-in-copper/
Arduino Auto-Glockenspiel Looks Proper In Copper
Kristina Panos
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "arduino", "glockenspiel", "solenoid" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…el-800.jpg?w=800
What is it about solenoids that makes people want to make music with them? Whatever it is, we hope that solenoids never stop inspiring people to make instruments like [CamsLab]’s copper pipe auto-glockenspiel. At first, [CamsLab] thought of striking glasses of water, but didn’t like the temporary vibe of a setup like t...
19
12
[ { "comment_id": "6708865", "author": "shinsukke", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T06:13:30", "content": "Very coolThere is something just magical about live music. Its somehow “satisfying” to hear music being created from instruments as opposed to speakers.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "rep...
1,760,372,072.452264
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/16/conductive-cellulose-based-fibers-for-clothing-coming-soon/
Conductive Cellulose-Based Fibers For Clothing: Coming Soon?
Maya Posch
[ "Science" ]
[ "conductive fabric", "conductive textiles", "textiles" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…d534_o.jpg?w=800
Summary of the process of producing side-by-side PANI and cotton cellulose fibers. (Credit: Wongcheng Liu et al., 2023) With the rise of ‘smart’ devices, it seems like only a matter of time before smart fabrics become an every day thing. Yet a complication with these is that merely threading copper wires into clothing ...
4
2
[ { "comment_id": "6709024", "author": "Piotrsko", "timestamp": "2023-12-17T16:13:52", "content": "Guessing signal voltages and currents. Hv/power is probably deadly", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6709073", "author": "DerAxeman", "timest...
1,760,372,072.49782
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/inside-electronic-gain-control/
Inside Electronic Gain Control
Al Williams
[ "classic hacks" ]
[ "electronic gain control", "jfet", "op-amp" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…12/egc.png?w=800
Normally, if you want to control the gain of an amplifier, you’ll use a variable resistor. You know, like a volume control. But what if you want to control the amplifier’s gain with a voltage? [Engineering Prof] explains a circuit that can do this using a pair of op amps and a pair of matched JFETs. The analysis is sim...
18
6
[ { "comment_id": "6708415", "author": "TG", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T05:19:30", "content": "Or if you’re like my old receiver, you just add a motor and a little belt to a potentiometer for the remote control", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6708...
1,760,372,072.555559
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/1d-led-pong-arduino-style/
1D LED PONG, Arduino-Style
Kristina Panos
[ "Arduino Hacks", "Games" ]
[ "1D Pong", "arduino", "leds", "pong" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…NG-800.jpg?w=800
Maybe it’s just us, but isn’t it kind of amazing that in a world of pretty darn realistic games, PONG is still thrilling to play? This 1D implementation by [newsonator] is about as exciting as it gets. It works like you’d probably expect — the light moves back and forth between the two players. Keep it in the green and...
4
4
[ { "comment_id": "6708438", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-16T06:40:42", "content": "That’s a fine idea for a game. Well done! 😃👍When I saw it, my first thought was how this could be implemented by TTL or relay technology.By using a shift register or a counting chain (relay), I thought, ...
1,760,372,072.60451
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/repairing-an-hp-power-supply/
Repairing An HP Power Supply
Al Williams
[ "Repair Hacks", "Teardown" ]
[ "autoranging", "HP", "power supply" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…2/hpps.png?w=800
One of the interesting things about living in modern times is that a confluence of the Internet and rapid changes in the electronics industry means that test gear that used to be astronomically priced is now super affordable. Especially if, like [Frankie Mashockie], you can do a little repair work. He picked up an HP60...
3
1
[ { "comment_id": "6708330", "author": "cliff claven", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T22:13:06", "content": "$2675 in 1990 was the list price…. (Seehttp://hparchive.com/Catalogs/HP-Catalog-1990.pdfpg470)THese are nice units, even by today’s standards. 0.01% +-3mV regulation, 0.01% +-5mA in current mode, wit...
1,760,372,072.782836
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/hackaday-podcast-episode-248-cthulhu-clock-radio-transharmonium-thunderscan-and-how-to-fill-up-in-space/
Hackaday Podcast Episode 248: Cthulhu Clock Radio Transharmonium, Thunderscan, And How To Fill Up In Space
Dan Maloney
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Podcasts" ]
[ "Hackaday Podcast" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ophone.jpg?w=800
This week, Elliot sat down with Dan for the penultimate podcast of 2023, and what a week it was. We started with news about Voyager; at T+46 years from launch, any news tends to be bad, and the latest glitch has everyone worried. We also took a look at how close the OSIRIS-REx mission came to ending in disaster, all fo...
0
0
[]
1,760,372,072.743301
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/mods-turn-junk-ups-into-a-long-endurance-beast/
Mods Turn Junk UPS Into A Long-Endurance Beast
Dan Maloney
[ "Battery Hacks" ]
[ "battery", "deep cycle", "inverter", "lead-acid", "sla", "Uninterruptible Power Supply", "ups" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ce_ups.png?w=800
If you’ve got a so-called uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on your system, you’re probably painfully aware that the “uninterruptible” part has some pretty serious limits. Most consumer units are designed to provide power during a black out only long enough to gracefully shut down your system. But with a few hacks lik...
36
12
[ { "comment_id": "6708269", "author": "PWalsh", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T17:57:40", "content": "A couple of months ago I scored a *really nice* industrial UPS rack-mount system. Both batteries are dead, but I knew that.Some of the people at the local makerspace work at a UPS company, and they claim t...
1,760,372,073.121402
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/this-week-in-security-traingate-dns-and-jmp-slides/
This Week In Security: Traingate, DNS, And JMP Slides
Jonathan Bennett
[ "Hackaday Columns", "News", "Security Hacks" ]
[ "dns", "JMP", "newag" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…rkarts.jpg?w=800
Remember Dieselgate, the scandal where certain diesel vehicles would detect an emissions test, and run cleaner for it, “cheating” the test? Traingate may just put that one into perspective . We’ll tell the story from the beginning, but buckle up for a wild and astonishing ride. It all starts with Polish trains getting ...
5
3
[ { "comment_id": "6708256", "author": "BillyG", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T17:19:49", "content": "Yet another train was scheduled to break down with a bad compressor on a given date — and a programming error delayed that breakdown until a year later.If true, I think the Poles should contract the Sicili...
1,760,372,073.162898
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/building-a-solar-powered-supercapacitor-based-speaker/
Building A Solar-Powered, Supercapacitor-Based Speaker
Maya Posch
[ "home entertainment hacks", "Portable Audio Hacks" ]
[ "diy speaker", "super capacitor" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
Inspired by many months of hours-long load shedding in South Africa, [JGJMatt] decided to make a portable speaker that can play tunes for hours on a single charge and even charge off the integrated solar panel to top the charge off. None of this should sound too surprising, but what differentiates this speaker is the u...
12
6
[ { "comment_id": "6708187", "author": "Twisty Plastic", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T13:43:33", "content": "I hate batteries. This is amazing! I love living in the future.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6708284", "author": "Dayjar Voo", ...
1,760,372,073.045551
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/15/its-a-microphone-and-a-spring-reverb-all-in-one/
It’s A Microphone And A Spring Reverb All In One
Jenny List
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "microphone", "piezo", "reverb", "spring reverb" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
We’re so used to reverb effects being simply another software plugin that it’s easy to forget the electromechanical roots of the effect. Decades ago, a reverb would have been a metal spring fed at one end with a speaker and attached at the other to a microphone. You may not see them often in the 2020s, which is probabl...
8
4
[ { "comment_id": "6708148", "author": "metalman", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T09:38:48", "content": "That is just plain cool.it turns the microphone into an instrument in its own right.awsome idea,zillabuttuggly,hope they keep iterating and explore the full potential", "parent_id": null, "depth"...
1,760,372,072.989349
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/laser-cut-zither-instrument-kicks-it-old-world-style/
Laser Cut Zither Instrument Kicks It Old World Style
Drew Littrell
[ "Musical Hacks" ]
[ "laser cutter", "laser cutter projects", "musical instruments", "woodworking" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…Header.jpg?w=800
Learning to play an instrument takes a certain level of dedication — and you can add another layer of dedication on top of that when it’s an instrument not found at your local Guitar Center. But it’s an entirely new level of dedication when someone crafts the instrument from scratch. If you’re looking for an example, c...
4
3
[ { "comment_id": "6708221", "author": "Ed Hering", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T15:05:21", "content": "That’s a hammered dulcimer, not a zither.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6708366", "author": "Chris Maple", "timestamp": "2023-1...
1,760,372,073.401999
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/charging-while-driving-now-possible-in-michigan/
Charging While Driving Now Possible In Michigan
Navarre Bartz
[ "green hacks", "Transportation Hacks" ]
[ "ehighway", "electric truck", "electric trucks", "induction charger", "truck", "trucks" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…d-wide.jpg?w=800
Heavy vehicles like semi trucks pose a bigger challenge in electrifying the transportation fleet than smaller, more aerodynamic passenger cars. Michigan now has the first public in-road charging system in the United States to help alleviate this concern. [via Electrek ] Electreon, a company already active in Europe , w...
66
21
[ { "comment_id": "6708091", "author": "rgm", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T03:17:30", "content": "I don’t understand how a complicated system that’s less efficient is better than plugging in or swapping batteries?", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "67080...
1,760,372,073.361358
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/sneakernet-power-transmission/
Sneakernet Power Transmission
Navarre Bartz
[ "Battery Hacks", "green hacks" ]
[ "battery", "battery sharing", "community", "sneakernet" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…-9_V02.png?w=800
Power outages in the face of natural disasters or more mundane grid failures can range from a mild inconvenience to a matter of life or death if you depend on electrical medical equipment. [Shareable] and [People Power Battery Collective] have partnered to develop a toolkit for communities looking to share power with e...
29
5
[ { "comment_id": "6708072", "author": "rclark", "timestamp": "2023-12-15T01:36:21", "content": "Why? Just fire up your gas powered generator. Done! As long as you have gas, you have power. Simple.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6708080", ...
1,760,372,073.47453
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/quick-negative-voltage-for-an-op-amp/
Quick Negative Voltage For An Op Amp
Al Williams
[ "hardware" ]
[ "negative power supply", "negative rail", "op-amp" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…12/neg.png?w=800
It is a classic problem when designing with op amps: you need the output to go to zero, but — for most op amps — you can’t quite get down to the supply rail. If your power options are a positive voltage and ground, you can’t get down to zero without a special kind of op amp which might not meet your needs. The best thi...
30
9
[ { "comment_id": "6708022", "author": "Dude", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T21:32:48", "content": "When designing op-amp circuits, you’re often using a chip with 2, 4, 6 etc. amplifiers on the same die when you only need 1,3,5… so you end up with an extra. Instead of using many parts to make an oscillator...
1,760,372,074.009081
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/disposable-vape-batteries-turned-usb-power-bank/
Disposable Vape Batteries Turned USB Power Bank
Tom Nardi
[ "Battery Hacks" ]
[ "cell balancing", "charge controller", "Lithium-ion battery", "usb power bank" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…t_feat.jpg?w=800
It’s another one of those fun quirks about our increasingly cyberpunk world — instead of cigarette butts littering our streets, you’re more likely to find disposable vaporizers that have run out of juice. Unfortunately, while the relatively harmless paper remnants of a cig would eventually just fall apart when exposed ...
31
13
[ { "comment_id": "6707984", "author": "Michael Garber", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T19:53:30", "content": "OK. so the module supplies 5V from the batteries. But how does on charge them?Wouldnt something like this be better:https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Charger-Discharge-Integrated-Lithium/dp/B098989NR...
1,760,372,073.560336
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/hacker-tactic-internal-esd-diode-probing/
Hacker Tactic: Internal ESD Diode Probing
Arya Voronova
[ "Hackaday Columns", "how-to", "Repair Hacks", "Tool Hacks" ]
[ "debugging", "debugging tools", "esd diode", "test equipment" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…g_feat.jpg?w=800
Humans are walking high voltage generators, due to all the friction with our surroundings, wide variety of synthetic clothes, and the overall ever-present static charges. Our electronics are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD), and often they’re sensitive in a way most infuriating – causing spurious errors and l...
15
11
[ { "comment_id": "6707967", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T18:54:45", "content": "1970s TTL and NMOS were not so vulnerable to ESD, too.It was early CMOS and DRAM which were vulnerable to ESD. Modern CMOS has protective-circuits built-in to compensate for this design flaw.", "parent...
1,760,372,073.620873
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/the-nintendo-switch-cpu-exposed/
The Nintendo Switch CPU Exposed
Al Williams
[ "ARM", "Nintendo Hacks" ]
[ "arm", "Nintendo Switch", "Tegra X1" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…/tegra.png?w=800
Ever wonder what’s inside a Nintendo Switch? Well, the chip is an Nvidia Tegra X1. However, if you peel back a layer, there are four ARM CPU cores inside — specifically Cortex A57 cores, which take up about two square millimeters of space on the die. The whole cluster, including some cache memory, takes up just over 13...
8
4
[ { "comment_id": "6707945", "author": "dinogon", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T17:48:57", "content": "I can’t help but wonder if the four unused cores were back from the earlier days where they might’ve hoped to use them when the system was undocked…That said considering it’s basically just a slightly cus...
1,760,372,073.664785
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/how-germanys-troubled-pebble-bed-reactor-came-of-age-in-china/
How Germany’s Troubled Pebble Bed Reactor Came Of Age In China
Maya Posch
[ "Engineering", "Featured", "Interest", "Original Art", "Science", "Slider" ]
[ "nuclear reactors", "pebble bed reactor" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…bleBed.jpg?w=800
Although the concept of nuclear fission is a simple and straightforward one, the many choices for fuel types, fuel design, reactor configurations, coolant types, neutron moderator or reflector types, etc. make that nuclear fission reactors have blossomed into a wide range of reactor designs, each with their own advanta...
57
13
[ { "comment_id": "6707908", "author": "Joshua", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T15:58:55", "content": "The fascinating article mentioned “Die Wolke” (the cloud), but not the famous children song “Karl der Käfer” of 1983 (Carl the bug).Luckily I’m here for you to fix that! 😁https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S...
1,760,372,073.767924
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/polish-train-manufacturer-threatens-hackers-who-unbricked-their-trains/
Polish Train Manufacturer Threatens Hackers Who Unbricked Their Trains
Jenny List
[ "News", "Reverse Engineering" ]
[ "drm", "newag", "reverse engineering", "right to repair", "trains" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
A week ago we covered the story of a Polish train manufacturer who was caught using software to brick their products after they had been repaired by in independent railway workshop. Now 404 Media has a follow-up story with more information, including the news that the hackers responsible for the discovery are now being...
63
12
[ { "comment_id": "6707864", "author": "Jan", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T12:27:39", "content": "After reading the previous and current article about the Newag trains, I must make a note “not to buy any of their trains”. Because, even bad publicity is good publicity. Meaning that if I have enough room an...
1,760,372,073.934436
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/14/when-is-a-typewriter-a-printer-when-it-has-a-parallel-port/
When Is A Typewriter A Printer? When It Has A Parallel Port
Kristina Panos
[ "Raspberry Pi" ]
[ "giant keyswitch", "KB2040", "raspberry pi", "Swintec", "typewriter" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ec-800.jpg?w=800
If you want to talk to a typewriter using something other than your fingers on the keys, you could do a lot worse than to pick up a specimen featuring a Centronics parallel port. That’s what happened to [mlupo], who came across an old Swintec 1146 CMP and decided to hack it into an art installation. At the push of a gi...
13
8
[ { "comment_id": "6707871", "author": "h2odragon", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T12:50:44", "content": "Long time ago, I had a serial terminal daisy wheel printer. Big Wide format tractor feed eating monster built into a desk, with a “clunk” style keyboard on it. Lovely.I used it as a printer a lot; becau...
1,760,372,073.829034
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/porting-cp-m-to-a-z80-thing/
Porting CP/M To A Z80 Thing
Al Williams
[ "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "brother", "CP/M" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…rother.png?w=800
It is hard to describe the Brother SuperPowerNote. It looks like a big old Z80-based laptop, but it says it is a notebook. The label on it says (with lots of exclamation marks) that it is a word processor, a communications system, a personal scheduler, and a spreadsheet organizer. Brother also promises on the label tha...
13
8
[ { "comment_id": "6707828", "author": "portiz", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T07:48:13", "content": "The label only claims Windows or DOS file compatibility, not OS support.Pretty cool video, thanks for the story!", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "67078...
1,760,372,074.063887
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/the-geometry-of-transistors/
The Geometry Of Transistors
Bryan Cockfield
[ "Science" ]
[ "bipolar junction transistor", "bjt", "npn", "semiconductor", "shape", "transistor" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…r-main.png?w=800
Building things in a lab is easy, at least when compared to scaling up for mass production. That’s why there are so many articles about fusion being right around the corner, or battery technology that’ll allow aviation to switch away from fossil fuels, or any number of other miraculous solutions that never come into be...
10
5
[ { "comment_id": "6707792", "author": "Chris Maple", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T03:40:24", "content": "Dr. Bergstrom spends what seems like a full minute with his head blocking the portion of the whiteboard he’s describing.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "commen...
1,760,372,074.112157
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/bluetooth-as-proxy-for-occupancy/
Bluetooth As Proxy For Occupancy
Bryan Cockfield
[ "Wireless Hacks" ]
[ "beacon", "ble", "bluetooth", "bluetooth low energy", "ESP32", "occupancy", "occupancy sensor", "radio" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
During [Matt]’s first year of college, he found in a roundabout way that he could avoid crowds in the dining hall by accessing publicly available occupancy data that the dining hall collected. Presumably this was data for the dining hall to use internally, but with the right API calls anyone could use the information t...
59
20
[ { "comment_id": "6707772", "author": "Mystick", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T02:15:43", "content": "In most US jurisdictions, the maximum capacity for places of gathering such as dining halls are subject to the local Fire Marshal’s certification for the facility, and the venue can be fined if they excee...
1,760,372,074.306529
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/voyager-1-in-trouble-as-engineers-scramble-to-debug-issue-with-flight-data-system/
Voyager 1 In Trouble As Engineers Scramble To Debug Issue With Flight Data System
Maya Posch
[ "News", "Space" ]
[ "jpl", "voyager", "Voyager 2" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.jpg?w=800
Recently the team at JPL responsible for communication with the Voyager 1 spacecraft noticed an issue with the data it was returning from the Flight Data System (FDS). Although normally the FDS is supposed to communicate with the other subsystems via the telecommunications unit (TMU), this process seems to have broken ...
45
10
[ { "comment_id": "6707507", "author": "Truth", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T07:35:03", "content": "It will be longer than 45 hours. There is the 160 bits per second data rate, so there would be delay on how long it would take to receive a useful sequence of diagnostic commands or codes (total RAM is 69.6...
1,760,372,074.432484
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/x86-enter-whats-that-second-parameter/
X86 ENTER: What’s That Second Parameter?
Al Williams
[ "Software Development", "Software Hacks" ]
[ "assembly language", "x86" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…12/x86.png?w=800
[Raymond Chen] wondered why the x86 ENTER instruction had a strange second parameter that seems to always be set to zero. If you’ve ever wondered, [Raymond] explains what he learned in a recent blog post. If you’ve ever taken apart the output of a C compiler or written assembly programs,  you probably know that ENTER i...
8
4
[ { "comment_id": "6707477", "author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T03:55:52", "content": "“Presumably, you are a subroutine”Wow!I’ve never thought of myself that way!", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6707481", ...
1,760,372,074.349758
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/nasa-blames-probe-chute-failure-on-wire-labels/
NASA Blames Probe Chute Failure On Wire Labels
Tom Nardi
[ "Space" ]
[ "asteroid", "Bennu", "OSIRIS-REx", "wiring" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…s_feat.jpg?w=800
When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule screamed its way through the upper atmosphere, it marked the first time the space agency had brought material from an asteroid back to Earth. Hundreds of thousands tuned into the September 24th live stream so they could watch the capsule land at the Utah Test and Training Ra...
38
8
[ { "comment_id": "6707459", "author": "a", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T01:10:06", "content": "The engineers must’ve breathed a sigh of relief after it landed safely anyways.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6707463", "author": "Pearson", ...
1,760,372,074.586617
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/thunderscan-the-wild-1980s-product-that-turned-a-printer-into-a-scanner/
ThunderScan: The Wild 1980s Product That Turned A Printer Into A Scanner
Lewin Day
[ "Mac Hacks", "Retrocomputing" ]
[ "apple", "macintosh", "scanner" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…695470.jpg?w=800
Back in the 1980s, printers were expensive things. Scanners were rare, particularly for the home market, because home computers could barely handle basic graphics anyway. Back in these halcyon days, an obscure company called Thunderware built a device to convert the former into the latter. It was known as the Thundersc...
27
14
[ { "comment_id": "6707424", "author": "k-ww", "timestamp": "2023-12-12T21:33:20", "content": "In 1975 Exxon introduced the Quip fax machine, which used an external acoustic coupler. We had one at Q1, and I interfaced to it and used it to scan photographs into the system.", "parent_id": null, ...
1,760,372,074.504905
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/cheap-computer-psu-puts-on-weight-with-box-of-iron/
Cheap Computer PSU Puts On Weight With Box Of Iron
Tom Nardi
[ "computer hacks", "Parts" ]
[ "atx power supply", "atx psu", "fake" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…u_feat.jpg?w=800
Humans are funny creatures. For whatever reason, when handling a piece of electronics, we tend to equate heft with value.  If something feels too light, it gives the impression of being cheap or inferior. As such, it’s not unheard of for gadgets to include a little chunk of metal that serves no purpose other than to ad...
42
21
[ { "comment_id": "6707390", "author": "reg", "timestamp": "2023-12-12T19:42:47", "content": "To be honest I am surprised they used something as expensive as iron filings, and not just dirt. This is nothing new though. I recall the old Compaq computers weighed a ton and if someone started with one o...
1,760,372,074.722876
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/some-bacteria-could-have-a-rudimentary-form-of-memory/
Some Bacteria Could Have A Rudimentary Form Of Memory
Lewin Day
[ "Hackaday Columns", "Science" ]
[ "bacteria", "biology", "E coli", "memory", "microbiology", "research" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…atured.png?w=800
When we think of bacteria, we think of simple single-celled organisms that basically exist to consume resources and reproduce. They don’t think, feel, or remember… or do they? Bacteria don’t have brains, and as far as we know, they’re incapable of thought. But could they react to an experience and recall it later? New ...
9
5
[ { "comment_id": "6707408", "author": "Hirudinea", "timestamp": "2023-12-12T20:23:36", "content": "Hmm, I thought it would have been something to do with epigenetics. Guess if you ever need a bacteria to testify for you it’ll have iron clad recall.", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replie...
1,760,372,074.64093
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/oddball-lcds-reverse-engineered-thanks-to-good-detective-work/
Oddball LCDs Reverse Engineered Thanks To Good Detective Work
Dan Maloney
[ "Reverse Engineering" ]
[ "chip on board", "COB", "decapping", "driver", "epoxy", "lcd", "reverse engineering" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…ng_LCD.jpg?w=800
Is there anything more discouraging to the reverse engineer than to see a black blob of epoxy applied directly to a PCB? We think not, because that formless shape provides no clue as to what chip lies beneath, and that means a lot of detective work if you’re going to figure out how to use this thing. [Sudhir Chandra]’s...
5
4
[ { "comment_id": "6707374", "author": "PWalsh", "timestamp": "2023-12-12T17:31:03", "content": "I seem to recall an Arduino project that helps diagnose LCD display interfaces. It went through all the LCD interface methods while simultaneously printing out which one it was trying. You watched your LCD...
1,760,372,074.807873
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/5ghoul-the-14-shambling-5g-flaws-used-for-disruptive-attacks-on-smartphones/
5Ghoul: The 14 Shambling 5G Flaws Used For Disruptive Attacks On Smartphones
Maya Posch
[ "Cellphone Hacks", "Security Hacks" ]
[ "5g", "software define radio" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…-tower.jpg?w=800
A team of researchers from the ASSET Research Group in Singapore have published the details of a collection of vulnerabilities in the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) used with smartphones and many other devices. These fourteen vulnerabilities are detailed in this paper and a PoC detailing an attack us...
5
4
[ { "comment_id": "6707849", "author": "CJ", "timestamp": "2023-12-14T10:50:24", "content": "I assume power cycling the attacked device is the only option for those who have devices with eSIMs…", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [] }, { "comment_id": "6707853", "author...
1,760,372,074.765348
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/public-power-wifi-and-shelter/
Public Power, WiFi, And Shelter
Navarre Bartz
[ "green hacks" ]
[ "bus stop", "infrastructure", "solar", "wifi" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…c-WiFi.jpg?w=800
In the US, we’re starting to see some pushback against hostile architecture, and in this vein, [benhobby] built a swanky public power and Wi-Fi access point . This beautiful piece of infrastructure has 400 watts of solar plugged into 1.2 kWh of battery storage, and can dispense those electrons through any of its 120 VA...
39
12
[ { "comment_id": "6707720", "author": "PWalsh", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T21:36:58", "content": "Very, very nice!Acrylic fronts for the outlets is the wrong choice, should be a more robust plastic such as polycarbonate. Acrylic will break, in the manner of glass, and polycarbonate will bend in the man...
1,760,372,074.88585
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/pcie-for-hackers-external-pcie-and-oculink/
PCIe For Hackers: External PCIe And OCuLink
Arya Voronova
[ "computer hacks", "Hackaday Columns" ]
[ "oculink", "pci express", "PCI-E", "PCIe" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…k_feat.jpg?w=800
We’ve seen a lot of PCIe hacks on Hackaday, and a fair few of them boil down to hackers pulling PCIe somewhere it wasn’t meant to be. Today, we routinely can find PCIe x1, x2 and x4 links sitting around in our tech, thanks to the proliferation of things like NVMe SSDs, and powerful cheap SoCs that make PCIe appear at y...
23
9
[ { "comment_id": "6707667", "author": "KDawg", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T18:47:43", "content": "“eSATA is to SATA”never used?", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6707671", "author": "Arya Voronova", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T19:05:40"...
1,760,372,075.024385
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/the-trans-harmonium-is-a-strange-kind-of-radio-musical-instrument/
The Trans-Harmonium Is A Strange Kind Of Radio-Musical Instrument
Lewin Day
[ "Art", "Radio Hacks" ]
[ "art", "piano", "radio" ]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…300927.jpg?w=800
Pianos use little hammers striking taut strings to make tones. The Mellotron used lots of individual tape mechanisms. Meanwhile, the Trans-Harmonium from [Emily Francisco] uses an altogether more curious method of generating sound — each key on this keyboard instrument turns on a functional clock radio. Electrically, t...
17
8
[ { "comment_id": "6707643", "author": "Jon H", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T17:10:58", "content": "Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the alarms instead of the radios?", "parent_id": null, "depth": 1, "replies": [ { "comment_id": "6707652", "author": "Joseph Eoff", ...
1,760,372,074.949227
https://hackaday.com/2023/12/13/radio-station-wwv-all-time-all-the-time/
Radio Station WWV: All Time, All The Time
Dan Maloney
[ "Featured", "Interest", "Original Art", "Slider" ]
[]
https://hackaday.com/wp-…11/WWV.jpg?w=800
Of all the rabbit holes we technical types tend to fall down, perhaps the one with the most twists and turns is: time . Some of this is due to the curiously mysterious nature of time itself, but more has to do with the various ways we’ve decided to slice and dice time to suit our needs. Most of those methods are (wisel...
47
15
[ { "comment_id": "6707603", "author": "Jim Dahlberg", "timestamp": "2023-12-13T15:34:43", "content": "How can a relatively tiny watch or even a clock, pick up a 60KHz RF (?) signal, with wavelength of 5km, acouple thousand kilometers away? I know they work and it’s a strong signal, but that’s still ...
1,760,372,075.496019