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https://hackaday.com/2025/06/28/behind-the-bally-home-computer-system/
|
Behind The Bally Home Computer System
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"computer hacks"
] |
[
"bally",
"basic",
"computer",
"console",
"pc",
"programming",
"retrocomputing",
"video game",
"vintage"
] |
Although we might all fundamentally recognize that gaming consoles are just specialized computers, we generally treat them, culturally and physically, differently than we do desktops or laptops. But there was a time in the not-too-distant past where the line between home computer and video game console was a lot more blurred than it is today. Even before Microsoft entered the scene, companies like Atari and Commodore were building both types of computer, often with overlapping hardware and capabilities. But they weren’t the only games in town. This video
takes a look at the Bally Home Computer System
, which was a predecessor of many of the more recognized computers and gaming systems of the 80s.
At the time, Bally as a company was much more widely known in the pinball industry, but they seemed to have a bit of foresight that the computers used in arcades would eventually transition to the home in some way. The premise of this console was to essentially start out as a video game system that could expand into a much more full-featured computer with add-ons. In addition to game cartridges it came with a BASIC interpreter cartridge which could be used for programming. It was also based on the Z80 microprocessor which was used in other popular PCs of the time, so in theory it could have been a commercial success but it was never able to find itself at the top of the PC pack.
Although it maintains a bit of a cult following, it’s a limited system even by the standards of the day, as the video’s creator [Vintage Geek] demonstrates. The controllers are fairly cumbersome, and programming in BASIC is extremely tedious without a full keyboard available. But it did make clever use of the technology at the time even if it was never a commercial success. Its graphics capabilities were ahead of other competing systems and would inspire subsequent designs in later systems.
It’s also not the last time that a video game system that was a commercial failure would develop a following lasting far longer than anyone would have predicted
.
| 9
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142929",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T12:56:40",
"content": "But does it run CPM?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142967",
"author": "Pablo J R",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T19:01:46",
"content": "Moreover, can it run Doom? :-)",
"parent_id": "8142929",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142971",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T19:36:46",
"content": "Yes, it can. There are Doom ports for Z80 graphical calculators.",
"parent_id": "8142967",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142970",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T19:34:08",
"content": "It’s certainly possible, I think, but needs a modified CP/M – which thereof had been since the 1970s.NSDOS (NorthStars Disk Operating System), for example. Or CDOS, from Cromemco.If the command line interpreter was modified, then the num pad could be re-used as a basic keyboard.Typing would work like as with a 2000’s cell phone and SMS application.Running stock CP/M applications would be more of a challenge, though.Terminal standard of the 70s was 80×24 (or 80×25 with status line; 80 columns).Some CP/M applications meant for Apple 2 (SoftCard) or Commodore 128 users might have been fine with 40 columns..Scrolling could help to simulate 80 columns, too.As well as a fake 80col text-mode done in pixel-art via software. The C64 had used this trick.CP/M itself can run with little RAM (16 to 20KB) and could be stored in ROM,similar to ROM DOS in 8088/V20 pocket computers of late 80s.A little RAM disk (battery-backed, ideally) would then hold the user data.",
"parent_id": "8142929",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143057",
"author": "Bastet",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T09:24:45",
"content": "Every CP/M was “modified”, the BIOS part needed to be adapted to every machine as it provided access to almost all IO.But from what i have read the Bally had an expansion box that would be placed under the machine which came with 32 KB, a real keyboard and the possibility to add a floppy drive. But CP/M in 40 cols is not that fun to use, so one would need to write a terminal driver that could emulate 80 cols in just 320 pixels which in turn would be pretty slow on that poor 1.789 MHz Z80.",
"parent_id": "8142970",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143162",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T18:08:26",
"content": "“Every CP/M was “modified” [..]”Yes and no. AFAIK, there were was an original “vanilla” version of CP/M on 8″ floppy disk sold by Digital Research (’70s).Ie, an non-OEM version, for reference hardware, which needed little to no modification to run.That was in the time when serial terminals had been used by default, rather than the CRT device.The original 8″ floppy disk format was universally understood by all CP/M versions, as well.However, it quickly fell into oblivion once 5,25″ floppy drives became more common (’80s, home computers).It was too limited, too inefficient by that time. That’s when Osborne format etcbecame new standard.",
"parent_id": "8143057",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143166",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T18:16:06",
"content": "“But from what i have read the Bally had an expansion box that would be placed under the machine which came with 32 KB, a real keyboard and the possibility to add a floppy drive. ”That’s really cool! 😎“But CP/M in 40 cols is not that fun to use, so one would need to write a terminal driver that could emulate 80 cols in just 320 pixels which in turn would be pretty slow on that poor 1.789 MHz Z80.”Hi, I do fully agree! 🙂Programs like Turbo Pascal or MBASIC/BASIC-80 might already run with 40 columns, though.There also were programs such as WordStar that could be re-configured for different terminal types, I think.Still cool to haven able to develop software on such a computer console at the time.CP/M was very versatile for what it was!My dad had written CP/M software for university, I remember.They had CP/M machinesnext to mainframes at the time.",
"parent_id": "8143057",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8143033",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T05:59:08",
"content": "I just need it to sound like Robert Vaughn—from Demon Seed",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8145383",
"author": "itomato",
"timestamp": "2025-07-04T15:48:48",
"content": "25 years ago I bought one in the box from a thrift store for dollars.Now this guy is using one to ask for $20 a month?What has happened to this hobby?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,502.815895
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/27/audio-localization-gear-built-on-the-cheap/
|
Audio Localization Gear Built On The Cheap
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"audio",
"audio localization",
"ece4760",
"microphone"
] |
Most humans with two ears have a pretty good sense of directional hearing. However, you can build equipment to localize audio sources, too. That’s precisely what [Sam], [Ezra], and [Ari] did for their final project for the ECE4760 class at Cornell this past Spring.
It’s an audio localizer!
The project is a real-time audio localizer built on a Raspberry Pi Pico. The Pico is hooked up to three MEMS microphones which are continuously sampled at a rate of 50 kHz thanks to the Pico’s nifty DMA features. Data from each microphone is streamed into a rolling buffer, with peaks triggering the software on the Pico to run correlations between channels to determine the time differences between the signal hitting each microphone. Based on this, it’s possible to estimate the location of the sound source relative to the three microphones.
The team goes into great deal on the project’s development, and does a grand job of explaining the mathematics and digital signal processing involved in this feat. Particularly nice is the heatmap output from the device which gives a clear visual indication of how the sound is being localized with the three microphones.
We’ve seen similar work before, too,
like this project built to track down fireworks launches.
Video after the break.
| 11
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142727",
"author": "purplepeopleated",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:15:56",
"content": "https://www.techdirt.com/company/shotspotter/but shotspotter was shown to be racist fascist garbage.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142732",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:40:44",
"content": "Very cool! I think this could be a useful handheld tool if you could filter the frequencies to those above a certain frequency. Finding something with a very high pitch intermittent beep (e.g. fire detector with a low battery) can be difficult sometimes as the sound bounces off stuff. I had this problem a couple months ago and it took a solid 10 minutes to locate it within a room.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142743",
"author": "Paul G",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T17:23:02",
"content": "If I have understood, with just 2 microphones, the single hyperbola can still indicate the direction of the sound, but would of course not show the 3D information, the intersection of 2 hyperbolas as so nicely shown.So then say you had a number of these 2 mic setups in a forest, with something like a lora network sending direction back to a base. Surely that received direction data alone would be enough for the base to do the grunt work in order to surmise the rough location of a loud noise, likely much further away.Maybe I have misunderstood?This is important because most systems I have read about seem to rely on comparing absolute time of arrival of a loud noise event, a bit of a nightmare which hinges on the sychronisation of clocks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142763",
"author": "B",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:52:11",
"content": "I’d say you need at least 16 mics in a specific pattern to provide a really useful level of resolutionit’s not all time of arrival though. You can decode the position of waves based on partial information at each sensor. think of it like a soundwave that is X cm long, and that wave is then going to hit a number of different sensors in the field at the same time, dependent on it’s lengthbut yes, aggregating and synchronizing the data is non-trivial. It is possible with expensive FIFO based IC arrays and some clever math. you have to be able to account for reflections and surface contact wave deformation and that kind of stuff. It’s actually very complex to do it wellthis project is on the level of a toy, not especially useful",
"parent_id": "8142743",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142819",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T22:20:36",
"content": "US army already has something like this to detect where shots are comming from. It has at least 5 or 6 michrophones. It was mounted on a Humvee. This is 5 years ago or more. I cannot remember if it was just testing or if it was starting to be implemented.",
"parent_id": "8142743",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142827",
"author": "sumguy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T22:59:44",
"content": "This could probably be adapted into an amazing quasi-anechoic measurement microphone.Or with a few more picos maybe a great cheap ambisonic microphone.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142833",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T23:13:39",
"content": "I wonder what would happen if you hooked this up to pre-WWII acoustic aircraft detection dishes what they could find?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142885",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T06:06:01",
"content": "Adam Savage recently used the Fluke ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager to find an air leak in the plumbing for the compressor in his shop. It looks kinda like a tablet with an array of microphones on the back. It showed exactly where the leak was in his air system plumbing. He also used it to find a leak in a bicycle inner tube, even when there was a lot of background noise. Very cool tech.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143436",
"author": "Hassi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T12:46:50",
"content": "basically the same method but on steroids.",
"parent_id": "8142885",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8145639",
"author": "Joseph C Hopfield",
"timestamp": "2025-07-05T08:15:05",
"content": "I like the idea of having students figure out how to squeeze every cycle/bit out of hardware, but if one weren’t tied to the pi pico, the almost-as-cheap esp32s3 has some SIMD instructions, 2 cores, and a nice dsp library. FFT on 1024 16bit-complex samples takes about 60 usec on one core (cores have independent simd coprocs).https://github.com/espressif/esp-dsp",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8148829",
"author": "Potatoe",
"timestamp": "2025-07-13T11:30:03",
"content": "Just a few months ago I did a very similar project with almost exact same hardware for my iot course, I wish our institute made us write hackathon posts that way I wouldn’t have dared to fake it. I ended just comparing amplitudes for we ran out of time to dial in the time of flight based system. Our project was to make a very cheap haptics based awareness device for dead people. Maybe with a bit more compute power and few more software filters this can be turned into one. Really excited to see someone archive this (when I started researching about this, all I was able to find ways slightly discouraging articles on Arduino forums) and now somebody has done it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,502.717033
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/27/this-week-in-security-megaowned-store-danger-and-filefix/
|
This Week In Security: MegaOWNed, Store Danger, And FileFix
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks",
"Slider"
] |
[
"Filefix",
"MegaOWNed",
"This Week in Security"
] |
Earlier this year, I was required to move my server to a different datacenter. The tech that helped handle the logistics suggested I assign one of my public IPs to the server’s Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) port, so I could access the controls there if something went sideways. I passed on the offer, and not only because IPv4 addresses are a scarce commodity these days. No, I’ve never trusted a server’s built-in BMC. For reasons like
this MegaOWN of MegaRAC, courtesy of a CVSS 10.0 CVE, under active exploitation in the wild
.
This vulnerability
was discovered by Eclypsium back in March
and it’s a pretty simple authentication bypass, exploited by setting an
X-Server-Addr
header to the device IP address and adding an extra colon symbol to that string. Send this along inside an HTTP request, and it’s automatically allowed without authentication. This was assigned CVE-2024-54085, and for servers with the BMC accessible from the Internet, it scores that scorching 10.0 CVSS.
We’re talking about this now, because CISA has added this CVE to the official list of vulnerabilities known to be exploited in the wild. And it’s hardly surprising, as this is a near-trivial vulnerability to exploit, and it’s not particularly challenging to find web interfaces for the MegaRAC devices using tools like Shodan and others.
There’s a particularly ugly scenario that’s likely to play out here: Embedded malware. This vulnerability could be chained with others, and the OS running on the BMC itself could be permanently modified. It would be very difficult to disinfect and then verify the integrity of one of these embedded systems, short of physically removing and replacing the flash chip. And malware running from this very advantageous position very nearly have the keys to the kingdom, particularly if the architecture connects the BMC controller over the PCIe bus, which includes Direct Memory Access.
This brings us to the really bad news. These devices are everywhere. The list of hardware that ships with the MegaRAC Redfish UI includes select units from “AMD, Ampere Computing, ASRock, ARM, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Huawei, Nvidia, Supermicro, and Qualcomm”. Some of these vendors have released patches. But at this point, any of the vulnerable devices on the Internet, still unpatched, should probably be considered compromised.
Patching Isn’t Enough
To drive the point home that a compromised embedded device is hard to fully disinfect, we have
the report from [Max van der Horst] at Disclosing.observer
, detailing backdoors discovered in verious devices, even after the patch was applied.
These tend to hide in PHP code with innocent-looking filenames, or in an Nginx config. This report covers a scan of Citrix hosts, where 2,491 backdoors were discovered, which is far more than had been previously identified. Installing the patch doesn’t always mitigate the compromise.
VSCode
Many of us have found VSCode to be an outstanding IDE, and the fact that it’s Open Source and cross-platform makes it perfect for programmers around the world. Except for the telemetry, which is built into the official Microsoft builds. It’s Open Source, so the natural reaction from the community is to rebuild the source, and offer builds that don’t have telemetry included. We have fun names like VSCodium and Cursor for these rebuilds. Kudos to Microsoft for making VSCode Open Source so this is possible.
There is, however, a catch, in the form of the extension marketplace. Only official VSCode builds are allowed to pull extensions from the marketplace. As would be expected, the community has risen to the challenge, and one of the marketplace alternatives is Open VSX. And this week, we have the story of how a bug in the Open VSX publishing code
could have been a really big problem
.
When developers are happy with their work, and are ready to cut a release, how does that actually work? Basically every project uses some degree of automation to make releases happen. For highly automated projects, it’s just a single manual action — a kick-off of a Continuous Integration (CI) run — that builds and publishes the new release. Open VSX supports this sort of approach, and in fact runs a nightly GitHub Action to iterate through the list of extensions, and pull any updates that are advertised.
VS Code extensions are Node.js projects, and are built using npm. So the workflow clones the repository, and runs
npm install
to generate the installable packages. Running
npm install
does carry the danger that arbitrary code runs inside the build scripts. How bad would it be for malicious code to run inside this nightly update action, on the Open VSX GitHub repository?
A super-admin token was available as an environment variable inside this GitHub Action, that if exfiltrated would allow complete takeover of the Open VSX repository and unfettered access to the software contained therein. There’s no evidence that this vulnerability was found or exploited, and OpenVSX and Koi Security worked together to mitigate it, with the patch landing about a month and a half after first disclosure.
FileFix
There’s a new social engineering attack on the web,
FileFix
. It’s a very simple, nearly dumb idea. By that I mean, a reader of this column would almost certainly never fall for it, because FileFix asks the user to do something really unusual. You get an email or land on a bad website, and it appears present a document for you. To access this doc, just follow the steps. Copy this path, open your File Explorer, and paste the path. Easy! The website even gives you a button to click to launch file explorer.
That button actually launches a file upload dialog, but that’s not even the clever part. This attack takes advantage of two quirks. The first is that Javascript can inject arbitrary strings into the paste buffer, and the second is that system commands can be run from the Windows Explorer bar. So yes, copy that string, and paste it into the bar, and it can execute a command. So while it’s a dumb attack, and asks the user to do something very weird, it’s also a very clever intersection between a couple of quirky behaviors, and users will absolutely fall for this.
eMMC Data Extraction
The embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) is a popular option for flash storage on embedded devices. And Zero Day Initiative has a fascinating look into
what it takes to pull data from an eMMC chip in-situ
. An 8-leg EEPROM is pretty simple to desolder or probe, but the ball grid array of an eMMC is beyond the reach of mere mortals. If you’re soldering skills aren’t up to the task, there’s still hope to get that data off. The only connections needed are power, reference voltage, clock, a command line, and the data lines. If you can figure out connection points for all of those, you can probably power the chip and talk to it.
One challenge is how to keep the rest of the system from booting up and getting chatty. There’s a clever idea, to look for a reset pin on the MCU, and just hold that active while you work, keeping the MCU in a reset, and quiet, state. Another fun idea is to just remove the system’s oscillator, as the MCU may depend on it to boot and do anything.
Bits and Bytes
What would you do with 40,000 alarm clocks
? That’s the question unintentionally faced by [Ian Kilgore], when he discovered that the loftie wireless alarm clock works over unsecured MQTT. On the plus side, he got Home Automation integration working.
What does it look like, when an attack gets launched against a big cloud vendor? The folks at Cloud-IAM pull the curtain back just a bit, and talk about an issue that
almost allowed an enumeration attack to become an effective DDoS
. They found the attack and patched their code, which is when it turned into a DDoS race, that Cloud-IAM managed to win.
The Wire secure communication platform recently got
a good hard look from the Almond security team
. And while the platform seems to have passed with good grades, there are a few quirks around file sharing that you might want to keep in mind. For instance, when a shared file is deleted, the backing files aren’t deleted, just the encryption keys. And the UUID on those files serves as the authentication mechanism, with no additional authentication needed. None of the issues found rise to the level of vulnerabilities, but it’s good to know.
And finally, the
Centos Webpanel
Control Web Panel has
a pair of vulnerabilities that allowed running arbitrary commands prior to authorization
. The flaws have been fixed in version 0.9.8.1205, but are trivial enough that this cPanel alternative needs to get patched on systems right away.
| 7
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142662",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:16:50",
"content": "Hell to the no would Ieverexpose a BMC, DRAC, ILO or any kind of hardware management interface or whatever you want to call it to a public IP, that’s just like setting off flares, sounding a foghorn and waving gigantic flags printed with “come and help yourselves” and I’d be asking serious questions of any MSP or hosting that suggested it to me as a solution.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142694",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:44:02",
"content": "Oh yeah agree. Regardless I’ve seen it a LOT with co-located servers. If the machine breaks then the alternative is connecting a KVM ($) or asking a tech to look ($$$). A better setup might include a firewall but now we’re talking about another device needing more rack space.",
"parent_id": "8142662",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142974",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T19:54:42",
"content": "Basically just fire that facility. The BIOS should be configured NOT to fail over the dedicated IPMI port to another port. You’ll need to TEST that the machine does not fail over the IPMI to another port even when configured NOT to when the link is lost on the dedicated port. The dedicated IPMI port should be plugged in to an unmanaged switch that has no route to the Internet. If you need IPMI then a hardened jumphost or two can be plugged in to that same switch.",
"parent_id": "8142662",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142671",
"author": "topham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:51:48",
"content": "As someone who recently had to deal with a low grade ddos that involved over 1 million unique IP addresses…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142713",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:24:48",
"content": "Loftie is wild. It’s a $200 ‘iot’ alarm clock, with no security and nobody on the other end of the corporate email. Seems like one of those ‘upstart’ deals where a college kid takes an off-the-shelf product and kickstarts* it, then sells the whole company to the Chinese factory building them.But hey, the real story could literally be anything. Not sure whether to be happy it was so easy to hack with your own firnware, or sad there are 10s of thousands of these out in the wild freely giving data if asked.*(Kickstarter is super weird, when I see a new product on there I triple check it isn’t already on AliExpress or Alibaba/Taobao at a fraction of the cost.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142734",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:43:28",
"content": "MegaOWN is an excellent example of why companies should be supporting/contributing to OpenBMC.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142889",
"author": "Midnight Salmon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T06:39:04",
"content": "The predecessor to FileFix, ClickFix, was arguably even more stupid. It told the victim to paste commands into the Windows “run” dialog… And it was INCREDIBLY successful :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,502.910961
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/27/meet-cucumber-the-robot-dog/
|
Meet Cucumber, The Robot Dog
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Robots Hacks"
] |
[
"Raspberry Pi Pico",
"robot dog"
] |
Robots can look like all sorts of things, but they’re often more fun if you make them look like some kind of charming animal. That’s precisely what [Ananya], [Laurence] and [Shao] did
when they built Cucumber the Robot Dog for their final project in the ECE 4760 class.
Cucumber is controllable over WiFi, which was simple enough to implement by virtue of the fact that it’s based around the Raspberry Pi Pico W. With its custom 3D-printed dog-like body, it’s able to move around on its four wheels driven by DC gear motors, and it can flex its limbs thanks to servos in its various joints. It’s able to follow someone with some autonomy thanks to its ultrasonic sensors, while it can also be driven around manually if so desired. To give it more animal qualities, it can also be posed, or commanded to bark, howl, or growl, with commands issued remotely via a web interface.
The level of sophistication is largely on the level of the robot dogs that were so popular in the early 2000s. One suspects it could be
pretty decent at playing soccer, too,
with the right hands behind the controls. Video after the break.
| 6
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142660",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:12:24",
"content": "Cool project. But the bone example is really selling it, nice touch.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142684",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:05:19",
"content": "You gotta love project and product names that produce half a million wrong results in a search. Nice choice though. I will have to use it for a friendly raccoon that reminds me of ‘Chowder’.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142735",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:44:25",
"content": "It’s a cute name though. Instantly creates empathetic affinity",
"parent_id": "8142684",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142690",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:28:36",
"content": "Neat mix of wheels and legs.I suggest the Turing test equivalent for robot dogs is if a friendly dog will respond to it doing a play bow 🤷♂️",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142788",
"author": "maxcypond@gmail.com",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T20:34:47",
"content": "I thought it was neat, but disappointed that the article did not say WHAT SCHOOL you could go to to have such a class in teh curriculum?But, my guess is this is Cornell ECE 4760Digital Systems Design Using Microcontrollers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142829",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T23:07:38",
"content": "Next up, Dog, the robot cucumber!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.568853
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/27/a-cheap-smart-plug-to-block-distractions/
|
A Cheap Smart Plug To Block Distractions
|
Jenny List
|
[
"hardware"
] |
[
"distraction",
"smart plug"
] |
We have all suffered from this; the boss wants you to compile a report on the number of paper clips and you’re crawling up the wall with boredom, so naturally your mind strays to other things. You check social media, or maybe the news, and before you know it a while has been wasted. [Neil Chen] came up with a solution, to
configure a cheap smart plug with a script to block his diversions of choice
.
The idea is simple enough, the plug is in an outlet that requires getting up and walking a distance to access, so to flip that switch you’ve
really
got to want to do it. Behind it lives a Python script
that can be found in a Git Hub repository
, and that’s it! We like it for its simplicity and ingenuity, though we’d implore any of you to avoid using it to block Hackaday. Some sites are simply too important to avoid!
Of course, if distraction at work is your problem, perhaps you should simply
run something without it
.
| 19
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142653",
"author": "ChochoChuck",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:10:08",
"content": "What? Literally what is this, what are you saying?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142658",
"author": "Shoe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:55:23",
"content": "Yeah, this article was really not well explained. It looks like the script runs on your PC, and if it can detect the smart switch, it uses the state of that switch to determine whether or not to block procrastination websites in your hosts file? More information would be helpful, but the original blog post and Github pages aren’t brimming with description either.",
"parent_id": "8142653",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142876",
"author": "Yaakov",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T03:59:22",
"content": "And I thought it was just me! 🤔",
"parent_id": "8142653",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142657",
"author": "Simon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:53:25",
"content": "Ahhh, so it seems this is a physical switch to block a list of certain websites",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142758",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:35:46",
"content": "But why does it need a python script then?",
"parent_id": "8142657",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142759",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:36:54",
"content": "Oh got it now, it doesn’t block the computer, it only enables or disabled access to certain websites.",
"parent_id": "8142758",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142677",
"author": "philippraven",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:32:45",
"content": "I would love if it just detects that you’re on reddit or YouTube, … and then just cuts off the power. Stopping your brainrot and your productivity all at once! Maybe even corrupts some files in the process.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142678",
"author": "abjq",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:39:16",
"content": "So…. if you go on twitter, or hackaday, it powers off your ADSL router? Is that the idea???",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142692",
"author": "Arma",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:34:06",
"content": "No, it is a physical switch that broadcasts a signal when turned on. If your computer picks up that signal, your hosts file is modified to block access to certain domains. You’re supposed to go to the switch and turn it on when you want to work without distractions.",
"parent_id": "8142678",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142707",
"author": "jecooksubether",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:11:09",
"content": ":: snickers :: only if you plug said router into the smart plug’s outlet.It’s a clever use of an IoT device, at least. (I have a handful of similar ones running Zigbee radios for things like shop lights and other devices that are tied into my home automation system.)",
"parent_id": "8142678",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142679",
"author": "fluffy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:42:46",
"content": "I love the implication that someone was so distracted by procrastination websites that they decided to fix the problem by writing a bunch of code that surely wasn’t also a form of procrastination.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142686",
"author": "Joel B",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:12:04",
"content": "True laziness requires at least some work.",
"parent_id": "8142679",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142800",
"author": "asheets.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T21:22:11",
"content": "No truer words have ever been said. This is my boss’s mantra.",
"parent_id": "8142686",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142972",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T19:39:35",
"content": "True, but writing code is a creative and brain-exercising endeavor unlike browsing brain-rotting sites like eX-twitter or Facebook.",
"parent_id": "8142679",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142683",
"author": "jawnhenry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:02:17",
"content": "Douglas Adams said it best:” I am rarely happier than when spending entire day programming my computer to perform automatically a task that it would otherwise take me a good ten seconds to do by hand.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142688",
"author": "fuzzyfuzzyfungus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:13:06",
"content": "There’s a lot to be said for the power of small inconveniences.I know I’ve seen real differences by just refusing to use credit card autofill for certain services where my purchases tend toward the frivolous end of recreational. A nontrivial percentage of the time I just can’t be bothered to go dig out my wallet, so I abandon the cart, and end up never missing whatever was in it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142709",
"author": "Barefoot",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:14:56",
"content": "Not a very clear article, in my opinion.Boiling it down, the smart plug is just the trigger here. A python script lives on your computer that polls the state of the smart plug: if on, the hosts file is updated to block a list of URLs; if off, hosts is updated to allow those URLs. Unclear to me (because I don’t know python) is if the script is running as a service that continually polls the smart plug, or if you need to manually run the script. Running as a service would be the best option, if possible.This is akin to placing your alarm clock on the other side of the room to force yourself to get out of bed to turn it off. It would be better just to discipline yourself to do the right thing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142721",
"author": "Repeated Failure",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:43:11",
"content": "These are the same plugs I used to let a live shrimp control my electric wok so it could fry rice. I love how hacky they are. IIRC, they’ve recently upgraded some of the security on them so there is now a second step to discovery when finding them. I actually found someone else’s older one on the network I was working on for that project and may have turned their bedroom lights on and off at 11pm lol.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142816",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T22:14:09",
"content": "In the end the user will become proefficent in throwing small projectiles to switch the switch.Already did something similar myself quite recently: instead of moving up from a chair to get a notebook (three paces away) out of sleep, i throwed a small printed pamphlet that hit the keyboard and waked it up.“Let the lazy find a solution, it would be the simplest”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.153742
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/making-gamecube-keyboard-controller-work-with-animal-crossing/
|
Making GameCube Keyboard Controller Work With Animal Crossing
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"3d Printer hacks",
"Games",
"hardware",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Microcontrollers",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Raspberry Pi",
"Retrocomputing",
"Reverse Engineering",
"Software Development",
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"animal crossing",
"gamecube",
"keyboard controller"
] |
[Hunter Irving] is a talented hacker with a wicked sense of humor, and he has written in to let us know about his latest project which is to
make a GameCube keyboard controller work with Animal Crossing
.
This project began simply enough but got very complicated in short order. Initially the goal was to get the GameCube keyboard controller integrated with the game Animal Crossing. The GameCube keyboard controller is a genuine part manufactured and sold by Nintendo but the game Animal Crossing isn’t compatible with this controller. Rather, Animal Crossing has an on-screen keyboard which players can use with a standard controller. [Hunter] found this frustrating to use so he created an adapter which would intercept the keyboard controller protocol and replace it with equivalent “keypresses” from an emulated standard controller.
In this project [Hunter] intercepts the controller protocol and the keyboard protocol with a Raspberry Pi Pico and then forwards them along to an attached GameCube by emulating a standard controller from the Pico. Having got that to work [Hunter] then went on to add a bunch of extra features.
First he designed and 3D-printed a new set of keycaps to match the symbols available in the in-game character set and added support for those. Then he made a keyboard mode for entering musical tunes in the game. Then he integrated a database of cheat codes to unlock most special items available in the game. Then he made it possible to import images (in low-resolution, 32×32 pixels) into the game. Then he made it possible to play (low-resolution) videos in the game. And finally he implemented a game of Snake, in-game! Very cool.
If you already own a GameCube and keyboard controller (or if you wanted to get them) this project would be good fun and doesn’t demand too much extra hardware. Just a Raspberry Pi Pico, two GameCube controller cables, two resistors, and a Schottky diode. And if you’re interested in Animal Crossing you might enjoy
getting it to boot Linux
!
Thanks very much to [Hunter] for writing in to let us know about this project. Have your own project? Let us know on the
tipsline
!
| 2
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142682",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:56:34",
"content": "That’s a great hack. I’d worry about losing synchronization though. But maybe that doesn’t happen enough to be a problem.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142689",
"author": "Hunter",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:23:42",
"content": "Thanks for checking it out, Justin. I had some synchronization problems in the beginning, but I gradually slowed down my inputs until they were 100% reliable. To stress test with one of the longer video sequences, I left it running for about 3 days with no desyncs.",
"parent_id": "8142682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,502.766599
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/pi-networks-the-smith-chart-way/
|
Pi Networks The Smith Chart Way
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"impedance matching",
"smith chart"
] |
[Ralph] is excited about impedance matching, and why not? It is important to match the source and load impedance to get the most power out of a circuit. He’s got a whole series of videos about it. The latest? Matching using
a PI network and the venerable Smith Chart
.
We like that he makes each video self-contained. It does mean if you watch them all, you get some review, but that’s not a bad thing, really. He also does a great job of outlining simple concepts, such as what a complex conjugate is, that you might have forgotten.
Smith charts almost seem magical, but they are really sort of an analog computer. The color of the line and even the direction of an arrow make a difference, and [Ralph] explains it all very simply.
The example circuit is simple with a 50 MHz signal and a mismatched source and load. Using the steps and watching the examples will make it straightforward, even if you’ve never used a Smith Chart before.
The red lines plot impedance, and the blue lines show conductance and succeptance. Once everything is plotted, you have to find a path between two points on the chart. That Smith was a clever guy.
We looked at part 1 of this series
earlier this year
, so there are five more to watch since then. If your test gear leaves off the sign of your imaginary component, the Smith Chart can
work around that for you
.
| 10
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142572",
"author": "Danjovic",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T02:38:39",
"content": "Amazing video, amazing channel. Thanks for sharing!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142578",
"author": "reg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:28:44",
"content": "Oh I know him, he is very good, but somebody should tell ol john his clock is not running. He does a good series on vna’s if I recall.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142597",
"author": "Jack Wills",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T05:27:35",
"content": "Unique Approach: Applying the Smith Chart to Pi Network design is a clever way to visualize impedance matching.Practical Insight: Helps RF engineers better understand Pi network behavior using a familiar tool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142636",
"author": "Myself",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T10:00:49",
"content": "This document helped my understanding quite a bit too:https://www.cypress.com/file/136236/download",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142663",
"author": "kpc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:17:20",
"content": "I think another good reference is going to the source itself. “Electronic Applications of the Smith Chart” by Phillip Hagar Smith (the man himself). I have the physical book, but it can also be found on some download sites.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142717",
"author": "webster",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:35:19",
"content": "“It is important to match the source and load impedance to get the most power out of a circuit.”Batteries and power outlets beg to differ.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142736",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:46:02",
"content": "I wonder if there’s an engineer or ham out there with a full back tat of the Smith chart…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142746",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:05:40",
"content": "What use would that be?Put it on your thigh, where you can use it.",
"parent_id": "8142736",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142842",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T23:55:55",
"content": "Well you convince all your buddies to get it and then you work at desks seated behind each other, so only the guy in front needs the thigh tat",
"parent_id": "8142746",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142987",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T21:29:13",
"content": "Just barfed in my mouth a little.The thought of an office full of shirtless RF engineers or hams.Shorts would be bad enough.IMHO emergency thigh Smith chart tats should be for emergency only.",
"parent_id": "8142842",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,502.861096
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/optimizing-dust-separation-for-extreme-efficiency/
|
Optimizing Dust Separation For Extreme Efficiency
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"centrifugal",
"dust collection",
"dust extractor",
"woodworking"
] |
[Ruud], the creator of [Capturing Dust], started his
latest video
with what most of us would consider a solved problem: the dust collection system for his shop already had a three-stage centrifugal dust separator with more than 99.7% efficiency. This wasn’t quite as efficient as it could be, though, so [Ruud]’s latest upgrade shrinks the size of the third stage while increasing efficiency to within a rounding error of 99.9%.
The old separation system had two stages to remove large and medium particles, and a third stage to remove fine particles. The last stage was made out of 100 mm acrylic tubing and 3D-printed parts, but [Ruud] planned to try replacing it with two parallel centrifugal separators made out of 70 mm tubing. Before he could do that, however, he redesigned the filter module to make it easier to weigh, allowing him to determine how much sawdust made it through the extractors. He also attached a U-tube manometer (a somewhat confusing name to hear on YouTube) to measure pressure loss across the extractor.
The new third stage used impellers to induce rotational airflow, then directed it against the circular walls around an air outlet. The first design used a low-profile collection bin, but this wasn’t keeping the dust out of the air stream well enough, so [Ruud] switched to using plastic jars. Initially, this didn’t perform as well as the old system, but a few airflow adjustments brought the efficiency up to 99.879%. In [Ruud]’s case, this meant that of 1.3 kilograms of fine sawdust, only 1.5 grams of dust made it through the separator to the filter, which is certainly impressive in our opinion. The design for this upgraded separator is available
on GitHub
.
[Ruud] based his design off of another
3D-printed dust separator
, but adapted it to European fittings. Of course, the dust extractor is only one part of the problem; you’ll still need a
dust routing system
.
Thanks to [Keith Olson] for the tip!
| 15
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142542",
"author": "Tea",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:26:01",
"content": "I really enjoyed this, thank you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142584",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:55:04",
"content": "How much more energy does it use now",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142737",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:48:42",
"content": "That was not the efficiency metric specified ;)",
"parent_id": "8142584",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142740",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T17:01:32",
"content": "Curiously, fans generally draw less power when the filters are clogged or otherwise present higher resistance. Accelerating less air to speed means less kinetic energy goes into the air. That (generally) reduces the power requirement at a faster rate than the increased pressure differential increases it, so it’s a net total power reduction.Try it yourself next the time you use a vacuum cleaner: Block the intake — you’ll hear the motor speed up due to reduced load.",
"parent_id": "8142584",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142826",
"author": "NIK282000",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T22:57:09",
"content": "The energy to run a fan is proportional to the pressure difference across the fan and the volume of air going through the fan. Blocking it off brings the flow to zero, so even if you have a high static pressure the energy used is zero times that (plus mechanical/electrical losses).",
"parent_id": "8142740",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142832",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T23:13:25",
"content": "That’s a very first order approximation.I believe if you look it up, you will find boundary conditions apply.Stalled airfoils take more energy to push at a given speed.With no airflow, each blades angle of attack is it’s physical angle.Which means it’s stalled, perhaps not at the blade tip.Might just spin up the air though.Devil is in the details.For example, my vacuum bogs down when the filter needs cleaning.Different impeller shapes and sizes.",
"parent_id": "8142826",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142635",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T09:34:50",
"content": "I love that there are random folks on youtube who dedicate their entire life to some incredibly specific thing like dust collection.I wonder if he ever has time to actually make anything in his shop?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142676",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:24:17",
"content": "He made a dust collection system.",
"parent_id": "8142635",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142738",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:49:44",
"content": "Yeah c’mon man. Duh. And also he made some cut-offs to produce the testing dust. Get with it",
"parent_id": "8142676",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142850",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T00:46:48",
"content": "Not to mention all the dust he produced!",
"parent_id": "8142738",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142680",
"author": "fuzzyfuzzyfungus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:52:39",
"content": "I realize the incentives don’t work out; but it would be neat if more niche industries were self-documenting more often.Something like dust collection is a nontrivial occupational health and safety matter(whether it just be comfort and required PPE or horrible degenerative lung diseases and periodic fuel air explosions); and just brute-forcing it rather than playing smart is probably megawatts of wasted power; so there’s presumably a specialty supply chain of people whose entire careers are dedicated to obsessively high standards in dust collection and the sort of hardware and expertise justified by that level of compliance and opex spending.It’s just that there’s not a lot of incentive for those guys to sink a bunch of time into disclosing a lot of detailed potentially-business-sensitive information; so we mostly rely on lovably eccentric hobbyists.",
"parent_id": "8142635",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142730",
"author": "Thomas Loveday",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:22:38",
"content": "The sawdust came from somewhere!",
"parent_id": "8142635",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142752",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:22:35",
"content": "Even Germans have to make a fair amount of dust before they buy a dust collection system.They’re not Swiss.They do the math.Which has a lower present value:(Cost of extra time spent cleaning – Benefit of annoying neighborhood w dust) vs (Cost of dust collector – Value of pure dust).(I hope the dude is German. Didn’t watch the clickbait.)",
"parent_id": "8142635",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143051",
"author": "Dj Biohazard",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T08:20:46",
"content": "He’s Dutch. We’re efficient too.",
"parent_id": "8142752",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8143198",
"author": "the \"What If Guy\" that annoys engineers on purpose",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T20:40:21",
"content": "Makes me wonder what he could do with metal 3D printed parts and all that sawdust. Keeping with the turbine theme he could probably make a gravity feed “saw dust turbo jet”. Which sounds silly and horrendously inefficient for converting sawdust into rotational energy.Maybe a very small turbine assisted steam boiler? Burn the sawdust and use the stack gas to drive an automotive turbo to force in yet more air. Covert as much of that heat as possible to steam energy?Before the pedantic goblins descend upon me I am not talking about an off grid home powering solution here. Just a one liter volume boiler, something he could fit into a piece of luggage and charge some portable tool batteries with for fun.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,502.961437
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/linear-solar-chargers-for-lithium-capacitors/
|
Linear Solar Chargers For Lithium Capacitors
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"efficiency",
"linear regulator",
"lithium capacitor",
"low dropout",
"solar",
"switch mode",
"voltage regulator"
] |
For as versatile and inexpensive as switch-mode power supplies are at all kinds of different tasks, they’re not always the ideal choice for every DC-DC circuit. Although they can do almost any job in this arena, they tend to have high parts counts, higher complexity, and higher cost than some alternatives. [Jasper]
set out to test some alternative linear chargers called low dropout regulators (LDOs) for small-scale charging of lithium ion capacitors
against those more traditional switch-mode options.
The application here is specifically very small solar cells in outdoor applications, which are charging lithium ion capacitors instead of batteries. These capacitors have a number of benefits over batteries including a higher number of discharge-recharge cycles and a greater tolerance of temperature extremes, so they can be better off in outdoor installations like these. [Jasper]’s findings with using these generally hold that it’s a better value to install a slightly larger solar cell and use the LDO regulator rather than using a smaller cell and a more expensive switch-mode regulator. The key, though, is to size the LDO so that the voltage of the input is very close to the voltage of the output, which will minimize losses.
With unlimited time or money, good design can become less of an issue. In this case, however, saving a few percentage points in efficiency may not be worth the added cost and complexity of a slightly more efficient circuit, especially if the application will be scaled up for mass production. If switched mode really is required for some specific application, though,
be sure to design one that’s not terribly noisy
.
| 24
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142519",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:40:03",
"content": "This looks nice and I have a few questions: Most LDO have a current output limit. I Don’t know how an empty supercapacitor can be described/characterized. Would it be safe if one assumes it behaves like a short when fully emptied? How does the LDO handle running into it’s maximum output current in that case?Yes, I’m asking the experts! I’m clueless on this one. Please tell me if this approach is safe for my hardware if I should rebuild it. Explanations welcome if you have a minute extra.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142562",
"author": "Bunsen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T01:52:24",
"content": "The output current of a solar cell is limited by illumination. Size the LDO to handle more than the solar panel’s short-circuit current and you’re fine.",
"parent_id": "8142519",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142724",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:06:48",
"content": "Mind cooling: the LDO might be rated to some maximum, but it comes with caveats like having enough copper area on the board under the ground tab to act as a heatsink, or filled vias to the other side of the board where you can dissipate the heat.The same applies to transistors. A D-pak casing might be able to handle 28 Watts switching losses, but not as such. If the heat can’t get out, it will fry at much lower loads. Where such things are used, the circuit board might actually be a thick milled copper plate with insulator on top, and the signal traces over the insulator. The transistor sits on top of an “island” milled to the copper plate that pokes through the insulator.",
"parent_id": "8142562",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142564",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T01:56:04",
"content": "Solar cells basically act as a constant current source. The load from the capacitor will drag down the voltage of the solar panel to the capacitor voltage + the dropout voltage of the LDO. As long as the current rating of the LDO is higher than the short circuit current of the solar panel, it shouldn’t be an issue.If you want to charge from something other than a small solar panel, you will need a proper battery charging circuit.",
"parent_id": "8142519",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142665",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:25:48",
"content": "That explain how to charge the capacitor, not how to limit the voltage of the capacitor to stay within expected range. A 5V solar panel can output more than 5V when no current is drawn, (like when the capacitor is full), yet your capacitor are limited to 4.2V. Similarly, if you let the system idle on a cloudy day, it’s likely that the capacitor voltage will go below ~2.5V (or so) that would kill your capacitor as well. You need a controller power source that’s able to isolate completely the capacitor in case it’s either full or empty, not something you can do with a LDO. You need to be able to draw switch off the solar panel and switch on the load current from the capacitor when it’s full so its voltage can decrease, and switch off the load and on the solar source when it’s empty so it can resume its operation (with hysteresis). In all cases, you’ll need a switching regulator.",
"parent_id": "8142564",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142725",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:07:38",
"content": "That’s the job of the LDO.",
"parent_id": "8142665",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142726",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:08:43",
"content": "it’s likely that the capacitor voltage will go below ~2.5V (or so)That would be a brown-out condition for your MCU, so it would refuse to start and power up the load.",
"parent_id": "8142665",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142728",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T16:17:52",
"content": "For example, in one of my devices, there is a power gating circuit that allows current to the MCU every hour, and if the MCU sees less than 2.85 Volts it will refuse to start and the load current will drop to 300 microamps.This of course means that the battery will keep draining, but at much lower rate, so it should have daysuntil the battery voltage drops below 2.5 Volts. In the mean while, I stop getting communications from the device and my backend script alerts me that the device has dropped out due to running out of battery. The battery also has a low-voltage protection circuit built in at 2.5 Volts while the absolute minimum voltage that the cell will tolerate is 2.0 Volts, so there’s a double failsafe.",
"parent_id": "8142726",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142522",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:57:12",
"content": "Here the solar cell is the limiting factor for current, but what if you want to charge a lithium capacitor from batteries? Suppose for example that your device needs high current for a short while but the battery is something like a lithium thionyl cell that can’t supply it without crashing the voltage down, especially at lower temperatures. Therefore you need a big capacitor.So you need three things: 1) very low voltage loss, 2) charging current limiting, 3) back-charging current limiting or blocking to prevent accidents when replacing the battery, like a reversed cell or accidentally swapping in an empty cell.and 3. could be handled with an ideal diode chip, but 2. is more difficult. When you first slot a new battery in, it could draw several amps and the linear regulator could go pop.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142523",
"author": "SparkyGSX",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:04:45",
"content": "The internal resistance of the lithium thionyl cell will limit the current, and if that’s not enough, you can always just place a resistor in series.",
"parent_id": "8142522",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142530",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:18:45",
"content": "I wonder if that can damage the cell. The spec sheets state that high currents at low temperatures result in a loss of capacity.Or, this could be a regular lithium cell that limits the current when cold, but not when it’s warm.",
"parent_id": "8142523",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142531",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:26:19",
"content": "A similar problem applies to the resistor as well. Suppose you want to charge the capacitor at 500 mA – the resistor will see 2 Watts of heating when the capacitor is empty. For normal capacitors this wouldn’t be an issue because they’re very small, but if you have like 500 Farads of capacitance to charge then it’s going to be a while and a surface mount resistor will get hot enough to desolder itself.Of course, add more resistors to share the load, but then that’s more parts to lay down.",
"parent_id": "8142523",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142532",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:37:47",
"content": "Or, even if you have normal 1/4 Watt through-hole resistors, you still need eight of them.It is doable with resistors, but you need to limit the charging current quite low and that means the capacitor can take hours to charge before it can start operating. It also means the device can’t be operating very often or the capacitor doesn’t have enough time to charge back up between uses.",
"parent_id": "8142531",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142534",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:43:06",
"content": "If you’re having to add massive resistors to handle inrush current, it’s not likely your overall design is going to be all that efficient designed around an LDO. Switchers had better be able to operate into a dead short indefinitely and usually fairly efficiently: their bete noire is conversion efficiency at low loads (like maintenance/trickle charge loads.)Or if you really want some fun, use a switcher for heavy source/load mismatch, and when your difference is low, then switch to the LDO.",
"parent_id": "8142531",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142718",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:37:14",
"content": "True. Then again the low efficiency only applies while the capacitor is charging for the first time. After that, it will supply the load current and the main battery is just trickle charging it to recover the small voltage loss from each load cycle.If the average load current is just a couple milliamps, though the instant load might be much higher, then the power loss to the resistors should be negligible.",
"parent_id": "8142534",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142722",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:45:21",
"content": "when your difference is low, then switch to the LDO.That could be done easily with an MCU, but the whole thing should ideally be “passive” with the MCU sleeping or in a brown-out condition when the batteries are empty. Can’t have the software crash and burn out the circuit.The comparison can be made with an op-amp, but then you have to deal with its quiescence current at standby, and the circuit can get complicated with lots of components to fit on a small board.",
"parent_id": "8142534",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142526",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:08:53",
"content": "Thanks for the insightful post! I’ll be sure to check the specs of my solar cell to see if it could damage the LDO if the output draws too much from it. I had considered adding a constant current circuit first but the added complexity probably makes it less efficient. Some people use two LM317(T) in tandem to have constant current and constant voltage. Probably with diminishing returns.Either way this is a nice subject for me to learn more. Some energy harvesting ICs seem to already include protective logic and circuits, but they are too proprietary to understand what they do inside.",
"parent_id": "8142522",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142716",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:30:15",
"content": "A constant current diode might be an answer – it’s very simple – but it’s somewhat limited because it needs a lot of forward voltage to conduct.You might use one to “soft-start” the capacitor, but as the voltage difference to the source gets less, the diode starts to limit the current even further. At lower forward voltages, it starts to act linearly like a resistor.",
"parent_id": "8142526",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142750",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:21:23",
"content": "In the end, you have to think about what sort of efficiency you’re after. Does it really matter if you waste energy you get from the solar panel if solar panels are cheap and you’re not limited by size – and it avoids using $10 extra in special chips, capacitors and inductors in the switching mode circuit?More to the point, extra circuitry and components add extra quiescence loads. When your device is not operating, you want to be in the low 10s of microamps or nanoamps if possible with power gating timers. A complicated charge management circuit with regulators of any kind starts to eat up current that you wouldn’t need to generate with a simpler circuit, so your efficiency gains can be all too easily negated. Diminishing returns.",
"parent_id": "8142526",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142582",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:48:19",
"content": "BE sure to read the data sheet on those cap’s. Allot of manuf. are branding them as caps. but they have a minimum voltage like a LTO cell.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142666",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:31:38",
"content": "Exactly and a maximum voltage too. This design is a guaranteed failure of the LiC. LiC have a minimum voltage and a maximum voltage. They have a lower current capacity than EDLC supercapacitor and a lower cycle life (you can’t derate them to boost the cycle life like a EDLC would do). Their only advantage compared to EDLC is their size and low self discharge rate. But, in fact a LTO cell will likely work better here, with a much higher capacity, a similar cycle life count, a larger current capacity, a larger temperature range and a lower self discharge rate (in µA instead of mA) and a lower price.",
"parent_id": "8142582",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142710",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:16:01",
"content": "Regular lithium batteries – good ones – also work all the way down to -20 for modest current demands. I’ve managed to make it work down to -35 C though the battery can’t be empty because the voltage sags quite badly. Still, it’s enough to start up, send a radio message and shut down immediately. The potentially reduced lifespan doesn’t matter when the device is on standby 99.9% of the time, because the battery will basically get charged once a year from the solar cell and remains full until winter, and then discharges slowly until spring.The thing you have to mind is that you can’t charge it at negative temperatures, so you need a low temperature cut-off in the charging circuit. You need it anyways, because the solar cell gets hot and heats up the box, so you need to stop charging when it gets to +40 C. Some li-ion cells do accept a very slow trickle charge even down to -20 C. The danger is lithium plating on the electrodes, which de-activates the cell, but if you do it slowly enough the ions can intercalate to the electrode just fine. I’ve seen quotes of 0.01C or 20 mA max.",
"parent_id": "8142666",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142673",
"author": "RF Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:59:11",
"content": "Since the solar panel output voltage is well matched and just above the desired capacitor voltage, best efficiency and simplest approach at these low currents may be to directly connect solar panel to capacitor and then use a parallel zener diode / LED / LDO arrangement to limit the charge voltage by SINKing current above the fully charged voltage. Like going downhill in a car and using brakes to limit speed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142712",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:17:54",
"content": "You need a blocking diode to stop the solar cell from draining the capacitor in the dark. That drops the voltage by couple hundred millivolts.",
"parent_id": "8142673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,503.211614
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/rust-drives-a-linux-usb-device/
|
Rust Drives A Linux USB Device
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Linux Hacks"
] |
[
"libusb",
"linux",
"rust",
"usb"
] |
In theory, writing a Linux device driver shouldn’t be that hard, but it is harder than it looks. However, using libusb, you can easily deal with USB devices from user space, which, for many purposes, is fine. [Crescentrose] didn’t know anything about writing user-space USB drivers until they
wrote one and documented it
for us. Oh, the code is in Rust, for which there aren’t as many examples.
The device in question was a USB hub with some extra lights and gadgets. So the real issue, it seems to us, wasn’t the code, but figuring out the protocol and the USB stack. The post covers that, too, explaining configurations, interfaces, and endpoints.
There are other ancillary topics, too, like setting up udev. This lets you load things when a USB device (or something else) plugs in.
Of course, you came for the main code. The Rust program is fairly straightforward once you have the preliminaries out of the way. The libusb library helps a lot. By the end, the code kicks off some threads, handles interrupts, and does other device-driver-like things.
So if you like Rust and you ever thought about a user space device driver for a USB device, this is your chance to see it done. It didn’t
take years
. However, you can do
a lot in user space
.
| 13
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142483",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:04:23",
"content": "Oh, okay. For a sec I thought Linux was ported to run on an USB hub.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142502",
"author": "Rastersoft",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:47:01",
"content": "And there is still people that insists on that Linux is monolitic… 😝",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142528",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:14:27",
"content": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel?useskin=vectorThe kernel is monolithic in an architectural sense since the entire OS kernel runs in kernel space.Most device drivers and kernel extensions run in kernel spaceSaying the Linux kernel isn’t monolithic seems even more wrong?!",
"parent_id": "8142502",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142587",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T04:13:01",
"content": "Reminds me of the diagnostic tool Nvidia uses for all of its testing and debugging. It is called MODS which either stands for “MOdular Diagnostic System” or “MOnolithic Diagnostic System” depending on who you ask.",
"parent_id": "8142528",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142620",
"author": "Rastersoft",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:20:40",
"content": "I consider it an hybrid kernel, because it allows to create device drivers in user space too (you can create character and block devices, use FUSE for file systems, libusb for usb devices… And what is more important: they are being used a lot). Also, the trend is to move to user space as much as possible.",
"parent_id": "8142528",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142640",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T10:14:34",
"content": "This definition is misleading. TLDR; the line is very blurry and getting moreso over timeThe meat of the microkernel vs monolithic kernel comparison is about two things: Running software in protected mode, leveraging hardware supported privilege models, and running drivers and kernel extensions outside of kernel memory in user space privilege levels.In practice there are a lot of issues with this definition when it comes to Linux, which hasalwaysrun in protected mode and drivers havealwaysbeen modular.While it’stechnicallycorrect to say that Linux uses a monolithic kernel, and a drivercancause a kernel fault, nearly all system services run in user space, an increasing number of drivers run in user space, drivers aren’t allowed to corrupt user space, and there are kernel level memory protections. On top of this, virtualization allows for containerised access to physical hardware that can’t cause a kernel fault.In practice this means Linux on servers doesn’t suffer any issues related to monolithic design, and desktop Linux users pretty much only have problems with video card drivers crashing, which can sometimes be recovered from.",
"parent_id": "8142528",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142747",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:07:34",
"content": "The architecture of the Linux kernel reminds me of WfW.It is a large homogeneous mass. It flows through memory like a series of sub routines within a single large application.However, the difference was that WfW supported protection based on segmentation.In addition, less memory was required to run WfW.",
"parent_id": "8142640",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142632",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T09:24:08",
"content": "Well, to me Linuxisthe monolith.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b75EpoF1W88&t=210s",
"parent_id": "8142502",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142642",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T10:15:45",
"content": "The black monolith? I’m not clicking on that.",
"parent_id": "8142632",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142507",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T20:16:52",
"content": "A quick read, looks pretty easy, I like it!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142558",
"author": "Konkers",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T00:55:53",
"content": "I’ve had great experiences with thenusbcreate which, unlikerusbmentioned in the article, does not use libusb. This frees one from having to manage distribution of the libusb shared library.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142741",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T17:14:32",
"content": "It does so in exchange for other problems though and libusb is widely used, distribution is not a problem at all.",
"parent_id": "8142558",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142614",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T07:27:01",
"content": "I did something similar when I “smarted up” a laptop cooler. I even ended up creating idiomatic integrations between libusb’s async interface and Rust async. My driver is also a system tray and all of it, including the UI, runs in a single thread. This is the project, if anyone is interested:https://github.com/bobozaur/cooler-than-you",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.098252
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/announcing-the-2025-hackaday-one-hertz-challenge/
|
Announcing The 2025 Hackaday One Hertz Challenge
|
Elliot Williams
|
[
"contests",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] |
[
"2025 Hackaday One Hertz Challenge",
"555",
"Clocks",
"standard"
] |
It’s about time! Or maybe it’s about time’s reciprocal: frequency. Whichever way you see it, Hackaday is pleased to announce, just this very second, the
2025 One Hertz Challenge
over on Hackaday.io. If you’ve got a device that does
something
once per second, we’ve got the contest for you. And don’t delay, because the top three winners will each receive a $150 gift certificate from this contest’s sponsor: DigiKey.
What will you do once per second? And how will you do it? Therein lies the contest! We brainstormed up a few honorable mention categories to get your creative juices flowing.
Timelords:
How precisely can you get that heartbeat? This category is for those who prefer to see a lot of zeroes after the decimal point.
Ridiculous:
This category is for the least likely thing to do once per second. Accuracy is great, but absurdity is king here. Have Rube Goldberg dreams? Now you get to live them out.
Clockwork:
It’s hard to mention time without thinking of timepieces. This category is for the clockmakers among you. If your clock ticks at a rate of one hertz, and you’re willing to show us the mechanism, you’re in.
Could Have Used a 555:
We knew you were going to say it anyway, so we made it an honorable mention category. If your One Hertz project gets its timing from the venerable triple-five, it belongs here.
We love contests with silly constraints, because you all tend to rise to the challenge. At the same time, the door is wide open to your creativity. To enter, all you have to do is
document your project over on Hackaday.io
and pull down the “Contests” tab to One Hertz to enter. New projects are awesome, but if you’ve got an oldie-but-goodie, you can enter it as well. (Heck, maybe use this contest as your inspiration to spruce it up a bit?)
Time waits for no one, and you have until August 19th at 9:00 AM Pacific time to get your entry in. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
| 56
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142432",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:04:40",
"content": "I’m going to guess my Cesium atomic clock with its PPS output flashing a LED would be cheating?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142438",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:29:32",
"content": "I would say that’s a perfect entry! (And we’d love to see what’s up with your Cesium clock.)",
"parent_id": "8142432",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142699",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:01:51",
"content": "Or my GPS module with 1 PPS output.",
"parent_id": "8142432",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142439",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:29:39",
"content": "Write a bot to spam hackaday once/sec",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142441",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:30:27",
"content": "Damn their post rate limit!",
"parent_id": "8142439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142521",
"author": "Rock Erickson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:46:42",
"content": "You can always write a bot to report random comment every second. It once gave us such a wonderful sithshow of people complaining about HaD going full-reddit with censorship.https://hackaday.com/2024/10/12/if-you-cant-say-anything-nice/",
"parent_id": "8142441",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142703",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:07:43",
"content": "Yes. That was “great”.",
"parent_id": "8142521",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142802",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T21:36:05",
"content": "Thank the mystery bot writer.This is how systems get debugged.Want to know who did it?The person who complained that automatically taking down posts based on randos clicking links was a bad idea.The one that was likely ignored.Wasn’t me.I don’t complain, I snark.Complainers have expectations.I understand bandwidth ain’t free and fully endorse any links to advertisers content HackaDay chooses to post on their site.Gives me something to snark about.BTW about 1% of letters typed into this box appear after the cursor. Weird. Chrome.Not complaining, snarking.It’s JS, the root of all evil.",
"parent_id": "8142703",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142466",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:29:30",
"content": "If you are old school and need help converting to these new “Hertz” units, here is a helpful chart:https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/cps-hertz-chart.pngEqually useful if you’re one of these young’uns who don’t know what a cps is.(Though the chart might not make sense if you have an insufficiently warped sense of humour.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142508",
"author": "Steve T",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T20:21:56",
"content": "That chart made me laugh out loud! Thanks for the handy conversion aid.",
"parent_id": "8142466",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142517",
"author": "Pantaz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:22:08",
"content": "Love that!",
"parent_id": "8142466",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142704",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:09:38",
"content": "Beautiful.",
"parent_id": "8142466",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142475",
"author": "Tim McNerney",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:44:51",
"content": "On October 23, 1998, The Swatch Group, in collaboration with MIT, attempted to introduce a new form of timekeeping called “Internet Time,” or .beat time. In the spirit of the metric system, Swatch chose to divide the day into 1000 use-absolutely-anywhere units called “beats”. Each beat was equivalent to 1 minute and 26.4 seconds. The goal was to provide a uniform global time without the need for time zones, enabling easier scheduling of online activities. Alas, this idea did not catch on, and was quickly relegated to the dustbin of history.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8150316",
"author": "David Lyons",
"timestamp": "2025-07-16T16:50:22",
"content": "Esperanto for time",
"parent_id": "8142475",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142506",
"author": "Mr Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T20:09:13",
"content": "Surely now is the time (pun intended) to get rid of the second and go for a fully base ten time system with 13 months in the year. None of those awkward 12’s, 24’s and 60’s any more. Not too late for the contest to be adjusted to the new units.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142529",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T22:18:19",
"content": "Why the obsession with base 10? Is it because we first learn to count on our hands in unary? What if we had 12 digits? What if we had 3 hands? It’s so arbitrary.",
"parent_id": "8142506",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142586",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T04:02:54",
"content": "But almost all of us have a base 10 calculator somewhere on our body so no its not arbitrary",
"parent_id": "8142529",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142610",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:37:01",
"content": "You have 10 digits of binary or 2 of base-5 as well.Its more difficult (physically) but you have 10 digits of trinary and 8 of Base-4 that you could use instead.So while it’s not entirely arbitrary, it is a little arbitrary.",
"parent_id": "8142586",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142624",
"author": "wmwragg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:38:45",
"content": "Using two hands it’s trivial to count in base 60 like the babylonianshttps://ktwop.com/2017/08/19/counting-on-fingers-leads-naturally-also-to-base-60/",
"parent_id": "8142610",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142631",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T09:05:48",
"content": "Stopped being arbitrary with the invention of the 0",
"parent_id": "8142529",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142959",
"author": "EGO111",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T18:15:01",
"content": "https://youtu.be/pqGyUvZP0Zg",
"parent_id": "8142529",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142510",
"author": "JanW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T20:26:46",
"content": "Mr Nobody, Mr. Christopher, joelagnel1 = one person, spaming the same crap with slight variation. I normally do not feed trolls, but damn, people like you make the internet slightly worse post by post…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142516",
"author": "Mr Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:21:51",
"content": "Nope … you’re waaaaay off. I’ve no interest in unix time ….. an artificial construct based on an arbitrary date in 1970 and I’ve no idea what the f**k that Russian guy was going on about as it was using weird Russian letters which i dont understand. Check out the 13 month year … it’s a real thing and makes a lot more sense than the 12 month one we currently have.",
"parent_id": "8142510",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142601",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:12:34",
"content": "Me on the other hand I use moments. People intuitively understand this unit – if I say “wait a moment” they know exactly how long should they wait and become impatient only if the moment have passed and they are still waiting. Moment of course is relative unit because time also is relative.Look below at hypothetical discussion and notice how moment perfectly defines amount of time needed and how imprecise any other time unit would be.“I’ve no idea what the f**k that Russian guy was going on about as it was using weird Russian letters which i dont understand.”With all that passion for new time units you didn’t take a moment to “copypasteit” into some translator or AI chatbot?",
"parent_id": "8142516",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142820",
"author": "Carl Ranson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T22:22:32",
"content": "I bet kids say “are we there yet” on long road trips at 1 hertz.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142912",
"author": "Matthias",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T10:26:51",
"content": "but the contest would need a nsfw category to enter them",
"parent_id": "8142820",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8149320",
"author": "tillorly",
"timestamp": "2025-07-14T14:52:59",
"content": "Take one of those cheap recording postcards and a 555 to trigger it (maybe needs at transistor).Record your kid’s “are we there yet”.…Profit",
"parent_id": "8142820",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8144268",
"author": "Vince",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T13:09:17",
"content": "friend one mine build the mechnical 1herz watch years ago (dead second) so there is no newsa diesel car engine looks like a nice challenge (60rpm)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8144367",
"author": "Cryptic",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T16:22:44",
"content": "The 1 Hz challenge can have no winners. The best you can do is “Second” place! lmfao",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8148567",
"author": "Bongo Herbert",
"timestamp": "2025-07-12T21:33:51",
"content": "Dad? Is that you?",
"parent_id": "8144367",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8144567",
"author": "--Oz--",
"timestamp": "2025-07-03T00:39:02",
"content": "If I slow down the rotation by 3,808,799, I will be at 1rpm, will that work?https://hackaday.io/project/180517-38-million-rpm-1338mph-2153kph-243-million-gs",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8145973",
"author": "bwmetz",
"timestamp": "2025-07-06T18:05:31",
"content": "With so many arbitrary suggestions, why not convert the world to Minecraft time? Seems reasonably popular enough in current pop culture to qualify as a candidate. 😀https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Daylight_cycle#Real_time_to_Minecraft_timeFor the decimal fixated, I’m surprised no one has suggested going back to a 10 month year instead, e.g. like the Romans used before January and February were added under the Julian calendar. Just a different form of a lunar based calendar than the Egyptians and the Sumerians though but perhaps a way having one’s decimal time cake and keeping it too?https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendarOr perhaps one based on Venus, or a luni-solar calendar, e.g. the Mayans, or the vernal equinox driven Persian calendar? All are arbitrary choices based on astronomical bodies or events important to the cultures that created them; all of which require adjustments over time.https://www.calendar.com/blog/different-calendars-humans-have-used-throughout-history/But given the debate about some calendar choices being arbitrary choices…aren’t they all? For example, why Cesium-133 if only concerned with 1 second accuracy? Why not a different element, either now or in the future?https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radioactive_nuclides_by_half-lifeOf course measuring any of them accurately will bring the argument full circle, leading to a never ending race to reduce the need for future corrections. Cesium-133 after all was defined in 1960 based upon a rounded value based on what could be accurately measured at the time but perhaps more importantly did not constitute a large enough change to cause errors is other derived or measured values. Given enough time, however, I’m sure some future someone will likely be ridiculing us for having chosen it as well.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesium_standardEverything above is meant in good fun. So don’t take anything I’ve written too seriously, especially the Minecraft suggestion.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.434522
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/how-to-make-a-beautiful-floral-keycap-using-resin/
|
How To Make A Beautiful Floral Keycap Using Resin
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"Art",
"how-to"
] |
[
"epoxy resin",
"keycap",
"UV resin"
] |
Here’s a fun build. Over on their YouTube channel our hacker [Atasoy] shows us
how to make a custom floral keyboard keycap using resin
.
We begin by using an existing keycap as a pattern to make a mold. We plug the keycap with all-purpose adhesive paste so that we can attach it to a small sheet of Plexiglas, which ensures the floor of our mold is flat. Then a side frame is fashioned from 100 micron thick acetate which is held together by sticky tape. Hot glue is used to secure the acetate side frame to the Plexiglas floor, keeping the keycap centered. RTV2 molding silicone is used to make the keycap mold. After 24 hours the silicone mold is ready.
Then we go through a similar process to make the mold for the back of the keycap. Modeling clay is pushed into the back of the keycap. Then silicone is carefully pushed into the keycap, and 24 hours later the back silicone mold is also ready.
The back mold is then glued to a fresh sheet of Plexiglas and cut to shape with a craft knife. Holes are drilled into the Plexiglas. A mix of artificial grass and UV resin is made to create the floor. Then small dried flowers are cut down to size for placement in the top of the keycap. Throughout the process UV light is used to cure the UV resin as we go along.
Finally we are ready to prepare and pour our epoxy resin, using our two molds. Once the mold sets our new keycap is cut out with a utility knife, then sanded and polished, before being plugged into its keyboard. This was a very labor intensive keycap, but it’s a beautiful result.
If you’re interested in making things with UV resin, we’ve covered that here before. Check out
3D Printering: Print Smoothing Tests With UV Resin
and
UV Resin Perfects 3D Print, But Not How You Think
. Or if you’re interested in epoxy resin, we’ve covered that too! See
Epoxy Resin Night Light Is An Amazing Ocean-Themed Build
and
Degassing Epoxy Resin On The (Very) Cheap
.
Thanks to [George Graves] for sending us this one via the
tipsline
!
| 8
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142414",
"author": "Albert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:01:12",
"content": "You know what they say, a beekeeper who can avoid the honeybees is called a beekeeper who can avoid the honeybees. Daren’t I use a keyboard made of resin which may negatively impact my health.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142425",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:47:18",
"content": "Should be possible to do this with clear epoxy, it will just require more time and patience.",
"parent_id": "8142414",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142427",
"author": "ThoriumBR",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:52:57",
"content": "It’s not the entire keyboard, it’s only one key. An entire keyboard of resin keys would not be practical to type, the keys are too heavy.If touching the ESC key a few times per hour negatively impact your health in any measurable way, stay away from cosmic rays, 60Hz electromagnetic emanations from AC, microplastics on the air and water and food, UV rays…",
"parent_id": "8142414",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142472",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:42:19",
"content": "Epoxy is pretty much inert once cured. Some are food safe.Horrible stuff until it’s cured though.",
"parent_id": "8142414",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142629",
"author": "Jelle",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:44:58",
"content": "Yes indeed, but only if. If you have worked a lot with epoxy you may develop an allergic reaction to to monomers. But once it has cured fully, there is no monomer to tickle your immune system anymore. But you first need the longer exposure to become allergic to it, you do not get it from cured epoxy or hearing about it from health guru’s.If you do think you have an allergy but no clear explanation how you got it, then you are likely experiencing a nocebo effect: Just as placebos may work very well to feel better, nocebos can just by thinking it will makes you feel bad, make you feel bad, sometimes with extra symptoms.",
"parent_id": "8142472",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142422",
"author": "Mr. Christopher",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:30:35",
"content": "It gives new meaning to “touching grass”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142473",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:43:04",
"content": "I’m surprised by how different the mold process he used is to how we make dice. Interesting to see!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142583",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:52:05",
"content": "“100 micron thick acetate”don’t church it up or anything (this highly specialized engineering plastic comes as waste packaging in a metric shit ton of products from headphones to button down shirts)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.366261
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/field-guide-to-the-north-american-weigh-station/
|
Field Guide To The North American Weigh Station
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Slider"
] |
[
"axle",
"brake",
"Field Guide",
"flir",
"highway",
"infrastructure",
"inspection",
"ir",
"safety",
"scale",
"tire",
"truck",
"weigh-in-motion"
] |
A lot of people complain that driving across the United States is boring. Having done the coast-to-coast trip seven times now, I can’t agree. Sure, the stretches through the Corn Belt get a little monotonous, but for someone like me who wants to know how everything works, even endless agriculture is fascinating; I love me some center-pivot irrigation.
One thing that has always attracted my attention while on these long road trips is the weigh stations that pop up along the way, particularly when you transition from one state to another. Maybe it’s just getting a chance to look at something other than wheat, but weigh stations are interesting in their own right because of everything that’s going on in these massive roadside plazas. Gone are the days of a simple pull-off with a mechanical scale that was closed far more often than it was open. Today’s weigh stations are critical infrastructure installations that are bristling with sensors to provide a multi-modal insight into the state of the trucks — and drivers — plying our increasingly crowded highways.
All About the Axles
Before diving into the nuts and bolts of weigh stations, it might be helpful to discuss the rationale behind infrastructure whose main function, at least to the casual observer, seems to be making the truck driver’s job even more challenging, not to mention less profitable. We’ve all probably sped by long lines of semi trucks queued up for the scales alongside a highway, pitying the poor drivers and wondering if the whole endeavor is worth the diesel being wasted.
The answer to that question boils down to one word: axles. In the United States, the maximum legal gross vehicle weight (GVW) for a fully loaded semi truck is typically 40 tons, although permits are issued for overweight vehicles. The typical “18-wheeler” will distribute that load over five axles, which means each axle transmits 16,000 pounds of force into the pavement, assuming an even distribution of weight across the length of the vehicle.
Studies conducted in the early 1960s
revealed that heavier trucks caused more damage to roadways than lighter passenger vehicles, and that the increase in damage is proportional to the fourth power of axle weight. So, keeping a close eye on truck weights is critical to protecting the highways.
Just how much damage trucks can cause to pavement is pretty alarming. Each axle of a truck creates a compression wave as it rolls along the pavement, as much as a few millimeters deep, depending on road construction and loads. The relentless cycle of compression and expansion results in pavement fatigue and cracks, which let water into the interior of the roadway. In cold weather, freeze-thaw cycles exert tremendous forces on the pavement that can tear it apart in short order. The greater the load on the truck, the more stress it puts on the roadway and the faster it wears out.
The other, perhaps more obvious reason to monitor axles passing over a highway is that they’re critical to truck safety. A truck’s axles have to support huge loads in a dynamic environment, and every component mounted to each axle, including springs, brakes, and wheels, is subject to huge forces that can lead to wear and catastrophic failure. Complete failure of an axle isn’t uncommon, and a driver can be completely unaware that a wheel has detached from a trailer and become an unguided missile bouncing down the highway. Regular inspections of the running gear on trucks and trailers are critical to avoiding these potentially catastrophic occurrences.
Ways to Weigh
The first thing you’ll likely notice when driving past one of the approximately 700 official weigh stations lining the US Interstate highway system is how much space they take up. In contrast to the relatively modest weigh stations of the past, modern weigh stations take up a lot of real estate. Most weigh stations are optimized to get the greatest number of trucks processed as quickly as possible, which means constructing multiple lanes of approach to the scale house, along with lanes that can be used by exempt vehicles to bypass inspection, and turnout lanes and parking areas for closer inspection of select vehicles.
In addition to the physical footprint of the weigh station proper, supporting infrastructure can often be seen miles in advance. Fixed signs are usually the first indication that you’re getting near a weigh station, along with electronic signboards that can be changed remotely to indicate if the weigh station is open or closed. Signs give drivers time to figure out if they need to stop at the weigh station, and to begin the process of getting into the proper lane to negotiate the exit. Most weigh stations also have a net of sensors and cameras mounted to poles and overhead structures well before the weigh station exit. These are monitored by officers in the station to spot any trucks that are trying to avoid inspections.
Overhead view of a median weigh station on I-90 in Haugan, Montana. Traffic from both eastbound and westbound lanes uses left exits to access the scales in the center. There are ample turnouts for parking trucks that fail one test or another. Source:
Google Maps
.
Most weigh stations in the US are located off the right side of the highway, as left-hand exit ramps are generally more dangerous than right exits. Still, a single weigh station located in the median of the highway can serve traffic from both directions, so the extra risk of accidents from exiting the highway to the left is often outweighed by the savings of not having to build two separate facilities. Either way, the main feature of a weigh station is the scale house, a building with large windows that offer a commanding view of the entire plaza as well as an up-close look at the trucks passing over the scales embedded in the pavement directly adjacent to the structure.
Scales at a weigh station are generally of two types: static scales, and weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems. A static scale is a large platform, called a weighbridge, set into a pit in the inspection lane, with the surface flush with the roadway. The platform floats within the pit, supported by a set of cantilevers that transmit the force exerted by the truck to electronic load cells. The signal from the load cells is cleaned up by signal conditioners before going to analog-to-digital converters and being summed and dampened by a scale controller in the scale house.
The weighbridge on a static scale is usually long enough to accommodate an entire semi tractor and trailer, which accurately weighs the entire vehicle in one measurement. The disadvantage is that the entire truck has to come to a complete stop on the weighbridge to take a measurement. Add in the time it takes for the induced motion of the weighbridge to settle, along with the time needed for the driver to make a slow approach to the scale, and each measurement can add up to significant delays for truckers.
Weigh-in-motion sensor. WIM systems measure the force exerted by each axle and calculate a total gross vehicle weight (GVW) for the truck while it passes over the sensor. The spacing between axles is also measured to ensure compliance with state laws. Source:
Central Carolina Scales, Inc.
To avoid these issues, weigh-in-motion systems are often used. WIM systems use much the same equipment as the weighbridge on a static scale, although they tend to use piezoelectric sensors rather than traditional strain-gauge load cells, and usually have a platform that’s only big enough to have one axle bear on it at a time. A truck using a WIM scale remains in motion while the force exerted by each axle is measured, allowing the controller to come up with a final GVW as well as weights for each axle. While some WIM systems can measure the weight of a vehicle at highway speed, most weigh stations require trucks to keep their speed pretty slow, under five miles per hour. This is obviously for everyone’s safety, and even though the somewhat stately procession of trucks through a WIM can still plug traffic up, keeping trucks from having to come to a complete stop and set their brakes greatly increases weigh station throughput.
Another advantage of WIM systems is that the spacing between axles can be measured. The speed of the truck through the scale can be measured, usually using a pair of inductive loops embedded in the roadway around the WIM sensors. Knowing the vehicle’s speed through the scale allows the scale controller to calculate the distance between axles. Some states strictly regulate the distance between a trailer’s kingpin, which is where it attaches to the tractor, and the trailer’s first axle. Trailers that are not in compliance can be flagged and directed to a parking area to await a service truck to come by to adjust the spacing of the trailer bogie.
Keep It Moving, Buddy
A PrePass transponder reader and antenna over Interstate 10 near Pearlington, Mississippi. Trucks can bypass a weigh station if their in-cab transponder identifies them as certified. Source:
Tony Webster
, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Despite the increased throughput of WIM scales, there are often too many trucks trying to use a weigh station at peak times. To reduce congestion further, some states participate in automatic bypass systems. These systems, generically known as PrePass for the specific brand with the greatest market penetration, use in-cab transponders that are interrogated by transmitters mounted over the roadway well in advance of the weigh station. The transponder code is sent to PrePass for authentication, and if the truck ID comes back to a company that has gone through the PrePass certification process, a signal is sent to the transponder telling the driver to bypass the weigh station. The transponder lights a green LED in this case, which stays lit for about 15 minutes, just in case the driver gets stopped by an overzealous trooper who mistakes the truck for a scofflaw.
PrePass transponders are just one aspect of an entire suite of automatic vehicle identification (AVI) systems used in the typical modern weigh station. Most weigh stations are positively bristling with cameras, some of which are dedicated to automatic license plate recognition. These are integrated into the scale controller system and serve to associate WIM data with a specific truck, so violations can be flagged. They also help with the enforcement of traffic laws, as well as locating human traffickers, an increasingly common problem. Weigh stations also often have laser scanners mounted on bridges over the approach lanes to detect unpermitted oversized loads. Image analysis systems are also used to verify the presence and proper operation of required equipment, such a mirrors, lights, and mudflaps. Some weigh stations also have systems that can interrogate the electronic logging device inside the cab to verify that the driver isn’t in violation of hours of service laws, which dictate how long a driver can be on the road before taking breaks.
Sensors Galore
IR cameras watch for heat issues on trucks at a Kentucky weigh station. Heat signatures can be used to detect bad tires, stuck brakes, exhaust problems, and even illicit cargo. Source:
Trucking Life with Shawn
Another set of sensors often found in the outer reaches of the weigh station plaza is related to the mechanical status of the truck. Infrared cameras are often used to scan for excessive heat being emitted by an axle, often a sign of worn or damaged brakes. The status of a truck’s tires can also be monitored thanks to Tire Anomaly and Classification Systems (TACS), which use in-road sensors that can analyze the contact patch of each tire while the vehicle is in motion. TACS can detect flat tires, over- and under-inflated tires, tires that are completely missing from an axle, or even mismatched tires. Any of these anomalies can cause a tire to quickly wear out and potentially self-destruct at highway speeds, resulting in catastrophic damage to surrounding traffic.
Trucks with problems are diverted by overhead signboards and direction arrows to inspection lanes. There, trained truck inspectors will closely examine the flagged problem and verify the violation. If the problem is relatively minor, like a tire inflation problem, the driver might be able to fix the issue and get back on the road quickly. Trucks that can’t be made safe immediately might have to wait for mobile service units to come fix the problem, or possibly even be taken off the road completely. Only after the vehicle is rendered road-worthy again can you keep on trucking.
Featured image: “
WeighStationSign
” by [Wasted Time R]
| 39
| 17
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142387",
"author": "Rxvt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:35:33",
"content": "Is that a common distance between signs in the US?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142392",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:42:58",
"content": "Depends on the State and how recent the sign.",
"parent_id": "8142387",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142395",
"author": "Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:52:01",
"content": "Appears to be shot at a high zoom, making everything look closer together.",
"parent_id": "8142387",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142396",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:54:34",
"content": "The wooden posts on the front one are characteristic of a temporary sign, but I have no idea why it’s there. Possibly because it’s holding the electric “open” sign?The metal posts are cool – they have breakaway joints at the bottom so they don’t bisect your car if you run off the road and hit one. Or, they don’t bisect it as much…",
"parent_id": "8142387",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142513",
"author": "T.Cullen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:14:13",
"content": "Typically for most non weight permitted trucks,the weight distribution is as follows.Front axle= 12,000 lb.maxDrive axles= 34,000 lb.maxRear tandem axles= 34,000 lb.maxYou had mentioned in your article the space between kingpin and the front trailer axle. This iswhat gets a lot of inexperienced drivers in “Hot water”.This system is called the “Bridge Law”,and this law can vary from state to state.Most,not all trucks/trailers,can slide the 5th wheel (where the kingpin is located)as well as the trailer tandems to ensure the safest weight distribution possible",
"parent_id": "8142396",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142540",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:17:58",
"content": "probibly because someone neglected to add “remove the temporary sign” to the work order.im more disturbed by how they just didnt install permanent footings for the temp sign. your tax dollars at work. road signs are not cheep.",
"parent_id": "8142396",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142424",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:43:59",
"content": "When a politician’s niece/nephew owns the sign company it is.Same as the rest of the world.",
"parent_id": "8142387",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142390",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:41:23",
"content": "Interesting. Thanks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142394",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:48:47",
"content": "The pre-pass also depends on the company’s safety standing with the FMCSA. If a company has got caught with violations to many times, pre-pass means nothing",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8144441",
"author": "bemusedHorseman",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T19:49:02",
"content": "I’ve also seen posts on trucking subreddits where “overzealous troopers” can actuallysend a false bypass clearanceto the in-cab system or the on-road signage, trying to trick a driver into bypassing when they “should have known to enter anyway”, simply to get more ticket revenue. It would certainly explain why I keep seeing trucks pulled over in western Washington, by state patrol rather than by the DOT…",
"parent_id": "8142394",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142418",
"author": "gyre",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:18:33",
"content": "need one for flock cameras",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142420",
"author": "Reg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:27:14",
"content": "If the truck is crossing several state with a load do you *really * need to weigh it at every state border?I poured concrete pads for diesel service pumps for Dad. It was routine for logging trucks to get stopped running 125,000 lbs. Dad was a NY CE PE. He designed the slab to take a >125,000 lb rolling load.5/8” bar on 8” x 12” spacing in 8” of concrete. It didnotcrack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142430",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:00:45",
"content": "All ‘crete cracks.They cut grooves into slabs, hoping to control where the cracks form.Your dad knows this.As you note, there are obvious reasons for haul companies to cheat.Truck brakes suck hard enough at rated load.They need to check several times in each state.Open and close at random, the weigh stations are being monitored at all times.If your really really want to f w a trucker…Put a gallon of red ag diesel into one of his tanks.Don’t worry, if he catches you, you’ll have good laugh together…Swap prank stories.Best not to f w truckers.‘Getting away with it’ is how they feed their kids and/or pay for their meth.",
"parent_id": "8142420",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142491",
"author": "dpc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:33:50",
"content": "Not only informative but also interesting to read. Well done!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142495",
"author": "ET",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:38:53",
"content": "Article needs a correction. Weight is not spread equally across all 5 axles on a semi. Steer axle is allowed 12,000 pounds and each axle after that is allowed 17,000 pounds.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142568",
"author": "Anonabot",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T02:10:35",
"content": "Second correction; most scales use a floating pneumatic load system, not cantilevered electronic load cells. I’m sure there are some that use electronic load cells, but most of them just just air bags and a pressure monitoring system. It’s why the scale seems to “float” when you drive over it.",
"parent_id": "8142495",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142574",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:09:30",
"content": "See my reply below; this is not how practical scales work. Large commercial scales do indeed use strain gages both in shear beams and, at smaller form factor, in machined blocks which keep the platform level and corners correct. Cheap bathroom scales often use half-bridge beams, known in the trade by the precise technical term “garbage.” Tabletop scales sometimes use other tehnologies like vibrating wires or cantilevered plates which form a variable capacitor, but at commercial scale the state looks dimly upon unproven technology. Hydraulic, not pneumatic, scales are a thing but they are a very expensive thing, and tend to seem rigid rather than floating for their own reasons.",
"parent_id": "8142568",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142520",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T21:41:33",
"content": "I’m curious where these “open” weigh stations are.I drive mostly the east coast USA corridor. 5-6 times a year. I also drive NY to CA at least once a year.In the last… 20ish years, I can count the number of open weigh stations I have seen on one hand.I know they MUST exist.I have just never seen most of them.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142537",
"author": "Antron Argaiv",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:13:32",
"content": "In my life, I think I have seen fewer than 10 open weigh stations. And I’m retired. Have driven mostly in the Northeast.",
"parent_id": "8142520",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142549",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T00:01:19",
"content": "Go someplace where roads deteriorate rapidly because of soil conditions, such as the South. Weigh stations on I-10 and I-20 tend to do a booming business and are usually open if it’s not a Federal holiday. Down here it’s the idle empty weigh station which is a sightseeing destination. This is even more so because weigh stations are responsible for writing permits for oversize loads, and a lot of heavy industrial equipment moves here like giant chemical reactors and engines which have to be transported in one piece.",
"parent_id": "8142520",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142544",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:32:16",
"content": "On weight distribution, it is best to think not of axles, but of tires. 80,000 lb is supported by 18 tires, 2 tandem = 4 axles of 4 tires each = 16, plus 2 tires on the steering axle. If it were all even this would give around 4,500 lb per tire. Most of the trucks I’ve seen run about 130 PSI tire pressure, so the whole truck is held up by about 600 sq in of contact with the road, or 35 sq in per tire. In practice trucks that are close to the limit tend to run wider tires on the front axle because only two tires are up there carrying the engine.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142547",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:56:22",
"content": "Static scales almost always use strain gage weight sensors which will generally give a legal for trade accuracy of 20 lb on a capacity of 120,000 lb. Only static scales are legal for trade (including issuing tickets with fines) so all weigh stations will have at least one.In-motion systems can use strain gages or piezo elements. If you see a WIM sensor that consists of plates bolted down over a shallow pit and requires trucks to come off the main road and slow down, it’s most likely strain gage style. If it’s embedded in the roadway and subject to highway traffic, it’s piezo and really crappy as a scale, although it will be good enough to send a light or unloaded truck on its way without stopping.You see both kinds of WIM sensor and sometimes both at once depending on how busy the road is, how much money the state had to spend, and how much room they have; in some cases there just isn’t enough real estate for the installation the state would like.On back roads you still see the opposite end of the spectrum, popup weigh stations with no infrastructure but a wide shoulder pulloff. Suspect trucks are weighed with hand carried portable wheel weighers, usually a set of 4 to get one axle at a time. These are not very accurate but those stations are usually looking for scofflaws like lumber trucks evading the main highway scales, so they won’t just be a little over. Although axle weights also aren’t supposed to be legal for trade there are accommodations. Often they are undercalibrated by 10% or so to give you the benefit of that doubt.And of course once upon a time all those static scales used to be mechanical with beams and levers, and you’d balance a massive six foot long team before inserting a little tag to punch it with the weight. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s a lot of those were still in service with a single strain gage load cell taking the place of the beam (which was often still there, just locked down, with the new load cell mounted to the stilyard rod that transmits the reduced weight force from the platform noseiron to the beam). In those days WIM systems didn’t exist because not only the WIM scale platforms but the automation to link everything together wasn’t practical until the mid 1990’s.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142569",
"author": "Anonabot",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T02:13:41",
"content": "I posted this above: most scales use a floating pneumatic load system, not cantilevered electronic load cells. It’s why the scale seems to “float” when you drive over it.Article needs a correction. I had never heard of a cantilevered electronic scale before, but it makes sense so they probably do exist.",
"parent_id": "8142547",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142573",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:01:34",
"content": "No, they don’t. Load cells in large scales like truck and tank scales generally use single or double ended shear beam strain gage load cells (which in turn are blocks of metal with strain gages expoxy bonded to them, in a wheatstone bridge format which results in 2 to 3 millivolts output per volt of excitation maximum at full capacity).Shear beam cells are mounted in self-checking assemblies, some of which have the platform sitting on a big ball bearing which rides in a cup on the top of the load cell, making them “float.” There are also pillar cells like DigiTol which are checked in some other way and can rock slightly. And of course mechanical scales and retrofits “float” because the entire lever system is actually suspended from the main bearings.All scales have to move a bit to work right, but movement in a direct strain gage system may be limited to thousandths of an inch. That actually creates service difficulty because even when it is working the scale can seem rigid. Techs do prefer systems that rock or float when they aren’t jammed in a bind, but sometimes this movement creates problems. I have never seen an electronic multi-platform truck scale which permitted much movement, because of interference between the modules as they shift.There are hydraulic scales which use fluid in pistons to transfer the load force to a strain gage pressure sensor, but these are very expensive by today’s standards and rare; you usually see them in explosion proof or marine applications. No commercial scale has ever used pneumatics (gas pressure) to support the load and if someone built one, it would not conform to Handbook 44 and would not be legal for trade.I have worked in the scale industry for 40 years, and if there ever was such a thing trust me, I would know about it.",
"parent_id": "8142569",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142672",
"author": "Tom",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:53:10",
"content": "“popup weigh stations”I knew a logger who was put out of business by one.All 3 of his trucks(in a line) with “Ag” fuel AND over weight.(And MANY other defects…bad brakes, lights, etc)He was not a “nice” guy. But it was ALL his fault.Play with fire……..,,,,,,,,",
"parent_id": "8142547",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142557",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T00:54:15",
"content": "” Any of these anomalies can cause a tire to quickly wear out and potentially self-destruct at highway speeds, resulting in catastrophic damage to surrounding traffic.”And an underwear change.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142560",
"author": "Notanevilgenius",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T01:22:43",
"content": "For the surrounding traffic, if it’s not a steer tire there’s a good chance the trucker won’t notice until his next stop.",
"parent_id": "8142557",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142559",
"author": "OldTechGuy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T01:11:15",
"content": "A friend who maintained static scales once told me of a particularly odd situation he encountered. It seems that when ever it rained, the scale would be off by some random amount. It turns out a critter was in the pit and would hop up on one of the cantilever arms when it would fill with rainwater.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142600",
"author": "JanErik",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:10:17",
"content": "Never seen similar in Europe. The police have mobile scales here (just a set of plates that fit in any police van) and either set up temporary weighing stations for all trucks or weigh any suspect overweight.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142622",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:37:05",
"content": "There are a few but they’re much less common, I can picture a couple in the UK (usually signposted VOSA Weighbridge). Outfits like aggregate depots and grain stores are more likely to have them if you need to weigh a vehicle.",
"parent_id": "8142600",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142650",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:01:54",
"content": "There used to be a paper factory a few miles from my home. Across the road from the factory they had their own weighbridge. That’s the only one I’ve ever seen. Both factory and weighbridge closed down a long time ago now.",
"parent_id": "8142600",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142744",
"author": "Messy P.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T17:26:16",
"content": "Most of Europe is far advanced from what the US is doing. For example, at the autobahns throughout, you never see retread peelings hazardously littering the roadway because they aren’t allowed to retread — you buy new tires. And a pet peeve of mine over here is what truckers call their “Jake Brake” which uses the engine compression, usually unmuffled, which makes a godawful racket; truckers totally ignore the “Unmuffled Engine Braking Prohibited” signs in the small Alabama city I live.",
"parent_id": "8142600",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142990",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T22:14:15",
"content": "That might explain what I occasionally hear when they’re going around the curve.",
"parent_id": "8142744",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143502",
"author": "Antti",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T16:57:29",
"content": "To my knowledge, retreads are A-ok in germany, nordics and uk, should be acceptable to use them in France also. More likely, the german toll system keeps some of the truck traffic of the autobahns and bundesstrassen. Most of europe have similar systems in use, which logically, takes the smaller less wealthy players off the motorways.",
"parent_id": "8142744",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8143020",
"author": "Steve J",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T02:19:08",
"content": "In terms of the number of axles, here in Australia, we have what are called “road trains”, which may consist of up to 4 trailers pulled by a single “prime mover” or tractor. Now the tractor may be twin steer, with triple drive bogies (5 axles in total) but usually just single steer with double drive (3 axles in total), each of the trailers may be triple axle, both front and rear, so 6 axles. So the total unit can be up to 21 axles, with 80+tyres. This ia all quite legal.Truck drivers come from Europe to Australia just to learn to drive these rigs.Imagine a bridge carrying these 20+ axles travelling at 100 kilometres per hour and each axle loaded to/beyond the limit. Likewise, the road surface!Have a look at “Outback Truckers” for some video.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143037",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T06:18:41",
"content": "Gotta watch taking back roads.An amusing tale I heard about three decades back was how a car drove to an open air scale house and threw watermelons so as to have yellow jackets swarm the operators.BTW “No Jake Brakes” means no compression brakesTwo other odd signs..QUIET! SICKNESS ON THIS BLOCKAIR CURRENTS (Grazulis’ book Significant Tornadoes had a picture of this sign as a twister was in the distance :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143075",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T10:58:57",
"content": "My father was a truck driver his entire life. His opinion on the purpose of weigh stations was to confirm the operator’s Fuel Tax certification for the state to operate within. He stated that they put more scrutiny into that paperwork than anything else for the purposes of revenue capture. Oh, and getting a $200 fine for having a single non-signal light bulb burned out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143445",
"author": "Cruz and son log inc.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T13:27:33",
"content": "I didn’t read the whole article due to length and time.The 1960s study was run with trucks that had NO AIR RIDE SYSTEMS and the TIRES in the early 60s were EXTREMLY hard. Nothing to do with the amount of preasure put on highways with today’s technology.Most highway problems come from POOR workmanship or inadequate cement or black top.Sure weight plays a part…but please don’t use that flawed 1960s study. It’s jJUNK.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143505",
"author": "Antti",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T17:02:28",
"content": "Tarmac quality of the 60´s is not economically feasible in todays world. Many countries in europe use the cheapest entrepreneur, which then leads to high aggregate to asphalt ratios. Cement might be better in that case, alas, a lot of places use road salt.",
"parent_id": "8143445",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,503.527574
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/pla-with-petg-core-filament-put-to-the-test/
|
PLA With PETG Core Filament Put To The Test
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"FDM",
"PETG",
"PLA"
] |
The Stronghero 3D hybrid PLA PETG filament, with visible PETG core. (Credit: My Tech Fun, YouTube)
Sometimes you see an FDM filament pop up that makes you do a triple-take because it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. This is the case with a hybrid PLA/PETG filament by Stronghero 3D that features a PETG core. This filament also intrigued [Dr. Igor Gaspar] who
imported a spool from the US to have a poke at it
to see why you’d want to combine these two filament materials.
According to the manufacturer, the PLA outside makes up 60% of the filament, with the rest being the PETG core. The PLA is supposed to shield the PETG from moisture, while adding more strength and weather resistance to the PLA after printing. Another interesting aspect is the multi-color look that this creates, and which [Igor]’s prints totally show. Finding the right temperatures for the bed and extruder was a challenge and took multiple tries with the Bambu Lab P1P including bed adhesion troubles.
As for the actual properties of this filament, the layer adhesion test showed it to be significantly worse than plain PLA or PETG when printed at extruder temperatures from 225 °C to 245 °C. When the shear stress is put on the material instead of the layer adhesion, the results are much better, while torque resistance is better than plain PETG. This is a pattern that repeats across impact and other tests, with PETG more brittle. Thermal deformation temperature is, unsurprisingly, between both materials, making this filament mostly a curiosity unless its properties work much better for your use case than a non-hybrid filament.
| 27
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142348",
"author": "H Hack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:17:56",
"content": "Very thorough and informative video. I really like his test setup. It would be wonderful if the community could agree on a set of standardized tests which reputable manufacturers could perform and publish.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142354",
"author": "Shara",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:05:17",
"content": "WUT. PETG is more moisture-resistant than PLA. It’s resists with sun UV. PLA is a bit more rigid than PETG and it may be some reasonable to put PLA core inside PETG, but why they made vice versa.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142358",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:17:46",
"content": "WTF are you talking about. PETG absorbs MORE moisture than PLA. Maybe you should do a simple google before commenting",
"parent_id": "8142354",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142372",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:26:35",
"content": "It absorb moisture ok, but then what? Leave a PLA pool open for 3 months and a PETG pool in the same situation, you can’t print with PLA anymore (the filament becomes brittle and breaks for any reason), while you’ll (only) get strings with PETG. Putting PETG inside the PLA core prevents the PLA from breaking (the PETG doesn’t break and likely prevent moisture from creeping into the PETG. If you do the other way around, you won’t gain much, but again, I’m not convinced there are any gains at all.PETG doesn’t adhere to PLA (or vice versa), so the combination is obvious that layer adhesion will suffer. All in all, it’s a bad idea, IMHO.",
"parent_id": "8142358",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142377",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:43:03",
"content": "Yeah, the PLA+PETG combination seems weird to me too.But the idea seems good, there might be some other material which would be better suitable for moisture protection.",
"parent_id": "8142372",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143231",
"author": "NKT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T23:23:43",
"content": "Surely just a coating that’s a few microns, or even atoms, thick would be far better! Maybe it could be something that bonds with the material it is coating, improving layer adhesion.",
"parent_id": "8142377",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142413",
"author": "Joshua R Hunt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:57:39",
"content": "Petg and pla are only a good combination when one is the print, and the other is support. While it creates a lot of “poop”, on intricate prints with tons of support, nothing beats the combination. (Although finding the right “middle ground” nozzle temp is dependent on which pla and which petg are available.",
"parent_id": "8142372",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142602",
"author": "Clancy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:13:33",
"content": "Disagree about PLA vs PETG – PETG is universally considered to be very hygroscopic, while a lot of PLA options are famously resilient as far as storage and forgiving printing goes. Having said that, a filament being hygroscopic isn’t necessarily a problem in a finished part – nylon in infamous for being horrible to keep dry enough to print but no one sweats leaving nylon parts out in the air.As for this, I’m guessing the idea was that the PETG could provide a slightly higher temperature resistance to the parts by acting as a skeleton while being easier to store and therefore print than pure PETG, plus the layer adhesion issue isn’t obvious since it should be PLA adhering to PLA anyway (there’s been other dual filaments like this before and the core doesn’t meaningfully mix with the outer sleeve material) – of course, when it was tested and found to still exhibit layer adhesion issues in the real world they should have probably stopped there rather than bringing it to market, but maybe they found some sort of niche use case that doesn’t rely so much on layer adhesion? Not a filament I could think of a use for personally but I appreciate the experimentation if nothing else",
"parent_id": "8142372",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142603",
"author": "Clancy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:15:53",
"content": "To clarify on PLA, there’s definitely some options that become brittle very rapidly but it seems to be an issue with specific blends rather than intrinsic to PLA, I’ve got some PLA spools that work just fine after no attempt at all to store them dry for some time – they’re a bit more brittle than brand new but not enough to matter, and it’s not even close to the degree of stringiness you get from leaving PETG out for even a week in some places",
"parent_id": "8142602",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142373",
"author": "CC",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:28:11",
"content": "It’s a 2 part answer. Unprinted PETG in filament form is of course affected by moisture during the printing process. However, a printed part from PETG is more moisture resistant than PLA. That means, contact with moisture does not degrade the material as much as it would with PLA.",
"parent_id": "8142358",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142431",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:04:01",
"content": "PETG absorbs more moisture than PLA which makes it ooze and bubble during printing, but PLA becomes brittle when it hydrolyzes as anyone who’s tried to use a roll that’s been open for a few years can confirm.PLA isn’t moisture impervious, so I doubt it shields the PETG well. If that weren’t the case then an embrittled PLA coating wouldn’t be a big deal. With all the above and the poor bonding between the two, I don’t know why this is a product and didn’t stop at being a fun experiment.",
"parent_id": "8142358",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142470",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:39:04",
"content": "Idk man I don’t see a lot of PLA water bottles out there",
"parent_id": "8142358",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142604",
"author": "Clancy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:17:42",
"content": "I don’t see a lot of PETG bottles either though (PET is a very different and much tougher beast than PETG), although I would still pick PETG over PLA for a print intended to get wet/hold water",
"parent_id": "8142470",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142749",
"author": "dxglinfo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T18:21:03",
"content": "It’s about absorbing less moisture prior to printing. Absorbed moisture is not an issue with an end-use product but it makes the printing process less reliable, i.e. stringing, blobs, poor layer adhesion, etc.",
"parent_id": "8142354",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142391",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:42:28",
"content": "what about pla with an abs core so the pla holds the fumes in and sticks to the bed",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142393",
"author": "VeNT666",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:47:43",
"content": "Or ASA?Or tpu!",
"parent_id": "8142391",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142433",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:07:54",
"content": "Low durometer TPU with a thin PETG core to add rigidity during printing might work",
"parent_id": "8142393",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142442",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:32:54",
"content": "That is what carbon fiber TPU is for :)",
"parent_id": "8142433",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143232",
"author": "NKT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T23:27:09",
"content": "Carbon fibre anything is plenty dubious imo, but stabby nano particles embedded in a soft squishy tpu seems especially weird.",
"parent_id": "8142442",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142435",
"author": "Greg Gallacci",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:14:40",
"content": "I’m kinda old school tech/engineer and I find myself asking only one question: what urgent need is being addressed by this material?Show me the problem that this stuff ‘fixes’, and maybe I’ll have a more open mind.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142490",
"author": "Azy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:15:32",
"content": "The urgent need is called some guy at the factory messed up and we need to sell five pallets of this stuff.The reviews on it aren’t kind either. I don’t know if Strong Hero is a real company in China or just some lazy person in an apartment here in the United States, but this couldn’t have been intentional.",
"parent_id": "8142435",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142605",
"author": "Clancy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:19:26",
"content": "I can’t think of a way to do this by accident though unless it’s being made on a line that already produces multiple different hybrid filament options – the extruders used to make hybrid filaments like this are far more expensive than basic single material options",
"parent_id": "8142490",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142626",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:39:51",
"content": "I suspect it’s people just throwing random sh*t at the wall to see what sticks / what sells – you can make almost any bizarre and awful filament and you know you’ll sell at least 100 rolls to the various youtubers out there who want to talk about it.",
"parent_id": "8142435",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142456",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:03:40",
"content": "Hmmm…. Thinking that wrapping a bunch of this around an old primary wire spool and leaving it at a workplace could be fun!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142488",
"author": "eswan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:12:52",
"content": "Evil. You are evil.",
"parent_id": "8142456",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142489",
"author": "Azy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:14:09",
"content": "I think this was a mistake, and there’s just enough suckers who would be willing to buy it because it has a sale price and is available on Amazon.Stop giving bad companies money like this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142545",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:39:55",
"content": "I’ve been watching Igor since he had about 40 subscribers and he has gotten better and better at testing methodology and presence, I really enjoy his content.Stronghero3D has always been my favorite petg supplier, I don’t have any experience with their PLA but the petg is excellent every time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.691629
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/26/revealing-the-last-mac-easter-egg/
|
Revealing The Last Mac Easter Egg
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Mac Hacks"
] |
[
"apple",
"easter egg",
"power mac g3"
] |
A favourite thing for the developers behind a complex software project is to embed an Easter egg: something unexpected that can be revealed only by those in the know. Apple certainly had their share of them in their early days, a practice brought to a close by Steve Jobs on his return to the company. One of the last Macs to contain one was the late 1990s beige G3, and while its existence has been know for years, until now nobody has decoded the means to display it on the Mac.
Now [Doug Brown] has taken on the challenge
.
The Easter egg is a JPEG file embedded in the ROM with portraits of the team, and it can’t be summoned with the keypress combinations used on earlier Macs. We’re taken on a whirlwind tour of ROM disassembly as he finds an unexpected string in the SCSI driver code. Eventually it’s found that formatting the RAM disk with the string as a volume name causes the JPEG to be saved into the disk, and any Mac user can come face to face with the dev team. It’s a joy reserved now for only a few collectors of vintage hardware, but still over a quarter century later, it’s fascinating to learn about. Meanwhile,
this isn’t the first Mac easter egg
to find its way here.
| 34
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142338",
"author": "Tim Andersson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:31:16",
"content": "The bitter irony is that most people today have no concept of using the computer and would not be able to extract this file even if they had the step-by-step instruction. Smartphones and tablets should be banned and people should be forced to learn IT skills on real computers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142340",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:54:14",
"content": "There are always a few exceptions to this, though.People say the youth is obsessed with mobile devices, but perhaps they simply have been raised that way.Not few of them are interested in interacting with physical things.It’s new to them and they’re slowly being fed up with wiping on a glass screen for all their life.This video gives a good summary of the matter, I think.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dEJiQnotR8",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142452",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:56:54",
"content": "It’s the old division of “creation” versus “consumption”; back 15 or so years ago when the iPad kickstarted the tablet/touchscreen form-factor(1) the (slightly snooty) attitude in the tech company I worked for was that tablets were forconsumingcontent that other people hadcreatedon “proper” computers.(1) yes, before everyone screams at me, I know there were tablets and touchscreens long before the iPad, but as is so often the case with Apple, they took the concept and democratized/popularized it to the masses…",
"parent_id": "8142340",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142675",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T13:12:25",
"content": "I had been a Palm Pilot user long before the iPad appeared.The icons on PalmOS from the 90s were similar to those on iOS and Android years after.So nothing groundbreaking new, really.But despite this, the Palm Pilot was considered an electronic, organizer, a handheld PC, a PDA – not a development tool.Please everyone don’t get me wrong,it was possible to create and develop on a PalmOS device,but serious developers had used a PC with a Palm emulator.In modern days, iPads are used in schools as digital colleague blocks and books, but still not for creating learning material.That’s what “real” computers are being used for, just like in the “old” times.",
"parent_id": "8142452",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142341",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:54:32",
"content": "Gods forbid people actually use computers for a real purpose instead of for the sake of tinkering with the computer itself",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142344",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:01:18",
"content": "Become a developer andenjoydoing both. 🥲",
"parent_id": "8142341",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142365",
"author": "Steven-X",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:37:55",
"content": "First time here?",
"parent_id": "8142341",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142361",
"author": "A Paranoid Android",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:19:36",
"content": "Yeah, we should ban all the stuff we don’t like and force everyone to do stuff we want them to but they don’t want to.",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142410",
"author": "ramzi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:40:12",
"content": "Nothing wrong with that if it serves the purpose of betterment of human race. If we worked together like ants in a colony we could literaly transform the Earth. Instead of working together to build a new civilization, millions of people waste their lives watching TikTok or playing video games.",
"parent_id": "8142361",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142411",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:52:17",
"content": "January, 30th 1933.",
"parent_id": "8142410",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142415",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:01:45",
"content": "What tripe, we work together on scales so far beyond how ants work, and we have transformed the Earth. Both humans and ants only “build a new civilisation” when there are both pressure from inside and room to do so outside.",
"parent_id": "8142410",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142417",
"author": "ramzi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:06:13",
"content": "You are referring to Calhoun’s Mice Utopia right? IMO we’re currently at the final stage and soon (in 2-5 years) our current society will totally collapse.",
"parent_id": "8142415",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142977",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T20:22:53",
"content": "@ramzi: Adams’ Law of Slow-Moving Disasters.",
"parent_id": "8142415",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142429",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:58:06",
"content": "What if it turns out all along the meaning of life was to watch tiktok?",
"parent_id": "8142410",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142454",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:59:38",
"content": "I’m sure that if you assign values to and sum the letters t-i-k-t-o-k and apply some mathematical wizardry… and give it a really nice fresh hot cup of tea… you’ll get the answer 42 :)",
"parent_id": "8142429",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142627",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:42:56",
"content": "Yeah because no-one wasted hours or even weeks of their life playing computer games back then, or indeed the incredible amounts of time and effort that were cumulatively spent by people trying to make those early computers actually work properly.This same BS was said about everything from the printed book to the transistor radio to the walkman etc. etc.",
"parent_id": "8142410",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142706",
"author": "WTF Detector",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:10:57",
"content": "Heck, if you look back at the history of computers, Alexander Douglas wrote a tic-tac-toe program on EDSAC back in 1952. The Ferranti Mark 1 had a limited chess program written for it.At the end of the day, entertainment is something that humans share with so many other emulators. People who eschew entertainment and amusement for the sake of being an old stick in the mud are the aberrations, not the people who seek to use technology for amusement.There’s an extensive argument to be made about using powerful technology responsibly, but that’s certainly not something that’s going to ever get sorted out here on Hack-a-Day.The whole “I don’t like thing, so other people can’t like thing” attitude has got to go, it’s such a pointless attitude to have. Folks sitting and vibrating with rage at the thought that someone is having fun in a way that they don’t approve of, it’s sad. I’m not a big fan of sports, but I would never denigrate someone for their enjoyment of it. I’m not a big fan of sports video games, or real-time-strategy games, but they bring joy to so many other people, why would I be upset over that? Some of these commenters really need to play a video game, roll a wooden hoop on the ground, learn Morse code, or do something other than sowing their abject misery in the comments section of Hack-a-Day.",
"parent_id": "8142627",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142367",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:00:09",
"content": "Let me guess, you were wearing an onion on your belt, which was the style at the time?",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142416",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:04:06",
"content": "Yep, and he didn’t have white onions, because of the war.",
"parent_id": "8142367",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142428",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:53:23",
"content": "gimee 5 bees for a quarter",
"parent_id": "8142416",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142383",
"author": "Rob T Firefly",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:15:34",
"content": "Smartphones and tablets ARE computers.",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142480",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:00:18",
"content": ".. and consumption devices. Locked into an closed, commercial environment.An old fashioned desktop computer is a development tool,a typewriter, a magical universal machine in short.It also used to be an completely open architecture,it could be expanded by expansion card,users were free to install any software,including the OS of choice.Even 8-Bit home computers did have this advantage over a modern day mobile device.",
"parent_id": "8142383",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142389",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:39:59",
"content": "Anyone reading this site is going to be deeply familiar with using a desktop computer.You’re just doing “Old Man Yells at Cloud”",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142481",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:01:44",
"content": "The cloud doesn’t exist, it’s just someone’s else computer.",
"parent_id": "8142389",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142708",
"author": "WTF Detector",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:11:37",
"content": "Do you ever get tired of being needlessly contrarian?",
"parent_id": "8142481",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142723",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T15:47:03",
"content": "Yes and no.",
"parent_id": "8142708",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142474",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:44:03",
"content": "I kind of agree that most computing today is a complex tool for turning mass numbers of human beings into insane morons. Humans are hackable as they say, and the most simple and entertaining way to hack them is to break them, so that is what most commonly happens. The internet was better as a refuge for weird nerds, not the synthetic reality of everyone in the species",
"parent_id": "8142338",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142343",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:00:31",
"content": "In macOS, if you have a Windows PC in your network, and then browse to Network in a Finder window, the PC will be listed as found on the network. And the icon is a 90’s CRT monitor showing a Blue Screen Of Death (other systems will show a wide screen LCD screen). I would consider that to be an easter egg still.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142350",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:32:17",
"content": "Having used Windows, Mac and Linux extensively over the years, I’m not sure I’d call it an Easter egg!",
"parent_id": "8142343",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142356",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:12:05",
"content": "But it’s humorous. I like it. ^^As long as people keep a sense of humor and irony, there’s hope.Also: Cats, bunnies, unicorns and stuff. Wonderful things.",
"parent_id": "8142350",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142434",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:14:10",
"content": "Kinda like the Sosumi sound or Clarus. Fun when you know the backstory, but not an Easter egg.",
"parent_id": "8142350",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142388",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:38:27",
"content": "Just wondering, how exactly do we know it’s the last Easter egg?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142477",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:46:48",
"content": "Maybe they just got better at hiding them, I had the same thought. Jobs was quite a hawk, so maybe he really did keep them from doing it, but I find it doubtful…Also Easter eggs have a utilitarian use in figuring out if somebody stole your code. A lot of the time an inept thief will leave the eggs intact, instantly proving who actually owns it. I think that was the plot of a Michael Crichton novel…",
"parent_id": "8142388",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142983",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T20:51:20",
"content": "A big Easter egg, like the jpeg in TFA, takes a lot of space and effort, making it less likely to be sanctioned by management. A smaller bit of garbage could be inserted if the purpose were to watermark the software for theft detection.A friend disassembled Turbo Pascal, successfully modifying it to produce much faster code for a Z80. One thing he found was a table of constants for floating point functions. These were obvious numbers like pi and e. However, there was one constant never referenced and for which we could find no use. We thought it was just a mistake, but the idea of theft detection makes sense.",
"parent_id": "8142477",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,503.764043
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/static-electricity-remembers/
|
Static Electricity Remembers
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"electricity",
"memory",
"STATIC",
"triboelectric",
"triboelectric series"
] |
As humans we often think we have a pretty good handle on the basics of the way the world works, from an intuition about gravity good enough to let us walk around, play baseball, and land spacecraft on the moon, or an understanding of electricity good enough to build everything from indoor lighting to supercomputers. But zeroing in on any one phenomenon often shows a world full of mystery and surprise in an area we might think we would have fully understood by now. One such area is static electricity,
and the way that it forms within certain materials shows that it can impart a kind of memory to them
.
The video demonstrates a number of common ways of generating static electricity that most of us have experimented with in the past, whether on purpose or accidentally, from rubbing a balloon on one’s head and sticking it to the wall or accidentally shocking ourselves on a polyester blanket. It turns out that certain materials like these tend to charge themselves positively or negatively depending on what material they were rubbed against, but some researchers wondered what would happen if an object were rubbed against itself. It turns out that in this situation, small imperfections in the materials cause them to eventually self-order into a kind of hierarchy, and repeated charging of these otherwise identical objects only deepen this hierarchy over time essentially imparting a static electricity memory to them.
The effect of materials to gain or lose electrons in this way is known as the
triboelectric effect
, and there is an ordering of materials known as the triboelectric series that describes which materials are more likely to gain or lose electrons when brought into contact with other materials. The ability of some materials, like quartz in this experiment, to develop this memory is certainly an interesting consequence of an otherwise well-understood phenomenon,
much like generating power for free from static electricity that’s always present within the atmosphere
might surprise some as well.
| 12
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142304",
"author": "Nath",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T06:55:31",
"content": "So they developped a memory cell. I wonder whether it could be made into a logical element with the goald of a static electricity computer in mind",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142311",
"author": "Abur",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:35:40",
"content": "I know it’s different than what they showed in the video, but FLASH, (E)EPROMS, RAM are static electricity memories and FET transistors are electrostatic induction elements – charged by electric current, not by touching the parts like in the video.",
"parent_id": "8142304",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142336",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:25:26",
"content": "We could make a wall sized matrix display",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142366",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T12:47:40",
"content": "“See? Rocks CAN remember things!” -crystal healing enthusiasts",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142380",
"author": "Nath",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:49:35",
"content": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHJhu15f-hg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142478",
"author": "iliis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:48:40",
"content": "How is this “memory” not just “some materials can be charged with a (variable) static charge”? This reads as if somebody discovered that capacitors have a memory!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142872",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T03:24:08",
"content": "Wait until you hear about DRAM!",
"parent_id": "8142478",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142992",
"author": "iliis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T22:24:45",
"content": "Yes, my point exactly. What’s new here?",
"parent_id": "8142872",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8143572",
"author": "Zooxia",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T20:27:24",
"content": "This article is hard to interpret, but having read the research a while back, it’s more like: the more times you reuse a material in your triboelectric experiments, the more contaminated it gets and the less reliable the ordering you produce.",
"parent_id": "8142478",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8144398",
"author": "Yaroslav Sterkhov",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T18:19:44",
"content": "I’m not sure if that’s all that they were found (it’s actually was known for at least 30 years – I’ve read about this as a teen), but in result the text of article is this.",
"parent_id": "8143572",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8144395",
"author": "Yaroslav Sterkhov",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T18:17:31",
"content": "And magnets have memory. Oh, and some dielectrics have memory of being subjected with too high voltage -their resistance degrades.We also can use light to charge or discharge material.",
"parent_id": "8142478",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8143034",
"author": "Victor",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T06:00:49",
"content": "I got a lot of out of this video:https://youtu.be/-Buz6Sp2YTg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.62331
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/simulating-empires-with-procedurally-generated-history/
|
Simulating Empires With Procedurally Generated History
|
Tyler August
|
[
"computer hacks",
"Games"
] |
[
"history",
"procedurally generated",
"simulation"
] |
Procedural generation is a big part of game design these days. Usually you generate your map, and [Fractal Philosophy] has decided to go one step further: using a procedurally-generated world from an older video, he is procedurally generating history by
simulating the rise and fall of empires on that map
in a video embedded below.
Now, lacking a proper theory of Psychohistory, [Fractal Philosophy] has chosen to go with what he admits is the simplest model he could find, one centered on the concept of “solidarity” and based on the work of [Peter Turchin], a Russian-American thinker. “Solidarity” in the population holds the Empire together; external pressures increase it, and internal pressures decrease it. This leads to an obvious cellular automation type system (like Conway’s Game of Life), where cells are evaluated based on their nearest neighbors: the number of nearest neighbors in the empire goes into a function that gives the probability of increasing or decreasing the solidarity score each “turn”. (Probability, in order to preserve some randomness.) The “strength” of the Empire is given by the sum of the solidarity scores in every cell.
Each turn, Empires clash, with the the local solidarity, sum strength, and distance from Imperial center going into determining who gains or loses territory. It is a simple model; you can judge from the video how well it captures the ebb and flow of history, but we think it did surprisingly well all things considered. The extra
40-minute video of the model running
is oddly hypnotic, too.
In v2 of the model, one of these fluffy creatures will betray you.
After a dive into more academic support for the main idea, and a segue into game theory and economics, a slight complication is introduced later in the video, dividing each cell into two populations: “cooperators” or “selfish” individuals.
This allows for modeling of internal conflicts between the two groups. This hitch gives a very similar looking map at the end of its run, although has an odd quirk that it automatically starts with a space-filling empire across the whole map that quickly disintegrates.
Unfortunately, the model not open-source, but the ideas are discussed in enough detail that one could probably produce a very similar algorithm in an afternoon. For those really interested, [Fractal Philosophy] does offer a
one-time purchase through his Patreon.
It also includes the
map-generating model from his last video.
We’re much more likely to talk about
simulating circuits
, or feature projects that
use fluid simulations
here at Hackaday, but this hack of a history model
| 11
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142310",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:30:14",
"content": "Way way cool! I haven’t watched the full video yet, but I can see the work that went into it.As a teenager/child one of my to-do projects was to make a global commodity trading simulator with thousands of different commodities like rice, steel etc etc and let it naturally evolve on its own. This is something very similar, just a lot more complicated and impressive",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142353",
"author": "Senile Data Systems",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:57:36",
"content": "The description reminds me a lot of the game LiquidWar…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142400",
"author": "ben",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:03:38",
"content": "That game was so fun single player or multiplayer. It really deserves a re release on modern stuff. Is there anything that exists today that uses the same game mechanic?",
"parent_id": "8142353",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142867",
"author": "Giin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T03:07:59",
"content": "Looks similar to the CreeperWorld series.",
"parent_id": "8142400",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142426",
"author": "Bob Marlee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T16:50:57",
"content": "The last paragraph seems to be cut short? “but this hack of a history model”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142496",
"author": "Some old dude.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:39:58",
"content": "Bump",
"parent_id": "8142426",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142598",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T05:38:29",
"content": "Happy happy joy joy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142611",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T06:42:12",
"content": "How does this compare to Dwarf Fortress’s simulator?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142868",
"author": "Giin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T03:08:42",
"content": "The very thing I came to the comments to ask!",
"parent_id": "8142611",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143726",
"author": "lambert4congress",
"timestamp": "2025-07-01T05:37:06",
"content": "Same! But can anything compete with dwarf fortress? If video games are an art, dwarf fortress is an epic poem equal to that of the iliad or dantes inferno",
"parent_id": "8142868",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142661",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T12:14:45",
"content": "IMHO, interesting take to use Automata to retrospectively simulate history. I wonder if this approach produces something better than the Tzolkin Calendar’s Long Count doomsday in December 2012 (we all know how that went).On a separate note, I notice the “segue into economics”, which is the step in the right direction, adding the infrastructure that powers the empires – which is probably more important than the “solidarity” thingie and I would argue that economics and markets should have been the starting point all along.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,503.814604
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/ceramic-printing-techniques-for-plastic/
|
Ceramic Printing Techniques For Plastic
|
Al Williams
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"blender",
"textured meshes"
] |
[Claywoven] mostly prints with ceramics, although he does produce plastic inserts for functional parts in his designs. The ceramic parts have an interesting texture, and he wondered if the same techniques could work with plastics, too. It turns out
it can
, as you can see in the video below.
Ceramic printing, of course, doesn’t get solid right away, so the plastic can actually take more dramatic patterns than the ceramic. The workflow starts with Blender and winds up with a standard printer.
The example prints are lamps, although you could probably do a lot with this technique. You can select where the texturing occurs, which is important in this case to allow working threads to avoid having texture.
You will need a Blender plugin to get similar results. The target printer was a Bambu, but there’s no reason this wouldn’t work with any FDM printer.
We admire this kind of artistic print. We’ve talked before about how you can use any texture to get
interesting results
. If you need help getting started with Blender,
our tutorial is one place to start
.
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,503.852038
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/homebrew-pockels-cell-is-worth-the-wait/
|
Homebrew Pockels Cell Is Worth The Wait
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"high voltage",
"indium tin oxide",
"ITO",
"KDP",
"laser",
"non-linear optics",
"polarization"
] |
We haven’t seen any projects from serial experimenter [Les Wright] for quite a while, and honestly, we were getting a little worried about that. Turns out we needn’t have fretted, as [Les] was deep into
this exploration of the Pockels Effect
, with pretty cool results.
If you’ll recall, [Les]’s last appearance on these pages concerned
the automated creation of huge, perfect crystals of KDP
, or potassium dihydrogen phosphate. KDP crystals have many interesting properties, but the focus here is on their ability to modulate light when an electrical charge is applied to the crystal. That’s the Pockels Effect, and while there are commercially available Pockels cells available for use mainly as optical switches, where’s the sport in buying when you can build?
As with most of [Les]’s projects, there are hacks galore here, but the hackiest is probably the homemade diamond wire saw. The fragile KDP crystals need to be cut before use, and rather than risk his beauties to a bandsaw or angle grinder, [Les] threw together a rig using a stepper motor and some cheap diamond-encrusted wire. The motor moves the diamond wire up and down while a weight forces the crystal against it on a moving sled. Brilliant!
The cut crystals are then polished before being mounted between conductive ITO glass and connected to a high-voltage supply. The video below shows the beautiful polarization changes induced by the electric field, as well as demonstrating how well the Pockels cell acts as an optical switch. It’s kind of neat to see a clear crystal completely block a laser just by flipping a switch.
Nice work, [Les], and great to have you back.
| 11
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142227",
"author": "PWalsh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:30:13",
"content": "Suppose you wanted to make a neuron measuring device, you pass polarized light through a fiber optic strand, through a tiny crystal, and then back. Will the electric field in the medium near the neuron cause the Pockel’s effect, and would you be able to detect a difference in polarization from such a small electric field change?Such a system would be a completely passive way of measuring neuron activity.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142231",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:59:55",
"content": "Commercial fiber-tip electric field sensors have been available for a while, like from SPEAG and Agiltron. The sensitivity is quite low, however. In our (admitedly very different) application, it took kilowatts of power into a few dozen cubic centimeters to get measureable effects. I doubt the elctric field generated in biological tissue would produce anything measureable, but I’d love to see it work.",
"parent_id": "8142227",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142282",
"author": "przemek",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T03:41:21",
"content": "The optical effects probably need much higher voltage, but more promising way would be to place a tiny integrated circuit, composed of a field effect transistor and a resonant circuit with the gate next to the neuron. This would be read out by RF retro reflection. I talked to some biologists and they said that there are ways of introducing small biologically inert coated pieces of silicon into the tissues, so this might actually work in practice.",
"parent_id": "8142227",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142297",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T06:05:52",
"content": "Something similar was available a decade or more ago: the NeuroWare from Triangle BioSystems: Up to 256 channels, operating at 3.4 GHz, but they closed up shop a few years ago. I’m sure there’s a more modern product replacing it.",
"parent_id": "8142282",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142342",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:56:22",
"content": "I wouldn’t be so sure of it being completely passive. The crystal would be coupling into the electromagnetic field of the neuron and would have some influence on it, wouldn’t it? The Pockel cell seems to behave like a capacitor (well, imo it IS a capacitor) it has fast rise and slow fall. My intuition says that if the neuron’s electric signal is supposed to go off, the coupling and the slow fall would be coupled back into the neuron, possibly slightly lengthening the signal and so might cause glitches. As the brain is a fully real-time system, those glitches might have the potential to cause it to crash. :)",
"parent_id": "8142227",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142228",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:47:06",
"content": "I saw the first three words of the title and immediately thought “Must be Les, yeah!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142320",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T08:42:06",
"content": "Is this like opticaly clear piezoelectic transducer that changes refractive index when it stretches/contracts?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142698",
"author": "Leslie Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:52:24",
"content": "More or less! Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was used in WW2 as piezo transducers in submarines!",
"parent_id": "8142320",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142403",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:10:49",
"content": "Concerning the “proper polishing techniqes” mentioned at the very end…In one of the first texts shown I saw a mention of a diamond flycutter being used. That would be a way to get the roughly sawn bandsaw surface (A bandsaw is never a very accurate instrument) flat and quite smooth quickly. (Industrial) diamonds and diamond tools are not that expensive anymore, and this may be worth exploring.For the rest, I did see the whole video to the end but it’s not really an area for which I have any expertise. Still fun to see though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142405",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:23:54",
"content": "Oh, I forgot: For gently clamping “weird shaped” crystals, rocks etc, you can make temporary vice jaws from polycaprolactone (a.k.a. “polymorph”). It’s a plastic that can be melted in hot water, and after taking it out of the water, heat transfer to your fingers is low enough that you can handle it with your bare hands and kneed it like clay. After it cools to around 35c, its properties are very much like nylon, but it does have quite a lot of (slow) creepage as it’s normally used quite close to it’s melting point.",
"parent_id": "8142403",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142412",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:54:30",
"content": "Water-soluble mounting wax is also great for this: heat and set the part for workholding, it sets very stiff and hard with minimal shrinkage. You can carve or melt it away to recover and re-use it, and wash the rest away. Great for carving and polishing hard-to-hold pieces. Maybe not so great for holding water-soluble crystals though. Available from Freeman Supply (and probably a lot of other places).",
"parent_id": "8142405",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,503.91787
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/floss-weekly-episode-838-atomvm-and-the-full-stack-elixir-developer/
|
FLOSS Weekly Episode 838: AtomVM And The Full Stack Elixir Developer
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts",
"Slider"
] |
[
"FLOSS Weekly",
"kde",
"linux"
] |
This week
Jonathan
chats with
Davide Bettio
and
Paul Guyot
about AtomVM! Why Elixir on embedded? And how!? And what is a full stack Elixir developer, anyways? Watch to find out!
https://atomvm.org/
https://github.com/atomvm/AtomVM
https://popcorn.swmansion.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/multiplie/la-machine
Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show right on
our YouTube Channel
? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us!
Take a look at the schedule here
.
Direct Download
in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along,
here’s the transcript for this week’s episode
.
Places to follow the FLOSS Weekly Podcast:
Spotify
RSS
Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under
Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,504.019798
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/the-tao-of-bespoke-electronics/
|
The Tao Of Bespoke Electronics
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Slider"
] |
[
"commercial",
"homebrew",
"kits"
] |
If you ever look at projects in an old magazine and compare them to today’s electronic projects, there’s at least one thing that will stand out. Most projects in “the old days” looked like something you built in your garage. Today, if you want to make something that rivals a commercial product, it isn’t nearly as big of a problem.
Dynamic diode tester from Popular Electronics (July 1970)
For example, consider the picture of this project from Popular Electronics in 1970. It actually looks pretty nice for a hobby project, but you’d never expect to see it on a store shelf.
Even worse, the amount of effort required to make it look even this good was probably more than you’d expect. The box was a standard case, and drilling holes in a panel would be about the same as it is today, but you were probably less likely to have a drill press in 1970.
But check out the lettering! This is a time before inkjet and laser printers. I’d guess these are probably “rub on” letters, although there are other options. Most projects that didn’t show up in magazines probably had
Dymo embossed lettering tape
or handwritten labels.
Another project from the same issue of Popular Electronics. Nice lettering, but the aluminum box is a dead giveaway
Of course, even as now, sometimes you just make a junky looking project, but to make a showpiece, you had to spend way more time back then to get a far less professional result.
You notice the boxes are all “stock,” so that was part of it. If you were very handy, you might make your own metal case or, more likely, a wooden case. But that usually gave away its homemade nature, too. Very few commercial items come in a wooden box, and those that do are in fine furniture, not some slap-together box with a coat of paint.
The Inside Story
A Dymo label gun you could buy at Radio Shack
The insides were also a giveaway. While PC boards were not unknown, they were very expensive to have produced commercially. Sure, you could make your own, but it wasn’t as easy as it is now. You probably hand-drew your pattern on a copper board or maybe on a transparency if you were photo etching. Remember, no nice computer printers yet, at least not in your home.
So, most home projects were handwired or maybe wirewrapped. Not that there isn’t a certain aesthetic to that. Beautiful handwiring can be almost an art form. But it hardly looks like a commercial product.
Kits
The best way to get something that looked more or less professional was to get a kit from
Heathkit
, Allied, or any of the other kit makers. They usually had nice cases with lettering. But building a kit doesn’t feel the same as making something totally from scratch.
Sure, you could modify the kit, and many did. But still not quite the same thing. Besides,
not all kits looked any better
than your own projects.
The Tao
Of course, maybe we shouldn’t emulate commercial products. Some of the appeal of a homemade product is that it looks homemade. It is like the
Tao of Programming
notes about software development:
3.3 There was once a programmer who was attached to the court of the warlord of Wu. The warlord asked the programmer: “Which is easier to design: an accounting package or an operating system?”
“An operating system,” replied the programmer.
The warlord uttered an exclamation of disbelief. “Surely an accounting package is trivial next to the complexity of an operating system,” he said.
“Not so,” said the programmer, “When designing an accounting package, the programmer operates as a mediator between people having different ideas: how it must operate, how its reports must appear, and how it must conform to the tax laws. By contrast, an operating system is not limited by outside appearances. When designing an operating system, the programmer seeks the simplest harmony between machine and ideas. This is why an operating system is easier to design.”
Commercial gear has to conform to standards and interface with generic things. Bespoke projects can “seek the simplest harmony between machine and ideas.”
Then again, if you are trying to make something to sell on Tindie, or as a prototype, maybe commercial appeal is a good thing. But if you are just building for yourself, maybe leaning into the homebrew look is a better choice. Who would want to mess with
a beautiful wooden arcade cabinet
, for example? Or
this unique turntable
?
Let us know how you feel about it in the comments.
| 60
| 18
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142170",
"author": "miharix",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:50:43",
"content": "Are those from “Popular Electronics” photos or are they drawings ? Or photos and hand retouched in darkroom ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142185",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:50:07",
"content": "They are photos but scanned.",
"parent_id": "8142170",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142215",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:26:16",
"content": "Preparing instrument photos for magazine illustration is probably worthy of a Hackaday post all by itself! There is (orwas) an enormous amount of work to produce an image that looked good in print. And yes, plenty of hacks too, like dodging and burning, process chemistry tweaks, partial and double-exposure hacks, unsharp masking, and others. That’s even before you get into the halftone masks and lith film.",
"parent_id": "8142170",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142174",
"author": "captnmike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:01:07",
"content": "We had a drill press in the basement in 1970 – what’s the big deal?? Yes rub on or stick on letters were a pain",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142179",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:24:53",
"content": "Water transfer lettering was also a thing, as found in many an Airfix-type model kit of the era.",
"parent_id": "8142174",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142186",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:50:45",
"content": "But to really use waterslide paper you still have to letter on it somehow… so if you wanted something custom, it was a big pain.",
"parent_id": "8142179",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142319",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T08:24:57",
"content": "All relative. If you were accustomed to handwriting everything instead of typing it out on a computer, drawing nice looking letters wasn’t such a big deal.On the psychological side of it, what is “pain” to do is different depending on whether you’ve done it or not. It used to be thought that people are “learned helpless”, where conditions cause a kind of permanent depression and pessimism that suppresses innovation and effort. It turns out people are generally born with the assumption of helplessness – that doing something new or different is not possible or at least too hard – until something or someone proves you can.Knowing this, it’s easy to recognize the reluctance of a person who has not tried, or is unaccustomed to doing something, and the casual ease of a person who has and doesn’t mind picking up a 00 brush to paint lettering freehand directly on their project box.Another difference between people is the fear of failure. You tend to hold your painstakingly crafted project to such a high value that you’re afraid to mess it up, to make it less than perfect, so you’re afraid of using methods that might fail. Meanwhile the other type of person is equally if not more interested in the method of making, and isn’t afraid to start the whole thing over if they mess it up. They get results because they’re not afraid of the work and enjoy coming up with new ways of doing stuff, while you’re there sitting and procrastinating about how difficult it is to get nice vinyl cut stencils for the front panel.",
"parent_id": "8142186",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142575",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:10:17",
"content": "I don’t know. I’ve done water slide, Kroy, and even Leroy’s. All seemed hard and/or ugly to me. Datek was tolerable but still…",
"parent_id": "8142319",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142258",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T00:50:36",
"content": "Yeah I didnt get the “less likely” comment either. Far MORE people were using manual and power tools in their day to day lives in the 70s than today. I remember having to go to my uncles place the next town over because my dad didnt have a metal lathe and he did, But a drill press? I cant remember any of my fathers friends, or my friends dads garages NOT having a drill press. Theyre one of the most basic powertools.",
"parent_id": "8142174",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142303",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T06:40:13",
"content": "In a pinch, just fixing your drill on the end of a 2×4 plank that was pivoted at the other end with a door hinge would go down straight enough to drill a good hole.I mean, it’s technically going down in an arc, but for the 1-2 mm you needed to drill the angular error is negligible.",
"parent_id": "8142258",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142591",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T04:34:26",
"content": "yeah I feel like youd be far better off just holding the drill steady than rigging this suggestion up, ESPECIALLY if you are only drilling through 1-2mm of material.",
"parent_id": "8142303",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143080",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T11:20:06",
"content": "With a modern drill perhaps, but if you’re holding one of those old corded two-handed Black & Deckers from the 70’s that had no rheostat control for speed, you’d need something to steady it.",
"parent_id": "8142591",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143091",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T11:53:38",
"content": "LMAO@DUDEBruh, Seriously? Do you even tool?“one of those old corded two-handed Black & Deckers from the 70’s”1970s drills were available with variable speed control..https://tinyurl.com/mu2yd6r9But for the light duty you imply, going through 1-2mm of material, Most men would just grab their manually cranked hand drill, ALSO a common tool in every american garage of the era.",
"parent_id": "8142591",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142853",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T01:46:50",
"content": "Yeah or you could just have a coors to steady your nerves and then hold it steady in your hands",
"parent_id": "8142303",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142634",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T09:30:40",
"content": "Power tools were relatively much more expensive back then compared to the mass-produced far eastern specials we have access to today.Yes people had them but the “average” hobbyist today probably has far more buying power and a far better selection of tools than they ever did – imagine in the 1970’s if someone said a lot of hobbyists would have CNC machines like mills, lasers, plasma cutters or 3D printers in their shed.",
"parent_id": "8142174",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142659",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:59:50",
"content": "Powertools were relatively the same price back then if you shop for quality. If you buy a new tool at harbor freight every 3 uses then the barrier of entry is cheaper today, though youll spend the same and more eventually.The 1970 Sears Power and Hand Tool Catalog lists the 15 1/2 inch floor stand Craftsmen drill press at $189.95, about $1,565.61 today. Craftsmen doesn’t exist anymore. Home Depot has a 15 inch Jet Floor stand drill press at $1,229.94.Lasers and 3d printers arent 1970s tech. so Ill ignore that goalpost.The Thermal Dynamics Pak 40 plasma cutter (handheld torch) came out in the early 70s at a whopping $4,900 (over $33k today) but by 1980 the Pak 5 price of $2,950 ($9980 today) was a bit more attainable. While its tempting to look at the $1400 Cutmaster 30+ price today, performace wise youd be more in the range of a $4400 Cutmaster 82 to match its performance.But the Bridgeport Series 1 CNC, was introduced in 1970., no clue the price at the time.The Series 1, still manufactured, will still set you back $32K with 3 axis servo.of course, you probably meant some dinky tabletop toy pretending to be a tool like the Carvera.And lets be real,My comment wasnt that schools, makerspaces, and millionaires toybins today are less well equpped. It was that the AVERAGE JOEs home garage in the 1970s was BETTER equipped than most average joes garage today.",
"parent_id": "8142634",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142854",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T01:50:53",
"content": "Yeah not really… The cost savings of outsourcing have mostly dried up by now, and all of that savings is going straight to some hedge fund. We shot past the point where overseas manufacturing was cheaper than local manufacturing a long time ago. I mean the CURRENT local manufacturing is still way more expensive than overseas, so that’s enough to fool ignorant or negligent people, but it’s also way more expensive than it used to be due to vastly reduced capacity.It’s very closely related to the whole phenomenon with e.g. AirBNB. At first, it was way cheaper than a hotel. They got everyone to switch over. Then they started jacking the price back up. Because that’s the point. They don’t do all this to save you money out of the goodness of their hearts. Now? AirBNB is as expensive as hotels used to be, and hotels (in the US at least) are a total ripoff. Insane how pricey a hotel is now in the USA, and how sleazy and poor service you get for it. Visiting just about any other country is eye-opening",
"parent_id": "8142634",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142855",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T01:55:32",
"content": "I can’t imagine not having a drill press or at least knowing a friend or neighbor with one in the 70s. People think that the world was medieval before the Clinton era and us giving our entire future away to China just so some of those same people in the 70s could have their retirement portfolios mature",
"parent_id": "8142174",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142177",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:15:21",
"content": "The only reason those kits look unpolished is the ugly side of the boxes were picked. Many commercial products used the same or similar boxes.I think you are doing a disservice to commercial offerings. Many of them were made the same way as the hobby stuff back then. I think you are conflating ‘mass-produced’ and ‘commercial’. I personally would rather have something be sturdy and useful, what it looks like is secondary.It may be well and good to have a polished look, but if it is e-waste from the moment it leaves the factory there is no point. Many people feel the same way, look at the resurgence in ‘artisan’ items. These have their own problems, many look worse than necessary as a ‘vibe’. Not sure which is worse, poor build quality due to inexperience or on purpose.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142187",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:52:17",
"content": "Actually, those were P-Box kits (see the link) and they were made to look like that. I am not sure what you mean by disservice. I’m saying that not all kits looked polished although many did. But very few homebrew items back then would have passed for commercial. Now days, you can put in just a little effort and make something that most people would mistake for a commercial project. By the end, though, I muse if you really want to or not? In the end, it is a personal choice.",
"parent_id": "8142177",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142189",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:04:27",
"content": "I’m just pointing out that many commercial products used these boxes in past. If the bench tester had used a formed side and put the ‘hatch’ side down you wouldn’t be able to tell it wasn’t a commercial product. The small metal box would have similarly looked a lot more polished using a plain side instead of one busied by the folded edges (or if the folds had been inside).This post just took me aback because in my mind putting it in a project box means it is ready to sell commercially. Back when I was re-using every zip tie that I happened to find and buying my adhesives at the dollar store a project box is a straight luxury, bizarre to think they would be looked down upon. But I suppose people look down on a stripped out pickup specification, preferring a ‘loaded’ KIA with a high chance of engine failure before it hits 10 years.",
"parent_id": "8142187",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142192",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:08:10",
"content": "To clarify, I have vivid memories of car and RC battery chargers and train set speed controllers using similar boxes.",
"parent_id": "8142189",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142217",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:37:50",
"content": "I remember, and still have, lots of 1950’s-60’s stuff that was a rough steel box with a curved phenolic cover that wrapped over the entire box and made it look nice. I don’t know about RC battery chargers but that was definitely the case for kids’ toys that needed or had mains power associated with them.",
"parent_id": "8142192",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142206",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:29:34",
"content": "Commercial custom industrial control panels (for example) still look like someone put them together in a shop.Because they did.Standards for commercial consumer products have changed.Some of the commercial stuff looked fairly ‘hobby grade’ back then.It’s easier to fake an injection molded enclosure now, but stacked laser cut plastic still exists.Just like (aluminum extrusions/plain plastic boxes/industrial panels) existed back then.Not all kits were or are equal.",
"parent_id": "8142187",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142273",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T01:36:56",
"content": "Note this commercial project from the 1970s:https://www.etsy.com/listing/1895276851/mrc-model-501-throttlepack-ho-trainI just grew up in a world where a ‘project box’ didn’t necessarily say ‘diy’. In fact this kind of product was popular through the late 90s and possibly mid 2010s for some products.",
"parent_id": "8142187",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142182",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:44:05",
"content": "“So, most home projects were handwired or maybe wirewrapped.”Hey, now that was fun especially if one had good tools for it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142188",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:52:50",
"content": "this article sure made me appreciate my $60 drillpress and $170 3d printer. between them, i have completely stopped making enclosures out of layered cardboard with masking tape and hot melt gluethank you chinese factories! fantastically affordable tools are such a big part of my life",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142225",
"author": "Mordae",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:17:30",
"content": "I have found out recently that using cardboard and copper tape are actually awesome for circuit prototyping, because you can patch it as needed and the ground plane is solid. Meanwhile with 3D printer I always have to print a sketch and even that can take multiple hours… before I realize I was off by 2mm and have to hit the CAD again. If only physical was as easy as digital.",
"parent_id": "8142188",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142220",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:04:06",
"content": "but you were probably less likely to have a drill press in 1970.Why would that matter to the case? It’s easier to drill a small hole in a precise location with an eggbeater drill than with a big wobbly drill press meant for much heavier work. People think the drill press is better because it’s not your shaking hands doing the work, but the difficulty of fixing the work in the precise spot and dealing with the runout of the drill is going to be more fiddly.Know your tools and how to use them is better than having fancier tools.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142248",
"author": "arifyn",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:23:03",
"content": "Perhaps a corollary of sorts: a good center punch is one of the most underrated and underappreciated tools that everyone should have and know how to use.Even if you think you don’t need it because you have a nice drill press.",
"parent_id": "8142220",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142249",
"author": "arifyn",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:25:48",
"content": "side note, and still a source of personal embarrassment years later: you should also know what a nice metal scribe looks like and how to distinguish it from a punch, lest you have to explain to the machinist why their extremely nice and fancy scribe is suddenly very dull.",
"parent_id": "8142248",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142299",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T06:07:14",
"content": "Opinions divide on whether you’re supposed to or prohibited from using a calipers as a scribing tool.",
"parent_id": "8142249",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142302",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T06:31:33",
"content": "A good alternative is a block of wood or soft metal that you’ve pre-drilled with a hole the size of your starting bit, which you place over the hole location and clamp it to the piece you’re about to drill. For drilling patterns, you can pre-drill a stencil on a piece of plastic or other soft material.On the other hand, the collar nut on a panel switch is going to hide your crimes. An oversized hole or a bit of filing with a round file lets you nudge the switches around so they line up perfectly. That’s another thing: accuracy where accuracy matters.",
"parent_id": "8142248",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142257",
"author": "KI4POV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T00:47:49",
"content": "I cut my teeth on Doug DeMaw articles in back issues of QST, so that’s the aesthetic that I aspire to now. Homemade aluminum boxes, spray paint, and embossed Dymo labels are part and parcel to just about everything I build. No one will ever mistake any of my projects for commercial products, and I’m okay with that.",
"parent_id": "8142220",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142226",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:30:08",
"content": "You probably hand-drew your pattern on a copper board or maybe on a transparency if you were photo etching. Remember, no nice computer printers yetYou also had PCB masking tape – very narrow stretchy tape that you could just bend around corners – and sheets of round and square stickers for the soldering pads. And a sharpie to fill in the gaps, or a dot of nail varnish. When Xerox machines came along, you could run a copy of your hand-drawn sheet on a piece of transparency once or many times to build up the density (good luck with alignment).One thing that was commonly available were photographic enlargers.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EnlargerEvery well equipped school had a photo lab – our public library had a photo lab – so you might draw your design on a whole big sheet of paper, photograph it, develop the film, and then expose the board with it. A bit of lens distortion didn’t matter with through-hole components and hand soldering. Developing your own black and white photographs was a popular hobby, so there were no shortage of materials and people who knew how to do it.There were solutions that made it relatively easy – faded from memory since we haven’t needed them for a very long time now.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142229",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:48:50",
"content": "Also, if you were into the arts and media, that’s another way you could print stuff like your amateur newspaper or flyers with graphics if you wanted more copies or better copies than a ditto machine could handle. Whatever you could photograph, with sufficient contrast, you could etch on a sheet sized copper board and then use that to press pages.",
"parent_id": "8142226",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142233",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:15:49",
"content": "I’d guess these are probably “rub on” letters, although there are other options.Stencil plates, commonly sold in book and paper shops. Commonly used for engineering drafts. You had a variety of sizes and fonts, also for other shapes and symbols. It was quick and easy, especially for the engineering stencils since there were also pens and markers that fit the stencil grooves exactly, and for finer lettering and fonts you had thinner plates or sheets that let you get in the corners. The little gap or break in the letter shape that was left over was filled in by hand.Then there was silkscreen printing, which is modestly more complicated and a bit more fiddly but still pretty easy if you’re good with a razor blade. I’ve done it myself.Linoleum plates could be used to carve a stamp – that was also something we learned in primary school arts class. The letters could be lifted from newspaper clippings by wax copies, because the oil based ink would stick to a piece of paper rubbed with a candle and then rubbed onto the newspaper with a penny. When you took that piece of waxed paper to the linoleum sheet and rubbed on the back, it would create a shadow of the image you wanted to copy, so you could then carve around it. Or you could just freehand it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142235",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:20:59",
"content": "Or, you would probably wax the linoleum sheet directly and then rub the ink onto that, because you needed the image in reverse to stamp it the right way around.",
"parent_id": "8142233",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142242",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:52:33",
"content": "Nice article !I still have a Dymo label gun and some label rolls from my father somewhere in the junk room…Memories !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142618",
"author": "Bigfoot_T",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:06:49",
"content": "Came here to say the same thing, memories indeed!",
"parent_id": "8142242",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142244",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:11:33",
"content": "I once needed a logo on a plastic box, so I put some tape on it, drew the logo on the tape with a marker and then cut the shape out with a sharp knife, then used the tape as the stencil to make the lines crisp.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142307",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:25:36",
"content": "I had that exact red Radio Shack AM radio kit that’s in the first picture, cat. no. 28-102 I believe, and also that exact Dymo label maker (still have it); but when I wanted professional-looking lettering on my projects, I’d use dry transfer lettering. I did get my lettering sheets out for a project a couple of months ago, and found that after sitting for 45 years, it wasn’t any good anymore.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142312",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:36:48",
"content": "Yep, that radio kit is on page 116 of this 1971 Radio Shack catalog:https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/1971_radioshack_catalog_ver1.htmlWow the nostalgia there is powerful!",
"parent_id": "8142307",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142308",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:26:43",
"content": "We are absolutely spoiled these days, the options available to home constructers areind boggling to someone who grew up building things into folded aluminium or ABS boxes and struggling to make them look nice.Having said that, I’d love to be able to easily buy some of those aluminium boxes these days, they’re pretty much unobtainable and I wish I’d stocked up on them.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142335",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T10:18:50",
"content": "Hm. Maybe, maybe not. I miss the more industrial look, the elegant aesthetics of old radios (not the “bit” radios, rather 1920s) or furniture.Because let’s be honest, a lot of “commercial grade” products these days don’t look commercial at all, anymore, but like toys. Like Fisher-Price.It’s like with cars. In the 80s, you still had real cars in boxy shape.While nowadays, they’re all asphalt bubbles.Insofar, I really enjoy the industrial looking chassis used by hobbyists.They have that prototype feel, that university/lab aesthetics..They’re much more worthy that the cheap commercial chassis of today.",
"parent_id": "8142308",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142397",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T14:56:03",
"content": "the options availableAt the same time, actual arts and crafts stores have closed down all over the place and the ones that are still left standing are selling paper cups, foil balloons and soda-can tabs in bags of 200. They no longer carry the tools and materials you used to have.",
"parent_id": "8142308",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142436",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:17:39",
"content": "That’s like fastfood vs home cooking.Too often, making things “easy” means loss of craftsmanship.The sad things is however, when people see it as progress.Because life isn’t easy. And trying to making it easy all time takes away what makes ot precious.",
"parent_id": "8142397",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142590",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T04:30:58",
"content": "Actual arts and craft stores? Like brick and mortar retail establishments?Anything you could buy at CraftDepot and more is still available today. In fact there are more options available than ever. You just click and ship now instead of roaming aisles grabbing randomly.",
"parent_id": "8142397",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143095",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T12:01:20",
"content": "Yeah, but it’s coming from overseas on a slow boat and the quality isn’t that great.Like, I wanted a paper guillotine – what came back was a wobbly piece of junk that didn’t even serve the purpose. No brick and mortar store could sell that, because when you go in the store and actually handle the product, you’d leave it there and walk away. We’ve lost the ability to check for quality before we hand over the money – what good is variety when it’s just more useless crap?And the whole aspect of browsing for stuff, having it in your hand to get an idea of what you could do with it, is lost. You just have to trust that the picture you see is the actual product you get, or that it’s actually fit for your purpose, and that fails about 70% of the time.",
"parent_id": "8142590",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143097",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T12:35:44",
"content": "Dont buy the cheapest option on amazon if you arent wanting to play quality roulette. Pretty simple.If you chose that route, accept that youll either win or return.Most brick and mortar stores arent going to let you take the guillotine for a test ride anyway. Its going to be in a box you can only shake for weight check. You may get lucky and find a floor model zip tied out of functionality you can touch to get a vibe.The same goes for most of the goods at the old craftmart. You werent getting hands on much of anything but the box. You were reading and deciding, and probably buying 6 things you didnt really need because with no more information at hand than the packaging propaganda the snake oil kits sounded really neat.Research the items, their manufacturers, and models. The internet is full of people praising and cursing most everything available to purchase. Figure out the products that have the best reviews and ratings for your intended goals, and applications. Find the best retailler, reseller, or ebay auction and make your purchase.if your fail rate is 70%, youve got pretty bad judgement. Good Luck!",
"parent_id": "8143095",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142548",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:58:51",
"content": "“Having said that, I’d love to be able to easily buy some of those aluminium boxes these days, they’re pretty much unobtainable and I wish I’d stocked up on them.”There are lots of companies still making them. Are we allowed to put a load of URLs here?",
"parent_id": "8142308",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142333",
"author": "Bill Meara",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T09:43:24",
"content": "Good post with good points about the under-appreciated differences between true homebrew and kit building. I have a lot of Heathkits around me, but I never considered them to be homebrew. There is a big difference. We have been promoting and supporting the HOMEBREW construction of 40 meter direct-conversion receivers. No one would confuse these receivers with commercial, or even kit-built gear. But they work very well, and the builder earns the satisfaction that comes with building something from scratch. There are no factory made PC boards to “populate.” All four of our boards are made using Manhattan construction techniques (super glue, isolation pads, copper-clad substrate). Almost 90 receivers have been completed, in more than 15 countries. Check out the receovers. Build one if you dare:https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search/label/DC%20RX%20Hall%20of%20FameBTW — I own a Dymo machine, and my SSB transceivers are in wooden boxes made from junked packing material. 73 Bill N2CQR",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142448",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:51:52",
"content": "I was a kid on a kid’s budget trying to build things before the days of plentiful chinesium and 3d printers. I went to a lot of garage sales and picked up a lot of old CB radios. The ones that worked I either kept or gave to friends. (This was also before cellphones were common). But a lot of the CBs did not work.There was a common design, a metal box that was open in front. And a plastic faceplate that bolted in the front opening. The faceplate would have a bezel around the outside but the middle would usually be flat except for the holes where controls and other parts stuck through.I would gut the broken cb for it’s case. For whatever I wanted on the front panel I would use an existing hole if it fit or feel free to cut and hack as needed. I didn’t worry about looks at that stage because of the next step.I would cut a piece of cardboard out of an old cereal box or similar to just fit inside the bevel. Also, if something came in a shiny wrapper that was big enough I would save the wrapper to wrap around the cardboard. Or if I could find a sheet of colored transparent plastic I would wrap the cardboard in aluminum foil first then the plastic.Then I could cut just the holes I need in my shiny cardboard faceplate cover. All the original holes I wasn’t using, text, etc would be out of sight underneath. If I cut the cardboard right to just fit in the bevel before it was wrapped it would be snug once wrapped. Also, any knobs once attached to their shafts would hold this it in place too.I don’t think I have seen many people build that way but back then it was my favorite. I wouldn’t call it professional looking but it didn’t have that plain generic look of a project box either. It was sort of it’s own thing.These days of course when I am ready to box a project it’s off to OpenSCAD.https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1286371-REG/midland_5001z_40_channel_classic_cb.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142656",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:26:03",
"content": "Speaking of CB Radio.. The CB operators in the US of A now are allowed to use FM officially.https://cbradiomagazine.com/fcc-approves-fm-for-usa-cb-radios/So they have AM, SSB and FM now. All three modulation types.The latter is useful for digital modes (once allowed).Here in Europe, we had been doing Packet-Radio in 1200 Baud AFSK since mid-90s on FM (ch 24/25).Some are doing SSTV, too. In FM or SSB.It’s allowed in certain EU countries over here.This maybe doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s good for international contacts.It also helps to bring CB radio closer to amateur radio, which is good for both parties.",
"parent_id": "8142448",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142492",
"author": "ziggurat29",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:35:50",
"content": "“You probably hand-drew your pattern on a copper board or maybe on a transparency if you were photo etching.”In the 80’s I drew on vellum and then contact printed to ortholith film and developed that. It really wasn’t that expensive, and kinda fun. The ortho film’s ‘hysteresis’ in photosensitivity gave strong contrast and was very forgiving. Then I sensitized with Kodak KPR. KPR was a little expensive, but a quart would last a lifetime. (I suppose this is literally true since I still have over half a quart left. Developer’s long since evaporated, though. I think it was mainly xylene and maybe methylene chloride.)Double side boards were easy by aligning the two masks and using scotch tape to fix the registration, then sliding the sensitized board in between.I used a Sears drill press. I think all told the drill bits were the biggest expense because I certainly broke a lot of them!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142552",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T00:16:17",
"content": "I hand-drew the circuits, but the markers that were supposed to resist the ferric chloride etchant never did, so I used paint and a super tiny brush. After that, I started using the Archer 276-170 solder-type breadboards from Radio Shack that had the same pattern as the solderless breadboards, and often used a strip of copper foil down the middle for shorter ground connections. I’ve managed to get some prototypes super dense, because these boards allow two or even three leads in a hole (if the leads are small enough), and I also put parts on the back. (I also cut traces sometimes, to use the same row for two different things.) Radio Shack is mostly gone now; but replacement proto boards that are even better are from BusBoard Prototype Systems, athttp://www.busboard.com/KIT-BB1660-SB1660. If I want multiple units, I lay them out on the CAD and get them made by DirtyPCBs.",
"parent_id": "8142492",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142579",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:33:16",
"content": "Anyone else remember Dalo etch resist pens for hand drawing your PCB design directly on the copper?Nowdays I just send my designs off to China.PCB’s, front panels (made from PCB), 3D printing, some CNC aluminium machining, etc. I haven’t even turned my 3D printer on for years at this point.Although, for sheet metal parts, I use Misumi Meviy here in Japan as that is really cost effective for small run and prototype stuff.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142652",
"author": "Torsten Martinsen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:09:39",
"content": "Yeah, I remember when they ran dry so you had to “pump” them to get the ink flowing again, only for the pen to eject a huge ink blob all over your PCB.",
"parent_id": "8142579",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142693",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T14:39:36",
"content": "Making lettering look professional back then had many cheap and easy DIY routes. Off the top of my head, etching the letters on the panel with Ferric Chloride would have been a simple way to do it. One could have easily sprayed on a resist agent using a stencil and then dipped the panel upside down",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142804",
"author": "Yet Another Robert Smith",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T21:42:08",
"content": "I once found an old issue of Popular Mechanics featuring an article entitled “Make this Ashtray out of Lead”. They really missed an opportunity to make the project just that little bit more dangerous by adding a tritium powered light source to make it glow in the dark.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.370474
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/mechanical-7-segment-display-combines-servos-and-lego/
|
Mechanical 7-Segment Display Combines Servos And Lego
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"lego",
"servo",
"seven segment display"
] |
If you need a seven-segment display for a project, you could just grab some LED units off the shelf. Or you could build something big and electromechanical out of Lego. That’s precisely what [upir] did,
with attractive results.
The build relies on Lego Technic parts, with numbers displayed by pushing small black axles through a large yellow faceplate. This creates a clear and easy to read display thanks to the high contrast. Each segment is made up of seven axles that move as a single unit, driven by a gear rack to extend and retract as needed. By extending and retracting the various segments in turn, it’s possible to display all the usual figures you’d expect of a seven-segment design.
It’s worth noting, though, that not everything in this build is Lego. The motors that drive the segments back and forth are third-party components. They’re Geekservo motors, which basically act as Lego-mountable servos you can drive with the electronics of your choice. They’re paired with an eight-channel servo driver board which controls each segment individually. Ideally, though, we’d see this display paired with a microcontroller for more flexibility. [upir] leaves that as an exercise for the viewer for now, with future plans to drive it with an Arduino Uno.
Design files are on Github for the curious.
We’ve featured
some similar work before
, too, because you really can
build anything out of Lego
. Video after the break.
| 4
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142184",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:49:41",
"content": "Would it be “mechanical” if the segments were tubes, filling and emptying with a liquid?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142190",
"author": "carcanhol",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:04:49",
"content": "I’m thinking of microfluidics and piezo “pumps” for that…",
"parent_id": "8142184",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142237",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:36:48",
"content": "This is a concept I’ve kicked around, too. Clear glass, over a black background, filled with an opaque-enough white liquid…",
"parent_id": "8142184",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142238",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:40:24",
"content": "Make it a 5×7 matrix and display the whole ASCII set.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.122218
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/the-rise-and-the-fall-of-the-mail-chute/
|
The Rise And The Fall Of The Mail Chute
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Featured",
"History",
"Interest",
"Misc Hacks",
"Slider"
] |
[
"mail",
"mail chute",
"us post office"
] |
As the Industrial Age took the world by storm, city centers became burgeoning hubs of commerce and activity. New offices and apartments were built higher and higher as density increased and skylines grew ever upwards. One could live and work at height, but this created a simple inconvenience—if you wanted to send any mail, you had to go all the way down to ground level.
In true American fashion, this minor inconvenience would not be allowed to stand. A simple invention would solve the problem, only to later fall out of vogue as technology and safety standards moved on. Today, we explore the rise and fall of the humble mail chute.
Going Down
Born in 1848 in Albany, New York, James Goold Cutler would come to build his life in the state. He lived and worked in the growing state, and as an architect, he soon came to identify an obvious problem. For those occupying higher floors in taller buildings, the simple act of sending a piece of mail could quickly become a tedious exercise. One would have to make their way all the way to a street level post box, which grew increasingly tiresome as buildings grew ever taller.
Cutler’s original patent for the mail chute. Note element G – a hand guard that prevented people from reaching into the chute to grab mail falling from above. Security of the mail was a key part of the design. Credit: US Patent, public domain
Cutler saw that there was an obvious solution—install a vertical chute running through the building’s core, add mail slots on each floor, and let gravity do the work. It then became as simple as dropping a letter in, and down it would go to a collection box at the bottom, where postal workers could retrieve it during their regular rounds. Cutler filed a patent for this simple design in 1883. He was sure to include a critical security feature—a hand guard behind each floor’s mail chute. This was intended to stop those on lower levels reaching into the chute to steal the mail passing by from above. Installations in taller buildings were also to be fitted with an “elastic cushion” in the bottom to “prevent injury to the mail” from higher drop heights.
A Cutler Receiving Box that was built in 1920. This box would have lived at the bottom of a long mail chute, with the large door for access by postal workers. The brass design is typical of the era. Credit: National Postal Museum,
CC0
One year later, the first installation went live in the Elwood Building, built in Rochester, New York to Cutler’s own design. The chute proved fit for purpose in the seven-story building, but there was a problem. The collection box at the bottom of Cutler’s chute was seen by the postal authorities as a mailbox. Federal mail laws were taken quite seriously, then as now, and they stated that mailboxes could only be installed in public buildings such as hotels, railway stations, or government facilities. The Elwood was a private building, and thus postal carriers refused to service the collection box.
It consists of a chute running down through each story to a mail box on the ground floor, where the postman can come and take up the entire mail of the tenants of the building. A patent was easily secured, for nobody else had before thought of nailing four boards together and calling it a great thing.
Letters could be dropped in the apertures on the fourth and fifth floors and they always fell down to the ground floor all right, but there they stated. The postman would not touch them. The trouble with the mail chute was the law which says that mail boxes shall be put only in Government and public buildings.
–
The Sun
, New York, 20 Dec 1886
Cutler’s brilliantly simple invention seemed dashed at the first hurdle. However, rationality soon prevailed. Postal laws were revised in 1893, and mail chutes were placed under the authority of the US Post Office Department. This had important security implications. Only post-office approved technicians would be allowed to clear mail clogs and repair and maintain the chutes, to ensure the safety and integrity of the mail.
The Cutler Mail chutes are easy to spot at the Empire State Building. Credit:
Teknorat
, CC BY-SA 2.0
With the legal issues solved, the mail chute soared in popularity. As skyscrapers became ever more popular at the dawn of the 20th century, so did the mail chute, with over 1,600 installed by 1905. The Cutler Manufacturing Company had been the sole manufacturer reaping the benefits of this boom up until 1904, when the US Post Office looked to permit competition in the market. However, Cutler’s patent held fast, with his company merging with some rivals and suing others to dominate the market. The company also began selling around the world, with London’s famous Savoy Hotel installing a Cutler chute in 1904. By 1961, the company held 70 percent of the mail chute market, despite Cutler’s passing and the expiry of the patent many years prior.
The value of the mail chute was obvious, but its success was not to last. Many companies began implementing dedicated mail rooms, which provided both delivery and pickup services across the floors of larger buildings. This required more manual handling, but avoided issues with clogs and lost mail and better suited bigger operations. As postal volumes increased, the chutes became seen
as a liability more than a convenience
when it came to important correspondence. Larger oversized envelopes proved a particular problem, with most chutes only designed to handle smaller envelopes. A particularly famous event in 1986 saw 40,000 pieces of mail stuck in a monster jam
at the McGraw-Hill building
, which took 23 mailbags to clear. It wasn’t unusual for a piece of mail to get lost in a chute, only to turn up many decades later,
undelivered
.
An active mail chute in the Law Building in Akron, Ohio. The chute is still regularly visited by postal workers for pickup. Credit:
Cards84664
, CC BY SA 4.0
Mail chutes were often given fine, detailed designs befitting the building they were installed in. This example is from the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Colorado. Credit:
Mikepascoe
, CC BY SA 4.0
The final death knell for the mail chute, though, was a safety matter. Come 1997, the National Fire Protection Association outright banned the installation of new mail chutes in new and existing buildings. The reasoning was simple. A mail chute was a single continuous cavity between many floors of a building, which could easily spread smoke and even flames, just like a chimney.
Despite falling out of favor, however, some functional mail chutes do persist to this day. Real examples can still be spotted in places like the Empire State Building and New York’s Grand Central station. Whether in use or deactivated, many still remain in older buildings as a visible piece of mail history.
Better building design standards and the unstoppable rise of email mean that the mail chute is ultimately a piece of history rather than a convenience of our modern age. Still, it’s neat to think that once upon a time, you could climb to the very highest floors of an office building and drop your important letters all the way to the bottom without having to use the elevator or stairs.
Collage of mail chutes from
Wikimedia Commons
,
Mark Turnauckas
, and
Britta Gustafson
.
| 17
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142128",
"author": "Jiminey",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:33:31",
"content": "Good read. Thank you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142155",
"author": "robomonkey",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:23:58",
"content": "There’s one in my building where I work. Mighty handy, but I get the plenum issue. Too bad really.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142223",
"author": "Paul A LeBlanc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:10:16",
"content": "My office has one too, still being used. The building is from the 1930s.",
"parent_id": "8142155",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142619",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T08:18:11",
"content": "These days I’d imagine a bit of fairly simple fire-stopping or a few baffles would solve that well enough.",
"parent_id": "8142155",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142159",
"author": "Gilliam Vespa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:38:01",
"content": "this was quite the HACK for back in the DAY.yep back in the day where the first technology to start the process was a fancy reservoir fountain pen in hand, dropped into a fancy futuristic letter sending tunnel, transported by hand and foot or horse or horsepower, then received to be opened by an ornate Japanese letter opener engineered in miniature of the famous samurai sword makers. “to my dearest betty…”or maybe it started with a ballpoint pen, tossed into a hole on the 3rd floor, crumpled into a mail bag, and eventually opened with a fingernail. “to whom it may concern…”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142168",
"author": "Kevin Kadow",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:23:26",
"content": "Back in the ’90s, my employers 35-story downtown Chicago building repurposed their mIl chutes as a fiber raceway for intranet traffic. They left the ornate art-deco covers but sealed the mail slots and painted the backside of the glass black.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142181",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:37:44",
"content": "Guess the idea of clear chutes never occurred. Anyway next story should be pneumatic tubes since mail and them kind of go together.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142219",
"author": "Paul A LeBlanc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:02:57",
"content": "All the mail chutes I have seen have a glass (originally – probably something newer now) front panel. This is to help locate blockages.",
"parent_id": "8142181",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142239",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:45:18",
"content": "A (circa 1932) building I used to work in had wire reinforced glass, running the full length of the visible front of the chutes.",
"parent_id": "8142219",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142253",
"author": "Lee K Gleason",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T00:02:05",
"content": "Clear chutes? Mail chutes had glass windows on each floor and you could watch the letters fall past. I remmeber seeing them in action circa 1963 in office buildings in downtown Dallas – I was alittle kid and seeing the letters fall by seemed exciting.",
"parent_id": "8142181",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142224",
"author": "Paul A LeBlanc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T21:11:20",
"content": "A mail chute was a single continuous cavity between many floors of a building, which could easily spread smoke and even flames, just like a chimney.So is an elevator shaft. Or a stairwell. Stairwells can be closed off with firedoors at intervals, but not elevator shafts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142541",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:22:49",
"content": "The codes with which I’m familiar require elevator doors to take fire safety into account. The most lax code required every elevator door except the ground floor to have a smoke seal. The most strict code required every door to be at least 1 hour rated and have a smoke seal, and to sometimes have an additional slam door with its own rating.",
"parent_id": "8142224",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142234",
"author": "Snarkenstein",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:18:36",
"content": "I would love to have some of those doors! I have no idea what I would do with them, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142281",
"author": "Then",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T03:35:38",
"content": "Cool read. I had one, but for trash ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143210",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T22:19:45",
"content": "Gasp… It was YOU!That chute was SUPPOSED to be for LAUNDRY!",
"parent_id": "8142281",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142928",
"author": "Menno",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T12:55:39",
"content": "The length Americans will go to avoid physical exercise….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143209",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T22:18:23",
"content": "It’s amazing how many people will take a 30 minute walk to a mailbox to avoid doing work…",
"parent_id": "8142928",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,504.184098
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/careful-design-lets-3d-print-emulate-kumiko/
|
Careful Design Lets 3D Print Emulate Kumiko
|
Tyler August
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"3d print",
"kumiko"
] |
Kumiko is a form of Japanese woodworking that uses small cuts of wood (probably offcuts) to produce artful designs. It’s the kind of thing that takes zen-like patience to assemble, and years to master– and who has time for that? [Paper View] likes the style of kumiko, but when all you have is a
3D printer, everything is extruded plastic.
His video, embedded below, focuses mostly on the large tiled piece and the clever design required to avoid more than the unavoidable unsightly seams without excessive post processing. (Who has time for that?) The key is a series of top pieces to hide the edges where the seams come together. The link above, however, gives something more interesting, even if it is on Makerworld.
[Paper View] has created a kumiko-style (out of respect for the craftspeople who make the real thing, we won’t call this “kumiko”) panel generator, that allows one to create custom-sized frames to print either in one piece, or to assemble as in the video. We haven’t looked at MakerWorld’s Parametric Model Maker before, but this tool seems to make full use of its capabilities (to the point of occasionally timing out). It looks like this is a wrapper for OpenScad (just like Thingiverse used to do with Customizer) so there might be a chance if enough of us comment on the video [Paper View] can be convinced to release the scad files on a more open platform.
We’ve featured kumiko before, like
this wood-epoxy guitar,
but for ultimate irony points, you need to see this
metal kumiko pattern made out of nails
. (True kumiko cannot use nails, you see.)
Thanks to [Hari Wiguna] for the tip, and
please keep them coming
!
| 11
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142094",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:41:54",
"content": "“…if enough of us comment on the video [Paper View] can be convinced to release the scad files…”I wonder if an LLM could be trained on the input parameters and the resulting model, and generate equivalent SCAD source.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142145",
"author": "testing123",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:38:40",
"content": "The scad file is on makerworld",
"parent_id": "8142094",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142243",
"author": "BeeW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:09:07",
"content": "It’s closed source",
"parent_id": "8142145",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142256",
"author": "Matthew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T00:44:41",
"content": "Yes but you’re not allowed to download it. It’s marked private. Only the online customizer can use it.",
"parent_id": "8142145",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142098",
"author": "BT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:59:31",
"content": "His video, embedded below, focuses mostly on the large tiled piece and the clever design required to avoid more than the unavoidable unsightly seems without excessive post processing.That was difficult to parse! (Before I realised there was a typo.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142112",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:01:41",
"content": "It seems you are correct. Fixed now, because yeah, that did make it difficult to read.",
"parent_id": "8142098",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142210",
"author": "Tim McNerney",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:07:17",
"content": "I know it sounds kinda obvious, but it didn’t occur to me until now that an LLM could “do” OpenSCAD. Does anyone have positive experiences?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142247",
"author": "GK",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:21:28",
"content": "I spent a few hours trying to get ChatGPT to make some enhancements to an existing OpenSCAD script and found it to horrid at integration of changes. But after I while I pivoted to generating sample elements and did the integrating myself with great success.",
"parent_id": "8142210",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142407",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:28:58",
"content": "I had chatgpt give me a basic script that had some elements for a relatively simple design. I asked it to make tweaks and changes and add or remove specific custom features and it did pretty good. I had to still do some hand edits to get it where I wanted, but it was a good 80% solution.",
"parent_id": "8142210",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142293",
"author": "Tamas Debreczeni",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T04:53:02",
"content": "Paper View give us the models for the large print 🥺 please.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8151980",
"author": "Andreas",
"timestamp": "2025-07-20T20:16:32",
"content": "I found this also very facinating. I think i need to make one of those. The hardest task seems to be, how do you make it look good :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.419728
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/25/minecraft-clone-manages-with-nothing-but-html-css/
|
Minecraft Clone Manages With Nothing But HTML + CSS
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"css",
"html",
"minecraft"
] |
Can a 3D Minecraft implementation be done entirely in CSS and HTML, without a single line of JavaScript in sight?
The answer is yes
!
True, this small clone is limited to playing with blocks in a world that measures only 9x9x9, but the fact that [Benjamin Aster] managed it at all using only CSS and pure HTML is a fantastic achievement. As far as proofs of concept go, it’s a pretty clever one.
The project consists of roughly 40,000 lines of HTML radio buttons and labels, combined with fewer than 500 lines of CSS where the real work is done. In
a short thread on X
[Benjamin] explains that each block in the 9x9x9 world is defined with the help of tens of thousands of
<label>
and
<input type="radio">
elements to track block types and faces, and CSS uses that as a type of display filter. Clicking a block is clicking a label, and changing a block type (“air” or no block is considered a type of block) switches which labels are visible to the user.
Viewing in 3D is implemented via CSS animations which apply transforms to what is displayed. Clicking a control starts and stops the animation, resulting in a view change. It’s a lot of atypical functionality for plain HTML and CSS, showing what is possible with a bit of out-of-the-box thinking.
[Simon Willison] has a
more in-depth analysis of CSS-Minecraft
and how it works, and the
code is on GitHub
if you want a closer look.
Once you’re done checking that out and hungry for more cleverness, don’t miss
Minecraft in COBOL
and
Minecraft Running in… Minecraft
.
| 5
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142125",
"author": "freedomunit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:58:46",
"content": "That’s very impressive, bravo!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142136",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:05:33",
"content": "I am disgusted to the point of nausea. This is a thing that should not exist. it is a cursed thing.But there’s no arguing that it isn’t an extremely impressive display of technical ability and creativity.",
"parent_id": "8142125",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142135",
"author": "Ben",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:58:14",
"content": "Sounds a bit like Eaglercraft",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142409",
"author": "Dylan du Toit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:31:59",
"content": "No, not at all like Eaglercraft😂",
"parent_id": "8142135",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142144",
"author": "SETHxornot",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:37:42",
"content": "As a seasoned hardcore mode survival expert I approve of this clone. I like the restricted world size, this makes memory management quite a bit simpler.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.644678
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/hack-turns-nissan-leaf-into-giant-rc-car/
|
Hack Turns Nissan Leaf Into Giant RC Car
|
Navarre Bartz
|
[
"car hacks"
] |
[
"canbus",
"car net",
"electric vehicle",
"evs",
"infotainment",
"nissan",
"Nissan Leaf"
] |
As cars increasingly become computers on wheels, the attack surface for digital malfeasance increases. The [PCAutomotive] group shared their exploit for turning the 2020 Nissan Leaf into
1600 kg RC car
at Black Hat Asia 2025.
Starting with some scavenged infotainment systems and wiring harnesses, the group built test benches able to tear into vulnerabilities in the system. An exploit was found in the infotainment system’s Bluetooth implementation, and they used this to gain access to the rest of the system. By jamming the 2.4 GHz spectrum, the attacker can nudge the driver to open the Bluetooth connection menu on the vehicle to see why their phone isn’t connecting. If this menu is open, pairing can be completed without further user interaction.
Once the attacker gains access, they can control many vehicle functions, such as steering, braking, windshield wipers, and mirrors. It also allows remote monitoring of the vehicle through GPS and recording audio in the cabin. The vulnerabilities were all disclosed to Nissan before public release, so be sure to keep your infotainment system up-to-date!
If this feels familiar, we featured a similar hack on
Tesla infotainment systems
. If you’d like to hack your Leaf for the better, we’ve also covered how to
fix some of the vehicle’s charging flaws
, but we can’t help you with the
loss of app support for early models
.
| 29
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142041",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T05:31:28",
"content": "Infotainment and CANBUS should be air-gapped. That Slate truck is looking better all the time. (No infotainment as standard, can add an Android Auto screen from $20-40 on Amazon)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142045",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:01:16",
"content": "But this way you can download and install new firmware to the car using your phone!! Isn’t that great!!!!",
"parent_id": "8142041",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142050",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:25:54",
"content": "And the irony is the manufacturers cite ‘security’ as the reason why the infotainment is so closely married to the various networks and computers because it’s locked to the VIN or someother such uniquely identifiable electronic tag.People think Apple are the bad guys for their restrictive practices in tying spare parts to unique identifiers but car manufacturers have been doing it for decades and almost every one of those spare parts that’s somehow ‘paired’ is a route onto the vehicle network.",
"parent_id": "8142041",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142066",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T08:02:16",
"content": "I don’t think anyone has given a shit about stealing “infotainment” from cars since the turn of the millennium, especially since it’s all integrated and weird shapes rather than an ISO DIN standard unit you can swap for a better one like would be sensible and consumer-friendly.",
"parent_id": "8142050",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142083",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T10:54:19",
"content": "It has declined severely but Infotainment stuff still gets stolen for resale or even to order because dealer prices for replacement of faulty stuff is insane and it’s actually not that difficult to pair a system with a new vehicle if you have the right scan tool**For clarity, I am not involved in that ‘trade’, but I was heavily involved in the import and sale of automotive diagnostic equipment including scan tools which were capable of pairing, reprogramming and pretty much every other computer related task you might need to do on a modern vehicle.",
"parent_id": "8142066",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143789",
"author": "Pegaroo",
"timestamp": "2025-07-01T09:09:59",
"content": "Since most cars started coming with something that doesn’t sound like ass the adding of aftermarket systems have been unnecessary for most drivers so there isn’t the same market for stolen systems anymore",
"parent_id": "8142066",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142042",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T05:35:10",
"content": "Why does the infotainment system even have access to anything that could control the car?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142046",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:10:04",
"content": "The irony is that on the OBDII port there is usually a Secure Gateway that restricts CANBUS access, but the infotainment system gets full fettered access to it for no reason. Oh gosh!",
"parent_id": "8142042",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142053",
"author": "warhorse",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:37:51",
"content": "proposal for a reboot of the movie Runaway…extortionist finds a way to take control of your car. it runs extremely dangerously with a countdown and demands access to your bank account or the corner coming up, you go into a wall with all the safety gear disabled.alternately, a video feed of your kids in a driverless taxi you use to pick them up from school. deposit money in an account or they go into the nearest lake with the doors locked, or a wall at 120mph. you have 5 minutes to comply…(sounds of screaming children)…four minutes thirty seconds…also, taking control of police and other emergency vehicles is on the menu…hero is a auto mechanic turned cop who is the only one who can track the guy down…he also has the sole remaining roadworthy non-connected police car….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142058",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:09:57",
"content": "“hero is a auto mechanic turned cop [..]”auto mechatronic, rather. Plain mechanic nolonger is a real occupation, except in the movies.",
"parent_id": "8142053",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142095",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:49:16",
"content": "Definitely should be cop-turned-mechanic, or former TLA agent-turned-mechanic.",
"parent_id": "8142053",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142133",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:48:51",
"content": "Afaik LAPD/CHP has had this available for perhaps 25+ years, but it is limited to vehicle shutdown.",
"parent_id": "8142053",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142063",
"author": "Michal Lenc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:37:22",
"content": "Some of you are asking, why the infotainment is able to control steering and braking. It’s because, there is an auto-parking functionality. Which is controlled by the infotainment unit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142067",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T08:05:07",
"content": "Still dumb – that’s like saying you should be able to hijack a plane from your seat because the screen needs to show the little map of where the plane is.",
"parent_id": "8142063",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142079",
"author": "had37b8e5c7066e",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T09:58:07",
"content": "autoparking does much more than show a map",
"parent_id": "8142067",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142084",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T10:59:17",
"content": "Autoparking still does not need to be done by the infotainment system, the fact that it often is, is just stupid, plus it absolutely ties you to the OEM infotainment system and then you’re stuck with outdated maps, no support for new external devices, outdated operating system etc with no update/upgrade route unless you’re willing to lose the autopark functionality (which I know is unnecessary for most people but disabled friends rely on it)",
"parent_id": "8142079",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142088",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:12:00",
"content": "The infotainment system has access to the car’s cameras and other sensors. And it has quite a bunch more of computing power than the tiny CPUs in the OBD subsystems.From that perspective it does make quite some sense.Of course it could be a separate module. But another module with the power of the infotainment module, but only one use, would add quite some dollars to the BOM for something that could easily be done by the infotainment module.Save $100 on the bom, and you make a $10 million profit for every 100.000 cars sold.",
"parent_id": "8142084",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142093",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:36:13",
"content": "“From that perspective it does make quite some sense.”It really doesn’t make sense. If autopark – which is a critical function since it has access to a drivetrain – requires brains, why are you sharing brains with playing music, which is not a critical function?It doesn’t even realistically make sense from a cost perspective, either, since if you split off the infotainment portion to decouple it from the rest of the car and standardized it, you’d save money on the BOM in the end since the cost would drop due to economies of scale and software reuse over a larger base. There’s a reason why infotainment modules switched away from custom OSes.But the issue is that infotainment crap allows them additional branding, and some people weirdly like shiny things in something where they should be focusing on surviving.",
"parent_id": "8142084",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142126",
"author": "Uneducated Barbarian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:27:49",
"content": "I despise all of this. If you don’t know how to park you probably shouldn’t have a license.I’m still driving a car with no network connectivity (including Bluetooth), self parking, etc. Buying my next vehicle is going to be a royal pain since all of these dumb ‘features’ have been standard for so many years",
"parent_id": "8142063",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142209",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:47:28",
"content": "If you attempt to spend a new car payment on your old car every month it will outlast you (and might look really really gandy, know yourself).Eventually the insurance companies will try to interfere.But they have yet to make it difficult to insure my 1960.Despite the 2 door car’s 3tons weight, 4 wheel drum brakes and 6 mpg.They know people with old old cars baby them…This all assumes you don’t live in ‘salted road’ country.If you do, move.That’s a tell.To para the old joke:Nobodyeversetout for Minnesota, that’s just where the wagon broke down.Why they all have broken wagon wheels at the gate…Dontyano.",
"parent_id": "8142126",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142240",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:45:48",
"content": "people know how to park, but car makers try to let people as little as possible directly around them. smaller windows, bigger a, b and c bars, almost no rear window. rear camera tries to replace that, but gives you no awareness of the surroundings. no wonder people cannot park anymore.No, i try to keep my 32 year old car on the road as long as possible. the only computer is has, is for the central door locks and remote. I can fix everything myself",
"parent_id": "8142126",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142087",
"author": "Esko Haas",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:07:04",
"content": "An Estonian company has been converting Nissan Leafs to remote-controlled for a while:https://elmorent.ee/en/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142979",
"author": "beadon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T20:29:02",
"content": "That’s amazing and scary.",
"parent_id": "8142087",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142255",
"author": "Roy Gillotti",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T00:13:52",
"content": "And this is why I still like a car that requires having skill enough to use a third pedal…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142349",
"author": "hekilledmywire",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:29:58",
"content": "That’s only a “flex” in the US, driving a manual is not some super human capability….Kids in farms drive manual tractors by the time they are 10, and you have to stand on the clutch to disengage it lol.",
"parent_id": "8142255",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142370",
"author": "MakeLikeATree",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:21:04",
"content": "Now, do something useful like make charge status accessible over the car’s WIFI connection so we don’t have to use Nissan’s EVConnect app.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143791",
"author": "Pegaroo",
"timestamp": "2025-07-01T09:13:25",
"content": "I’d settle for it even being over Bluetooth.Older leafs have been disconnected from the Nissan app due to the modems in them being 2g/3g",
"parent_id": "8142370",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142406",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:26:57",
"content": "I said let’s put it on the internet, to be controlled by anyone, but then I remembered an episode from the Big Bang Theory and changed my mind. Then I remembered the episode when the mars lander gets into a ditch and I was sure. Then I remembered a game called Carmaggedon.I’ll stop here and see myself out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142476",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:45:58",
"content": "And how long until someone uses this to pull of a vehicle ramming attack?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.484434
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/nrel-maps-out-us-data-infrastructure/
|
NREL Maps Out US Data Infrastructure
|
Navarre Bartz
|
[
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"cartography",
"data infrastructure",
"fiber optic",
"maps"
] |
Spending time as wee hackers perusing the family atlas taught us an appreciation for a good map, and [Billy Roberts], a cartographer at NREL, has served up a doozy with a
map of the data center infrastructure
in the United States. [via
LinkedIn
]
Fiber optic lines, electrical transmission capacity, and the data centers themselves are all here. Each data center is a dot with its size indicating how power hungry it is and its approximate location relative to nearby metropolitan areas. Color coding of these dots also helps us understand if the data center is already in operation (yellow), under construction (orange), or proposed (white).
Also of interest to renewable energy nerds would be the presence of some high voltage DC transmission lines on the map which may be the future of electrical transmission. As the exact location of fiber optic lines and other data making up the map are either proprietary, sensitive, or both, the map is only available as a static image.
If you’re itching to learn more about maps, how about exploring
why they don’t quite match reality
, how to
bring OpenStreetMap data into Minecraft
, or see how the
live map in a 1960s airliner worked
.
| 13
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8142023",
"author": "topham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:46:35",
"content": "Individually this type of data has a low, but not insignificant value.As a collection of data the value is exponentially more valuable.As a target. By your enemies.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142090",
"author": "Abraham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:19:44",
"content": "I am glad someone pointed this out. It’s beautifully dangerous",
"parent_id": "8142023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142121",
"author": "Brad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:30:30",
"content": "What, you think China or Israel doesn’t have this info (or most of it) already?",
"parent_id": "8142090",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142123",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:46:39",
"content": "The state-level actors would already have it. But arming wannabe Fifth Columnists with it might not be the brightest move. So in that respect it’s good to see the geolocation is rather poor precision.",
"parent_id": "8142121",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142142",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:33:28",
"content": "It is not all that hard to do, obviously I’m not going to detail how to actually do it.The only thing that would help to conceal some details, a tiny bit, would be if a really good mixture of fiber optic cable (~30% slower than the speed of light in a vacuum), long distance (line of sight) direct point to point microwave links (and LEO satellites) were used between each hop on a route. But even that can be worked around, by collecting more data points. Some quick back of the envelope calculations would make me suspect that an individual could in theory probably map out major internet infrastructure in any country to within a kilometer (~0.6 miles).",
"parent_id": "8142123",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142577",
"author": "Bill Cheswick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:13:54",
"content": "You don’t have to be a state actor to run a lot of traceroutes. You can do it in your basement in your pajamas.",
"parent_id": "8142123",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8144271",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T13:18:44",
"content": "And as far as I can tell, every backhoe operator on the continent.:)",
"parent_id": "8142121",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142287",
"author": "sand in the bearing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T04:12:24",
"content": "Open info maps is another excellent resource for that exact kind of attack. CIKR (critical infrastructure key resources) are especially vulnerable because they’re not typically guarded like military assets despite their high civilian value.Much of the infrastructure components are linear as well, which means there are long long stretches of wire or pipe between regional hubs. So, lots of choke points, and lots of exposed transfer medium in rural unobserved areas.https://openinframap.org/#3.92/35.52/-89.92",
"parent_id": "8142023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142536",
"author": "NSFW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:07:57",
"content": "I always wonder about that sort of thing when I come across a “Caution: Buried optical cable” sign while hiking in the mountains. Like, how many random people with shovels would it take to… you know…Well, now I know how to answer that question.",
"parent_id": "8142023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142277",
"author": "Clayton D Ross",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T02:18:22",
"content": "Map is crap the worlds largest data center is in council bluffs Iowa , the second largest is Pryor ok they are GW + 25 building + and the map does not show it because of private network vs pop satellite Metro peering in the major cities take this map with a grain of salt",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142283",
"author": "Dsw",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T03:42:29",
"content": "This is nonsense there at least four major carriers that are not listed in this map. NREL is only web scraping data to create this map it’s not a true representation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142576",
"author": "Bill Cheswick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T03:12:00",
"content": "The topological data is easily assembled…we did it about 25 years ago, seehttps://cheswick.com/ches/map/And yes, the data can be quite valuable. We detected links lost to bomb damage (power was cut off) during the Serbian war.The geographical data is harder to get, which they seem to have done here. We used data from the router names.ches",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8144272",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T13:20:52",
"content": "“consult your local search engine” :)I miss the early web.",
"parent_id": "8142576",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,504.532419
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/digitally-converted-leica-gets-a-64-megapixel-upgrade/
|
Digitally-Converted Leica Gets A 64-Megapixel Upgrade
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"digital cameras hacks"
] |
[
"arducam",
"arducam owlsight",
"camera",
"owlsight",
"raspberry pi"
] |
Leica’s film cameras were hugely popular in the 20th century, and remain so with collectors to this day. [Michael Suguitan] has previously had great success converting his classic Leica into a digital one,
and now he’s taken the project even further.
[Michael’s] previous work
saw him create a so-called “digital back” for the Leica M2. He fitted the classic camera with a Raspberry Pi Zero and a small imaging sensor to effectively turn it into a digital camera, creating what he called the LeicaMPi. Since then, [Michael] has made a range of upgrades to create what he calls the LeicaM2Pi.
The upgrades start with the image sensor. This time around, instead of using a generic Raspberry Pi camera, he’s gone with the fancier ArduCam OwlSight sensor. Boasting a mighty 64 megapixels, it’s still largely compatible with all the same software tools as the first-party cameras, making it both capable and easy to use. With a crop factor of 3.7x, the camera’s Voigtlander 12mm lens has a much more useful field of view.
Unlike [Michael’s] previous setup, there was also no need to remove the camera’s IR filter to clear the shutter mechanism. This means the new camera is capable of taking natural color photos during the day. [Michael] also added a flash this time around, controlled by the GPIOs of the Raspberry Pi Zero. The camera also features a much tidier onboard battery via the PiSugar module, which can be easily recharged with a USB-C cable.
If you’ve ever thought about converting an old-school film camera into a digital shooter, [Michael’s] work might serve as a great jumping off point.
We’ve seen it done with DSLRs, before, too
! Video after the break.
[Thanks to Stephen Walters for the tip!]
| 26
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141988",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T00:01:21",
"content": "12 mm strikes me as short. Is that a factor in or caused by/relevant/necessary to the build?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141997",
"author": "anonymus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T00:57:32",
"content": "because the sensor is so much smaller than 35 mm film, the images will look like they were taken with a ~45 mm lens",
"parent_id": "8141988",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142164",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:01:09",
"content": "The pictures will have a similar field of view as those taken with a ~45mm lens on a full-frame body, but they will not look the same.",
"parent_id": "8141997",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142010",
"author": "McFortner",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:39:29",
"content": "The Leica M2 is still a pretty expensive piece of kit, regardless of condition, to be doing this to.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142059",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:20:41",
"content": "the hack, at least in the first version, is non-destructive.from the first post about his mod: “Perhaps the best thing about this conversion, and something which should propagate forward into other builds, is the way it does not hack or modify the original camera beyond the replacement of the already-removable back.”",
"parent_id": "8142010",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142109",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:51:41",
"content": "Might be fun to convert my Argus C3. Last I checked they weren’t much more expensive than the brick they resemble.",
"parent_id": "8142010",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142031",
"author": "dudefromthenorth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T03:50:49",
"content": "Sorry, but that’s a wasted effort. Sensor ridiculously too small. So many other cameras less desired or iconic to be sacrificed in this way. And not even as useful as Leica’s own digital cameras.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142037",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T05:03:26",
"content": "I was going to say something similar.A good sensor has to be big, to catch most light and the fewest noise.The megapixels are secondary. The more, perhaps the worse, even.That’s why in amateur astronomy, in early 2000s, low-res CCD sensors from webcams had been used.They were low-res (ca. 320×240 pix range), but the sensors were light sensitive.Peeling off the UV filter was another modification at the time (because the photo taking was happening at night).",
"parent_id": "8142031",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142113",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:06:28",
"content": "Pardon my lack of knowledge, but why would the sensor size matter when you can use a lens to reduce the image size “at will”?I mean, I do understand that film can benefit from being bigger, as that would allow light sensitive particule to, proportionally, better represent the picture.And I also do understand that, in long exposure, very low light condition (like astrophotography), you need the lowest noise level possible (thus spreading the light and try to prevent heating of the sensor too).But here?Why would it matter to have a bigger sensor?I couldn’t watch the video, but I would assume that, by putting the sensor closer to the optics, you just refocus the image “as if” you used a bigger, farther sensor, no?",
"parent_id": "8142037",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142132",
"author": "Timo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:47:40",
"content": "It’s mostly because of the lack of depth of field. The smaller the sensor, the larger the depth of field, bringing essentially everything in focus – much like a cellphone camera vs DSLR.",
"parent_id": "8142113",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142138",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:19:02",
"content": "Oh I got it.So, seeing the size of this sensor, it will be way better than a cell phone, but also way worse than the original.Thanks for the explanation = )",
"parent_id": "8142132",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142100",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:10:36",
"content": "I’d not call it a wasted effort, yes a bigger sensor has many advantages but there are optical limitations to the lenses that means a sensor only in the centre of the ‘film’ is not really a terrible choice at least for some uses – though obviously you could crop a larger sensors output there but if you are going to do that all the time…Plus you get the advantages of having real lens family to choose from and a digital camera that means infinite shots for basically no cost and rapidly available results.Is it a modern Mirrorless, DSLR or otherwise high end speciality camera replacement obviously not, but that doesn’t mean its actually useless or a waste of effort. It is fun and functional, which is good enough in its own right, while also being the ideal camera to take to re-enactment type events set in its period for instance – being a good enough modern digital camera with all those benefits in a period body.",
"parent_id": "8142031",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142131",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:46:58",
"content": "I love your positive thinking here! 😃The journey is the reward, so to say! That’s the spirit!On other hand, this mod basically turns an SLR camera in a disposable camera from Fisher-Price. Quality wise, I mean.🥲And that’s okay. It’s surely a nice gag for the party, but simultanously makes lovers of film photography faint.",
"parent_id": "8142100",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142157",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:31:38",
"content": "Oh it should be way way over disposable camera, I’d not be shocked if its better than my old cannon DSLR by a big margin as smaller sensor or not the quality of the sensors has skyrocketed in the last few years and my old DSLR is an early 2000’s or maybe late 90’s model IIRC and this still has real lens to get the shot you want! Which is usually the more important part of getting the image you want anyway, potato or god tier sensor doesn’t do you any good if you can’t capture and focus the light ‘properly’…",
"parent_id": "8142131",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142167",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:22:21",
"content": "He explains this was the largest sensor compatible with a Raspberry Pi he could find. It’s also just ~60 USD.Cheap full-frame sensors for hobbyists are very hard to come by.",
"parent_id": "8142031",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142052",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:34:42",
"content": "The primary advantages of a film rangefinder Leica were superior lenses, the brightest viewfinder, and accurate linking of the rangefinder image to the lens focusing. He’s thrown it all away.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142111",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:53:57",
"content": "He still has all that, assuming the sensor is accurately mounted.",
"parent_id": "8142052",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142216",
"author": "hugh crawford",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:27:53",
"content": "The Voigtlander 12mm lens is pretty nice, I had one for my film Leica iiic , especially in the center which is the only part you are going to be using.",
"parent_id": "8142052",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142074",
"author": "Edgar Vice",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T09:12:22",
"content": "Same marketing bullshit as smartphones. After debayering resolution is only 16MP.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142165",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:04:04",
"content": "Debayering alone does not reduce resolution.",
"parent_id": "8142074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142119",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:25:56",
"content": "I’ve long waited for an affordable sensor that would be somewhat the size of the 35mm film and sit nicely in place of the film. Insofar haven’t found one that I’d like, size, price, etc.The point of late DSLRs was large lenses combined with the large aperture … which lets more light through, etc. I know that the higher end smartphones’/tablets’ fisheye lenses combined with the advanced post-processing somewhat made those obsolete, but not without some drawbacks, like limiting the lens size (that’s why expensive smartphones have more than one sensor – to compensate for the smaller lens – and not only).What I am driving at is the optics where the most expensive part of the DSLRs, and they have gotten quite good and somewhat affordable (by the average Sam) some time mid-1980s, and there was a reason the most sold lens size back then was 50mm – it was the one that could get enough light to do surprisingly good photography, even with the cheapest film and the cheapest cameras. (again, average Sam snapping photos whilst, say, walking, not taking photos with tripod using higher-grade film).Having said that, advancements with the post-processing are actually quite spectacular, gone are some of the issues of the past; say, most of chromatic aberration (the edges of the lens being slightly out of focus and bleeding in more blue light than the rest of the lens) now can be just re-calculated and largely compensated for. That alone allowed making cheaper lenses with more defects that can be later compensated for; however, the old school analog DSLRs still had other tricks up their sleeves – the lens size being one of many (larger lens size … better zoom … etc).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142166",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:14:00",
"content": "I’ve nearly finished replacing my old Nikon F mount lenses with new Z mount gear and I wouldn’t trade back a single one. The optics are way superior and correcting for inflation they’re not more expensive.The difference is so noticeable, even an otherwise “infamous” travel zoom like the 28-400/4-8 now takes sharper pictures than some of the more expensive older lenses. Some very strong advancements have been made over the last couple of years.",
"parent_id": "8142119",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142208",
"author": "jim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:38:27",
"content": "I’m sure that it was a lot of fun doing this – but why not buy a Leica M8 or M9, Their not as big a sensor but you get wide angle which this doesn’t provide ( I’m a wide angel enthusiast).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142351",
"author": "Hydro",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T11:34:05",
"content": "I would say this, I think it’s a great project to expand on. The choice of film body at this point really wouldn’t make any difference because of sensor limitations here you’re not re-creating the same image that camera would produce on film, but this isn’t trying to do that it seems. He built a new camera out of a leica frame. The tinkerer in me loves this project, the photog in me would struggle to conjur up the ambition to do something like this. I’d rather use that time shooting with my already built cams. But in the end, I can’t wait to see what new innovation he brings to the next model! Keep tinkering my friend!! Cheers",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142913",
"author": "Marc Adams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T10:36:55",
"content": "It is a waste to use an iconic film camera, still in use today, to create a Frankencamera.People use Leica cameras to create that which is not attainable with any other camera system with or w/o Leica/ Leitz lenses.My 12year old Leica M240 with CMOS-24 mp sensor, a lens (10-90mm), plus a battery that lasts for WEEKS, will obliterate this wannabe camera.Plus, why recreate what has already done, when the cost is the same or less?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8179808",
"author": "Entangled",
"timestamp": "2025-09-15T06:15:20",
"content": "I don’t understand the negativity in these comments. These older film Leicas will most likely never be used in their original way – why not do a fun project that wouldn’t harm the value of an antique? It isn’t so much the idea of “let’s make an SIIX competitor,” just the recycling of older, vintage, loved photography pieces.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.598294
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/pong-in-discrete-components/
|
Pong In Discrete Components
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Games"
] |
[
"discrete components",
"hardware",
"integrated circuits",
"pong",
"recreation",
"video game"
] |
The choice between hardware and software for electronics projects is generally a straighforward one. For simple tasks we might build dedicated hardware circuits out of discrete components for reliability and low cost, but for more complex tasks it could be easier and cheaper to program a general purpose microcontroller than to build the equivalent circuit in hardware. Every now and then we’ll see a project that blurs the lines between these two choices
like this Pong game built entirely out of discrete components
.
The project begins with a somewhat low-quality image of the original Pong circuit found online, which [atkelar] used to model the circuit in KiCad. Because the image wasn’t the highest resolution some guesses needed to be made, but it was enough to eventually produce a PCB and bill of material. From there [atkelar] could start piecing the circuit together, starting with the clock and eventually working through all the other components of the game, troubleshooting as he went. There were of course a few bugs to work out, as with any hardware project of this complexity, but in the end the bugs in the first PCB were found and used to create a second PCB with the issues solved.
With a wood, and metal case rounding out the build to showcase the circuit, nothing is left but to plug this in to a monitor and start playing this recreation of the first mass-produced video game ever made. Pong is a fairly popular build since, at least compared to modern games, it’s simple enough to build completely in hardware.
This version from a few years ago
goes even beyond [atkelar]’s integrated circuit design and instead built a recreation out of transistors and diodes directly.
Thanks to [irdc] for the tip!
| 25
| 13
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141945",
"author": "J. Peterson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:14:59",
"content": "Google “original pong schematic” and it comes right up.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141950",
"author": "Hugo Oran",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:37:17",
"content": "I used “atari pong schematic”. It throws also a PDF with chips layout. Anyway this article is nice reminder of history.",
"parent_id": "8141945",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141968",
"author": "Atkelar",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:26:07",
"content": "Indeed, now it does – back when I started, all I found was that blurry picture and somebody else’s work which I decided not to use as I wanted to experience that fun part myself 😊",
"parent_id": "8141950",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141947",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:15:55",
"content": "What is a “discrete” component, exactly? Where do you draw the line?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141949",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:32:45",
"content": "Ideally it should mean no ICs, Transistors at the most complex. Here I think they mean basic logic chips and nothing specialized/programmable",
"parent_id": "8141947",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142033",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T03:55:10",
"content": "Yes, but it’s a jump to go from and/or/not to flip-flops and muxes/demuxes. Some “basic” 74xxx logic chips can have quite a bit of logic in them (like a 4-bit adder, 256-bit RAM, etc.)",
"parent_id": "8141949",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142038",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T05:06:53",
"content": "I think same.",
"parent_id": "8141949",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142655",
"author": "Tim Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T11:15:29",
"content": "For my own purposes (as I do exercises like this from time to time :) ), thinking in tiers is reasonable:– Single diodes, transistors, etc.-> option: permit use of arrays to optimize layout/placement/BOM (if rationalization is needed, dual SOT363s are all* independent dice!)– Single (or dual/quad, see above) op-amps, comparators, logic gates, etc.– MSI: logic blocks such as flip-flops, decoders/muxes, registers, converters, etc.– VLSI: purpose-made ASICs, or programmable-> the challenge might then be to use it in an interesting way, evaluate hidden/undocumented features, optimize the code (in C, ASM, etc.) for various ends (minimum code space, maximum performance/samples/bits/etc., add features, add networking, etc…)And of course we can extend further down the list, into hardware and programming toolchains and software stacks. Maybe you go out of your way to do something the hard way once (say, write a canvas from scratch, or RTOS, or file system, or..), to better understand what’s going on (and what’s wrong when it breaks!) in the standard/commercial equivalent. There is very much a meaningful, say, “discrete kernel from scratch” sort of project, that some people do for example!Since these builds are almost all wildly beyondeconomicvalue, the didactic value is the focus. If one seeks to better understand 2nd-tier components, then building circuits with those components exploded as their 1st-tier equivalents, is an excellent way to develop that. And so on for each pairing of levels.And, these are typically very individually focused projects: exceptions are easy to make. For example, my load dump generator (https://hackaday.com/2024/10/13/building-an-automotive-load-dump-tester/) is of discrete design, but I allowed exceptions for the aux supply and trigger circuits, which weren’t the focus of the build; the power electronics, and its control, was. I could of course build out a power supply in a handful of transistors, or a one-shot timer instead of the 555 (indeed I have schematics on hand for these, give or take adaptations and testing, which is the hard part), but the core system at that point is perfectly usable, and these are conveniences, outside of the project core, that I’m perfectly happy to take a shortcut out of. And, given the scrounge-minded build, this still leaves a little work\\\\fun for someone else to do, if they don’t happen to have those components available. ;-)",
"parent_id": "8141949",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141953",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:52:06",
"content": "Where are the discrete components gone? Long time passing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142036",
"author": "Samuel Schumacher",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T04:48:23",
"content": "Microcontrollers, every one",
"parent_id": "8141953",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142160",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:39:43",
"content": "They’re still available, as far as I know.741 op-amp, 555 timer, 386 amp, BC548 and 2N2222A transistors etc..",
"parent_id": "8141953",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141959",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:49:17",
"content": "Can it play Doom, with a few added components ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141961",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:50:56",
"content": "Could it play Doom ?(with a few added components)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141998",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:01:33",
"content": "Discrete logic as in IC chips to do various AND/OR/XOR/NOT functions. “Discrete” as in not with a CPU or MCU. It can be implemented in transistors theoretically.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142001",
"author": "m",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:06:54",
"content": "How to Design & Build Your Own Custom TV Games (Tab Books 1978)I used to have this book. I still do, but I used to, too.Gave away the dead tree version, but the ebook is here:https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/TAB-Books/TAB-How-to-Design-and-Build-Your-Own-Custom-TV-Games.1978-Heiser.pdf",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142024",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:52:37",
"content": "Wow that’s a real nice one… Makes me glad I now have Unity and Unreal installed!",
"parent_id": "8142001",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142641",
"author": "John Richards",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T10:15:15",
"content": "Hi all, Not sure if relevant as just found this page.I have original ping pong board, scematics and parts!!! I used to be the only UK person to repair these many years ago and even designed and made a conversion kit (sub board) to convert pong to breakout, before moved on to video game software, writing versions of space invaders and later for the arcade industry. Still have huge library of circuit drawings, boxes of circuit boards from the black and white era and thousands of ram, eprom and ttl logic hanging around. Anybody needs info feel free to reply or call me afternoons only on 07836 239 932 John Richards (used to be Competitive Video in Surbiton, Surrey.",
"parent_id": "8142001",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142022",
"author": "Kelly",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:35:26",
"content": "Where are the board’s decoupling caps? I recommend 0.1uF a few dozen LOL",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142039",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T05:08:52",
"content": "Hi, sometimes they’re underneath the ICs, in the middle of the sockets.",
"parent_id": "8142022",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142071",
"author": "David Smith",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T08:35:26",
"content": "I built such a thing in 1974 using op amp integrators. Was fairly simple.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142106",
"author": "Anonymus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:45:56",
"content": "Lookup the schematics for the Magnavox Odyssey, It’s all done with discrete transistors and diodes",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142110",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:52:43",
"content": "I couldn’t watch the video fully from start to end, but from what I skipped, it is very nice!It’s clean, clear, neatly filmed, and the end product both works and is gorgeous!Thank you for sharing, I will watch it fully latter = D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142140",
"author": "DrWizard",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:27:21",
"content": "Atari’s Pong was not the original. I was given a tabletop “Table Tennis” machine in the late 70’s, ironically from the nearby tennis club. It had 3 massive circuit boards of discreet logic and they were clearly marked as having been assembled in February 1970, 2-1/2 years before Atari’s. It had a huge 21″ CRT mounted under a 1/2″ thick glass tabletop. The power supply alone weighed 40 lbs, the entire machine weighed 300. It’s unclear who made it, there was no clearly marked manufacturer name anywhere on it, not even on the schematics taped inside.I quickly fixed it, just a blown fuse. My teenage friends and I played it well into the 80’s.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142487",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:11:56",
"content": "My dad worked for the company that made the original Pong in the 70s, it was actually his idea to make a “home” version of the cabinet that just had a pushbutton instead of the coin acceptor. We had one until the mid 90s when we moved to Oregon and dad gave it to my uncle for his man cave (No idea what became of it). Also still have the schematics somewhere!",
"parent_id": "8142140",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142141",
"author": "Clyde",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:29:06",
"content": "Pong is a great starting point for a video circuit. The video out on my game console project started life as an implementation of Pong’s sync section, replacing the rest with an EEPROM.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.765004
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/do-you-need-a-bench-meter/
|
Do You Need A Bench Meter?
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Reviews",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"bench meter",
"bench multimeter",
"multimeter",
"owon"
] |
If you do anything with electronics or electricity, it is a good bet you have a multimeter. Even the cheapest meter today would have been an incredible piece of lab gear not long ago and, often, meters today are lighter and have more features than the old Radio Shack meters we grew up with. But then there are bench meters. [Learn Electronics Repair] reviews
an OWON XDM1241
meter, and you have to wonder if it is better than just a decent handheld device. Check out the video below and see what you think.
Some of the advantage of a bench meter is just convenience. They stay in one place and often have a bigger display than a handheld. Of course, these days, the bench meter isn’t much better than a handheld anyway. In fact, one version of this meter even has a battery, if you want to carry it around.
Traditionally, bench meters had more digits and counts, although that’s not always true anymore. This meter has 55,000 counts with four and a half digits. It has a large LCD, can connect to a PC, and measures frequency, temperature, and capacitance.
Our bench meters usually have four-wire resistance measurement, but that does not seem to be the case for these meters. It does, however, take frequent measurements, which is a plus when ringing out continuity, for example.
The meter isn’t perfect, but if you just want a bench meter, it works well enough. If we had the space, we might opt for a bigger old surplus Fluke or similar. But if you want something new or you are short on space, this might be fine.
If you want to know what you are missing by not having
four-wire measurements
, we can help you with that. If you get any of these cheaper meters, we urge you to
upgrade your probes immediately
.
| 14
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141928",
"author": "ted yapo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:11:46",
"content": "i have two of these. i bought them for the USB interface. it’s pretty trivial to automate measurements with your favorite programming language (python). they’re useful for automated measurements of things that take days or weeks to happen, and cheap enough to dedicate to one project for that length of time. there are cheaper DMMs (handheld) with serial ports (a couple of models from Tekpower), but their batteries can weak down during a very long measurement",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142013",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:51:47",
"content": "I’ve an OW18E (coincidentally made by OWON as well) handheld meter. Great feature is that it will do data logging that you then pull down over bluetooth. Bought a 9V USB rechargeable for it. Obviously an issue if you want to log for 6 months, but a week should be fine.",
"parent_id": "8141928",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141930",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:17:47",
"content": "i made a little wooden pocket on my workbench so i can mount my ‘pocket multimeter’ beside the oscilloscope. it’s easy to read, doesn’t get in the way, and doesn’t tend to get pushed off onto the floor when i make a mess of a prototype. always thought ‘bench meters’ were dumb but i’m a believer now, just for convenience. if you’ve struggled to read your meter sitting in your lap while you’re probing someting up on your workbench, you need to rethink!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142016",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:59:57",
"content": "My problem was I wanted something that could never leave the desk. Then one day I seen a “Multimeter bluetooth alarm clock radio bench meter” and decided I had to have that :D",
"parent_id": "8141930",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142096",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:54:12",
"content": "I thought you were joking, but I googled what you said anyway and… well… how is the multimeter bluetooth alarm clock radio bench meter?",
"parent_id": "8142016",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142178",
"author": "QBFreak",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:24:47",
"content": "I have one of these, it’s just a repackaged hand-held meter. But the fact that it sits nicely on the bench is the reason I got it. I love it for that. IMO the Bluetooth speaker bit is gimmicky and the sound is mediocre, but I’ve already got some decent speakers in the lab. Mine has the ability to do measurements over Bluetooth to an app from the manufacturer, but that’s not something I’ve ever felt the need to do.Reaching behind it to hit the power button was a pain, especially with it on the back of a deep bench, but I installed a small relay and a jack so that I could have it remain battery powered for isolation, but power on with the rest of my bench equipment.I made an extension for the probes, there’s a jack for them under the front of the bench now, so I don’t have to have the wires running across the bench top from the meter to my project. If I ever need to worry about measurements that might be affected by such an extension, I can always move the probes straight to the meter, or more likely just get one of my other meters out. I have several.The bench meter probably my most-used piece of test equipment, and I’m really glad I got it, even if it is just a hand-held meter in a box.",
"parent_id": "8142096",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142404",
"author": "pietdevries",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T15:23:45",
"content": "Another happy customer here. The bluetooth speaker I have literally never used, the clock is useless since it drifts about 5 minutes per day, but as a quick and easy meter that is always where I expect it (unlike the portables that always decide to migrate when I need one) it’s perfectly usable. I don’t need the insulation most of the time so the power button doesn’t bother me, it’s just plugged into a usb hub on my desk. Bonus is it was about half the price as the meter discussed in this article (via Ali), although the one mentioned above does look a bit more professional.",
"parent_id": "8142096",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141941",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:49:31",
"content": "I was thinking of buying (at least) one of these when it was brand new. But in the end, it’s not a real “bench” meter, but more a handheld meter (with a handheld chipset) poured into a bigger box and bigger display. It also has some issues in some ranges and measurements, but I forgot the details.Data logging (an important feature for bench top DMM) is also severely limited for this meter. Owon did not want this one to compete with it’s more expensive meters, so it took those functions out of the firmware.For data logging purposes, it’s quite easy these days to build a small system with a microcontroller and a few MB of memory, or even an uSD card. You can build a dedicated device, or make it more universal, with ranges set with jumpers or some other simple method.For a (good) benchtop meter, I also demand quick auto ranging (something like 200ms though all ranges) and this Owon is also quite atrocious for that. I once had to work with a benchtop Fluke meter at work and I hated the thing. It may have been reliable and accurate, but the 4 or more seconds wait for each measurement gets really boring when you work all day with the thing. That waiting can accumulate into a 1/4 of an hour over a single workday. It’s so nice if you can put a probe on your test object, then look at your DMM and the reading is already stable.“Good” benchtop meters can take >1000 samples per second these days. nice for logging relative to other events and trend plotting. My Brymen is not that quick, but at least it has a quite usable bargraph for tracking changing signals. Something else this Owon can not do properly.But still, it is a quite hackable meter. The DMM chip with optocouplers is on a separate PCB and can be repurposed for “other tasks”. And I also like the big color display.In the end, I bought a Brymen BM869s. It is a (big) handheld meter, and about the best you can buy under EUR200. And because it’s my best / most expensive meter, I also use it as the reference for my other meters. I have a lot more confidence in the Brymen than in the Owon presented here (Although the used chipset is not bad). There is a project on EEVblog that uses a PIC uC to make the serial output of this Brymen meter (sort of) compatible with SCPI.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141962",
"author": "Reg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:59:58",
"content": "A. <$ 350 HP 34401A is the best ‘bang for the buck ‘. Arduino Uno based GPIB to USB $10 with box and connectors running AR-488. THAT’S a proper bench meter. It’s your basic touchstone. Old units with very long run times and regular recal are super stable. You just need a good voltage reference to measure to correct hobby level error. My best 34401A Is the one with lots of hours. The pretty,shelf queen NIB looking one is the least stable checked against an LT1000.Generally speaking the LM 399 references in those meters are super stable after long aging. For <$125 a 3478A is a great choice for a very high grade meter. Same reference, less ADC range. 5 or 6 digits?The displays are a bit plain and the 3478A needs an LED backlight. But, look at the price value! Those are “Don’t pay more!” prices. A bit of patience will provide that class of meter at 20-30% less less than stated based on cosmetics and luck.Those are “bench meters” against which you compare your other meters. That’s the concept. It’s your primary reference. Usually 3 1/2 digits are enough. Sometimes not. But you sometimes need a lot of dynamic range.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141971",
"author": "cliff claven",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:29:32",
"content": "Do you need a bench meter?Well, it’s complicated.I have too many bench meters, and too many handhelds. The oldest I have are Fluke 8000A bench and 8030A handheld (ish…) and both, at 3-1/2 digits, are well within spec., but can’t compete with anything 1990 or later.My HP/Agilent/Keysight 34401A and 34410A are the go to units for many things, including logging and picking small changes from larger baselines. The fluke 45’s are benchtop workhorses, though not stellar even by the standard of the day, but match or beat this OWAN in some respects, for about $40US. I won’t get into the 3478, other Flukes and so on. All are workhorses and serve a purpose.Handheld is a different breed. Less concern for absolute accuracy (Why there are 5.5 and better handhelds,I have no clue. for most all use cases, the extra digits over a 4.5 or 3.5 are nothing but noise) but more for versatility. My go-to is an older AC/DC 3.5 digit volt/ammeter (clamp-on) from the late 1990’s (craftsman branded) that still gets a cal every year. One of the few things I don’t do in house, since it is used for code-compliant welding work in the field (confirmation of weld current, and its mate from Fluke for voltage) and needs tracability with proper uncertainty spec. 3.5 digits well exceeds the requirements here.I laugh when my friends in auto repair brag about their 5.5 digit Snap-on’s they spent way to much money for that have never seen a cal check. They laugh at my Adafruit 3.5 digit student grade meter, but it checks smack on with my in-cal 6.5 digit Agilent, while their’s don’t.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142009",
"author": "mike stone",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:31:28",
"content": "“Do you need a bench meter?” is the wrong question. The right question is, “what instrument will give you the measurements you need?”I got my BK Precision 40,000 count handheld for readings that didn’t go to crap below about 2mV and 1mA. The Keithley bench meter was the least expensive thing that would measure low microvolts and nanoamps at the quality necessary for a job.I also have a pile of $8 analog needle meters that I use to monitor less-critical values when testing circuits.. does the supply rail dip when the load changes? Do I see fluctuations here when something is happening over there? Is the relationship between the input and output more or less what I expect? A circuit under test might have five or six meters connected so I can see the whole signal path once. In that context, resolution is far less important than the relationships between patterns.Anyone serious about electronics should get a meter in the $50 range for its convenience and good quality readings. After that, nobody should spend more than $50 on a meter without knowing exactly what feature they’re paying for, and why they need it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142077",
"author": "NIKITA KLYUCHEREV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T09:28:21",
"content": "For me a bench meter has the advantage that you don’t have to worry about inaccurate measurements due to a dying battery, or because the usb-rechargeable Crona can’t provide the advertised 9V.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142154",
"author": "Canuckfire",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:21:54",
"content": "I have a bench meter, but what Iwantdoes not seem to exist in a cost-effective way.I have plenty of shelf space but very little bench space, and what I want is a row of nice and compact usb or network connected instruments that I can import into python or display on a monitor. I love the formfactor of this.https://hantek.com/uploadpic/other/images/c0f0604a-69d8-4b36-bef7-f50a69da02fc.jpgBut anything affordable is terrible accuracy and reliability, and decent quality usb instruments are obscenely expensive compared to used bench equipment, so to bench equipment I look, then quickly find out that I will have no space for it, and then back to my handheld meters I go.At least magnets make them easy to put up on the shelf and out of the way, but my god do I ever hate batteries for equipment that never needs to move.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142175",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:03:01",
"content": "I noticed bench meters tend to stay on the bench rather than wandering off overnight, usually to reappear around lunch time the following day. Score one for rackmount kits.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.697739
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/announcing-the-2025-pet-hacks-winners/
|
Announcing The 2025 Pet Hacks Winners
|
Elliot Williams
|
[
"contests",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] |
[
"2025 Pet Hacks Contest",
"challenge"
] |
When you really love your pawed, feathered, or scaled friends, you build projects for them. (Well, anyway, that’s what’s happened to us.) For the
2025 Pet Hacks Challenge
, we asked you to share your favorite pet-related hacks, and you all delivered. So without further ado, here are our favorites, as well as the picks-of-the-litter that qualified for three $150 DigiKey gift certificates. Spoiler alert: it was a clean sweep for team cat.
The Top Three
[Andrea Favero]’s
CAT AT THE DOOR
project (his caps, not ours) packs more tech than strictly necessary, and our judges loved it. When the cat approaches, a radar detects it, a BLE collar identifies the particular cat, and a LoRA radio notifies the human on a beautiful e-ink display with a sufficiently loud beeper. Your job, then, is to open the door. This project has standout build instructions, and even if you’re a dog person, you’ll want to read them if you’re using any of these technologies in a build of your own.
Foxy and Layla are two cats on two different diets. One has prescription food that unfortunately isn’t as tasty as the regular stuff, but that doesn’t mean she can just mompf up the other cat’s chow. The solution? Computer vision! [Joe Mattioni]’s
Cat Bowl Monitor
hacks a commercial cat feeder to operate via an Android app running on an old cell phone. [Joe] trained the image recognition algorithm specifically on his two cats, which helps reliability greatly. Like the previous winner, the documentation is great, and it’s a sweet application of real-time image classification and a nice reuse of an oldish cellphone. Kudos!
And finally, [rkramer]’s
Cat Valve
is a one-way cat airlock. Since “Bad Kitty” likes to go out hunting at night, and [rkramer] doesn’t like having live trophies continually brought back into the house, a sliding door lets the cat out, but then closes behind. A webcam and a Raspberry Pi lets the human decide if the cat gets to come back in or not, relying on HI (Human Intelligence) for the image processing. This isn’t inhumane: the cat isn’t stuck outside, but merely in the cellar. No mention of how [rkramer] gets the traumatized rats out of his cellar, but we imagine there’ll be a hack for that as well.
Congrats to you three! We’ll be getting in touch with you soon to get your $150 DigiKey spending spree.
Honorable Mentions
The “Pet Safety” honorable mention category was created to honor those hacks that help promote pet health and safety. Nothing fit that bill as well as [donutsorelse]’s
Chicken Guardian
, which uses computer vision to detect various predators and scare them away with a loud voice recording. (We’re not sure if that’s entertaining or effective.) [Saren Tasciyan]’s
Dog bed is also a dog scale
that does just what it says, and we imagine that it’s a huge quality of life improvement for both the Bernese and her owners. And finally, [methodicalmaker_]’s
IoT Cat Treat Dispenser + Treadmill for Weight Loss
is a paradox: rewarding a cat with food for getting on a treadmill to lose weight. Time will tell if the dosages can be calibrated
just right
.
In the “Home Alone” category, we wanted to see remote pet-care ideas. Of course, there was a vacation fish feeder, in the form of [Coders Cafe]’s
Aquassist
, which we really liked for the phone app – it’s a simple build that looks great. Further from the beaten path, [kasik]’s
TinyML meets dog training
is a cool experiment in machine learning that also feeds and distracts the dog from barking at the door, even when [kasik] is out.
Phyto
[gallery type="rectangular" size="medium" ids="788432,788433,788435,788436,788437,788438"]
TinyML meets dog training
Aquassist
Dog bed is also a dog scale
IoT Cat Treat Dispenser + Treadmill
“Playful Pets” was for the goofy, fun, pet hacks, and the hamsters have won it. [Giulio Pons] brought us
Ruby’s Connected Hamster Wheel
, which tracked his hamster’s mileage on the wheel at night for two years running, and [Roni Bandini]’s
Wall Street hamster
project lets Milstein buy and sell stonks. Hilarious, and hopefully not too financially painful.
And finally, the “Cyborg Pets” category just has to go to
Fytó
, which basically gamifies taking care of a plant. There was intense debate about whether a plant could be a pet, but what’s more cyborg than a living Tamagotchi?
Thanks!
Thanks to everyone who entered! It was awesome to see your efforts on behalf of our animal friends. And if you didn’t get to enter because you just don’t have a pet, check back in with us on Thursday, when our next challenge begins.
| 9
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141909",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:37:05",
"content": "Somebody missed a trick by not letting their pet Gecko buy stocks…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141925",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:53:32",
"content": "You mean Gordon?",
"parent_id": "8141909",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142008",
"author": "AP",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:29:27",
"content": "Crickets are for closers",
"parent_id": "8141925",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141952",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:50:48",
"content": "Boo for two of them being fancy cat doors. Stop letting your murder kittens put to slaughter or be slaughtered. 😡",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141970",
"author": "Daniel Scott Matthews",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:28:25",
"content": "Agreed, cats may be very cute at time but they are really just little fury psychopaths who put parasites in your brain so you do their bidding. The sooner robot companions replace them the better.",
"parent_id": "8141952",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142047",
"author": "blep",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:12:51",
"content": "In some areas of the world it is literally (not figuratively) animal cruelty to disallow a cat to go outside.",
"parent_id": "8141952",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142156",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:30:15",
"content": "But what about the birds? Mice OK!",
"parent_id": "8142047",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142183",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T18:47:45",
"content": "Clearly you have never enjoyed the company of an animal that is free to roam the outdoors. I have read well written articles and opinions on the pros and cons of an outdoor cat that have caused me to reconsider (although not change) my practice; your diatribe is not one of them. “Our” cat will continue to enjoy it’s life outside and I will continue providing it food and water as it requests.You may be pleased to know our cat sits 20 feet away from our bird feeders and yet never that I have seen in the last five years has she done anything more than wander up to the feeders and sniff around. I know many people that kill more birds and other small animals than that by hitting them with a car or destroying their habitat.",
"parent_id": "8141952",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142371",
"author": "bart",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:23:23",
"content": "The CAT AT THE DOOR, might be a nice execution of the idea, but there are several rfid cat doors on the market so I don’t see how this rates first three. It’s not thar original, just more complete. Maybe I have different criteria as to what qualifies.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.823735
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/why-trijets-lost-against-twinjets/
|
Why Trijets Lost Against Twinjets
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Transportation Hacks"
] |
[] |
If you’re designing a new jet-powered airplane, one of the design considerations is the number of jet engines you will put on it. Over the course of history we have seen everywhere from a single engine, all the way up to four and beyond, with today airliners usually having two engines aside from the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 has been largely phased out. Yet for a long time airliners featured three engines, which raises the question of why this configuration has mostly vanished now. This is the
topic of a recent YouTube video
by [Plane Curious], embedded below.
The Boeing 727, DC-10 and L-1011 TriStar are probably among the most well-known
trijets
, all being unveiled around the same time. The main reason for this was actually regulatory, as twin-engine designs were thought to be too unsafe for long flights across oceans, while quad-jet designs were too fuel-hungry. This remained the situation until newer jet engine designs that were more reliable and powerful, leading to new safety standards (
ETOPS
) that allowed twinjets to fly these longer routes as well. Consequently, the last passenger trijet – an MD-11 KLM flight – touched down in 2014.
Along with the engineering and maintenance challenges that come with having a tail-mounted jet engine, the era of trijets seem to have firmly come to an end, at least for commercial airliners.
| 35
| 12
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141871",
"author": "moeb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:36:13",
"content": "ETOPS – Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142049",
"author": "Thijzert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:23:58",
"content": "Unless you are flying over land.",
"parent_id": "8141871",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142134",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:52:58",
"content": "ETOPS – Engines Turn Or Passengers Splat",
"parent_id": "8142049",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143038",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T06:32:29",
"content": "With a third engine, Sully doesn’t go into the Hudson…and a lot other passengers would be alive too.If larger engine are placed under the wing and a little forward—just stretch the tail a tad to keep the CG where it is.",
"parent_id": "8142134",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141877",
"author": "targetdrone",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:48:27",
"content": "Q: Why does a twin engine plane have two engines?A: If one quits, the other is there to take you to the site of the crash.Heard that one a very long time ago.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142002",
"author": "LWATCDR",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:07:40",
"content": "That tends to apply to the light piston engine twins. Gas turbine engines tend to have a much higher power to weight ratio.",
"parent_id": "8141877",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141887",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:23:53",
"content": "Credit for the shift to dual-engine also is partly due to improved navigation: An airplane must still be able to navigate through mountainous terrain (like Greenland) even while flying at lower altitude in a single-engine-out condition. Improved navigation (GNSS, i.e. largely GPS) allows that. (sorry if that’s been covered – I have not viewed the video yet)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141891",
"author": "dudefromthenorth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:29:15",
"content": "The L-1011 TriStar had a huge number of practically spacious washrooms in the tail. Things really have gotten worse…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141921",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:40:39",
"content": "I liked the L-1011 best of all the jumbo jets until on one rough flight I watched the center luggage rack swaying left and right. That did not encourage confidence in the structural integrity of the aircraft.",
"parent_id": "8141891",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142020",
"author": "McFortner",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:17:37",
"content": "Having lived under Hartsfield-Jackson International’s takeoff/approach pattern for most of my 58 years, I can say the TriStar was the quietest of the jets that ever flew. I miss them.",
"parent_id": "8141891",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142211",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:07:42",
"content": "L-1011s also had 3-5-3 seating in the cheap seats.Those seats were way before their time.Most econ seats only reached that level of uncomfortable in the last few years.Maybe the still haven’t and my back has just gotten worse.",
"parent_id": "8141891",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141893",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:40:19",
"content": "Along with the engineering and maintenance challenges that come with having a tail-mounted jet engineYeah that’s pretty much it IMO. The tail-mounted jet was a compromise in many ways, dumping it ASAP was always in the cards.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142004",
"author": "LWATCDR",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:15:32",
"content": "It also is a simple fact that the fewer engines the better. If a plane is a twin and it has an engine fail it has too land. If a trijet has an engine out it also has too land. The more engines the higher the chance that an engine will fail.I read a book about the DC-10 and L-1011. The reason they had three engines is simple. They had the biggest engines of the time so they needed three.",
"parent_id": "8141893",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142212",
"author": "fonz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:08:16",
"content": "and if they only had two regulations regulations would only allow them fly where they would be within 60 minutes of an airport",
"parent_id": "8142004",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141912",
"author": "Julian Skidmore",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:11:00",
"content": "Informative! However:5:25: For the other 95% of the planet that wasn’t considered worthy of a unit they understand, 134300 lbs-thrust = 597kN.5:33: Ditto: 125100 lbs-thrust = 556kN.6:25: “Every pound of additional structure” => “Every kg”.6:41: “Imagine working on an engine suspended 30 feet (10m) above the ground.”Are we listening to an AI? It sounds pretty convincing, but the rhythm seems a bit off and he seems to repeat himself like an LLM would.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141922",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:41:30",
"content": "Well one thing I notice about the three tri-jet designs is they are all American-made. Perhaps if the other 95% tried a little harder they could also dictate standards. Brazil for instance is doing a pretty good job building planes these days, last I heard.",
"parent_id": "8141912",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141946",
"author": "Yeah no.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:15:20",
"content": "The B.O.E.I.N.G principle.Bits Of Engine In Nextdoors Garden.",
"parent_id": "8141922",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141951",
"author": "Gerhard",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:47:14",
"content": "There’s no need to “dictate” a standard – it already exists, as an agreement based on logical principles (SI units). And it is applied (evento US made airplanes) throughout almost the entire developed world ;-)The question here is more about who the target audience for the post/video is. Apparently, it’s not expected that anyone outside the US will watch it. But the thing about a global network is that it’s global ;-)",
"parent_id": "8141922",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141963",
"author": "asheets",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:04:10",
"content": "Tell that to the suckers who had to wrestle the Gimli Glider.",
"parent_id": "8141951",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142117",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:22:07",
"content": "yawnthere are multiple standards. In the US we often use our own standard. It works just fine. This is its not even confusing to people outside the US. They’re not building something out of plans, its easy to observe ‘big number’ is big from context.",
"parent_id": "8141951",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142161",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:39:48",
"content": "There’s only one standard. It’s metric. The US measurement system uses metric as its base reference, and has done so since Thomas Mendenhall, running the precursor to NIST, changed us over to metric in 1893. We just use different units for our metric system than everyone else does.",
"parent_id": "8142117",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142213",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:14:01",
"content": "Yet many metric bolts are exactly 16 TPI.Get over it, two standards fine, three would be better.100% of bolts to leave the solar system are imperial!Conversions being round is not convincing.Metric needs the footer/feeter. Exactly 1/3 of a meter.",
"parent_id": "8142117",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142232",
"author": "Helena",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:13:27",
"content": "Zero metric bolts have 16 TPI thread pitch. That would be 1.5875 mm, which not even McMaster-Carr carries in any size. Closest is 1.5 or 1.75.",
"parent_id": "8142117",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141999",
"author": "LWATCDR",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:02:12",
"content": "Hawker Sydney Trident? Dassault Falcon 7X, 900, or 800.",
"parent_id": "8141922",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142000",
"author": "LWATCDR",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:05:04",
"content": "Sorry my bad and hit the enter too fast. Yak-40 and Yak-42 So the US, UK, France, and Russia. I am sure that you can find more if you want to.",
"parent_id": "8141999",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142076",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T09:18:42",
"content": "Dude Soviet Union/Russia made almost as many trijets. While Boeing 727 was the most produced the Tu154 and Yak-40 got 2nd and 3rd place both producend in over thousand planes. 4th place is French then again American but then next two are again French Dassault. Out of over 6 thousand trijets only about 40% of production was from USA, 35% from Soviet Union/Russia and 20% from France. Also France is only one that keeps them in production.",
"parent_id": "8141922",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141957",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:41:58",
"content": "There was a time when the 747 was considered by pilots to be the best tri-jet over the Atlantic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142137",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:06:13",
"content": "Bazinga!",
"parent_id": "8141957",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141975",
"author": "Boris",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T23:14:10",
"content": "” the last passenger trijet – an MD-11 KLM flight – touched down in 2014.”AI generated: “The last scheduled passenger flight of a Tupolev Tu-154 was operated by Alrosa Airlines on October 28, 2020”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142021",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:35:10",
"content": "“Over the course of history we have seen everywhere from a single engine, all the way up to four and beyond, with today airliners usually having two engines aside from the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 has been largely phased out.”This sentence makes no sense. What happened to proofreading?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142124",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:57:18",
"content": "Anti-AI shibboleth. “This post made by 100% human brains.”",
"parent_id": "8142021",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142054",
"author": "sbrk",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T06:39:21",
"content": "How is this a hack, Hackaday? Sheesh…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142118",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:23:02",
"content": "Hacking is about discovering information that is often hidden or unknown.",
"parent_id": "8142054",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142101",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:10:54",
"content": "Since they now have engines that are too big for the wings and are too close to the ground perhaps we need single jet ones that have the engine in the tail.Don’t let Boeing make it though.. reasons.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142538",
"author": "NSFW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T23:16:16",
"content": "Two engines per jet always seemed just slightly optimistic to me.When I worked for a certain large cloud provider we kept customer data on three disks at all times.There’s speculation that the recent crash in India was a double engine failure.It’d be a challenge to fit a modern high-bypass engine onto the centerline of an aircraft, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.896213
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/mining-and-refining-drilling-and-blasting/
|
Mining And Refining: Drilling And Blasting
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"News",
"Original Art",
"Slider"
] |
[] |
It’s an inconvenient fact that most of Earth’s largesse of useful minerals is locked up in, under, and around a lot of rock. Our little world condensed out of the remnants of stars whose death throes cooked up almost every element in the periodic table, and in the intervening billions of years, those elements have sorted themselves out into deposits that range from the easily accessed, lying-about-on-the-ground types to those buried deep in the crust, or worse yet, those that are distributed so sparsely within a mineral matrix that it takes harvesting megatonnes of material to find just a few kilos of the stuff.
Whatever the substance of our desires, and no matter how it is associated with the rocks and minerals below our feet, almost every mining and refining effort starts with wresting vast quantities of rock from the Earth’s crust. And the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to do that most often involves blasting. In a very real way, explosives make the world work, for without them, the minerals we need to do almost anything would be prohibitively expensive to produce, if it were possible at all. And understanding the chemistry, physics, and engineering behind blasting operations is key to understanding almost everything about Mining and Refining.
First, We Drill
For almost all of the time that we’ve been mining minerals, making big rocks into smaller rocks has been the work of strong backs and arms supplemented by the mechanical advantage of tools like picks, pry bars, and shovels. The historical record shows that early miners tried to reduce this effort with clever applications of low-energy physics, such as jamming wooden plugs into holes in the rocks and soaking them with liquid to swell the wood and exert enough force to fracture the rock, or by heating the rock with bonfires and then flooding with cold water to create thermal stress fractures. These methods, while effective, only traded effort for time, and only worked for certain types of rock.
Mining productivity got a much-needed boost in 1627 with the first recorded use of gunpowder for blasting at a gold mine in what is now Slovakia. Boreholes were stuffed with powder that was ignited by a fuse made from a powder-filled reed. The result was a pile of rubble that would have taken weeks to produce by hand, and while the speed with which the explosion achieved that result was probably much welcomed by the miners, in reality, it only shifted their efforts to drilling the boreholes, which generally took a five-man crew using sledgehammers and striker bars to pound deep holes into the rock. Replacing that manual effort with mechanical drilling was the next big advance, but it would have to wait until the Industrial Revolution harnessed the power of steam to run drills capable of boring deep holes in rock quickly and with much smaller crews.
The basic principles of rock drilling developed in the 19th century, such as rapidly spinning a hardened steel bit while exerting tremendous down-pressure and high-impulse percussion, remain applicable today, although with advancements like synthetic diamond tooling and better methods of power transmission. Modern drills for open-cast mining fall into two broad categories: overburden drills, which typically drill straight down or at a slight angle to vertical and can drill large-diameter holes over 100 meters deep, and quarry drills, which are smaller and more maneuverable rigs that can drill at any angle, even horizontally. Most drill rigs are track-driven for greater mobility over rubble-strewn surfaces, and are equipped with soundproofed, air-conditioned cabs with safety cages to protect the operator. Automation is a big part of modern rigs, with automatic leveling systems, tool changers that can select the proper bit for the rock type, and fully automated drill chain handling, including addition of drill rod to push the bit deeper into the rock. Many drill rigs even have semi-autonomous operation, where a single operator can control a fleet of rigs from a single remote control console.
Proper Prior Planning
While the use of explosives seems brutally chaotic and indiscriminate, it’s really the exact opposite. Each of the so-called “shots” in a blasting operation is a carefully controlled, highly engineered event designed to move material in a specific direction with the desired degree of fracturing, all while ensuring the safety of the miners and the facility.
To accomplish this, a blasting plan is put together by a mining engineer. The blasting plan takes into account the mechanical characteristics of the rock, the location and direction of any pre-existing fractures or faults, and proximity to any structures or hazards. Engineers also need to account for the equipment used for mucking, which is the process of removing blasted material for further processing. For instance, a wheeled loader operating on the same level, or bench, that the blasting took place on needs a different size and shape of rubble pile than an excavator or dragline operating from the bench above. The capabilities of the rock crushing machinery that’s going to be used to process the rubble also have to be accounted for in the blasting plan.
Most blasting plans define a matrix of drill holes with very specific spacing, generally with long rows and short columns. The drill plan specifies the diameter of each hole along with its depth, which usually goes a little beyond the distance to the next bench down. The mining engineer also specifies a stem height for the hole, which leaves room on top of the explosives to backfill the hole with drill tailings or gravel.
Prills and Oil
Once the drill holes are complete and inspected, charging the holes with explosives can begin. The type of blasting agents to be used is determined by the blasting plan, but in most cases, the agent of choice is ANFO, or ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. The ammonium nitrate, which contains 60% oxygen by weight, serves as an oxidizer for the combustion of the long-chain alkanes in the fuel oil. The ideal mix is 94% ammonium nitrate to 6% fuel oil.
Filling holes with ammonium nitrate at a blasting site. Hopper trucks like this are often used to carry prilled ammonium nitrate. Some trucks also have a tank for the fuel oil that’s added to the ammonium nitrate to make ANFO. Credit: Old Bear Photo, via Adobe Stock.
How the ANFO is added to the hole depends on conditions. For holes where groundwater is not a problem, ammonium nitrate in the form of small porous beads or prills, is poured down the hole and lightly tamped to remove any voids or air spaces before the correct amount of fuel oil is added. For wet conditions, an ammonium nitrate emulsion will be used instead. This is just a solution of ammonium nitrate in water with emulsifiers added to allow the fuel oil to mix with the oxidizer.
ANFO is classified as a tertiary explosive, meaning it is insensitive to shock and requires a booster to detonate. The booster charge is generally a secondary explosive such as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a powerful explosive that’s chemically similar to nitroglycerine but is much more stable. PETN comes in a number of forms, with cardboard cylinders like oversized fireworks or a PETN-laced gel stuffed into a plastic tube that looks like a sausage being the most common.
Electrically operated blasting caps marked with their built-in 425 ms delay. These will easily blow your hand clean off. Source:
Timo Halén
, CC BY-SA 2.5.
Being a secondary explosive, the booster charge needs a fairly strong shock to detonate. This shock is provided by a blasting cap or detonator, which is a small, multi-stage pyrotechnic device. These are generally in the form of a small brass or copper tube filled with a layer of primary explosive such as lead azide or fulminate of mercury, along with a small amount of secondary explosive such as PETN. The primary charge is in physical contact with an initiator of some sort, either a bridge wire in the case of electrically initiated detonators, or more commonly, a shock tube. Shock tubes are thin-walled plastic tubing with a layer of reactive explosive powder on the inner wall. The explosive powder is engineered to detonate down the tube at around 2,000 m/s, carrying a shock wave into the detonator at a known rate, which makes propagation delays easy to calculate.
Timing is critical to the blasting plan. If the explosives in each hole were to all detonate at the same time, there wouldn’t be anywhere for the displaced material to go. To prevent that, mining engineers build delays into the blasting plan so that some charges, typically the ones closest to the free face of the bench, go off a fraction of a second before the charges behind them, freeing up space for the displaced material to move into. Delays are either built into the initiator as a layer of pyrotechnic material that burns at a known rate between the initiator and the primary charge, or by using surface delays, which are devices with fixed delays that connect the initiator down the hole to the rest of the charges that will make up the shot. Lately, electronic detonators have been introduced, which have microcontrollers built in. These detonators are addressable and can have a specific delay programmed in the field, making it easier to program the delays needed for the entire shot. Electronic detonators also require a specific code to be transmitted to detonate, which reduces the chance of injury or misuse that lost or stolen electrical blasting caps present. This was enough of a problem that a series of public service films on the dangers of playing with blasting caps appeared regularly from the 1950s through the 1970s.
“Fire in the Hole!”
When all the holes are charged and properly stemmed, the blasting crew makes the final connections on the surface. Connections can be made with wires for electrical and electronic detonators, or with shock tubes for non-electric detonators. Sometimes, detonating cord is used to make the surface connections between holes. Det cord is similar to shock tube but generally looks like woven nylon cord. It also detonates at a much faster rate (6,500 m/s) than shock tube thanks to being filled with PETN or a similar high-velocity explosive.
Once the final connections to the blasting controller are made and tested, the area is secured with all personnel and equipment removed. A series of increasingly urgent warnings are sounded on sirens or horns as the blast approaches, to alert personnel to the danger. The blaster initiates the shot at the controller, which sends the signal down trunklines and into any surface delays before being transmitted to the detonators via their downlines. The relatively weak shock wave from the detonator propagates into the booster charge, which imparts enough energy into the ANFO to start detonation of the main charge.
The ANFO rapidly decomposes into a mixture of hot gases, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor. The shock wave pulverizes the rock surrounding the borehole and rapidly propagates into the surrounding rock, exerting tremendous compressive force. The shock wave continues to propagate until it meets a natural crack or the interface between rock and air at the free face of the shot. These impedance discontinuities reflect the compressive wave and turn it into a tensile wave, and since rock is generally much weaker in tension than compression, this is where the real destruction begins.
The reflected tensile forces break the rock along natural or newly formed cracks, creating voids that are filled with the rapidly expanding gases from the burning ANFO. The gases force these cracks apart, providing the heave needed to move rock fragments into the voids created by the initial shock wave. The shot progresses at the set delay intervals between holes, with the initial shock from new explosions creating more fractures deeper into the rock face and more expanding gas to move the fragments into the space created by earlier explosions. Depending on how many holes are in the shot and how long the delays are, the entire thing can be over in just a few seconds, or it could go on for quite some time, as it does in this world-record blast at a coal mine in Queensland in 2019, which used 3,899 boreholes packed with 2,194 tonnes of ANFO to move 4.7 million cubic meters of material in just 16 seconds.
There’s still much for the blasting crew to do once the shot is done. As the dust settles, safety crews use monitoring equipment to ensure any hazardous blasting gases have dispersed before sending in crews to look for any misfires. Misfires can result in a reshoot, where crews hook up a fresh initiator and try to detonate the booster charge again. If the charge won’t fire, it can be carefully extracted from the rubble pile with non-sparking tools and soaked in water to inactivate it.
| 22
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141863",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:32:32",
"content": "A good article on “drill, baby, drill”. Followed by “blast, baby, blast” and “scoop, baby, scoop”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141866",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:49:41",
"content": "From personal experience, I can say that faulty blasting caps that were used in coal mines in the past (like 75+ years ago) did actually manage to make it all the way into home coal buckets and killed a number of people after putting what they thought were shovels of coal into their fireplace.Modern safety practices means that this has not happened in a long time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141868",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:08:00",
"content": "That sounds like enjoyable work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142465",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:28:57",
"content": "You’d think, but lots of fun things become suck when jobs.I think high explosives remain better a hobby.",
"parent_id": "8141868",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141878",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:54:52",
"content": "Isn’t most blasting more convenience and cheaper because it’s quicker rather than strictly needed?And of course you need to mine the stuff you make the explosives from, a special version of a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141881",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:01:21",
"content": "You can technically break up a 10ton bolder with a shovel. You would be an idiot for not declaring tools designed to make this work faster and easier a necessity.",
"parent_id": "8141878",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142099",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:07:28",
"content": "yeah and you can make ground pepper with explosives…Anyway the article suggest it can ONLY be done with explosives, and I don’t think that is true in 99% of the cases.We have large machines that can turn rocks into pebbles, we have boring machines that can dig through a lot of ground, although you will once in a while come across some rocks that you would blast before continuing to keep on schedule.I once removed a tree-stump and I said to those that were there that it would be quicker with dynamite, and it’s true but I got it done without though.So yes it’s quicker and causes larger output, but would we have no industry without it? Nah that is nonsense.And of course sometimes we overdo things because we have too much access, might be better if we didn’t overproduce in some cases surely.",
"parent_id": "8141881",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142980",
"author": "RoadHouse",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T20:36:17",
"content": "How about a mountain?“There’s this emperor, and he asks the shepherd’s boy how many seconds in eternity. And the shepherd’s boy says, ‘There’s this mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb it and an hour to go around it, and every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the diamond mountain. And when the entire mountain is chiseled away, the first second of eternity will have passed.’ You may think that’s a hell of a long time. Personally, I think that’s a hell of a bird.”",
"parent_id": "8141881",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142030",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T03:45:33",
"content": "The quest for greater convenience is what separates humans from other animals my guy.",
"parent_id": "8141878",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142459",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:09:05",
"content": "Some Indian: We’re using men with shovels to improve employment.Churchill: Use teaspoons.I think Aknup has a government ‘job’.",
"parent_id": "8141878",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141907",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:30:49",
"content": "I grew up in an old mining town and we were told as kids to not mess around with loose wires we found around mines, because the other end might be hooked to blasting caps. I actually ran into this situation much later, in my thirties, when I was mountain biking in an extremely remote area where it’s unlikely people would ever hike and there certainly was no motor vehicle access: an old mining cabin (two rooms, one for living one over the shaft entrance so it didn’t fill with snow in the winter) that had a pile of old dynamite boxes the last person who lived there had been using to sit on, and a nice small pile of blasting caps. I backed out of the cabin so very carefully.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141914",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:20:59",
"content": "This reminds me of the video below.Some guy found weird features on google earth, went into the desert to check them out and found some areas of old seismic research. At 17:50 some wires are coming out of the ground, apparently from unexploded charges.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twAP3buj9Og",
"parent_id": "8141907",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141919",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:34:30",
"content": "The dynamite boxes would be the scary part if they were old enough to start sweating… But if it weren’t for that I would have probably taken the blasting caps for myself.",
"parent_id": "8141907",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141920",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:38:03",
"content": "This article is even skeptical about the existence of sweaty dynamite, but honestly I’m fine with a little superstition in this case:http://www.vegasunderworld.com/article-dynamite.html",
"parent_id": "8141919",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142447",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T17:44:37",
"content": "Sweaty dynamite is very real, nitroglycerine gets desorbed over time from the desensitizing agents, and makes the dynamite sensitive. Think slow sublimation cycling with temperature swings… Furthermore, most explosives stored outside of a temperature and humidity controlled environment have a finite shelf life before becoming sensitized.See also: Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion on Wikipedia. For an example of bad storage causing explosions.See the Rocknocker subreddit for a good primary source for this and many other things. Dr. Rocknocker could have written an article like the one here.",
"parent_id": "8141920",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143072",
"author": "Menno",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T10:45:18",
"content": "Have you not read the article linked by TG? The “sweat” apparently isn’t even nitroglycerin.The Cypriot explosion did not involve dynamite, but munitions, and its cause remains unknown.",
"parent_id": "8142447",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141931",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:18:52",
"content": "Best I know, those metal fulminates used in blasting caps (and other detonators) also become unstable and more dangerous over time. Some 10 to 15 years ago there was a quite big recall of car airbags, as there was a risk they could go off unexpectedly as a result of the “inflation compmound” becoming unstable over time. That cheaper formula turned out to be quite expensive in the end.",
"parent_id": "8141919",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141927",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:02:40",
"content": "My family owns a mine in colorado first cut in the late 1800s, it is now surrounded by luxury homes with annoying neighbors that prevent us from being able to run heavy machinery let alone get permits for blasting. While we have to mill our ore offsite we still managed to pull 100oz last year thanks to dexpan. We run two adits simultaneously, Drilling and filling one, and clearing the rubble from the other each day. While not as dramatic as explosves, expansive grout gets the job done. A pleasant though not terribly profitable benefit, dexpan does obliterate the random pockets of crystals our mine also produces. We have found some pretty nice specimens over the years that would have been destroyed if we were blasting.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141929",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:14:45",
"content": "edit: dexpan doesNT obliterate the random pockets of crystalsoops",
"parent_id": "8141927",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142073",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T09:08:38",
"content": "Very interesting! Thank you.More can be done with water in a mine than just soaking pegs in it. The Romans had a technique called “ruina montium” – literally “mountain wrecking” – which involved digging galleries under a mountain and diverting water through them to undermine it. At a place in Spain called Las Médulas there is an area of channels and badlands that used to be a mountain before the Romans washed it away. Pliny estimated that they got six TONNES of gold out of it every YEAR.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_M%C3%A9dulas",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142105",
"author": "derpa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:45:14",
"content": "What might not be obvious is that blasting is done because it is much cheaper to fragment rocks that way than by any other means. Blast design is thus an exercise in minimizing the cost of drilling and blasting while also minimizing the cost of further crushing. Some alternatives have been tried, mostly underground where blasting is especially annoying, but they inevitably end up more expensive, less productive or less safe. The waterjet cutters were especially terrifying.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8186471",
"author": "Drilling Mining",
"timestamp": "2025-10-02T06:00:46",
"content": "Impressive! Thanks for sharing this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,504.989053
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/is-box-turtle-the-open-source-ams-weve-been-waiting-for/
|
Is Box Turtle The Open Source AMS We’ve Been Waiting For?
|
Tyler August
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"Box Turtle",
"klipper",
"MMU",
"Multi material extrusion",
"multimaterial"
] |
Multimaterial printing was not invented by BambuLabs, but love them or hate them the AMS has become the gold standard for a modern multi-material unit. [Daniel]’s
latest Mod Bot video on the Box Turtle MMU
(embedded below) highlights an open source project that aims to bring the power and ease of AMS to Voron printers, and everyone else using Klipper willing to put in the work.
This isn’t a torture test, but it’s very clean and very cute.
The system itself is a mostly 3D printed unit that sits atop [Daniel]’s Voron printer looking just like an AMS atop a BambuLab. It has space for four spools, with motorized rollers and feeders in the front that have handy-dandy indicator LEDs to tell you which filament is loaded or printing. Each spool gets its own extruder, whose tension can be adjusted manually via thumbscrew. A buffer unit sits between the spool box and your toolhead.
Aside from the box, you need to spec a toolhead that meets requirements. It needs a PTFE connector with a (reverse) boden tube to guide the filament, and it also needs to have a toolhead filament runout sensor. The sensor is to provide feedback to Klipper that the filament is loaded or unloaded. Finally you will probably want to add a filament cutter, because that happens at the toolhead with this unit. Sure, you could try the whole tip-forming thing, but anyone who had a Prusa MMU back in the day can tell you that is easier said than done. The cutter apparently makes this system much more reliable.
In operation, it looks just like a BambuLabs printer with an AMS installed. The big difference, again, is that this project by [Armored Turtle] is fully open source, with
everything on GitHub
under a GPL-3.0 license. Several vendors are already producing kits; [Daniel] is using the LDO version in his video.
It looks like the project is well documented–and [Mod Bot] agrees, and he reports that the build process is not terribly difficult (well, if you’re the kind of person who builds a Voron, anyway), and adding the
AFC Klipper Addon
(also by [Armored Turtle]) was easy as pie. After that, well. It needs calibration. Calibration and lots of tuning, which is an ongoing process for [Daniel]. If you want to see that, watch the video below, but we’ll spoil it for you and let you know it really pays off. (Except for lane 4, where he probably needs to clean up the print.)We’ve featured open-source MMUs before, like the
Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder,
but it’s great to see more in this scene, especially something that looks like it can take on the AMS. It’s not the only way to get multimaterial– there’s always
tool-changers
, or you could just put in a
second motion system and gantry.
| 26
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141836",
"author": "easy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:48:04",
"content": "It would be nice if you told us what AMS stands for and also why it is the gold standard / how does it compare to other standards?I bought a dual filament in single nozzle out hotend for my ender 3 for 40 bucks. It just works out of the box and has had no problems for going on 4 years. If you need 3+ materials you can change one while the other is printing. There aren’t multiple heads to calibrate or be out of alignment. The prime tower is a bit of waste but not much. IMO a cheap simple solution should be what people should look to when upgrading to multi material.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141838",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:51:18",
"content": "I had to look it up as well – Bambu Lab AMS (Automatic Material System)",
"parent_id": "8141836",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141926",
"author": "irox",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:00:47",
"content": "Thanks.",
"parent_id": "8141838",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141841",
"author": "thestoneburner",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:55:51",
"content": "AMS stands for Automatic Material System.The Boxturtle one is designed to have no compromises and is pretty expensive (and awesome).There are many more, this one for example is really cheap (~40 bucks)https://github.com/lhndo/LH-Stinger/wiki/Pico-MMUand seems to work fine.",
"parent_id": "8141836",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141852",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:34:48",
"content": "AMS is the name of BambuLabs multi-material system. It stands for something but nobody ever defines the acronym when they use it so it’s really just a name at this point and I’m not about to buck the trend. It was big news in the 3D printing world and everyone was talking about it for a while, so I guess I figured rehashing would be redundant. I guess I was wrong. Mea culpa.It lets the single, non-mixing nozzle on BambuLabs printers print multi-material by automatically retracting and feeding filaments exactly like this Box Turtle unit does. It’s the “gold standard” because it is plug-and-play to an absurd degree. Plug it in, turn it on, and go.BambuLabs is the reason you’re suddenly seeing those purveyors of flexi dragons at crafts fairs hawking multicolored prints. Simple and cheap isn’t easy and reliable enough for production; evidently, BambuLabs AMS is. You can take someone who has never seen a 3D printer, given them a BambuLab printer with the AMS, and come back a week later to a room full of multicolored tchotchkes and not a single failed print, because it’s just that easy.BambuLabs is like the Apple of the 3D printing world (complete with high prices, and dubious ethics)– 3D printing for people who don’t want to fiddle with 3D printers.",
"parent_id": "8141836",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142005",
"author": "tdjr",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:17:04",
"content": "$0.02 While I run hot and cold on Apple, Bambu is simply not the Apple of 3D printing, beyond maybe arrogance and – as you point out- “dubious ethics”. Bambu lacks the level of quality – in design, build, and especially execution- to justify that moniker.",
"parent_id": "8141852",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142214",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T20:23:52",
"content": "Apple never had it either.As you say, corporate arrogance that infects the users.Marketing so good, it shuts down all critical thinking.More Rolex than Mitutoyo.Products that can get you laid!Apple might be the first tech company to become a status symbol company.",
"parent_id": "8142005",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141901",
"author": "Donniedarko",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:11:27",
"content": "While I don’t fault you for not knowing every acronym out there, I hate acronyms and I’m ignorant of most of them. Just do a search and get on with it. When the AMS first came out, just about every reviewer said what it stands for.",
"parent_id": "8141836",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141955",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:28:22",
"content": "My guess wasAMS = All Modern Shitand “BOX TURTLE” must be some kind of (recursive?) acronym too.",
"parent_id": "8141836",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141956",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:33:20",
"content": "Regarding recent discussions on how “accessible” to the masses HaD should be: The title of this article is utter garbage – even to all tech savvy HaD reader who happen to not be that much into 3d printing.Is PLOINK the open source SNABLER we’ve been waiting for?Open ended question = the answer is probably no.+ two nonsense words that mean nothing to most people== epic clickbait?",
"parent_id": "8141955",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141837",
"author": "felshark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:48:46",
"content": "you couldn’t even hide the UI on the screen grab?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141858",
"author": "Fallonor",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:24:37",
"content": "There’s an option to enclose a Box Turtle and add Dryers to the resulting chamber to keep your stuff dry.If I recall correctly from chatting on the Armored Turtle Discord, you can totally “stack” Box Turtle units because of the way the filament runs, so long as Klipper knows which filament is which, you just add one more split in the filament path and run both Turtles into it, ezpz.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141890",
"author": "regulus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:28:07",
"content": "It’s turtles all the way down!",
"parent_id": "8141858",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141902",
"author": "Donniedarko",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:13:23",
"content": "That’s good to know, thank you very much.",
"parent_id": "8141858",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141915",
"author": "Alyx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:25:18",
"content": "And yet, no one has mentioned the Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141916",
"author": "Alyx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:26:28",
"content": "Except for the article, I now see. However, I still prefer ERCF.",
"parent_id": "8141915",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142127",
"author": "infnorm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T14:30:58",
"content": "ERCF is more or less a clone of Prusa MMU. Both MMU and ERCF are considered way less reliable. I had a friend who tried to get ERCF to work and failed to get anything reliable. This is a common experience from what I’ve read. The later Revs of ERCF are better but still aren’t that good.",
"parent_id": "8141915",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141938",
"author": "Brian L",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:45:22",
"content": "Since it’s based for Voron, I hope I can use this for my Sovol SV08 :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142003",
"author": "Tdjr",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:11:23",
"content": "AMS … gold standard … say what?I have two of them (X1 Carbon). They work decently well, but do have their issues. To call them a reference or simply the baseline for comparison I’ll grant, but “gold” or any other adjective denoting excellence – except in sales volume- is hyperbole and frankly incorrect.Don’t misread my comments, the AMS is a solid value and is reasonably reliable. But if you use one regularly you will learn how to tear down and reassemble it … in your sleep. Also, as a true MMS system it is extremely wasteful. For embedding labels and similar it shines.I also have really Prusa MMUs, which are simply painful. An MMU3, which works very well. Considering an ERCF for a whirl.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142072",
"author": "IanS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T08:46:01",
"content": "Boden == Bowden?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142146",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:46:38",
"content": "I spotted that too…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowden_cable",
"parent_id": "8142072",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142089",
"author": "LongDono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:13:37",
"content": "It is great but Bondtech INDX is going to be the better option you’ll see everywhere soonish.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142103",
"author": "theRainHarvester on YouTube",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T12:24:22",
"content": "Serious question…has anybody ever really needed their filament runout sensor ? On single filament machines?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142630",
"author": "Pegaroo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T09:00:06",
"content": "Yes, otherwise I’d have lots of ends of filament rolls that would either need thrown away or I’d need to buy a filament joining tool",
"parent_id": "8142103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143134",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T15:51:36",
"content": "Doing a couple of big projects currently. 600+ g per print. I use 1kg spools. yes, 3 times in the last week the run out sensor saved massive prints.",
"parent_id": "8142103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8145308",
"author": "Dennis Miller",
"timestamp": "2025-07-04T13:14:10",
"content": "My big question is can you use it to print PETG with PLA for a support material?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.194868
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/24/theres-a-new-reusable-rocket-and-its-a-honda/
|
There’s A New Reusable Rocket, And It’s A Honda
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Space"
] |
[
"Honda",
"reusable",
"rocket"
] |
As we watched the latest SpaceX Starship rocket test end in a spectacular explosion, we might have missed the news from Japan of a different rocket passing a successful test. We all know Honda as a car company but it seems they are in the rocket business too, and
they successfully tested a reusable rocket
. It’s an experimental 900 kg model that flew to a height of 300 m before returning itself to the pad, but it serves as a valuable test platform for Honda’s take on the technology.
It’s a research project as it stands, but it’s being developed with an eye towards future low-cost satellite launches rather than as a crew launch platform.As a news story though it’s of interest beyond its technology, because it’s too easy to miss news from the other side of the world when all eyes are looking at Texas. It’s the latest in a long line of interesting research projects from the company, and we hope that this time they resist the temptation
to kill their creation
rather than bring it to market.
| 18
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141800",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:07:51",
"content": "Cars, motorbikes, robots, rockets, plenty of other stuff too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141813",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:46:10",
"content": "While there are newer cheaper versions that have come to market in the last few years, Ive been using a Honda Ultrasonic Cutter for over a decade. Its honestly one of my favorite tools. I rarely go a week without using it for something.",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141819",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:36:36",
"content": "As a kid in the 80s, my parents once brought pineapple cans home from the supermarket, that had the Mitsubishi logo on the back, the same logo that was on our neighbors car. I found that hilarious.",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141840",
"author": "Mr Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:51:43",
"content": "Proud owner of a Honda lawn mowerer here. Just hope it does not spontaneously decide to shoot off into space.",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141875",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:41:48",
"content": "Scratch cars.Honda haven’t done anything remarkable since the 90’s.They’ve basically ignored what the after market is doing and the epic success people are having with Hondas in all forms of racing, by completely failing to design that experience into new cars and capitalizing on a market crying out for a decent new sporty Honda.The new prelude is going to be slow. The CTR isn’t 4 wheel drive unlike it’s rivals.Lost the plot a long time ago.They make boring SUV’s and bad EV’s.",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141883",
"author": "SpiritQuest",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:12:40",
"content": "In other words, Honda makes fairly utilitarian vehicles for most people’s decidedly prosaic needs.",
"parent_id": "8141875",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141911",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:10:28",
"content": "So what? The slice of the market looking for racing cars isnt the slice they cater to. Honda sells more cars per year than Nissan. BMW, Mercedes, and even Tesla without factoring in the models sold under their Acura brand.PS Guess why Acura discontinued the NSX….High cost, Low sales. Sporty isnt what the wider market actually demands.",
"parent_id": "8141875",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142241",
"author": "John Sweazy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:49:39",
"content": "They make a pretty cool airplane!",
"parent_id": "8141875",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141900",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:09:08",
"content": "And jets.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_HA-420_HondaJet",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141923",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:45:29",
"content": "Japanese companies are special that way… They rarely specialize in one thing. My sewing machine is a Toyota. It’s fantastic.I hear Toha Heavy Industries builds a lot of good stuff",
"parent_id": "8141800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141825",
"author": "ONV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:55:22",
"content": "No, must resist………....VTEC kicked in yo’",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141842",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:13:38",
"content": "Glad to see another entry in VTVL. Hopefully Honda’s engineering expertise will be put to good use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141854",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:08:49",
"content": "yow! i’m out of date! i was still calling it VTOL",
"parent_id": "8141842",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141859",
"author": "Zygo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:27:30",
"content": "But where’s the H? That’s how you know it’s a Honda! What’s the point of having a Honda if you can’t show it off?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141924",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:49:07",
"content": "I always wondered why the heck Japan isn’t a space launch powerhouse. They’re very well-placed for it, launching east over the Pacific. They have very good industrial production. I guess the lack of a proper offensive military does slow down technologies related to long-range missiles… That could be a lot of it, but it’s only a delay.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141958",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:46:05",
"content": "As long as they don’t come with Takata airbags inside…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141960",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:50:18",
"content": "Forgive me, but now all I can think of are the potential memes. (“You meet the nicest people on a Honda!” As an alien in a saucer waves at the rocket.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141969",
"author": "Denis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:28:01",
"content": "if its the 90’s honda engineers behind this venture itll be superb and work 100% of the time even when abused to within an inch of its life. if its 2020’s honda engineers itll perhaps make it a few trips before some absolutely horrifically and unnecessarily hard to get to part fails for no reason whatsoever. And itll be on indefinite back-order, and cost more than the vehicle its fitted too. . im a mechanic. not bitter about current honda in the slightest.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.426131
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/building-a-custom-paper-tape-punch-machine/
|
Building A Custom Paper Tape Punch Machine
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"computer hacks"
] |
[
"paper tape",
"punched tape"
] |
The solenoid and punch side of the machine. {Credit: Simon Boak)
Although [Simon Boak] had no use for an automatic paper tape punch, this was one of those intrusive project thoughts that
had to be put to rest
. With not a lot of DIY projects to look at, the first step was to prototype a punch mechanism that would work reliably. This involved the machining of a block of aluminium with holes at the right locations for the punch (HSS rods) to push through and create holes into the paper without distortions. Next was to automate this process.
To drive the punches, 12V solenoids were selected, but using leverage to not require the solenoids to provide all the force directly. On the electronics side this then left designing a PCB with the solenoid drivers and an Arduino Nano-style board as the brains, all of which including the Arduino source can be
found on GitHub
. Much like with commercial tape punch machines, this unit receives the data stream via the serial port (and optional parallel port), with the pattern punched into the 1″ paper tape.
One issue was finding blank paper tape, for which [Simon] cut up rolls of thermal paper using a 3D-printed rig with appropriately installed sharp blades. This paper tape seems to work quite well so far, albeit with the compromise that due to the current drawn by each solenoid (~1.7A) only one solenoid gets activated at any time. This makes it slower than commercial punch machines.
Thanks to [Tim] for the tip.
| 14
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141815",
"author": "Michael Gardi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:04:43",
"content": "The retro computer community needed something like this. While DIY paper tape readers are pretty common, punches being a much harder problem are not. Well done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141864",
"author": "Steve L",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:42:08",
"content": "The paper (and mylar) tape itself is getting somewhat scarce and expensive. I’ve built tape readers by adding new electronics to industrial mechs, and I’ve built a few readers from scratch, but this project would be beyond me. I hope that someone picks it up and builds up a kit to sell.It’s mentioned that this punch is slowed down somewhat because the solenoids don’t fire at once. My two commercial DSI punches work up to 300 baud with, not surprisingly, big-a transformers, a bridge or two, and big capacitors. They don’t make ’em like they used to, because no one could afford it!",
"parent_id": "8141815",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141899",
"author": "Azzy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:08:09",
"content": "There are some mylar based wide format inkjet papers out there that would probably work much better for this because receipt paper, even if they have reduced PFAs, usually still have it in the coating.At least this is what my label supplier told me last week. Almost all of the new commercial stuff you find still has the bad chemicals, but it has an encapsulation layer above it to keep it from shedding in your pockets.",
"parent_id": "8141864",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141913",
"author": "x3n0x",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:14:22",
"content": "Funny you mention the BIG-A transformers… There is a real reason why a lot of retro kit has BIG-A transformers and huge linear supplies with giant capacitors and heatsinks. The current draw on a lot of this stuff is/was quite large. Giant unregulated power supplies that could supply 10’s of amps are not uncommon in a lot of older gear in this category! Over the years, they gradually became switchers, but still massive and heavy!",
"parent_id": "8141864",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141822",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:38:15",
"content": "I think that some praise should be given to the quality of the build. The details such as the wiring, and how the enclosure is built including the fascinating mechanics, are a true feast for the eyes. The Step model on git really allows to appreciate the work done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141829",
"author": "celem",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:06:12",
"content": "I am probably older than you and used to work for AT&T Telegraph in Atlanta, Georgia. I had significant experience with paper tape readers and punches and your project is very impressive. Beautiful work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141843",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:15:32",
"content": "blank tape is getting very hard to find these days. original punch paper had a lubricant infused to not wear down the punch block so fast. it is also very strong and smooth.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141933",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:24:34",
"content": "Would Tyvek house wrap work?",
"parent_id": "8141843",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141844",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:17:13",
"content": "dang, he really beat everyone to the punch",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141855",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:11:59",
"content": "Not clear to me from the web posting…Where do the index holes come from? Is there a dedicated punch/solenoid for this?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141861",
"author": "Simon Boak",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:30:42",
"content": "That’s right – punch #4 is a smaller one for the index holes",
"parent_id": "8141855",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141876",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:44:54",
"content": "I can only see the pictures and hear the sound, but from the sound it does not seem to be quite up to the speed of the classics.I know how the old stuff sounds from curiousmarc’s channel on YTher’s a classic puncher:https://youtu.be/yzulZaJbdUU?t=649That video also has images from the service manual on how some parts work and it’s interesting to see.It seems to pre-set a whole line of holes to be punched and then punch the character in one go from what I gather.Lots of bit of paper flying all over the place in the video.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141906",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:30:38",
"content": "I would build it like a rotary press, with a big flywheel to run the punches and the solenoids just to enable/disable individual punches. The flywheel could be synchronized to the paper feed (for which I would use a Geneva wheel and feed dogs, like a sewing machine).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143096",
"author": "MrSVCD",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T12:27:45",
"content": "European Computer Manufacturers Association standard ECMA-10 has the specification for papertape:https://ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-10/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.106263
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/add-touchtone-typing-to-your-next-project/
|
Add TouchTone Typing To Your Next Project
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Software Development"
] |
[
"keyboard",
"phone keyboard",
"T9"
] |
The Blackberry made phones with real keyboards popular, and smartphones with touch keyboards made that input method the default. However, the old flip phone crowd had just a few telephone keys to work with. If you have a key-limited project, maybe check out the
libt9
library from [FoxMoss].
There were two methods for using these limited keyboards, both of which relied on the letters above a phone key’s number. For example, the number 2 should have “ABC” above it, or, sometimes, below it.
In one scheme, you’d press the two key multiple times quickly to get the letter you wanted. One press was ‘2’ while two rapid presses made up ‘A.’ If you waited too long, you were entering the next letter (so pressing two, pausing, and pressing it again would give you ’22’ instead of ‘A’).
That’s a pain, as you might imagine. The T9 system was a bit better. It “knows” about words. So if you press, for example, ‘843’ it knows you probably meant ‘the,’ a common word. That’s better than ‘884444333’ or, if the digit is last in the rotation, ‘844433.’ Of course, that assumes you are using one of the 75,000 or so words the library knows about.
If you just want to try it,
there’s a website
. Now imagine writing an entire text message or e-mail like that.
Of course, there’s the
Blueberry
, if you really want physicality. We love that old
Blackberry keyboard
.
| 4
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141810",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:42:29",
"content": "Now that we have computing power to spare everywhere, a really good T9 like system (maybe with context awareness?) should totally be possible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141828",
"author": "Clara Hobbs",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:03:16",
"content": "Misleading headline; disappointed to not hear any DTMF tones on the demo site.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141898",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:59:46",
"content": "HOLY CRAP! I actually looked at the code and it loads the ENTIRE word tree into RAM. This means you’re looking at a minimum RAM use of 2MB just for the text. It would have been ideal to utilize an on-disk data structure but they didn’t even bother. So, for anyone looking to use this with an MCU, you will need to improve this library before it is of any use to you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142500",
"author": "Bryden",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:44:51",
"content": "Need to proof read your images, alphabet is different to the shown keypad.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.245472
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/modern-tech-meets-retro-7-segment/
|
Modern Tech Meets Retro 7-Segment
|
Matt Varian
|
[
"hardware"
] |
[
"7-segment display",
"ESP32",
"open source",
"PCB coil"
] |
At one point in time mechanical seven segment displays were ubiquitous, over time many places have replaced them with other types of displays. [Sebastian] has a soft spot for these old mechanically actuated displays and has built an open-source
7-segment display
with some very nice features.
We’ve seen a good number of DIY 7-segment displays on this site before, the way [Sebastian] went about it resulted in a beautiful well thought out result. The case is 3D printed, and although there are two colors used it doesn’t require a multicolor 3d printer to make your own. The real magic in this build revolves around the custom PCB he designed. Instead of using a separate electromagnets to move each flap, the PCB has coil traces used to toggle the flaps. The smart placement of a few small screws allows the small magnets in each flap to hold the flap in that position even when the coils are off, greatly cutting down the power needed for this display. He also used a modular design where one block has the ESP32 and RTC, but for the additional blocks those components can remain unpopulated.
The work he put into this project didn’t stop at the hardware, the software also has a great number of thoughtful features. The ESP32 running the display hosts a website which allows you to configure some of the many features: the real-time clock, MQTT support, timer, custom API functions, firmware updates. The end result is a highly customizable, display that sounds awesome every time it updates. Be sure to check out the video below as well as his site to see this awesome display in action. Also check out some of the other
7-segment displays
we’ve featured before.
| 7
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141814",
"author": "Niklas",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:54:38",
"content": "That’s a neat design and the daisy-chaining is awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141983",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T23:49:05",
"content": "Really cool features and very polished.",
"parent_id": "8141814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142057",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:08:38",
"content": "It is, and I assume you could add on a seconds display as well, if you wanted? Wonder if it’s fast enough for tenths or hundredths?",
"parent_id": "8141814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142060",
"author": "Sebastian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:22:39",
"content": "One switch cycle takes about 100 ms, so in theory you could toggle it every tenth of a second. That said, the coils heat up quite a bit, so in practice I usually recommend switching roughly once per second.",
"parent_id": "8142057",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141897",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:56:38",
"content": "Using flip segments that hold their position like latching relays is an old trick in industry, which has been building 7-segment displays this way at least since 1980 or so. One interesting glitch we found was that we had to be careful selling them to scrapyards because the big magnet that picks up cars could flip the digits on the truck scale display from over 100 ft away.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142056",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:06:51",
"content": "Technically isn’t it a 14-segment display, with that split-segment design? (I know, I know, they can’t be flipped independently…)Either way it looks awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142061",
"author": "Sebastian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T07:28:40",
"content": "Thanks! That little divider in the middle of the segments is purely for looks—it just looks so much better. But hey, it’s still only 7 segments :)",
"parent_id": "8142056",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,505.948571
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/casting-time-exploded-watch-in-resin/
|
Casting Time: Exploded Watch In Resin
|
Matt Varian
|
[
"Art"
] |
[
"epoxy resin",
"mechanical watch"
] |
We’ve all seen the exploded view of complex things, which CAD makes possible, but it’s much harder to levitate parts in their relative positions in the real world. That, however, is exactly what [fellerts] has done with this
wristwatch
, frozen in time and place.
Inspired by another great project
explaining the workings
of a mechanical watch, [fellerts] set out to turn it into reality. First, he had to pick the right watch movement to suspend. He settled on a movement from the early 1900s—complex enough to impress but not too intricate to be impractical. The initial approach was to cast multiple layers that stacked up. However, after several failed attempts, this was ruled out. He found that fishing line was nearly invisible in the resin. With a bit of heat, he could turn it into the straight, transparent standoffs he needed.
Even after figuring out the approach of using fishing line to hold the pieces at the right distance and orientation, there were still four prototypes before mastering all the variables and creating the mesmerizing final product. Be sure to head over to his site and read about his process, discoveries, and techniques. Also, check out some of the other great things we’ve seen done with
epoxy
in the past.
| 12
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141668",
"author": "Garr",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:45:11",
"content": "Surely there is a better photo of the piece?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141747",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T01:58:37",
"content": "Many good photos on the website linked.",
"parent_id": "8141668",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141702",
"author": "edmonkey",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:02:09",
"content": "If you want to see some epic modelling and casting, check outhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei1z6UgRaU0– the maker also does some embedded LEDs in his models for explosions –https://youtu.be/ATKUT4eNL6E?si=_IxYbGJIjcMDeFfl&t=1077",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141738",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T00:15:03",
"content": "My initial guess before reading was multiple pours, separated by time. I haven’t experimented with epoxy to know if you can get an invisible edge by pouring on to partially cured material.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141760",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T03:21:44",
"content": "IME multipour works better with acrylic than epoxy",
"parent_id": "8141738",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141849",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:26:46",
"content": "My dad made one of these in grade school about 50 years ago (minus the clever arrangement; parts were just sprinkled in). Not sure how much epoxies have changed since then, but there are definitely visible “layers” to it which are visible from certain angles.",
"parent_id": "8141738",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141749",
"author": "Vik Olliver",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:18:21",
"content": "Shades of “Tomb Raider”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141785",
"author": "troisieme_type",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:36:05",
"content": "I wonder if that would be possible to use the same resin to cast little parts that would replace the fishing line, and if they would become totally invisible once cured.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141790",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:55:09",
"content": "Ive had good luck using acrylic to cast holding fixtures before overcasting with the same acrylic, so long as the fixtures were well polished and cleaned. With both polyurethane and with epoxy separately Ive not been able to avoid a visible interface between castings no matter what Ive tried. YMMV",
"parent_id": "8141785",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141799",
"author": "Krzysztof",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T09:59:54",
"content": "Author commented on hacker news on this:“I tried casting thin rods out of epoxy to replace the nylon but failed to achieve a good result.”Essentially every comment I see with people trying to improve it, the author has tried and had bad results.",
"parent_id": "8141790",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141808",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:34:20",
"content": "Within the writeup the author states that he chose to use vacuum alone, despite being aware that pressure is often recommended for clear castings. So even by his own admission he did not try all possibilities before landing on something that worked to his satisfaction.I see no indication that the author made any attempts using any materials other than epoxy. So mentioning my own struggles with both epoxy and polyurethane, and my success with acrylic seemed relevant. Epoxy is a thermoset resin, as such it is less forgiving than Acrylic, which is a thermoplastic. The chemical reactions that happen during epoxy curingcreate permanent crosslinked structures. When you cast new epoxy over cured epoxy the new material does not form molecular bonds with the old material. With Acrylic the monomer of the new material breaks some of the crosslinked molecules of the previous casting and chemically bonds to it. This is why its so popular in orthodontic and prosthodontic appliances. Its easily and cleanly repairable.",
"parent_id": "8141799",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142143",
"author": "fellerts",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:37:25",
"content": "Author here. You’re right, I never tried acrylic for this project. Epoxy is much more available in my area and there seems to be a lot more information about (clear) epoxy casting online than for acrylic.I am curious though, do you have any good resources for clear-casting 6x6x15 cm-ish cubes in acrylic? I mostly find AI generated slop or people mistaking epoxy for acrylic when searching.",
"parent_id": "8141808",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,505.291807
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/keep-track-of-the-compost-with-lorawan/
|
Keep Track Of The Compost With LoRaWAN
|
Tyler August
|
[
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] |
[
"compost",
"CubeCell AB01",
"DS18B20",
"LoRaWAN",
"solar panel",
"temperature sensor"
] |
Composting doesn’t seem difficult: pile up organic matter, let it rot. In practice, however, it’s a bit more complicated– if you want that sweet, sweet soil amendment in a reasonable amount of time, and to make sure any food-born pathogens and weed seeds don’t come through, you need a “hot” compost pile. How to tell if the pile is hot? Well, you could go out there and stick your arm in like a schmuck, or you could use [Dirk-WIllem van Gulik]’s “
LORAWAN Compostheap solarpowered temperaturesensor
” (sic).
The project is exactly what it sounds like, once you add some spaces: a solar-powered temperature sensor that uses LoRaWAN to track temperatures inside (and outside, for comparison) the compost heap year round. Electronically it is pretty simple: a Helltech CubeCell AB01 LoraWAN module is wired up with three DS18B20 temperature sensors, a LiPo battery and a solar panel. (The AB01 has the required circuitry to charge the battery via solar power.)
The three temperature sensors are spread out: within a handmade of a metal spike to measure the core of the heap, one partway up the metal tube holding said spike, to measure the edge of the pile, and one in the handsome 3D printed case to measure the ambient temperature. These three measurements, and the difference between them, should give a very good picture of the metabolism of the pile, and cue an observant gardener when it is time to turn it, water it, or declare it done.
Given it only wakes every hour or so for measurements (compost piles aren’t a fast moving system
like an RMBK
) and has a decent-sized panel, the LiPo battery isn’t going to see much stress and will likely last many years, especially in the benevolent Dutch climate. [Dirk] is also counting on that climate to keep the printed PLA enclosure intact. If one was to recreate this project for Southern California or North Australia, a different filament would certainly be needed, but the sun doesn’t beat down nearly as hard in Northern Europe and PLA will probably last at least as long as the battery.
Of course with this device it’s still up to the gardener to decide what to do with the temperature data and get out to do the hard work. For those who prefer more automation and less exercise,
this composter might be of interest.
Our thanks to [Peter de Bruin] for the tip about this finely-turned temperature sensing tip. If you, too, want to bask in the immortal fame brought by a sentence of thanks at the end of a Hackaday article (or perhaps a whole article dedicated to your works?)
submit a tip
and your dreams may come true.
| 8
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141643",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:37:40",
"content": "Use a smart nose to tell if it’s earthy or sweet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141665",
"author": "Tony M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:31:15",
"content": "I remember when my first (and last) compost in a not that good sealed container exploded and got fire when I accidentally trew a match on the top, as a 7-8 years old kid,I was like: wow! that was cool! that was the end of the carrots growing inside.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141781",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:52:02",
"content": "Wait fire? Is the methane produced really enough to catch on fire?",
"parent_id": "8141665",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141823",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:38:17",
"content": "Look up “biogas reactor”. One can produce enough gas to cook with.",
"parent_id": "8141781",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141821",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:37:28",
"content": "if it was in a (mostly) sealed container, and producing methane, it was anaerobic digestion, not composting.I highly doubt carrots were growing inside a digester.Why were you playing with matches when you were 7-8?What were you trying to throw the match at?",
"parent_id": "8141665",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141985",
"author": "Tony M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T23:52:19",
"content": "Ok here the thing ,it was an old metallic oil barrel with holes due to corrosion, with no bottom, so it was partially buried in the ground, I used to cover the top with a big plastic bag and then a metalic plate on top, every morning I used to put in the fallen leaves of the trees of my garden, I used to put all the organic waste from my mom’s kitchen also, that included all kinf of vegetables. and yeah almost any vegetable grew roots once there, carrots, crowns of pineapples, lettuces, everything. So that morning I put the leaves, the bag but forget to put the plate, the match fell over the bag, did a hole and bum!They were the good all times, believe it or not kids could put their hands on matchs, knifes, scissors, needles, and in some places, guns. And they knew what they were doing (mostly). Today, kids come with a smart brick glued to they hands so they can’t learn the proper way to use all this stuff in a early age.methane?, anaerobic digestion? for a 7-8 year kid?",
"parent_id": "8141821",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142162",
"author": "Paul d'Aoust",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T16:53:43",
"content": "All I know is that my 7-8 year old kid must be producing a lot of methane due to anaerobic digestion. Also hydrogen sulfide.",
"parent_id": "8141985",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8161929",
"author": "kafu",
"timestamp": "2025-08-13T06:49:05",
"content": "Hey, just read about this solar-powered compost heap temperature monitoring project, pretty cool idea!Funny coincidence, I happen to have a NiceRF LN610-X1 LoRaWAN node module (https://www.nicerf.com/lorawan-gateway/lorawan-node-rf-module-ln610-x1.html) on hand, which would be perfect for this. It’s specifically designed as a LoRaWAN node with a 100mW output power, and it communicates with a host MCU via UART, so connecting it to The Things Network (TTN) should be straightforward.My plan is to pair it with an Arduino Pro Mini and a TP4056 charging board, along with some DS18B20 temperature sensors and a solar panel. The Arduino will periodically wake up, take the temperature readings, then wake the LN610-X1 to send the data, going back to sleep the rest of the time. This way, the overall power consumption should be kept very low.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.470298
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/video-game-preservation-through-decompilation/
|
Video Game Preservation Through Decompilation
|
Tom Nardi
|
[
"Games",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Reverse Engineering",
"Slider",
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"classic games",
"decompilation",
"decompile",
"emulation",
"reverse engineering"
] |
Unlike computer games, which smoothly and continuously evolved along with the hardware that powered them, console games have up until very recently been constrained by a generational style of development. Sure there were games that appeared on multiple platforms, and eventually newer consoles would feature backwards compatibility that allowed them to play select titles from previous generations of hardware. But in many cases, some of the best games ever made were stuck on the console they were designed for.
Now, for those following along as this happened, it wasn’t such a big deal. For gamers, it was simply a given that their favorite games from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) wouldn’t play on the Nintendo 64, any more than their Genesis games could run on their Sony PlayStation. As such, it wasn’t uncommon to see several game consoles clustered under the family TV. If you wanted to go back and play those older titles, all you had to do was switch video inputs.
But gaming, and indeed the entertainment world in general, has changed vastly over the last couple of decades. Telling somebody today that the only way they can experience
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
is by dragging out some yellowed thirty-odd year old console from the attic is like telling them the only way they can see a movie is by going to the theater.
These days, the expectation is that entertainment comes to you, not the other way around — and it’s an assumption that’s unlikely to change as technology marches on. Just like our TV shows and movies now appear on whatever device is convenient to us at the time, modern gamers don’t want to be limited to their consoles, they also want to play games on their phones and VR headsets.
But that leaves us with a bit of a problem. There are some games which are too significant, either technically or culturally, to just leave in the digital dust. Like any other form of art, there are pieces that deserve to be preserved for future generations to see and experience.
For the select few games that are deemed worth the effort, decompilation promises to offer a sort of digital immortality. As several recent projects have shown, breaking a game down to its original source code can allow it to adapt to new systems and technologies for as long as the community wishes to keep them updated.
Emulation For Most, But Not All
Before we get into the subject of decompilation, we must first address a concept that many readers are likely familiar with already: emulation.
Using a console emulator to play an old game is not entirely unlike running an operating system through a virtual machine, except in the case of the console emulator, there’s the added complication of having to replicate the unique hardware environment that a given game was designed to run on. Given a modern computer, this usually isn’t a problem when it comes to the early consoles. But as you work your way through the console generations, the computational power required to emulate their unique hardware architectures rapidly increases.
Nintendo put emulation to work with their “Mini” consoles.
The situation is often complicated by the fact that some games were painstakingly optimized for their respective console, often making use of little-documented quirks of the hardware. Emulators often employ title-specific routines to try and make these games playable, but they aren’t always 100% successful. Even on games that aren’t particularly taxing, the general rule of emulation is to put performance ahead of accuracy.
Therein lies the key problem with emulation when it comes to preserving games as an artistic medium. While the need for ever-more powerful hardware is a concern, Moore’s Law will keep that largely in check. The bigger issue is
accuracy
. Simply running a game is one thing, but to run it exactly how it was meant to run when the developers released it is another story entirely.
It’s fairly common for games to look, sound, and even play slightly differently when under emulation than they did when running on real hardware. In many cases, these issues are barely noticeable for the average player. The occasional sound effect playing out of sync, or a slightly shifted color palette isn’t enough to ruin the experience. Other issues, like missing textures or malfunctioning game logic can be bad enough that the game can’t be completed. There are even games, few as they may be, that simply don’t run at all under emulation.
Make no mistake, emulation is usually good enough for most games. Indeed, both Nintendo and Sony have used emulation in various capacities to help bring their extensive back catalog of games to newer generations. But the fact remains that there are some games which deserve, and sometimes even require, a more nuanced approach.
Chasing Perfection
In comparison, when a game is decompiled to the point that the community has the original C code that it was built from, it’s possible to avoid many of the issues that come with emulation. The game can be compiled as a native executable for modern platforms, and it can take advantage of all the hardware and software improvements that come with it. It’s even possible to fix long-standing bugs, and generally present the game in its best form.
For those who’ve dabbled in reverse engineering, you’ll know that decompiling a program back into usable C code isn’t exactly a walk in the park. While there are automated tools that can help get through a lot of the work, there’s still plenty of human intervention required. Even then, the original code for the game would have been written to take advantage of the original console’s unique hardware, so you’ll need to either patch your way around that or develop some kind of compatibility layer to map various calls over to something more modern and platform-agnostic. It’s a process that can easily take years to complete.
Because of this, decompilation efforts tend to be limited to the most critically acclaimed titles. For example, in 2021 we saw the first
efforts to fully reverse
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
. Released in 1998 on the N64, it’s often hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made. Although the effort started with
Ocarina
, by 2024, the lessons learned during that project led to the development of
tools which can help decompile and reconstruct other N64 games
.
Games as Living Documents
For the most part, an emulated game works the same way it did when it was first released. Of course, the emulator has full control over the virtual environment that the game is running in, so there are a few tricks it can pull. As such, additional features such as cheats and save states are common in most emulators. It’s even possible to swap out the original graphical assets for higher resolution versions, which can greatly improve the look of some early 3D games.
But what if you wanted to take things further? That’s where having the source code makes all the difference. Once you’ve gotten the game running perfectly, you can create a fork that starts adding in new features and quality of life improvements. As an example, the
decompilation for
Animal Crossing
on the GameCube
will allow developers to expand the in-game calendar beyond the year 2030 — but it’s a change that will be
implemented in a “deluxe” fork of the code
so as to preserve how the original game functioned.
At this point you’re beyond preservation, and you’ve turned the game into something that doesn’t just live on, but can actually grow with new generations of players.
| 18
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141673",
"author": "WTF Detector",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:57:36",
"content": "It’s fairly common for games to look, sound, and even play slightly differently when under emulation than they did when running on real hardware.Citation very much needed.Foreword: I’ve worked in the emulation scene for the better part of 24 years at this point, and have even had some of my efforts featured here on HaD.If you’re running some ancient emulator from the MS-DOS days, sure, definitely, but it ain’t 1999 anymore, and there are countless people pouring countless hours into delayering chips and figuring out how things worked on a per-cycle level.The vast majority of consoles prior to the PSX/N64 era have that completely in the bag and have done for quite a few years at this point.Arcade games languished for years, but the advent of FPGA-based emulation has given the delayering and silicon-reverse-engineering community a shot in the arm. Quite a few of those individuals (Jotego, Furrtek) contribute those findings back to projects like MAME, which then incorporate that information to improve these various systems to be look, sound, and gameplay-identical to the originals as well.It’s a particularly outlandish thing to say when heavily citing N64 game decompilation, as the N64 had certain graphical capabilities that simplycouldn’tbe done on commodity PC GPUs until the advent of programmable pixel shaders: Whenever Mario is wearing the vanish cap, for example, the alpha channel of his model is modulated by LFSR-supplied noise, which is what produces the randomly-moving pixelation.Unless the shim renderer provided by a decompilation is going as far to identify certain RDP color-combiner setups in order to use specific shader setups on the user’s GPU, the most likely scenario is that the noise amplitude will simply be treated as a flat alpha-modulation value, just as it is in Nintendo’s own Virtual Console emulators.Beyond that, for games which relied heavily on overall system timing – Rare Ltd.’s Blast Corps on the N64 is notorious for running too fast in emulation as it effectively is only throttled by slowdown on a real N64 – decompilation without corresponding gets you effectively nothing. The codeby necessitywould have to be altered in order to not run even more out-of-control-fast on a modern PC.Decompilation is a cool thing in and of itself. You don’t need to make it out to be something that it’s not, Tom.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141675",
"author": "WTF Detector",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:00:25",
"content": "Whoops, missed a word. “decompilation without corresponding” should say “decompilation without corresponding alteration”.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141712",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:21:55",
"content": "I mean I’ve personally seen it. I don’t know many who have played emulators who do not run into this problem…It’s usually improved with iterations and improvements on the emulators themselves, but it’s obviously a thing.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141729",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T23:07:07",
"content": "Nesticle vs modern NES emulators, or Mame2000 vs newer versions. Not all emulated hardware registers in a particular moment will be the same across various emulators even though they ideally should line up. DK on Mame2000 for instance is not identical to the hardware, to such a degree that it is not useable for world records.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141735",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T23:59:28",
"content": "i’m not sure why you’re oppositional on this…ofcourseemulators aren’t perfect. they’re very good, and i have tremendous respect, even awe, for what they have accomplished and how they have improved. but i have yet to see a game that wasn’t palpably different in emulation.and of course decompiled code will need modification. it says so in the article! the point of decompiling it is that these modifications are easier, and the limitations on what kind of modifications are possible almost evaporate.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141766",
"author": "WTF Detector",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T04:38:07",
"content": "“I don’t know why you’re oppositional [to counterfactual statements]”? That’s really the tack you’re going with here, Gregory?",
"parent_id": "8141735",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141774",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:13:27",
"content": "As much as I’ve tried, emulator filters just don’t look quite the same as a fuzzy CRT for NES or the ancient LCDs of my Gameboys.As for sound, the perfect waveforms of emulators through hi-fi DACs just doesn’t have the same feeling as the scratchy analog of a NES’ output or a Gameboy’s tinny little speaker.And as for play, even the best reproduction controllers havent been able to capture that feeling. For Gamecube games I got a USB adapter so I could use original controllers but it isn’t quite right. I think it is latency or something but while playing on hardware feels so fluid and natural, emulated feels… off somehow.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141872",
"author": "Björn",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:37:52",
"content": "I’ve also never really got the same feeling with controllers. But realized for about 6 months ago, that it is the latency in the controller that is the culprit. I found a chart there they have tested the latency on different kinds of controllers. And realized that one I had, connected with USB was much faster. So I tested it on a Mister system. And realized that I’m very susceptible to controller latency.And I don’t have the fastest controllers.But it’s very hard to verify this(may be your computer or emulator that introduce latency). As you need extra hardware for that. And you can’t check what poll rate the controller uses.",
"parent_id": "8141774",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141917",
"author": "Franz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:28:06",
"content": "So glad you included the N64 into the consoles that “have this in the bag”. Most people still only say “PS1 and below” cause they’re stuck in the PJ64 days.",
"parent_id": "8141673",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141677",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:02:59",
"content": "I just hope that we can get good tools and good guides for setting up decomp projects.Gave it a shot once but didn’t get far and looking at other projects didn’t help much because they wouldn’t even compile (even the docker containers that you’d expect would be rather locked in).I have some understanding of assembly and c/c++ but need some help with understanding how to strip assets, a bit of how the compiled Roms are structured, and a good setup for quickly compiling and comparing code.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141736",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T00:01:46",
"content": "just reminds me how much i loved the experience of running quake3 on modern hardware. the availability of source code — whereever it comes from — really is a huge boon for keeping things current",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141737",
"author": "okstef",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T00:14:10",
"content": "Upload the binaries to chatGPT and ask it for the source?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141746",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T01:50:56",
"content": "Might not be far off from AI at least being helpful for decomp, though not close to binaries directly uploaded.Like if you too messy decomp C code and fed it in and used it to help name variables and unwrap what functions are doing it might manage some and speed things up a tad.",
"parent_id": "8141737",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142236",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T22:26:33",
"content": "LOLBut stop it already.Somebody might take you seriously.There are MBAs about.One or two have even admitted it.",
"parent_id": "8141746",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141824",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:52:16",
"content": "Be careful because software copyright last up to 75 years iirc",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141834",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:43:06",
"content": "https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.htmlLife of the copyright holder plus 70 years.",
"parent_id": "8141824",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141882",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:12:30",
"content": "Well Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft ain’t disappearing no time soon 🤷♂️",
"parent_id": "8141834",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142122",
"author": "impala454",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:43:39",
"content": "Random nerd here who still has all my old systems but also has friends with misters. I love the misters and emulators and all but in the end I spent a relatively small amount of money on modding my systems to get some pretty amazing results. Seems like a lot of trouble to go to with all the decompiling when these systems can be easily had cheaply or FPGAified. As a soft development lead by day I still find it fascinating though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.588674
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/head-to-print-head-cnc-vs-fdm/
|
Head To Print Head: CNC Vs FDM
|
Tyler August
|
[
"3d Printer hacks",
"cnc hacks"
] |
[
"3d print",
"CNC machine",
"comparisons"
] |
It’s a question new makers often ask: “Should I start with a CNC machine or a 3D Printer?”– or, once you have both, every project gets the question “Should I use my CNC or 3D printer?” — and the answer is to both is, of course, “it depends”. In the video embedded below by [NeedItMakeIt] you can see a head-to-head comparison for one specific product he makes,
CRATER, a magnetic, click-together stacking tray for tabletop gaming
. (He says tabletop gaming, but we think these would be very handy in the shop, too.)
[NeedItMakeIt] takes us through the process for both FDM 3D Printing in PLA, and CNC Machining the same part in walnut. Which part is nicer is absolutely a matter of taste; we can’t imagine many wouldn’t chose the wood, but
de gustibus non disputandum est–
there is no accounting for taste. What there
is
accounting for is the materials and energy costs, which are both surprising– that walnut is cheaper than PLA for this part is actually shocking, but the amount of power needed for dust collection is something that caught us off guard, too.
Of course the process is the real key, and given that most of the video follows [NeedItMakeIt] crafting the CNC’d version of his invention, the video gives a good rundown to any newbie just how much more work is involved in getting a machined part ready for sale compared to “take it off the printer and glue in the magnets.” (It’s about 40 extra minutes, if you want to skip to the answer.) As you might expect, labour is by far the greatest cost in producing these items if you value your time, which [NeedItMakeIt] does in the spreadsheet he presents at the end.
What he does not do is provide an answer, because in the case of this part, neither CNC or 3D Printing is “better”. It’s a matter of taste– which is the great thing about DIY. We can decide for ourselves which process and which end product we prefer. “There is no accounting for taste”,
de gustibus non disputandum est,
is true enough that it’s been repeated since Latin was a thing. Which would you rather, in this case? CNC or 3D print? Perhaps you would rather
3D Print a CNC
? Or
have one machine to do it all?
Let us know in the comments for that sweet, sweet engagement.
While you’re engaging, maybe
drop us a tip
, while we offer our thanks to [Al] for this one.
| 18
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141609",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:19:47",
"content": "In my shop, the fact that FDM has basically zero set-up is why my 3D printer gets used more. Wood can be pretty cheap, but you’ll need to store it somewhere, cut it up into router or laser cutter sized pieces, workholding, maybe make some kind of fixture if you need to do both sides, etc. Very worth doing if you want to make more than a few of them, but I usually don’t.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141648",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T19:27:10",
"content": "Best part is the cleanup.No sawdust or swarf to sweep up. No having to put away all the bits, blades, clamps, and other odds and ends needed for the job. At worst you have a few chunks of support to throw away.",
"parent_id": "8141609",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141674",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:57:54",
"content": "no having to look for the bits blades clamps etc you failed to put away last time ;)",
"parent_id": "8141648",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142245",
"author": "buddy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T23:13:42",
"content": "It wasn’t me! It was someone else!I swear!",
"parent_id": "8141674",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141615",
"author": "Eric Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:59:15",
"content": "I have both, I use the 3D printer constantly and the CNC sometimes",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141782",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:08:50",
"content": "I just hate plastic. With the CNC mill, I can make precision (ish) parts from wood (sometimes cheap, sometimes beautiful) and metal, even if it does take longer. When I need complex shapes, I have to use the 3D printer.",
"parent_id": "8141615",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141618",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:18:50",
"content": "In the context of supply chains and economic resiliency I’d say both. They’re two very complementary technologies.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141621",
"author": "breadfreely68dd199c68",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:29:33",
"content": "One clear reason one is better as wood is food safe and has antibacterial properties",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141659",
"author": "Jon Mayo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:16:57",
"content": "a 3D printer for various non-food projects. and a potter’s wheel and kiln for food safe projects. (takes a fair bit of skill, which I do not have yet. But people have managed to figure it out for thousands of years so it can’t be that difficult).And for food safe things I’d make out of wood rather than clay, like a cutting board, I don’t need a CNC router.",
"parent_id": "8141621",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141628",
"author": "Cyna",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:57:00",
"content": "A printer IS a CNC machine. It is, however, not a CNC router.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141631",
"author": "Bobby mcbobbybob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:04:51",
"content": "Well, that’s obvious, just like the fact that we all know it’s unnecessary to point it out.",
"parent_id": "8141628",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141780",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:49:54",
"content": "And Slicer is a CAM. But CAM does not have to be a slicer…",
"parent_id": "8141628",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141636",
"author": "Skalamanga",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:10:16",
"content": "It depends on the use case. 3d print, laser cut, cnc cutting, casting or moulding, even manual work. All have their benefits, and often there’s more than a single solution.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141658",
"author": "imqqmi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:13:12",
"content": "2.5D and larger parts (larger than can fit on a 3D print bed) a cnc router is probably the right choice. Complex 3D shapes where a router can’t reach (easily) and fits within the build space or can be printed in parts a 3D printer can be the better choice.Then for strength of wood or metal if the router can handle it might be a factor. Or of flexibility is key, or strength not an issue the 3D printer.I have both, and use the CNC more often as I make larger parts or parts that need strength. I use the 3D printer for very small parts which are more difficult or impractical to make on the cnc router. Speakers, cabinets, steel parts etc. are best suited for a CNC router/mill. Small adaptors for mating stuff together, protective rings for wires against metal holes etc I use the 3D printer. Or a complex shape of a lamp holder 3D printed, with a CNC routed back plate with threaded holes for strength and compactness to go on a goose neck.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141757",
"author": "theRainHarvester on YouTube",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T03:06:38",
"content": "I recently added v-bit calculations to get into those tight spots.You can try GatorCAM for CNC:https://youtu.be/6X1u0ne6_PoIt’s not in the cloud!",
"parent_id": "8141658",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141666",
"author": "JJW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:34:39",
"content": "I design and build engines and machines. Threaded parts have to be done in metal and machine cut wherever strength and precision are needed.DMLS (laser sintered metal) however, allows for blind holes, especially for captive springs that cannot easily be done via CNC and which would require through holes if CNC were used.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141778",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:42:31",
"content": "When i first got CNC i was really afraid to get 3d printer, because i knew it’s gonna be so much easier to 3d print something so my lazy a** will prefer it to CNC cutting. Now that i have 3d printer i need to say that i was right.CNC is usualy more involved process, but wood feels premium and i prefer wooden home accessories to 3d printed ones. But there are exceptions. Or even synergy, when object combines multiple materials. Printed and CNC’d from wood (or metal). My favourite combo is gluing wooden veneer to 3d prints. You don’t even need CNC for that, asi you can use 3d print as a stencil, cut the veneer with knife and sand to perfection…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141779",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:47:14",
"content": "Also it’s rare to find filament spools that people threw away on a street (happened to me only once). But you quite often find old wooden furniture that people threw away, so you can repurpose it if you have CNC. If you learn how not to break your endmills all the time, that’s virtually unlimited supply of material for one-off DIY projects :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.525973
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/eulogy-for-the-satellite-phone/
|
Eulogy For The Satellite Phone
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Original Art",
"Phone Hacks",
"Slider",
"Space"
] |
[
"inmarsat",
"iridium",
"satcom",
"satellite phone"
] |
We take it for granted that we almost always have cell service, no matter where you go around town. But there are places — the desert, the forest, or the ocean — where you might not have cell service. In addition, there are certain jobs where you must be able to make a call even if the cell towers are down, for example, after a hurricane. Recently, a combination of technological advancements has made it possible for your ordinary cell phone to connect to a satellite for at least some kind of service. But before that, you needed a satellite phone.
On TV and in movies, these are simple. You pull out your cell phone that has a bulkier-than-usual antenna, and you make a call. But the real-life version is quite different. While some satellite phones were connected to something like a ship, I’m going to consider a satellite phone, for the purpose of this post, to be a handheld device that can make calls.
History
Satellites have been relaying phone calls for a very long time. Early satellites carried voice transmissions in the late 1950s. But it would be 1979 before Inmarsat would provide MARISAT for phone calls from sea. It was clear that the cost of operating a truly global satellite phone system would be too high for any single country, but it would be a boon for ships at sea.
Inmarsat, started as a UN organization to create a satellite network for naval operations. It would grow to operate 15 satellites and become a private British-based company in 1998. However, by the late 1990s, there were competing companies like Thuraya, Iridium, and GlobalStar.
An IsatPhone-Pro (
CC-BY-SA-3.0
by [Klaus Därr])
The first commercial satellite phone call was in 1976. The oil platform “Deep Sea Explorer” had a call with Phillips Petroleum in Oklahoma from the coast of Madagascar. Keep in mind that these early systems were not what we think of as mobile phones. They were more like portable ground stations, often with large antennas.
For example, here was part of a press release for a 1989 satellite terminal:
…small enough to fit into a standard suitcase. The TCS-9200 satellite terminal weighs 70lb and can be used to send voice, facsimile and still photographs… The TCS-9200 starts at $53,000, while Inmarsat charges are $7 to $10 per minute.
Keep in mind, too, that in addition to the briefcase, you needed an antenna. If you were lucky, your antenna folded up and, when deployed, looked a lot like an upside-down umbrella.
However, Iridium launched specifically to bring a handheld satellite phone service to the market. The first call? In late 1998, U.S. Vice President Al Gore dialed Gilbert Grosvenor, the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. The phones looked like very big “brick” phones with a very large antenna that swung out.
Of course, all of this was during the Cold War, so the USSR also had its own satellite systems: Volna and Morya, in addition to military satellites.
Location, Location, Location
The earliest satellites made one orbit of the Earth each day, which means they orbit at a very specific height. Higher orbits would cause the Earth to appear to move under the satellite, while lower orbits would have the satellite racing around the Earth.
That means that, from the ground, it looks like they never move. This gives reasonable coverage as long as you can “see” the satellite in the sky. However, it means you need better transmitters, receivers, and antennas.
Iridium satellites are always on the move
, but blanket the earth.
This is how Inmarsat and Thuraya worked. Unless there is some special arrangement, a geosynchronous satellite only covers about 40% of the Earth.
Getting a satellite into a high orbit is challenging, and there are only so many “slots” at the exact orbit required to be geosynchronous available. That’s why other companies like Iridium and Globalstar wanted an alternative.
That alternative is to have satellites in lower orbits. It is easier to talk to them, and you can blanket the Earth. However, for full coverage of the globe, you need at least 40 or 50 satellites.
The system is also more complex. Each satellite is only overhead for a few minutes, so you have to switch between orbiting “cell towers” all the time. If there are enough satellites, it can be an advantage because you might get blocked from one satellite by, say, a mountain, and just pick up a different one instead.
Globalstar used 48 satellites, but couldn’t cover the poles. They eventually switched to a constellation of 24 satellites. Iridium, on the other hand, operates 66 satellites and claims to cover the entire globe. The satellites can beam signals to the Earth or each other.
The Problems
There are a variety of issues with most, if not all, satellite phones. First, geosynchronous satellites won’t work if you are too far North or South since the satellite will be so low, you’ll bump into things like trees and mountains. Of course, they don’t work if you are on the wrong side of the world, either, unless there is a network of them.
Getting a signal indoors is tricky. Sometimes, it is tricky outdoors, too. And this isn’t cheap. Prices vary, but soon after the release, phones started at around $1,300, and then you paid $7 a minute to talk. The geosynchronous satellites, in particular, are subject to getting blocked momentarily by just about anything. The same can happen if you have too few satellites in the sky above you.
Modern pricing is a bit harder to figure out because of all the different plans. However, expect to pay between $50 and $150 a month, plus per-minute charges ranging from $0.25 to $1.50 per minute. In general, networks with less coverage are cheaper than those that work everywhere. Text messages are extra. So, of course, is data.
If you want to see what it really looked like to use a 1990-era Iridium phone, check out [saveitforparts] video below.
If you prefer to see an older non-phone system, check him out with an even older Inmarsat station in this video:
So it is no wonder these never caught on with the mass market. We expect that if providers can
link normal cell phones to a satellite network
, these older systems will fall by the wayside, at least for voice communications. Or, maybe
hacker use will get cheaper
. We can hope, right?
| 54
| 12
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141571",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:20:48",
"content": "Pretty sure a lot of new phones are getting satellite-based texting now.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141589",
"author": "Allen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:04:22",
"content": "not just new. existing phones. iphone 14 and later. also Android phones. it’s wild how fast this came to be. it’s almost impossible to get lost now",
"parent_id": "8141571",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142081",
"author": "Alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T10:38:33",
"content": "Yup I nearly got a Garmin sat phone recently before realising I had the functionality I wanted in the old phone sitting in my drawer.",
"parent_id": "8141589",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142169",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T17:41:24",
"content": "It also is a reminder that they can now track and hack and target you from the other side of the world.I mean many people were assassinated already with the military version plotting their position, but now it’s even more easy and global.",
"parent_id": "8141589",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143216",
"author": "Logan Flynn",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T22:45:54",
"content": "iPhone 13 Pro Max connects on T-Mobile to their Starklink network too.",
"parent_id": "8141589",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141590",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:08:00",
"content": "If you bothered to read you would see that is mentioned…..",
"parent_id": "8141571",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141574",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:28:04",
"content": "No mentioning of SpaceX+vodafone+3GPP deal",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141954",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T21:01:14",
"content": "This was about strikes that are currently available",
"parent_id": "8141574",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141585",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:00:46",
"content": "IMHO, better speed up, China is ALREADY testing 6G (satellite-based comms) and have we had proper planning, we’d be experimenting with 7G (quantum entanglement networks – no need for the satellites per se). Sadly, US is not in the position to speed up R&D that’s needed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141592",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:09:22",
"content": "As far as retiring older phone satellites go – they came at the wrong time (at the end of the first Cold War) and it was about to happen anyway. I am actually surprised Iridium was even kept afloat that long, already outdated when it was launched, and in all fairness, it looked more like “reusing surplus/declassified military stuffs” than real for-profit thing. Pricing was not exactly affordable back then, and it is still too expensive to be of use to the average Sam’s needs.Regardless, as mentioned, 7G looks more promising, lest unexpected technological hurdle presents itself. That nobody will be able to spy on anyone else if 7G becomes affordable/doable is not something anyone can control, and the bad guys will be using it just the same, ahead of anyone else, so I see no reasons why this cannot happen sooner than later.",
"parent_id": "8141585",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141699",
"author": "Uneducated Barbarian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:50:07",
"content": "The ‘g’ designations are arbitrary indications of cellular tech generations created as marketing fodder by telecoms, pretty much unrelated to the actual technologies used.Idk where you get the idea that satellites are “6g” or entangled comms are “7g”",
"parent_id": "8141592",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141753",
"author": "Tea Roll",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:31:27",
"content": "I’m still waiting for 9G as promised by Grand Theft Auto 5 :D",
"parent_id": "8141699",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141751",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:26:59",
"content": "The Iridium constellation was saved by DoD among others because while it got cost ineffective for phone service, there are some things it did better than anything else and even if they were obsolete a lot of money and engineering had gone into creating the constellation. For awhile they were the go-to solution for must be worldwide small packet data links to remote equipment, and for sufficiently remote and inaccessible devices even cost effective. I remember reading that an Arduino shield was available and costs for 1K data packets were in the dime to quarter range. Which sounds outrageous in an era where we think nothing of downloading gigabyte movies, but would have seemed miraculous in the 1990’s.",
"parent_id": "8141592",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141905",
"author": "Mac",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:29:27",
"content": "Iridium modems are still cost-effective in at least some niche applications. South Pole Station runs some for emergency communications, and some of the experiments run their own for 24/7 real-time data and monitoring (e.g. real-time follow-up alerts from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory). The station has DSCS and TDRSS coverage, but not 24/7. Starlink was trialed at one point and I think was both too spotty at −90° as well as the modems being too noisy in RF for long-term use around the radio-sensitive experiments.",
"parent_id": "8141751",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141593",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:10:00",
"content": "Satellite comms are more expensive, worse throughput and harder to implement.As the article states they were really only useful at sea or the poles",
"parent_id": "8141585",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141764",
"author": "JSL",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T04:28:59",
"content": "Quantum entanglement and quantum communications are two entirely different things.Quantum entanglement relates to paired atoms or photons that always share the same quantum state. Quantum communications relates to a communication medium that uses the minimum energy such that if the communication channel is tapped or monitored, it is no longer viable (to either the user or the interceptor).",
"parent_id": "8141585",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142563",
"author": "NSFW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T01:55:04",
"content": "“paired atoms or photons that always share the same quantum state”I’m afraid that the “always” in that sentence is going to reinforce the misconception that you are trying to repair.Perhaps something like “…that when measured will be found to correlate, but that have to causative influence upon each other.”",
"parent_id": "8141764",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8144730",
"author": "Shofiquilislam",
"timestamp": "2025-07-03T07:16:43",
"content": "Redmi c11",
"parent_id": "8142563",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141767",
"author": "Foobarian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T04:54:20",
"content": "While I can’t speak for the other stuff, I had a close friend who died from a covid booster.",
"parent_id": "8141585",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142318",
"author": "Sprite_tm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T08:24:35",
"content": "Common misconception – quantum entanglement doesn’t work as a wireless communication method; you cannot send information faster than light with it (because that would go against the laws of physics as we know it). The idea is that if one end of a quantum entangled pair collapses, the other does as well and the way they collapse is correlated. However, you cannot influence the way they collapse, so you cannot send any information that way. You can use it for encryption: a heap of quantum-entangled particles can effectively generate a random encryption key in two places at the same time that is impossible to know before the collapse, and if an attacker makes it collapse beforehand, you will notice it. But it cannot used as a communication method by itself.",
"parent_id": "8141585",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141591",
"author": "Josephus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:08:06",
"content": "Well seeing as iridium phones are L-band, I wonder are they good parts sources to make 23cm amateur radio gear?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141771",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T05:24:15",
"content": "Why bother? Isn’t 23cm ham band being considered almost dead, anyway? 😟As far as I heard, the last new 23cm capable ansceivers were sold over 25 years ago.So hams interested in it need either SDRs or vintage radios, I guess.",
"parent_id": "8141591",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141874",
"author": "Josephus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:40:59",
"content": "I have no idea if its dead or not, but I’m interested in it, and interested in using it cheaply",
"parent_id": "8141771",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141904",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T17:24:13",
"content": "But you won’t find a conversation partner on 23cm, probably.Unless you meet up with a fellow ham friend.Or if an Amateur Television (ATV) relays is in your neighborhood,you might be able to listen/watch a conversation on 23cm.",
"parent_id": "8141874",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142014",
"author": "VK2Amateur",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:58:39",
"content": "I am in Australia. 23cm is very busy. Loads of action on the Chatswood 23cm FM repeater here in Sydney Australia.Also activity in 1296.100MHz USB.Earth Moon Earth amateur 23cm is also very active.",
"parent_id": "8141904",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143605",
"author": "brad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T23:02:12",
"content": "guys are working earth-moon-earth on 23cm and a little repeater action, but yea not that much action on 23cm voice , let me know if your near Modesto and we can try SSB , some ham sat recordings on the page link below. even one recording working 1.2ghz over the sat.",
"parent_id": "8141904",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142017",
"author": "VK2Amateur",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T02:03:11",
"content": "The ICOM 9700 is a current amateur transceiver and includes 23cm.",
"parent_id": "8141771",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141595",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:19:31",
"content": "Does Intelsat fit anywhere into this story?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141642",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:18:37",
"content": "Intelsat, as far as I know, doesn’t directly offer phone service although it can offer backhaul services to network carriers. You might be thinking of Inmarsat?",
"parent_id": "8141595",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141598",
"author": "Brenden McNeil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:28:53",
"content": "Instead of a sat phone, you can get a star-link mini with roaming service for $50 a month and do TCP/IP calling with your regular phone.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141613",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:48:43",
"content": "Not keen on an ISP where my service can be randomly turned off if a billionaire decides they don’t like me, or want me blind when someone attacks me. I’ll stick to services operated by functioning adults instead of folks who have whole divisions dedicated to distracting them so they don’t meddle with actual engineers.",
"parent_id": "8141598",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141620",
"author": "Sgt.stiglitz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:24:02",
"content": "“Not keen on an ISP where my service can be randomly turned off if a billionaire decides they don’t like me RoCkEt MaN bAd ReEeEe.”Grow up. You’re not nearly interesting enough for a billionaire to ever pretend to care about. Also if you think Musk is uniquely a billionaire douche majeure, you’re ignorance is really spilling over.",
"parent_id": "8141613",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141870",
"author": "Jii",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:23:20",
"content": "*your",
"parent_id": "8141620",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141936",
"author": "Sgt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:39:55",
"content": "Incorrect. The proper usage in this context is in fact “you’re,” aka “you are not nearly interesting enough for a billionaire to ever pretend to care about.” You’re.",
"parent_id": "8141870",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141939",
"author": "Sgt.stiglitz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:45:27",
"content": "Incorrect. The appropriate word is applied in the context of the statement. “You’re,” as in, “you are not nearly interesting enough for a billionaire to even pretend to care about.” You’re.“Your” is a possessive adjective, indicating ownership or belonging.“You’re” is a contraction of “you are.”",
"parent_id": "8141870",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141967",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T22:25:59",
"content": "*your ignorance…You would know there was more than one possible correction if you bothered to reread your own post.",
"parent_id": "8141620",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141626",
"author": "jg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:48:00",
"content": "I recently used the satellite SMS feature on an iPhone while in the mountains without service for a few days. I didn’t know it was an option. It just popped up asking if I wanted to connect to a satellite. It had a handy alignment feature showing the relative direction of the satellite I needed to point at. It just worked. I was amazed at how easy it was to use. It handled the handoff to another satellite well showing the next one coming over requiring me to turn towards it. I need to research what satellites they are using for this.",
"parent_id": "8141613",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141633",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:08:16",
"content": "The only other options will require you to sell a kidney to afford them and they will provide significantly worse service.",
"parent_id": "8141613",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141714",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:25:19",
"content": "Oh no! Derangement synrome! Anyway",
"parent_id": "8141613",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142329",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T09:20:12",
"content": "Hurry to the rescue! They said mean words about my idol!!",
"parent_id": "8141714",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141918",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T18:29:27",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8141613",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141715",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:26:37",
"content": "Has the added benefit of being insanely cheaper compared to the type of satellite phone being talked about above. Has the huge disadvantage of not working in most regions of the globe, mostly defeating the point of a sat phone. Maybe someday",
"parent_id": "8141598",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142207",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T19:33:06",
"content": "Starlink now has antenna hats? I assume they are top-hats to hold the battery as well though right?",
"parent_id": "8141598",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141616",
"author": "Bruce G. Gettel Jr.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:03:10",
"content": "Let’s not overlook the importance of basic voice communication.I know of at least one government agency (not FEMA) that wants satellite-based voice service for one primary reason – to at least have a chance at maintaining it’s mission in the event of the next event that overwhelms legacy PSTN and IP-based communications.This agency had important work to do when 9/11 happened, and for 3 days, struggled to do most of it.The availability of the called persons is of course subject to the same risks as a 9/11 type event, depending on what technology they use. But an Iridium-to-Iridium call (for example) should in theory have a greater possibility of success.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141632",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:05:56",
"content": "’round about y2k we had a sat phone (an Iridium, I think) that had a 9600 bps serial connection you could plug directly into your computer for data transport. $3/minute for satellite email.But that’s not so bad: 15 years earlier it was $3/minute for 300 bps VHF radiotelephone data. In 1985 we thought it was pretty neat to be doing wireless email forty miles from the nearest paved road.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141635",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:09:21",
"content": "Iridium, on the other hand, operates 66 satellitesFunny thing: Iridium wassupposedto have 77 satellites, like it says on the tin — the atomic number of Iridium is 77. They didn’t change the name when they downsized to constellation to 66 though, because “Dysprosium” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141802",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:19:01",
"content": "That is actually hilarious.But yeah, Iridium was getting obsolete just about as it was becoming complete.",
"parent_id": "8141635",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141885",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:17:20",
"content": "Not my quip: Credit goes to insider David Bell, who related that to me sometime late in the last century. Thanks David, wherever you are.",
"parent_id": "8141802",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141701",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:01:58",
"content": "We could have had this with Orbital Antenna Farms. Even larger than Bluewalker, big antenna farms mean smaller consumer devices without megaconstellations ruining the sky.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141754",
"author": "RemoteWork",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:34:30",
"content": "As someone who regularly uses Irridium for work communication, I sure hope the rollout to smartphones has less failed calls.I suspect the average consumer will have much less tolerance than I will.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141942",
"author": "The D",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:49:57",
"content": "Keep in mind that an Iridium sat takes about 10mins to go from horizon to horizon over any particular area (they are always orbiting) before hand-off. The tip of the antenna must have direct open line of sight to the sat during that time. IE: You could be standing still and have full signal, then have it drop if the sat moves behind a treeline. This is actually beneficial in certain scenarios; If you break a leg on the side of a mountain, you will eventually get signal. You will not with Inmarsat (geostationary) if facing the wrong way. Best advice is to go to the tallest spot possible with the least amount of obstructions possible.",
"parent_id": "8141754",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142011",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:47:55",
"content": "Not as far as I can tell, coverage seems worse too.",
"parent_id": "8141754",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142306",
"author": "cmholm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T07:13:56",
"content": "Before beginning road trips from a previous work site out in east Jesus, we were encouraged to reserve one of the site’s Iridium handsets in case we got stuck in the sticks. We’d always test ours before departing, but never needed to use it.Another workmate discovered the hard way that it wasn’t enough tohavethe handset. It behoved one to coordinate with one or more friends back in town so that if they saw the strange number pop up on their phone, they’d know to PICK UP, rather than hang up on an assumed spam call.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143606",
"author": "brad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T23:05:52",
"content": "one trick from the old ma-bell days was to not answer the call and to know that the call itself was the message and you knew what to do with out taking and paying for the call minutes.",
"parent_id": "8142306",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,505.683296
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/giving-a-drum-midi-input-with-lots-of-solenoids/
|
Giving A Drum MIDI Input With Lots Of Solenoids
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"arduino drummer",
"Ardunio",
"drum",
"drum controller",
"solenoids"
] |
As far as giving mechanical instruments electronic control goes, drums are probably the best candidate for conversion; learning to play them is challenging and loud for a human, but they’re a straightforward matter for a microcontroller. [Jeremy Cook]’s
latest project
takes this approach by using an Arduino Opta to play a tongue drum.
[Jeremy]’s design far the drum controller was inspired by the ring-shaped arrangement of the Cray 2 supercomputer. A laser-cut MDF frame forms a C-shape around the tongue drum, and holds eight camera mount friction arms. Each friction arm holds a solenoid above a different point on the drum head, making it easy to position them. A few supports were 3D-printed, and some sections of PVC tubing form pivots to close the ring frame. [Jeremy] found that the the bare metal tips of the solenoids made a harsh sound against the drum, so he covered the tips of six solenoids with plastic caps, while the other two uncoated tips provide an auditory contrast.
The Arduino Opta is an open-source programmable logic controller normally intended for industrial automation. Here, its silent solid-state relays drive the solenoids, as [Jeremy]’s done before in an
earlier experiment
. The Opta is programmed to accept MIDI input, which [Jeremy] provided from two of the
MIDI controllers
which we’ve seen him
build previously
. He was able to get it working in time for the 2024 Orlando Maker Faire, which was the major time constraint.
Of course, for a project like this you need a MIDI controller, and we’ve previously seen [Jeremy]
convert a kalimba
into such a controller. We’ve seen this kind of drum machine at least
once before
, but it’s
more common
to see a purely
electronic implementation
.
| 7
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141309",
"author": "ian 42",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:19:39",
"content": "all that building, then no proper demo of it working…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141332",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:51:21",
"content": "Yeah, I probably should have shown it playing more/better. Maybe I’ll do a followup.",
"parent_id": "8141309",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142493",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T19:36:27",
"content": "Bingo!",
"parent_id": "8141309",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141322",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:22:42",
"content": "Reminds me of Animusic’s Pipe Dream, and the Intel real life version I saw at a MakerFaire.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141360",
"author": "Isaac Wingfield",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T04:10:21",
"content": "iNtel’s balls didn’t always hit the drain pipes …",
"parent_id": "8141322",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141331",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:50:32",
"content": "Thanks for the writeup!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141525",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:32:05",
"content": "But it hurts my ears.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.732191
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/repairing-an-old-tektronix-tds8000-scope/
|
Repairing An Old Tektronix TDS8000 Scope
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks",
"hardware",
"Repair Hacks"
] |
[
"oscilloscope",
"repair",
"Tektronix CSA8000",
"Tektronix TDS8000",
"time-domain reflectometry"
] |
Over on his YouTube channel our hacker [CircuitValley]
repairs an old TDS8000 scope
.
The TDS8000 was manufactured by Tektronix circa 2001 and was also marketed as the CSA8000 Communications Signal Analyzer as well as the TDS8000 Digital Sampling Oscilloscope. Tektronix is no longer manufacturing and selling these scopes but the documentation is still available from their website, including the
User Manual
(268 page PDF), the
Service Manual
(198 page PDF), and
some basic specs
(in HTML).
You can do a lot of things with a TDS8000 scope but particularly its use case was
Time-Domain Reflectometry
(TDR). A TDR scope is the time-domain equivalent of a
Vector Network Analyzer
(VNA) which operates in the frequency-domain.
The TDS8000 needs sampling heads attached and it has two large slots on the front for optical sampling heads and four smaller slots for electrical sampling heads. In this video we don’t see any sampling heads actually used, the only thing we see in this video is troubleshooting and repair of the TDS8000 itself. The effective bandwidth of the scope is limited by the capabilities of the sampling heads but according to its datasheet can extend up to 50 GHz, which is seriously large, especially by the standards of 2001!
[CircuitValley] cleans, replaces, upgrades, and fixes a bunch of things during the service of this TDS8000 and documents the process in this YouTube video. In the end he seems to have fixed the problem the scope had in the beginning, where it would hang while loading its main application. We’d love to hear from [CircuitValley] again some time to see a complete system operating with sampling heads attached.
If you’re interested in old scope repair too, then how far back in time did you want to go? Maybe you could start at
Recovering An Agilent 2000a/3000a Oscilloscope With Corrupt Firmware NAND Flash
and then work your way back to
Repairing An Old Heathkit ‘Scope
.
| 3
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141709",
"author": "Splud",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:08:44",
"content": "What, No 555?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141722",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:37:23",
"content": "Yea, all my rpi pico and esp32 projects need a 70Gig scope.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141786",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:40:40",
"content": "If you like to see the internals of high-end electronic lab equipment, then “the signal path” has a bunch of nice video’shttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=signalpath++oscilloscope… but then again, if you like this sort of stuff, then you probably already know the signal path youtube channel.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.772191
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/an-adaptive-soundtrack-for-bike-tricks/
|
An Adaptive Soundtrack For Bike Tricks
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"Musical Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] |
[
"bicycle",
"bike",
"ESP32-S3",
"hall effect sensor",
"inertial measurement unit",
"music"
] |
If you’ve put in all the necessary practice to learn bike tricks, you’d probably like an appropriately dramatic soundtrack to accompany your stunts. A team of students working on a capstone project at the University of Washington took this natural desire a step further with the
Music Bike
, a system that generates adaptive music in response to the bike’s motion.
The Music Bike has a set of sensors controlled by an ESP32-S3 mounted beneath the bike seat. The ESP32 transmits the data it collects over BLE to an Android app, which in turn uses the FMOD Studio adaptive sound engine to generate the music played. An MPU9250 IMU collects most position and motion data, supplemented by a hall effect sensor which tracks wheel speed and direction of rotation.
When the Android app receives sensor data, it performs some processing to detect the bike’s actions, then uses these to control FMOD’s output. The students tried using machine learning to detect bike tricks, but had trouble with latency and accuracy, so they switched to a threshold classifier. They were eventually able to detect jumps, 180-degree spins, forward and reverse motion, and wheelies. FMOD uses this information to modify music pitch, alter instrument layering, and change the track. The students gave an impressive in-class demonstration of the system in the video below (the demonstration begins at 4:30).
Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first
music-producing bike
we’ve featured here. We’ve also seen a
music-reactive bike lighting system
.
Thanks to [Blake Hannaford] for the tip!
| 7
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141129",
"author": "zamorano",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:02:16",
"content": "This is groundbreaking in many ways, at least for me. Just the idea of having an interactive soundtrack that reacts to what you’re currently doing could be a whole new thing – and, of course, an excuse to have your mobile phone record your complete life. But I could imagine somebody like Brian Eno developing (composing?) a library of interactive musical backgrounds that adapt to the content and flow of your Powerpoint presentations (okay, he probably wouldn’t do something so mundane but I’m sure he’d like the idea).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141131",
"author": "Nikolai",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:17:27",
"content": "Several years ago I have predicted Interactive Movies. I guess it’s coming soon. Imagine, you watch a movie like Terminator and you need to assign roles. You assign your friend and yourself. Then you just watch and you can change the way it plays in real time. Some sort of combination interactive Game and Movie.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141233",
"author": "Philipe Mendoza",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:28:08",
"content": "Like they did with Bandersnatch on Netflix in 2018?https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror:_Bandersnatch",
"parent_id": "8141131",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141273",
"author": "cplamb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:40:38",
"content": "There was one shown at Expo 67 in Montreal. The plot forked in different places. The audience voted on which fork to take.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinoautomat",
"parent_id": "8141131",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141274",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:42:22",
"content": "I think they tried that in the LaserDisc days. Mysteries with different outcomes. I predated your prediction on people living in a “movie” decades ago at the start of VR.",
"parent_id": "8141131",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141212",
"author": "Linux user",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:53:47",
"content": "i think it can be much funner if it works like midi input and generate midi music from samples",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141250",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T17:09:27",
"content": "I see way too long of time for the strike hold, I assume over strike is what actually hits the tone tongue but re-strike is hindered by solenoid being held on. The strike time should be very short. Solenoids? I have an a back burner project, a soft striker on a piece of spring wire a finger’s length attached to a hard drive arm magnet assembly. It’s ready. Mount on drum frame with a 555 and a transistor could make a tempo drum.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,505.823653
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/tamagotchi-torture-chamber-is-equal-parts-nostalgia-and-sadism/
|
Tamagotchi Torture Chamber Is Equal Parts Nostalgia And Sadism
|
Tyler August
|
[
"classic hacks"
] |
[
"accelerometer",
"ece 4760",
"pi pico",
"soft physics",
"tamagotchi",
"TFT LCD"
] |
Coming in hot from Cornell University, students [Amanda Huang], [Caroline Hohner], and [Rhea Goswami] bring a project that is guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of anyone in the under-40 set, and sadists of all ages: The
Tamagochi Torture Chamber.
He’s dead, Jim.
In case you somehow missed it, Bandai’s Tamagochi is a genre-defining digital pet that was
the
fad toy at the turn of the millennium, and has had periodic revivals since. Like the original digital pet, there are three pushbuttons to allow you to feed, play with, and clean your digital pet. These affect the basic stats of happiness, health, food and weight in ways that will be familiar to anyone who played with the original Tamagochi. Just as with the original, mistreatment or neglect causes the Tamagochi to “die” and display a tombstone on the TFT display.
Where the “Torture Chamber” part comes in is the presence of an accelerometer and soft physics simulation– the soft physics gets an entire core of the Pi Pico at the heart of this build dedicated to it, while the other core handles all inputs, display and game logic. What this enables is the ability to bounce the digital pet off the walls of its digital home with an adorable squish (and drop in health stat) by tilting the unit. You can check that out in the demo video blow.
Is it overkill for a kids toy to have a full soft body simulation, rather than just a squish-bounce animation? Probably, but for an ECE project, it lets the students show off their chops… and possibly work out some frustrations.
We won’t judge. We will point you to other
Tamagotchi-inspired projects
, though: like this
adorable fitness buddy
, or this
depressingly realistic human version
.
If you’ve got an innovative way to torture video game characters, or a project less likely to get you on Skynet’s hitlist,
don’t forget to send in a tip
!
| 8
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141076",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T05:29:13",
"content": "i usually just break out people playground when im feeling psychopathic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141206",
"author": "Cogidubnus Rex",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:49:00",
"content": "Can’t beat a bit of seeing off Barney via several tools and weapons.",
"parent_id": "8141076",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141231",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:16:59",
"content": "Do I have some nostalgia for youhttps://impressive.net/games/barney/fun.cgi",
"parent_id": "8141206",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141105",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T07:29:48",
"content": "How times change. I”ve used to be both a pet owner and a tamagotchi owner in the 90s and felt responsible to either.I still remember how I’ve felt uncomfortable with the idea that these digital creatures could get sick and die.I knew they’re just a simulation, an simple LCD game. But that didn’t change my feelings of being responsible.I don’t mean to judge. It’s just my story. Have a nice day. And please don’t forget to eat, drink and flush the toilet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141268",
"author": "Jack Dansen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:33:32",
"content": "No matter how many times you ask, I will not drink the toilet.",
"parent_id": "8141105",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141349",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:47:01",
"content": "Oh please 🥲",
"parent_id": "8141268",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142120",
"author": "Barbie Baran",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T13:29:25",
"content": "🤣 made me laugh out loud.Long live the Oxford comma!",
"parent_id": "8141268",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141499",
"author": "james",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:44:38",
"content": "The omelas tamigotchi, love it",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,506.002699
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/replacing-crude-oil-fractional-distillation-with-microporous-polyimine-membranes/
|
Replacing Crude Oil Fractional Distillation With Microporous Polyimine Membranes
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Science"
] |
[
"crude oil",
"distillation",
"fractional",
"reverse osmosis"
] |
Currently the typical way that crude oil is processed involves a fractional distillation column, in which heated crude oil is separated into the various hydrocarbon compounds using distinct boiling points. This requires the addition of significant thermal energy and is thus fairly energy intensive. A possible alternative
has been proposed
by [Tae Hoon Lee] et al. with
a research article in
Science
. They adapted membranes used with reverse-osmosis filtration to instead filter crude oil into its constituents, which could enable skipping the heating step and thus save a lot of energy.
The main change that had to be made was to replace the typical polyamide films with polyimine ones, as the former have the tendency to swell up – and thus becomes less effective – when exposed to organic solvents, which includes hydrocarbons. During testing, including with a mixture of naphtha, kerosene and diesel, the polyimine membrane was able to separate these by their molecular size.
It should be noted of course that this is still just small scale lab-testing and the real proof will be in whether it can scale up to the flow rates and endurance required from a replacement for a distillation column. Since this research is funded in part by the fossil fuel industry, one can at least expect that some trial installations will be set up before long, with hopefully positive results.
| 12
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141034",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:09:01",
"content": "Fractional distillation is rarely used anymore. Almost all fuel “refining” is done with Catalytic Crackers. Not unlike the catalytic converter in a car breaking down unburned gasoline, crackers take crude oil that may have hydrocarbons with 35 carbons or more (paraffin) and cleave them down to ones with 8 carbons (octane) or even lighter (pentane, butane). Yes, crude oil can contain fractions all the way down to methane and butane, I know.I drive past a fractional distillation column, however, every once in a while. The company running it takes spilled product, contaminated product, and all sorts of other junk that would wind up as hazmat and then separates it into marketable fractions. You can tell when it’s running because they flare off the butane. Maybe methane, I don’t know. Looks like Blade Runner, only smaller.Hats off to the membrane tactic, BTW. Nice hack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141225",
"author": "tom dagg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:54:05",
"content": "They use cracking to break up the heavier fractions into more useable lighter fractions. These lighter fractions still need distillation to seperate them.",
"parent_id": "8141034",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141227",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:00:14",
"content": "Yes, a cracker turns some of the heavy oils into lighter fuels, to get more value out of the barrel of crude, but you still need the distillation tower to separate the components. Or maybe membranes now. We’ll see.",
"parent_id": "8141034",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141295",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T19:54:52",
"content": "That’s what I thought too, this would work well cleaning up “junk”.",
"parent_id": "8141034",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141041",
"author": "alanrcam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:29:26",
"content": "“Copperhead Road” was playing on the radio as I read this, so naturally I thought of moonshine stills blowing up.I suspect a multi stage process would be needed: any membrane capable of passing ethanol would also pass ethanol (wood alcohol) and water.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141049",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:07:48",
"content": "I would assume a membrane that is passing ethanol would pass ethanol yes maybe you meant methanol",
"parent_id": "8141041",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141121",
"author": "metalman",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:36:52",
"content": "there will be a convergance of this type of technology and the catalitic cracking, along with useing solar powered catalitic reactions on sea water, and air, to allow the production or conversion of any carbon and hydrogen containing gases,solids and liquids at low temperatures and pressures.there are a lot, as in a huge number of efforts world wide, working on every aspect of this.Any colinisation of mars will be completly dependent on this type of “universal chemistry” becoming very mature, light weight and energy efficient, not to mention the rather large terrestrial markets.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141641",
"author": "nes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:17:22",
"content": "After the machines have risen up against us, this tech will be useful for cheaply converting the Earth’s residual biomass into useful chemicals and energy to feed the matrix.",
"parent_id": "8141121",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141150",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:34:29",
"content": "Seems like an interesting first step. I appreciate all types of lateral thinking. My only concern is the stark difference between diesel naptha and kerosene mixed and crude oil. Having only seen crude oil once in my life, it is a vile sludgy mix. It contains an awful lot of stuff that I sincerely doubt is in that mixture and I can only imagine would gunk up a membrane in minutes.I’m not here to say “this will never be useful” but I am skeptical. Still really cool!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141239",
"author": "Lincoln Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T15:29:37",
"content": "I’ve worked extensively with membranes in industrial organic solvent nanofiltration and solvent recovery applications and fouling is definitely an issue with feedstocks that have a lot of gunk in them. They tend to be very sensitive to temperature, concentration level, and flow rate in high loading applications.Generally they are run with many successive stages of varying filter types – a first one to remove your larger particulates and long chain stuff, then a tighter one to exclude some other group of compounds, and so on until you get down to your final solvent recovery membrane.The residual sludge from each stage is interesting from a scientific and engineering perspective, and a real pain from a “poor bugger who has to clean it up” perspective.",
"parent_id": "8141150",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141248",
"author": "Thinkerer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T16:57:43",
"content": "Remind Me! 10 years.This is a promising development but there’s a long way to go in the dirty business of oil fractionation – I think we may see lengthy trials on specific fractions before anyone commits to a full scale Crude to Product refinery based on this.It is also very poor journalism to start with a breathless “really soon now” promotional release that is followed by a link to a paywalled article that nobody outside of the subscribers’ circle can read to decide for themselves.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141279",
"author": "Junkmail",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:56:19",
"content": "20 years ago metal and composite (hardened) molecular sieves were the holy grail to replace fragile polymer membranes. Still waiting. Same for ceramic ultra filtration discs. Proven technology, just too expensive outside of exotic applications like hazardous waste processing.",
"parent_id": "8141248",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,506.815467
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/eu-ecodesign-for-smartphones-including-right-to-repair-now-in-effect/
|
EU Ecodesign For Smartphones Including Right To Repair Now In Effect
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"News",
"Repair Hacks"
] |
[
"European Union",
"ewaste",
"right to repair"
] |
Starting June 20th
, any cordless phone, smartphone, or feature phone, as well as tablets (7 – 17.4″ screens) have to meet Ecodesign requirements. In addition there is now mandatory registration with the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL). The only exception are phones and tablets with a flexible (rollable) main display, and tablets that do not use a mobile OS, i.e. not Android, iPadOS, etc. These requirements include resistance to drops, scratches and water, as well as batteries that last at least 800 cycles.
What is perhaps most exciting are the requirements that operating system updates must be made available for at least five years from when the product is last on the market, along with spare parts being made available within 5-10 working days for seven years after the product stops being sold. The only big niggle here is that this access only applies to ‘professional repairers’, but at least this should provide independent repair shops with full access to parts and any software tools required.
On the ENERGY label that is generated with the registration, customers can see the rating for each category, including energy efficiency, battery endurance, repairability and IP (water/dust ingress) rating, making comparing devices much easier than before. All of this comes before smartphones and many other devices sold in the EU will have to feature easily removable batteries by 2027, something which may make manufacturers unhappy, but should be a boon to us consumers and tinkerers.
| 83
| 16
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140970",
"author": "Agammamon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T23:18:08",
"content": "In other words – there goes innovation because everything will have to be decided by EU bureaucrats while you still won’t get repairability.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140973",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T23:23:41",
"content": "there goes innovationThey can innovate on letting us remove the batteries again.",
"parent_id": "8140970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141217",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:35:37",
"content": "Don’t want to.I like a very waterproof phone, which doesn’t have the battery pack fall out when you drop it, and isn’t an inch thick.This removes choice. If you value a removable battery you can buy a phone with one – there’s companies who make such phones, or you can just make your own as android is open source.But thanks to the EU my choice to buy a well sealed phone will be gone.",
"parent_id": "8140973",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141237",
"author": "Ø",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:59:07",
"content": "I’ll take that you’ve never heard of the word “gaskets” and the concept it represents.Because that’s how smartphones were made watertight before the gluepocalypse happened.Additionally, almost all phones on the market currently relies on glue and often also removing the screen and the phone PCB itself to get to the damn battery so it can be replaced.Those with tool-less battery replacement are also almost a needle in a haystack, and often also misses features/functionality that’s often user desired and actually used.Unlike waterproofing, which is equal parts marketing and excuse to glue the shit out of it, so end user is encouraged to replace the phone instead of just replacing the battery or screen when one of them goes FUBAR.",
"parent_id": "8141217",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141391",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:47:41",
"content": "Because that’s how smartphones were made watertight before the gluepocalypse happened.They still are – I have a Samsung phone with an IP67/68 rating and a user-replaceable battery, with gaskets on the lid.And I can tell you the IP rating is bunk. It only applies to a new phone that hasn’t been dropped or used, so the seal is still intact and there isn’t anything like lint between the gasket that would compromise it. After a couple years of use, if I now drop it in a puddle, the battery compartment will be flooded. Whether that can still save the phone from total destruction is unknown.",
"parent_id": "8141237",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141324",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:29:54",
"content": "you will still be able to buy waterproof phones. 3-4 electrical contacts can easily be made through the waterproof barrier (phone and battery as two independent isles). It’s just the questions if they want to build some (guess what, they probably won’t because you need to buy more phones if they’re not waterproof…).the batter falling out when you drop you phone is actually a good thing. Part of the impact energy gets converted/distributed away and the phone is in less danger.I think your scull is a few inches too thick or something (metaphorically, probably not physically).The same is true in reverse. There will be waterproof phones with stapled together batteries that may or may not be sold (officially) in the EU.",
"parent_id": "8141217",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140979",
"author": "Vinny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:03:05",
"content": "There is no stronger motivator for engineers than established restrictions. You can see that on highly regulated fields, like motorsports.No removable batteries for instance is only good for the companies, not the consumers.",
"parent_id": "8140970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140981",
"author": "Joseph",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:03:31",
"content": "What Innovation? My phone model was released 5 years ago, and the only difference between mine and the newest model are marginal improvements on existing tech, or gimmicky features that aren’t ever used. The biggest innovations recently have been in limiting repairability and planned obsolescence. Even if this doesn’t yield genuine repairability, it’s not like it’ll get much worse.",
"parent_id": "8140970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140984",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:14:12",
"content": "What innovation? Phones have been flat rectangles for 20 years.",
"parent_id": "8140970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141017",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T01:56:15",
"content": "Earth: Final Conflict’s Global would be an interesting change.",
"parent_id": "8140984",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141051",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:08:51",
"content": "we need spherical phones",
"parent_id": "8140984",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141164",
"author": "EG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:59:48",
"content": "They should have exactly the same size as the lenses of a gas mask! For … reasons!",
"parent_id": "8141051",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141325",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:30:55",
"content": "VR headsets for everyone!Just wait for the integration of virtual smell devices!;-)",
"parent_id": "8141164",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141627",
"author": "EG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:49:58",
"content": "limroh, do you know what you have done?Now I have to find the right gas mask and fitting spherical displays. Hrmpf.",
"parent_id": "8141164",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141298",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:15:40",
"content": "The latest and greatest innovation is some of them fold now!",
"parent_id": "8140984",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141398",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:12:43",
"content": "Wait, didn’t they used to fold?",
"parent_id": "8141298",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141423",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:40:30",
"content": "Yes, yes… it’s the bureaucrats that are the problem here, definitely.",
"parent_id": "8140970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140972",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T23:22:22",
"content": "Thank god we’re getting removable batteries back. That’s like a dream come true.My Pixels screen stopped working and it just needed the battery removed and reinserted to fix it, but Google wanted me to send it in. I ended up opening it myself, which was a pain in the arse, but at least it fixed it. The amount of screws to get at the battery.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141009",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T01:39:39",
"content": "Wonder if running the battery dead would have worked. But that might be hard to do without an external screen to run the battery down quickly with some apps.",
"parent_id": "8140972",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141063",
"author": "TimT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:40:58",
"content": "I just paid one of the cell repair places $70 to fix mine. Well worth it to not have to deal with potentially breaking it. I’m doing this reply on it now with 78% battery and it hasn’t been charged in 9 hours or so.",
"parent_id": "8140972",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141107",
"author": "jrbloom",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T07:32:58",
"content": "Where did you read tthat we’re “getting removeable batteries back”?I only read that it should have durable batteries and available parts.",
"parent_id": "8140972",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141486",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:01:31",
"content": "It is quite clearly stated in the last three lines of the article.",
"parent_id": "8141107",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141035",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:19:59",
"content": "You think you will get something better and more hackable, and maybe a small amount of people will, and a much smaller amount of people will actually do it. But in reality it will be another GDPR and do very little except increase enshitification and make things more annoying and broken",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141098",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T07:01:50",
"content": "Go back to the time where any model of phone had a different charging cable.",
"parent_id": "8141035",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141116",
"author": "kovo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:14:58",
"content": "I do not see how :) only enforced think here is registration, you can always develop $H|t and send is as it was before, you will just to have state that it is $H|t on that label, so customer will know before taking cash out of pocket",
"parent_id": "8141035",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141053",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:16:22",
"content": "A bit cynical but a smart phone isnt really like a GP computerfor example my 1012 mac mini runs like a freaking champ, its almost 30C out here hours after the sun went down, when I got it, it ran like a dog, I upgraded its storage to SSD and upgraded its ram and as long as I keep in mind its a mobile intel soultion doing the best it can I can’t be mad with it when it kind of jitters along in 3d cadmeanwhile my 2015 LG-G6 phone still has great battery life (I use it as a camera mostly now) allowing software upgrades isnt going to help all that much, at its latest update it was a swap zombie and cause of that it fell out of favorso what’s the solution? swap the battery? Install an even heavier OS? no I cant double its memory capacity or speed up its limited storage with some parts off eBay … but as a daily driver phone its crap, its been crap for quite a while now",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141054",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:16:55",
"content": "2012 mac mini…",
"parent_id": "8141053",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141285",
"author": "Julian Skidmore",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T19:07:42",
"content": "My 2012 Mac mini runs pretty well too – I’m using it for this. I upgraded it to 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM when it seemed to slow down a lot running Catalina.",
"parent_id": "8141053",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141057",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:19:35",
"content": "… then watch telocos designing phones in such a way that repair is so darn expensive …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141070",
"author": "Christoph",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T05:06:06",
"content": "Well, these devices will score very low on the repairability rating mentioned in the article.",
"parent_id": "8141057",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141102",
"author": "ian 42",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T07:17:28",
"content": "building a device with a fixed life part that can’t be easily replaced – ie a battery – is insane. It’s only done so manufactures can sell you a new one when everything is working but the battery..I pulled apart just about every product with a hard connected battery that I have ever owned. Apart from phones most thing have rechargeable AAA, AA, 18650 battery that COULD have been designed to be easily replaceable. Instead they are designed to be not replaceable – including glue etc etcI’ve replaced many of those batteries (some are up to their 4th or higher battery) – and those products are still working fine…However most consumers don’t have the skill or interest to crack plastic cases (and re glue them later) and don’t own a soldering iron.So this EU law should have been in place decades ago…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141115",
"author": "Benjamin Henrion",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:13:52",
"content": "Highest repairability index mean you have the full source code of the software, all the schematics, a complete datasheet of every chip (with fines attached for any mistake), and spare parts available for 50 years?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141123",
"author": "g",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:40:36",
"content": "I’m sure you would love the price tag.",
"parent_id": "8141115",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141136",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:38:59",
"content": "Probably not. I find the skepticism in all these comments very interesting (and, given historical context, the skepticism is understandable). Let’s look at SBCs, they’re close enough to phones – if we were to compare a Raspberry Pi to its alternatives (Orange Pi, Radxa, etc) you’ll see some interesting differences. Raspberry Pi, if I remember correctly, uses a non-standard PSU – doesn’t mean you can’t use it without a different PSU, just that it’s more difficult / may lead to instability.Radxa I know of one SBC that is pretty well documented all things considered. Compare e.g.https://docs.radxa.com/en/rock4/hardware/downloadtohttps://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/Would be an interesting exercise to apply these regulations to both cases (or multiple other comparable SBC as well). A lot of commenters point out that “it will be more expensive if it must be repairable”. While this can be true, there is something left unsaid: If you can repair your stuff, or if repair shops have easy access to spare parts, repairs will be easier. Also had to compare the two SBCs for other purposes (RPi just doesn’t cut it sometimes), the other one is 20$ more expensive – a fair price to pay for peace of mind and an SBC that comes with electrical schematics in my opinion. Especially if repairing costs less than buying an entirely new phone all five years.Price gouging for spare parts is literally prohibited by the regulation.Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 of 16 June 2023 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1670/oj) is most interesting. First of all, it is a regulation, not a directive. This means it is directly binding to all member states.Of particular interest:“(5)In order to ensure that devices are able to be effectively repaired, a range of spare parts should be available to professional repairers or end users. Those spare parts should, regardless of whether they are new or used, have the effect of upgrading or restoring the functionality of the device in which they are installed.(6)In order to ensure that devices are able to be effectively repaired, the price of spare parts should be reasonable and should not discourage repair. To create transparency and incentivise the setting of reasonable prices, the indicative pre-tax price for spare parts provided pursuant to this Regulation should be accessible on a free access website.”That is an excerpt from the considerations section of the regulation, not the actual law, in effect what things were considered when making the law (and thus stating pretty clearly the intended result). A bit interesting is the first part of the actual law text:“2. This Regulation does not apply to the following products:(a)mobile phones and tablets with a flexible main display which the user can unroll and roll up partly or fully;(b)smartphones for high security communication.”But they pretty clearly define what they understand as a smartphone for high security communications later on. Where it becomes really interesting is “Article 8 Review”.“(d) the appropriateness of increasing the stringency of the requirement on battery endurance in cycles; (e) the appropriateness of defining a standardised battery that could be used interchangeably across a range of mobile phones and slate tablets;”(xkcd!), “(f) the need to set out requirements to enable or improve repair and upgradeability with used or third-party spare parts;”…”(l) the option for manufacturers to make data for 3D printing of plastic components (e.g. battery compartment cover, buttons etc.) publicly available on a free-access website, either in addition to their obligation to make these spare parts available to professional repairers or end-users or as a means to fulfil this obligation;” and so on and so forth.I recommend reading both “Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 of 16 June 2023” (Labels) and “Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 of 16 June 2023” (Repair ability), at least the actual law texts. For a law text they’re quite interesting and refreshing.TL;DR: Not necessarily, but the Commission has left themselves a door open. They could literally make “Highest repairability index” mean those things. They probably won’t. Interestingly enough a lot of what the regulation touches upon are things done by companies like Apple or Google, who are well known for their stance on repairability. The Annexes of the labeling regulation thing are fun to look at.If I had a tin foil hat, I would like to imagine, there’s some person in the EU Commision who got so annoyed at not being able to repair their phone that they thought “I wish somebody would do something about this…oh. Wait…I can actually do something about this!”.Honestly, the commission deserves a cheer for this one (and for the USB-C one as well. I can’t wait for Apples magsafe patent to run out…imagine…magsafe and USB-C combined, standardized by law, enforced…a man can dream…).",
"parent_id": "8141115",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141572",
"author": "Bastet",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:22:47",
"content": "the appropriateness of defining a standardised battery that could be used interchangeably across a range of mobile phones and slate tabletsSo, BL-5B it is? 😁",
"parent_id": "8141136",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141623",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:37:04",
"content": "Obviouslythe only right choice is 18650 :p",
"parent_id": "8141572",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141218",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:38:56",
"content": "Sure, and it still uses enigma to protect access to your online banking…",
"parent_id": "8141115",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141117",
"author": "fgdrycdsetwdff",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:16:20",
"content": "Remember there are also small start-ups that produce open source smartphones – something much better for our privacy and easier to repair. It could be harder for them to fulfill all these requirements, i.e. get an energy efficiency label, than for large producers. I think people should have freedom what to produce or buy, there should only be information before purchase about any drawbacks that aren’t obvious.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141122",
"author": "g",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:38:19",
"content": "Did anyone say the spare part screw holding the battery compartment lid has to cost less than 150% of the original complete device? No? There you go then.Just look at what white goods manufacturers have been doing for ages.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141195",
"author": "Lsjob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:28:00",
"content": "Yes, (6)In order to ensure that devices are able to be effectively repaired, the price of spare parts should be reasonable and should not discourage repair.https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AJOL_2023_214_R_0003&qid=1693469612388Says so right in the law.",
"parent_id": "8141122",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141214",
"author": "Cogidubnus Rex",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:09:55",
"content": "Price of spare ‘parts’ reasonable – cracked the screen glass? That’ll be a new ‘display’ assembly. There are spare parts and then there are assemblies; one being easy and the other cost effective.",
"parent_id": "8141195",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141624",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:38:21",
"content": "The regulation is pretty clear on what must be available as aspare partand what may be available as anassembly. It also very clearly states aspare partis not necessarilyan assembly.",
"parent_id": "8141214",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141126",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:55:37",
"content": "spare parts being made available within 5-10 working days for seven years after the product stops being sold.Nobody can comply with this requirement. This is ridiculous; it’s expecting the manufacturer to hold on to the tooling and production lines of an obsolete product for 7 years, or manufacture extras and stockpile them.What’s the penalty if you don’t? Paying the fines are probably going to come cheaper.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141135",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:35:12",
"content": "No one? Oh, I’m confident in Germany of the 1970s or 1980s it was possible.That’s when car and washing machine makers had warehouses full of replacement parts.It’s just the Chinese/American way of making business that’s incompatible with the concept.Making quick bucks vs making things that last..",
"parent_id": "8141126",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141158",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:51:04",
"content": "It is possible when the technology is moving slowly, or has stopped developing. A washing machine designed in the 1970’s wasn’t much different from one built in the 1980’s or even the 1990’s. It’s the same old solenoid valves, motors, belts, switches and rotating mechanical program selectors until you get to the mid 90’s and things like direct drive starts to appear.A cellphone that has been on the market for say, 5 years now, is built on components and technology that are 5+ years old and already obsolete when it came out. If you look 7 years into the future, that gap between what’s on the market and what you’re trying to support stretches to 12+ years, and that’s ancient history. It’s completely different.12 years is enough time that some components drop out of production and become unobtainable, so you’re expecting the manufacturer to essentially predict how many of any model they will sell, how many of those will break and require spare parts, and then buy enough extra parts in advance to supply them.It’s practically impossible to do that, so manufacturers are more likely to just not, and then wait for the lawsuits, if anyone ever bothers to, and pay them out of court later.",
"parent_id": "8141135",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141203",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:45:24",
"content": "“A washing machine designed in the 1970’s wasn’t much different from one built in the 1980’s or even the 1990’s”Err, yes and no? Washing machines are microcontroller controlled, to perform specific washing programme.Back in the day, by late 70s, they contained the equivalent to a C64 or Apple 2.It’s not just some gears, springs and such. There’s more.While the base components surely were interchangeable to some extent, the model specific modules were not. They had to be on storage.Same goes for the cars, they started to have computers by the 80s.The CAN bus was common, for example. The computer in the car optimized the motor’s work and did other things.There also had been cars with an electric dashboard and a touch screen.Such as this one:https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/heres-how-car-screens-have-grown-through-history",
"parent_id": "8141158",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141394",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:01:12",
"content": "Perhaps the most expensive models, but the bog standard washing machine, whether for clothes or dishes, ran with a simple mechanical program drum with switch contacts well into the 90’s. When the digital stuff started appearing, it was for the blinkenlights first – like a digital clock on the front panel – while the program drum was still re-used from the previous model.Our family bought a new dishwasher in 1995 and it was exactly like that – and when the mechanical program drum broke some 20 years later, there were no spare parts available anymore.",
"parent_id": "8141203",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141208",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:49:42",
"content": "“12 years is enough time that some components drop out of production and become unobtainable”Keyword: second-sourcingBack in the 1970s/1980s, computer chips like 6502, 8086 or 68000 were made by different manufacturersexactlybecause to make sure availability is secured.The whole 74xxx seties of TTL chips is now made by a dozen manufacturers.",
"parent_id": "8141158",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141395",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:05:16",
"content": "But for some specific custom SoC chip, image sensor, display module, or other custom component, there isn’t and wasn’t enough market demand to keep making it. They were only ever made for a handful of products that were discontinued in a couple years time, under licenses that are no longer valid, so they’ve become unobtainium.",
"parent_id": "8141208",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141211",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:53:42",
"content": "“It’s practically impossible to do that, so manufacturers are more likely to just not, and then wait for the lawsuits, if anyone ever bothers to, and pay them out of court later.”Sounds like more like the people involved are too cheap and lazy to make it work. IMHO.But not everything can be solved by paying lawyers.Reminds me of the old quote:“When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money.”",
"parent_id": "8141158",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141399",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:16:32",
"content": "It’s kinda like the EU regulations about engine emissions and fuel economy. The regulators keep tightening the thumbscrew regardless of physics, so the car manufacturers are now considering to ignore the regulations, take the penalties, and pass the cost onto the consumers because what else can they do?Do as the regulators demand and make more expensive products, or do as the consumers want and pay the fines. Either way the end result is the same – it’s just a question of which costs less.",
"parent_id": "8141211",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141224",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:53:22",
"content": "Even with fast moving technology it isn’t a problem – as you don’t have to replace like with like, just with something that restores or upgrades the functionality. So the main brains of your washing machine dies, well flash the right firmware image onto a brand new part you are likely putting in your current machines so it knows how it is supposed to interact with the older HID and mechanicals – you let the tooling die a decade ago and yet still have a perfectly valid spare part!In the case a phone/computer it really isn’t much different, the designs might become a little more standard module shapes so future generations remain compatible, but probably not even that – you just stockpile a tiny bit on the components that might well break like the screens (something they probably do anyway to turn shipping damaged units back into profitable products pretty cheaply) and if it becomes needed down the line actually refurbish and repair bits from your old devices into spare parts for the few folks that really want to keep using their obsolete tech till that legal requirement is up. Or if that ends up more costly just exchange the customers old device for a newer model, may not quite be inkeeping with the legal requirement, but nobody is going to complain, and shipping off that NOS you had leftover from the previous generations of device that still newer than the customers one you ran out parts for…",
"parent_id": "8141158",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141402",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:25:10",
"content": "as you don’t have to replace like with like, just with something that restores or upgrades the functionality.So you mean designing and manufacturing entirely new custom parts for a small and dwindling number of devices that are no longer being sold, while required to make such parts down to cost that is not prohibitive to the consumers?They’ve tried to invent modular phones with standard physical interfaces already, but those have turned out uneconomical and technological dead ends.",
"parent_id": "8141224",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141403",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:38:03",
"content": "In the case a phone/computer it really isn’t much differentExcept for a computer it’s all about physical and electrical standard interfaces like ATX, PCIe, SATA, etc. while phones basically have none, because they’re such highly integrated devices.Look at laptops – everything is soldered down to a single board that is custom shaped to the shell. No connectors in sight. Compare to earlier laptops that were somewhat modular with connectors all over the place – the difference is that the modular laptop was twice as large, twice as heavy, and cost twice as much – and the common consumer offering was still obsolete by the time it broke so practically nobody bothered to repair or upgrade them. That’s why they vanished off the market.The old modular system only truly benefited the handful few collectors and nerds who wanted to keep their old IBM Thinkpads running, and that was less than 0.1% of the market.",
"parent_id": "8141224",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141405",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:43:57",
"content": "And with the quick evolution in network technologies, a phone only has about 5 years of life before it becomes obsolete in terms of connectivity, so expecting someone to keep using theirs for 7 years beyond is ludicrous.I had to switch phones last time, because I had bought an “LTE” phone that was supposed to be future proof after 3G, but then they changed the future and it was no longer compatible with all of the LTE spec so I could get no 4G on it and it dropped down to 2G.",
"parent_id": "8141224",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141445",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:49:31",
"content": "So you mean designing and manufacturing entirely new custom parts for a small and dwindling number of devices that are no longer being sold, while required to make such parts down to cost that is not prohibitive to the consumers?That is exactly what I didn’t say – you simply have to create a firmware on your brand new board so it knows how to talk to older hardware – the part is something you were making anyway, and the added cost of a firmware to suit the older platforms is so minor as to be irrelevant…Look at laptops – everything is soldered down to a single board that is custom shaped to the shell. No connectors in sight. Compare to earlier laptops that were somewhat modular with connectors all over the place….Also really not true, yes many platforms are that way, but there are counter examples as well. Soldering everything to one board isn’t the only solution in play, still plenty of laptops and portables with some common connectors and modularity all the way up to extremes like Framework laptops where the chassis, speakers, display, keyboard, memory, ssd, motherboard and probably a few other bits I’ve forgotten are supposed to be and so far have been user replaceable and upgradeable across the generations! And all in a very slim form factor too.And with the quick evolution in network technologies, a phone only has about 5 years of life before it becomes obsolete in terms of connectivity…That might happen to your device, but that actually just makes providing spare parts for those that want to keep their phone running easy – you have 90% of your originally sold stock turning up as waste to recycle as the customers chase the new thing. Not going to be expensive for the company to turn that into profit as they sell a spare part. Also really not been my experience my phones have frequently been 10 years old or more as the network round here at least doesn’t do anything but add the new faster options quickly – Not like everyone is running around fitting 10gig and more networking to every node of their home network… Heck most folks with it are probably still happy enough with the100meg wired 30 years ago!",
"parent_id": "8141224",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141146",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:23:52",
"content": "“disassembly and repair – including obligations for producers to make critical spare parts available to repairers within 5-10 working days, and until 7 years after the end of sales of the product model on the EU market;”They write clearly what is considered acriticalspare part. The whole point of the regulation is to force manufacturers to design for reliability (as in “1.2. Design for reliability” in the Annex…), reducing the incessant amount of electronic waste produced by the manufacturers wanting to make a quick buck.Critical spare parts: Battery or batteries, front-facing camera assembly, rear-facing camera assembly, external audio connector(s), external charging port(s), mechanical button(s), main microphone(s), speaker(s), hinge assembly, mechanical display folding mechanism.Furthermore: “Spare parts concerned by points (a) and (c) shall not be assemblies comprising more than one of the listed spare part types, with the following exceptions:…”.Basically all of those parts can nowadays be made in a backward compatible manner. It is just in no way compatible with the current state of the market – produce and sell as much irreparable stuff to maximize profit. Besides, it’s not as if this regulation happened over night. 16 June 2023 is the day they made this regulation, 20 June 2025 it came into effect. Except for Article 6 (Circumvention), which came into effect 20 September 2023.The manufacturers had time to prepare. Also this whole thing now requires a “Product information sheet”, in short, the EU is taking the PIS. I wonder if a Product Information Safety Sheet will also become necessary. /scnr",
"parent_id": "8141126",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141165",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:10:41",
"content": "The manufacturers had time to prepare.The cellphone company itself cannot just start re-making a part because they never made it in the first place – they’re more or less assembly houses that sub-contract to other companies that make their components. Expecting the manufacturer to build up vertical integration and re-design their whole logistics in two years to comply with the regulation is just cloud cuckoo land fantasy.",
"parent_id": "8141146",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141170",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:27:46",
"content": "Or rather, the whole business is sub-sub-sub contractors, so the factory that assembles your phone isn’t even owned by the company. That way they don’t have to keep money locked up in bricks and mortar, and can easily scale the production up and down with the market.What this is asking is a return to a more 20th century way of doing things, which is less efficient in terms of utilizing productive assets, which in turn means higher prices for goods and services. You see, the profit maximizing is also cost minimizing at the same time.",
"parent_id": "8141165",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141176",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:35:13",
"content": "cloud cuckoo land fantasyFirst of all, let’s keep it civil shall we? Second, I would like to know if Fairphone is also a product of “cloud cuckoo land fantasy” for they have proven that it can be done and made significant strides forward in this very regard?The cellphone company itself cannot just start re-making a part because they never made it in the first place – they’re more or less assembly houses that sub-contract to other companies that make their componentThat is for the companies to figure out. If the current model cannot comply with the law they’ll have to adapt their processes. The first initial publication for feedback was on December 12, 2020. Open public consultation was launched 06.05.2021 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/PIN/?uri=celex%3A32023R1670).It’s not like companies – especially big ones like smartphone manufacturers – have legal departments whose job it is to keep up with upcoming regulations.",
"parent_id": "8141165",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141184",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:13:41",
"content": "I would like to know if Fairphone is also a product of “cloud cuckoo land fantasy”I don’t think they’ve yet actually proven that they can keep their promises, and I’m not sure what their promises are exactly, or how is it relevant to the case. They also appear to be making their products by sub-contracting factories in China like everyone else does, using the same components and similar design as everyone else, so I don’t see why they would be a proof of anything. It’s just the same stuff with a thin veneer of social responsibility pasted on top.I mean, Samsung makes a phone with a replaceable battery. I have one.",
"parent_id": "8141176",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141189",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:20:35",
"content": "That is for the companies to figure out. If the current model cannot comply with the law they’ll have to adapt their processes.Yep, and as I already wrote, it would demand a return to a 20th century vertically integrated model of manufacturing, which is more expensive and less responsive to market conditions.Or they’ve already figured out enough loopholes to cheat the regulation, or they’ll just ignore the regulation, trusting that the consumers will choose the cheaper throw-away products anyways. After all, what is the penalty?",
"parent_id": "8141176",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141193",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:27:25",
"content": "For example: “This Regulation does not apply to the following products: (a)mobile phones and tablets with a flexible main display which the user can unroll and roll up partly or fully; ”Ding ding ding… guess what’s the rising trend in phones and tablets?",
"parent_id": "8141176",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141151",
"author": "Benjamin Henrion",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:40:01",
"content": "“spare parts being made available within 5-10 working days for seven years after the product stops being sold.”Let’s test this, and enforce it.",
"parent_id": "8141126",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141143",
"author": "Théo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:07:07",
"content": "Instead of speculating about potential drawbacks, why not sit back, relax and enjoy the premiere?It’s finally happening – something meaningful for us, Earthlings (in Europe). Let’s see how it works on a large scale – will we really save resources? Will the price rise?Most importantly, will this lead to the next regulation, this time concerning software?I hope so.IMHO, the OS and software are part of the core issue. I still remember having to turn off my Galaxy S4 — a small, elegant device — because it had become so slow and outdated that I couldn’t even start my banking app anymore. The issue wasn’t with the CPU/RAM performance, but with the developers. And what did I get in return for a new phone? A bulkier, heavier device with no option to change the battery myself. A tracking monster with plenty of unwanted UI effects. And what about apps? Their binary size, memory consumption and network traffic have exploded. Who profits from that? Certainly not me, not the user.This is an industry-wide issue, and regulation is one of the meaningful tools available to us in a democracy. Pure Neo-Liberalism won’t change anything — it’s a pipe dream. Nor will Europe give birth to the next tech giant that will solve this problem in a way that respects freedom (in many ways), the planet and its inhabitants. This is not due to an excess of regulations or spontaneous consideration for its citizens. The problem is a lack of motivation: mobile technology enriches other parts of the world, creates addiction, and shapes habits according to the will of the big tech companies behind it. There is an industry dictatorship, and at least we can acknowledge that the European Union is trying to break it (a bit).Having said that, companies in Europe should definitely invest more in building its “own” tech-stack.We are all reading Hackaday for one reason or another. Engineers should not fear regulations because they will simply become part of the next specifications. Customers should rejoice, and their budget will set the price cap, and businessmen will overcome potential issues — they always do.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141163",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:57:43",
"content": "Yeah they could’ve been more specific about OS. A text like “an operating system update may not negatively impact the devices functionality in such a manner that it decreases the usability of the device” or something like that would have been nice.While I do not know if it will lead to such a regulation concerning software, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it did. The EU is looking for ways to get rid of Microsoft Windows – and Microsoft is giving them a lot of support in this endeavor (https://endof10.org/)! Seen some projects that go about making a EU centric operating system (https://eu-os.eu/among others). The French National Gendarmerie apparently uses an Ubuntu spin-off called “GendBuntu” and OpenOffice/LibreOffice, and are using it to this day (Wikipedia article mentions “December 2024 – Upgrade to Gendbuntu 24.04” in timeline).And the EU has a code repository (https://code.europa.eu/info/about), although “On code.europa.eu, projects can only be created by software development project teams working for European UnionInstitutions. Dear colleagues, get in touch with us if you wish to set up a new group/project (see below)”.So while they don’t directly address this issue yet – they may. Given the course they’re on right now it is not entirely improbable that they could be already preparing this step.I for one am happy with this general direction.",
"parent_id": "8141143",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141228",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:11:08",
"content": "“Seen some projects that go about making a EU centric operating system (https://eu-os.eu/among others). The French National Gendarmerie apparently uses an Ubuntu spin-off called “GendBuntu” and OpenOffice/LibreOffice, and are using it to this day (Wikipedia article mentions “December 2024 – Upgrade to Gendbuntu 24.04” in timeline).”My complaint about this is that they can’t come up with anything better/else than Linux, anything creative.From a security point of view, it’s at least questionable.Because, seriously, switching from Windows monopoly to Linux monopoly?It would be more reasonable to use a combination of BSD, Solaris and the other Unixes.So that one security hole can’t affect all desktop systems and server system (worldwide) same time.But that will probably remain whishful thinking.For over 25 years, people do only think of Linux as an alternative to Windows. As an universal solution to everything.They’re unable to make a mental turnaround. They’re hard-coded into using Linux as a replacement.",
"parent_id": "8141163",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141229",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:12:31",
"content": "“I for one am happy with this general direction.”Good to you. I’m concerned.",
"parent_id": "8141163",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141235",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:38:17",
"content": "There are so many alternative OSes that could be use in certain applications, to maintain diversity.For example:– AROS (AmigaOS successor, has distributions, too)– Haiku (related to Zeta/BeOS)– MinuetOS/KolibriOS (simplistic, but tiny and no known security holes, runs easily on thin clients)– QNX (used to be used in automotive, has nanokernel, Unix like, was free gift on cover disks/internet dial-up floppy)– ecomstation/ArcaOS (former OS/2)– ReactOS (Windows NT equivalent)– BSD (FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD)– Darwin (macOS kernal, BSD like)– FreeDOS, PC-MOS/386 and many other DOSes (for industry, embedded use, immune against internet attacks)– Solaris, HP/UX, AIX, IRIX, UnixWare (the former workstation *nix OSes)And these are merely the most common that.Sone thoughts:ReactOS could be forked into a dedicated replacement/distro that serves a special purpose.ArcaOS can run Win32 applications via ODIN and run ported X11/POSIX applications (Firefox etc).Please don’t get me wrong, none is a one-fits-it-all.But using at least some of them instead of defaulting to Linux is worth a try.The less monoculture there is, the healthier is a network or workplace.It makes things more failsafe, more rugged, also.Not seldomly, a Windows update will affect many PCs same time (say, update happens over night).On next boot-up, say in the morning, all PCs in an office might be broken.This is very likely to happen if similar standard hardware was used (same PC models).Linux has similar issues with attacks,because Linux being the kernel is running in kernal space, after all.It runs stable until it doesn’t. That’s why a security hole hits even harder on Linux.",
"parent_id": "8141163",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141431",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:04:29",
"content": "Good to you. I’m concerned.Oh, I understand concern. When I say it’s a step in the right direction it’s becauseit takes strips the power away from the corporation. Microsoft has too much power over the European market (and market power in general), and is abusing this power for profit.I too would like a world in which Haiku or FreeBSD were more available – this is mostly limited by hardware manufacturers who produce…closed source drivers for wireless chipsets and such. Heck, I’d even run FreeBSD if the wireless stack was a bit better (for some reason, across devices, wireless ends up being unbearably slow).Linux just has the major benefit of being an open source commons. While an individual person may not have the expertise to modify it for e.g. running with legacy systems, a government should be able to pull that off. And it’s well supported and well known.So it becomes a logical choice for most – supportive communities exist, there’s an ecosystem around it and such. From a technical perspective there may be trade-offs, but from a social perspective it’s currently simply the most practical option.I’ve tried most of the available options but still used Linux. Why? Because it works – most of the time. It’s “easy” to fix most of the time. Heck, recently with all the changes I don’t even know how to use Windows (or many Microsoft products) anymore, since they keep changing stuff. And it’s layers upon layers of badly integrated legacy stuff. It’s less about what could be done, more about “how practical is it”. And sadly security is not practical, the end user only sees it as annoying (until they get hacked).Obviously the only solution is to adoptDuskOSand write a GUI in Forth /scnrWhat I find more concerning is the direction that communication has taken. Discord and Slack are both a boon upon humanity, it’s just the Windows mistake again but this time for chat clients. There’s a lot of projects that I’d like to contribute to, but then they have a Discord channel (which I categorically refuse to use). The simple truth is: some things should not necessarily be left in the hands of corporations with profit driven interests, as politically charged as that sounds, as it in itself can become a security risk/liability.",
"parent_id": "8141235",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141149",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:31:08",
"content": "My first tablet became unusable when the touchscreen broke. I sent it in to the manufacturer (HiSense) and got it back with a note saying that they don’t have replacement parts. This was within the first year after I bought it.My second tablet (Archos) eventually stopped charging. They didn’t bother to repair it and simply sent back a completely different tablet. Only after I insisted, I received a tablet of the same model. I later found out that the replacement had a broken µSD slot. And it freezes with garbage on the screen (bad solder joint?) if I touch it “too much” while playing videos.Now after 8 years a 1 inch wide strip of the touchscreen no longer reacts, which made me buy a new one. (Why on earth did manufacturers stop making tablets with Full HD and +300dpi???) Anyway, I chose a cheap one from Doogee. The last available software update is from December 2023…So, yeah, I do welcome this new regulation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141179",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:55:01",
"content": "HiSense, DoogeeThese are Chinese contract manufacturing brands. They’re basically fire-and-forget products that are made in a big batch of millions at a time, then pushed to all the retail channels at once, and then completely forgotten as far as warranties or returns are considered. They simply spam the market with cheap junk under different brand names, if they bother to brand them at all – you can find the same products on AliExpress from a hundred different sellers.You don’t need a regulation to avoid crud like that. Just stop buying junk.",
"parent_id": "8141149",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141204",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:47:03",
"content": "But now even these companies will have to offer replacement parts and updates if they want to sell in the EU.",
"parent_id": "8141179",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141222",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:45:09",
"content": "And I’m sure they’ll comply. Just like they currently do with modern slavery laws, IP laws, CE certification, RHOS certification, energy efficiency, and import duties.What’s the EU going to do when they don’t? Invade China?",
"parent_id": "8141204",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141487",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:02:39",
"content": "Probably stop export technology to China. China can’t produce without European tech – at least not at the level that Europe is producing stuff. A lot of PV technology has been brought over from Germany.KUKA for example started as a German company, the was acquired by China’s Midea Group. Transrapid, developed in German – “The last one, Transrapid-08, was offered to China under the brand name SMT Transrapid”, which was iirc the same model as the one that led to a fatal crash in Germany (due to human error), resulting in the Transrapid never being adopted in Germany. PV tech, strongly pioneered at Frauenhofer, came to China through strategic assimilation of production lines and experts into China. When Germany caught on, making acquisitions harder, China obtained licenses and reverse engineered.And that’s just the case of Germany. Other examples exist, like Nokia, Opera, Cars…Running over to China for cheap manufacturing and increased profits was one of the dumbest idea in the history of MBAs anyways, and a mistake they keep making (Japanese did it similar to China with cars. Toyota has the reputation for reliability for a reason, and both their reliability and adaptability has been proven by yours truly – insurgents in the middle east).What the EU will most likely do when these company systematically try to undermine these regulations is simply to make it much harder for these companies to put their products on the European markets, or prohibit it entirely.One interesting example is Russia: China for a long time used the Russian Saturn AL-31 (e.g. SU-27 Flanker), which powered Chinese J-10 jets. When Russia caught on to what they were doing (using their technology to develop their own jet engine and trying to compete with them), Russia stopped exporting to them altogether, resulting in the WS-15 engine in J-20.Thing is, making jet enginesreliableis hard. And the predominant Chinese culture doesn’t necessarily mean they build the most reliable stuff in the first place. That’s not to say the Chinese are bad craftsmen – they certainly have capable people – but culture does play a large role in shaping technology (e.g. Japanese Kaizen and similar).So no. Europe doesn’t need to invade China. It wouldn’t solve anything and there are alternative routes that make more sense for dealing with China.Why do you think that both USA and Europe are so bent on bringing chip manufacturing back? Do you think it will be only chip manufacturing?The reality is – both Europe and the USA are already taking steps precisely because of the non-compliance regardingmodern slavery laws, IP laws, CE certification, RHOS certification, energy efficiency, and import duties, and because they havefinallyrealized that it’s a matter of national securitynotto have China produce everything.",
"parent_id": "8141222",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141719",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:35:14",
"content": "China can’t produce without European tech – at least not at the level that Europe is producing stuff.Yes they can. That ship has sailed.Smarter Every Day did a video about the subject recently, where they noted that not only does China run the factories, they run the factories that make the factories including the tooling while the US companies only do the designs, which the Chinese are perfectly capable of doing themselves.",
"parent_id": "8141222",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141339",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T01:34:37",
"content": "So, stop buying the cheapest of crap no-name things then complaining when they’re exactly that……",
"parent_id": "8141149",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141199",
"author": "Lsjob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T12:38:03",
"content": "FYI the law also says the following, which is good news for those afraid that this will be meaningless in a few years:Article 8ReviewThe Commission shall review this Regulation in the light of technological progress and present the result of this assessment including, if appropriate, a draft revision proposal,",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141215",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T13:11:45",
"content": "The EPREL database for smartphones and tablets is here, btw.:https://eprel.ec.europa.eu/screen/product/smartphonestablets20231669The silly interface doesn’t allow to filter by manufacturer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141464",
"author": "Kilian Demmel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T10:24:54",
"content": "EPREL – 1.0.92 – 20/06/2025, 05:45:33. Heh.I’ve written to the European Commission. It’s not straight forward, but possible.Hopefully they can implement some sort of search function like every online shop has, put in “Iphone 16” and you’d get all Apple Iphone 16 related entries (you’d still need the model number, but it would make it far easier to use).",
"parent_id": "8141215",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141252",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T17:57:06",
"content": "There will be basically zero manufacturers adding easily removable batteries under this law. As written, after 18 months, manufacturers can apply for an exemption if their batteries have a high enough cycle life. 83% at 500 cycles or 80% at 1000. So pretty much well get one year of crappy models that are thicker than the existing models and have substantial waterproofing and durability concerns and then everyone will figure out it’s a terrible idea and we’ll go back to where we started.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141406",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:47:24",
"content": "And the regulation doesn’t apply to folding or rolling display phones at all, so the fancier newer phones are totally exempt.",
"parent_id": "8141252",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142933",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T13:39:32",
"content": "I think this is great. Surely there will be issues or loopholes initially, but those can be fixed later on. As a citizen of The Netherlands, I’m really happy to see that the EU is pushing the world towards a more sustainable future. If it were not for the EU, all phones and laptops would still have incompatible chargers. I really hate the fact that we throw away so many devices that only have a very small defect (one defective component) because it’s just cheaper to buy a new one. In the long term, making sure that devices are more robust and repairable will be much cheaper since we won’t have to import so many exotic materials and, ultimately even more important, we don’t pollute the environment so much.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,506.504331
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/converting-an-e-paper-photo-frame-into-weather-map/
|
Converting An E-Paper Photo Frame Into Weather Map
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"Art",
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers",
"Raspberry Pi",
"Software Hacks",
"Tech Hacks"
] |
[
"e-ink",
"e-paper",
"Raspberry Pi Pico",
"weather map"
] |
Here’s a great hack sent in to us from [Simon]. He uses an e-paper photo frame
as a weather map
!
By now you are probably aware of e-paper technology, which is very low power tech for displaying images. E-paper only uses energy when it changes its display, it doesn’t draw power to maintain a picture it has already rendered. The particular e-paper used in this example is fairly large (as e-paper goes) and supports color (not just black and white) which is why it’s expensive. For about US$100 you can get a 5.7″ 7-color EPD display with 600 x 448 pixels.
Beyond the Inky Frame 5.7″ hardware this particular hack is mostly a software job. The first program, written in python, collects weather data from the
UK Met Office
. Once that image data is available a BASH script is run to process the image files with imagemagick. Finally a Micro Python script runs on the Pico to download the correct file based on the setting of the real-time clock, and update the e-paper display with the weather map.
Thanks to [Simon] for sending this one in via the
tipsline
. If you have your own tips, please do let us know! If you’re interested in e-paper tech we have certainly covered that here in the past, check out
E-Paper Anniversary Counter Is A Charming Gift With Minimal Power Draw
and
A Neat E-Paper Digit Clock (or Four)
.
The video below the break is a notice from the UK Met Office regarding their data services.
| 6
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140978",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:00:42",
"content": "This would be perfect to display updated WEFAX images!I’ve never gotten decent automation for it (poorly synced transmissions just delete images), even when I’ve carefully tuned it (usually for the German transmission which is strongest near me).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141806",
"author": "Ewald",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:31:12",
"content": "Be sure to check out the pimoroni site, they also sell the 7.3” version for just a little more.BTW Pimoroni calls it: E Ink® photo frame / home dashboard / life organiser, so the intention was always to create your own application with this device, but the weathermap is a nice example.",
"parent_id": "8140978",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141807",
"author": "Ewald",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:34:19",
"content": "o, andA new generation of ePaper is coming! Inky Frames manufactured after June 2025 will use a new Spectra 6 E Ink® display panel which brings a number of improvements over the panels that we’ve used previously – notably a shorter refresh time and more saturated colours.",
"parent_id": "8141806",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140980",
"author": "babypuke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:03:27",
"content": "@simon if you read this, in your draw proc addwhile graphics.is_busy(): passand it could sort out your sleep issue",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141303",
"author": "Derek Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:50:50",
"content": "You know he has an email address on his webpage, right? You could just email him directly.",
"parent_id": "8140980",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141114",
"author": "le hollandais volant",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:08:36",
"content": "I would love to have a Blitzortung map (lightning strikes map) on my wall !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,506.059476
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/earths-oxygen-levels-and-magnetic-field-strength-show-strong-correlation/
|
Earth’s Oxygen Levels And Magnetic Field Strength Show Strong Correlation
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Science",
"Space"
] |
[
"earth",
"geomagnetic",
"oxygen"
] |
Time series of O2 (blue) and VGADM (red). (Credit:
Weijia Kuang
, Science Advances, 2025)
In an Earth-sized take on the age-old ‘correlation or causality’ question, researchers have
come across a fascinating match
between Earth’s magnetic field and its oxygen levels since the Cambrian explosion, about 500 million years ago. The full results by [Weijia Kuang] et al.
were published
in
Science Advances
, where the authors speculate that this high correlation between the geomagnetic dipole and oxygen levels as recorded in the Earth’s geological mineral record may be indicative of the Earth’s geological processes affecting the evolution of lifeforms in its biosphere.
As with any such correlation, one has to entertain the notion that said correlation might be spurious or indirectly related before assuming a strong causal link. Here it is for example known already that the solar winds affect the Earth’s atmosphere and with it the geomagnetic field, as more intense solar winds increase the loss of oxygen into space, but this does not affect the strength of the geomagnetic field, just its shape. The question is thus whether there is a mechanism that would affect this field strength and consequently cause the loss of oxygen to the solar winds to spike.
Here the authors suggest that the Earth’s core dynamics – critical to the geomagnetic field – may play a major role, with conceivably the core-mantle interactions over the course of millions of years affecting it. As supercontinents like Pangea formed, broke up and partially reformed again, the impact of this material solidifying and melting could have been the underlying cause of these fluctuations in oxygen and magnetic field strength levels.
Although hard to say at this point in time, it may very well be that this correlation is causal, albeit as symptoms of activity of the Earth’s core and liquid mantle.
| 19
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141491",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:13:06",
"content": "Both magnetic field and oxygen leves can be affected by changes in earth core (eg. temperature?), maybe that is the original cause…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141492",
"author": "dahud",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:13:50",
"content": "You’ve misread the chart. It goes back to 500 million years ago, when complex life was first evolving.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141496",
"author": "Lukas",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:21:05",
"content": "Cut the dude some slack he also thinks that banning car engine type will make the south react the same way when they banned slavery.",
"parent_id": "8141492",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141495",
"author": "dahud",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:19:13",
"content": "I also think the number of recent articles here that have received the silliest, most contrarian retrograde comments within 5 minutes of being posted, followed by dozens of replies observing that first poster’s many failings, ought to be noted.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141514",
"author": "c",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:20:11",
"content": "Hackaday’s comment section is outdated. No edit button. No upvote or downvote button. Notifications don’t work. Limited reply level nesting. Censorship.",
"parent_id": "8141495",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141524",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:30:41",
"content": "No “consequences matter” button means people put a little more effort into their replies. Up/downvote gives one some of the silliest nonsense, and demonstrates “crowd wisdom” as a theory that doesn’t hold up. Limited nesting promoting conciseness. Censorship? Might I recommend the Fediverse where you have only as much freedom as your server instance allows.",
"parent_id": "8141514",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141542",
"author": "kaidenshi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:01:02",
"content": "“Might I recommend the Fediverse where you have only as much freedom as your server instance allows.”You also have the freedom to host your own server instance, meaning the only limit to what you say is what you allow yourself to say. That is true freedom.",
"parent_id": "8141524",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141515",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:22:41",
"content": "Note also how much of all that disappears, never to be seen again.",
"parent_id": "8141495",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141570",
"author": "Matthias",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:18:24",
"content": "Maybe it is not loss of oxygen to the solar wind, but gain of hydrogen from the solar wind? The oxygen then would transfer from the atmosphere to the oceans by reacting with protons not deflected by the weaker magnetic field.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141581",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:50:18",
"content": "If I remember right, the vast bulk of oxygen is generated by the photosynthetic plankton in the oceans. Perhaps it was different back then, but here we are now, and this has been confirmed by independent studies (as far as I could tell). Not sure how that would correlate with the strength of the magnetic field, which would be fascinating study done by someone like Philip Ball or Nick Lane (who, too, stand on the shoulders of giants).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141588",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:03:58",
"content": "So we need to hold our breath during the transition of the North and south poles?I’ll be sure to write it up and post it in TikTok so people are ready for it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141617",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T17:10:48",
"content": "Be sure to also shill your book and vitamin supplements on it",
"parent_id": "8141588",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141847",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T13:21:08",
"content": "“These products are not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.”",
"parent_id": "8141617",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142838",
"author": "kwxx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-27T23:37:44",
"content": "More accurately: “These products are meant to make money for me, not to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.”",
"parent_id": "8141847",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141603",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:01:30",
"content": "“Here it is for example known already that the solar winds affect the Earth’s atmosphere and with it the geomagnetic field, as more intense solar winds increase the loss of oxygen into space, but this does not affect the strength of the geomagnetic field, just its shape.”You may have hit the nail on the head, so to speak, as the field strength determines how much the solar wind and coronal mass ejections can interact with the earth and its atmosphere.We also already know that there are many magnetic field cycles that the earth goes through, as well as many cycles that solar activity goes through (which have already been shown to have correlation with the field strength of the earth), so perhaps it is ultimately the sun.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141741",
"author": "Marc linquist",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T01:07:18",
"content": "The magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth are mutually inductively coupled. Leading to some very interesting phenomena that can explain this link of planetary field and O2. Bond noted that the Sun’s field strength was connected to the Earth’s field strength and climate.Do you suppose that the mantle would have to accommodate that energy input that is being inducted into an electrically and thermally responding field generating outer and inner core? A little thermal expansion maybe?Resulting in the mantle needing to adjust its internal structure as a strain energy response that, due to the immense pressures at depths and the mantle’s great thickness, transfers these energies to the mantle’s outer surface where the pressures are low enough to allow tearing and melting of the mantle’s surface?The paper below completes this scenario explaining a path to oxygen generation from tectonic forcing.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32129-yTectonically-driven oxidant production in the hot biosphereYou may find my link below interesting. It could be the greatest geological hack in history. The mantle has been discovered to oscillate in 3-4 million year cycles that I can show are correlated to solar magnetic field strength.https://electroplatetectonics.blogspot.com/?m=1Let me know what you think, Marc",
"parent_id": "8141603",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141857",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:24:32",
"content": "Gosh, I think I missed the memo that oxygen levels dropped to 10% recently.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141873",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:40:29",
"content": "Oxygen deprivation may be to blame.",
"parent_id": "8141857",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142091",
"author": "Nerdy Math Guy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T11:24:39",
"content": "As a mathematician I would never recommend trusting a linear correlation on a function that’s clearly not linear. This is a quintessential misuse of statistics.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,508.699625
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/23/visual-code-generator-to-end-all-generators/
|
Visual Code Generator To End All Generators
|
Ian Bos
|
[
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"barcode hacking",
"barcode scanner",
"organization",
"QR codes",
"web app"
] |
QR codes are something that we all take for granted in this day and age. There are even a million apps to create your own QR codes, but what if you want to make a barcode? How about making a specific kind of barcode that follows UPC-E, CODE 39, or even the infamous… CODABAR? Well, it might be more difficult to find a single app that can handle all those different standards. Using “yet-another-web-app”,
Barcode Tool – Generator & Scanner
, you can rid these worries, created by [Ricardo de Azambuja].
When going to [Ricardo]’s simple application, you will find a straightforward interface that allows you to make far more different strips and square patterns than you’ve ever imagined. Of course, starting with the common QR code, you can create custom overlaid codes like many
other QR generators
. More uniquely, there are options for any barcode under the sun to help organize your hacker workspace. If you don’t want to download an app to scan the codes, you can even use the included scanner function.
If you want to use the web app, you can find it
here
! In-depth solutions to rather simple problems are something we strive to provide here at Hackaday, and this project is no exception. However, if you want something more physical, check out this specialized
outdoor city cooking station
.
| 20
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141444",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:43:33",
"content": "In SVG or PNG mode either the icon or the QR is blurred. Naturally in PNG mode neither should be blurred since it is lossless. Other than that, thanks for an amazing tool!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141481",
"author": "ziew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T10:57:26",
"content": "I wanted to see the “infamous Codabar”, but it doesn’t work. It throws the following exception:Error generating SVG: bwipp.unknownEncoder: unknown encoder name: codabarWhich suggests that the page is just a nice wrapper for a Barcode Writer library. At least the generator part. Not that it’s wrong, but it turns out that it’s actually notthathard to find an app that supports much more barcode types:https://bwip-js.metafloor.com/demo/demo.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141748",
"author": "ricardodeazambuja",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:07:40",
"content": "CODABAR (^[ABCD][0-9-$:\\/.+]*[ABCD]) is working now!",
"parent_id": "8141481",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141521",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:27:08",
"content": "Zint Barcode Generator is the best tool for this. It runs locally (command line or GUI), it can do way more code types, it can even bulk generate hundreds of barcodes from a text file.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141605",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:10:50",
"content": "That certainly does cover a lot of symbologies. Now where did I put my CueCat?",
"parent_id": "8141521",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141527",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:34:13",
"content": "QR codes as a form of “lowest common denominator” communications. A visual SMS.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141561",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:38:12",
"content": "What a weird and unrelated inclusion there in the last sentence. And whats up with the out of place square brackets on the name? Seems like someone is automating the copying of text from some other source.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141568",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:55:45",
"content": "You must be new here.",
"parent_id": "8141561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141569",
"author": "helium",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:55:59",
"content": "Have you never been here before?",
"parent_id": "8141561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141576",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:32:06",
"content": "Both of these things are normal for Hackaday’s style.The last sentence is because they end basically every post with a recommendation and link to another one. It’s usually either a similar project or something sort of opposite like linking to a hardware build at the end of a software post. Admittedly this one seems a bit more random than usual.The brackets are how they denote names. They always try to credit the original creator on this site but lots of creators go by nicknames or handles that are so random it isn’t always clear where the name starts and ends. The brackets fix that.",
"parent_id": "8141561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141727",
"author": "IsRadioKill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:49:30",
"content": "Literally every Hackaday post going back 20 years uses the [creator’s name] format. Also, linking to a related article is fun, useful, and a standard part of user retention…",
"parent_id": "8141561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141582",
"author": "Graystache",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:58:00",
"content": "My bank uses PhotoTAN, which looks like a QR-code with red/green/blue dots. (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/PhotoTAN_mit_Orientierungsmarkierungen.svg)Every time I have to scan one of those, I’m astounded by just how quickly they are picked up. Where a QR code might need the camera to carefully align and have a clean and stable view, then a phototan code is picked up when I vaguely wave my phone towards the screen.Any similarly ‘better’ codes out there, preferably non-propriatary?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141584",
"author": "Graystache",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:59:20",
"content": "PS: Cronto Visual Cryptogram seems to be the non-marketing name:https://free-barcode.com/barcode/barcode-types/cronto-visual-cryptogram.asp",
"parent_id": "8141582",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141606",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:11:01",
"content": "What your app is looking for is that very thick black outline. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s easily confused or fooled by boxed items that aren’t PhotoTAN. Color barcodes are great when it works but in general it can be completely unreadable depending on lighting. To further complicate matters, generic printing colors are CMYK, not RGB.",
"parent_id": "8141582",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141676",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:00:39",
"content": "My bank uses “regular” QR codes on their website to scan with the app, and fairly large ones (49×49 px, such that they need the extra alignment marks). Any regular QR scanning app can scan them, they just lead to a custom URI scheme (://CC;pgom?token===). My phone’s camera scanner with QR mode needs to be pointed at the QR (or any QR) and held still for a few seconds to pick it up. A specialized QR app is fairly quick but needs to be pointed at the right direction and held still.But my banking app, as soon as the camera on my phone is started I can just swivel the phone towards my pc screen and it immediately scans, and refreshes the page to the “confirm login on your app” while my phone shows a blurry image of the QR. I think that app is hyperfocused at reading exactly one type of V8 QR code, which is why it can be so fast.",
"parent_id": "8141582",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141803",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:23:03",
"content": "This actually drives me nuts. I want to get the QR code nice and centered, but as soon as it enters the frameat allit gets recognized. Tough on my OCD, but I suppose it’s a tech win.",
"parent_id": "8141676",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141986",
"author": "kwxx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T23:53:06",
"content": "(://CC;pgom?token===)Curious, is this a CueCat code? That reminds me of the logo.",
"parent_id": "8141676",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141599",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:41:55",
"content": "Sadly, this generator is VERY incomplete in what it can generate.This site can generate most everythingwhilethis site does most with fine grained options.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141671",
"author": "Rakesh Chowdhury",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:50:48",
"content": "We have 16 competing visual code generators now (it was 15)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141703",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:04:27",
"content": "They can make great Aztec patterns for refit era Star Trek ships",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,508.49645
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/ai-piano-teacher-to-criticize-your-every-move/
|
AI Piano Teacher To Criticize Your Every Move
|
Ian Bos
|
[
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"AI model",
"instructable",
"machine vision",
"piano hack",
"rasberry pi"
] |
Learning new instruments is never a simple task on your own; nothing can beat the instant feedback of a teacher. In our new age of AI, why not have an AI companion complain when you’re off note? This is exactly what [Ada López] put together with their
AI-Powered Piano Trainer
.
The basics of the piano rely on rather simple boolean actions, either you press a key or not. Obviously, this sets up the piano for many fun projects, such as
creative doorbells
or helpful AI models. [Ada López] started their AI model with a custom dataset with images of playing specific notes on the piano. These images then get fed into Roboflow and trained using the YOLOv8 model.
Using the piano training has the model run on a laptop and only has a Raspberry Pi for video, and gives instant feedback to the pianist due to the demands of the model. Placing the Pi and an LCD screen for feedback into a simple enclosure allows the easy viewing of how good an AI model thinks you play piano. [Ada López] demos their device by playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but there is no reason why other songs couldn’t be added!
While there are simpler piano trainers out there relying on audio cues, this project presents a great opportunity for a fun project for anyone else wanting to take up the baton. If you want to get a little more from having to do less in the physical space, then this
invisible piano
is perfect for you!
| 15
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141397",
"author": "Gible Fog",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:11:27",
"content": "Bet it can’t crush your fingers the way my piano teacher used to though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141404",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:41:53",
"content": "Can we just get realtime MIDI data from video of someone playing piano?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141934",
"author": "polartx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:31:09",
"content": "Yes. That’s how most apps accomplish this. In cases where a piano is analog, many apps use a microphone input to discern exactly what notes are played.",
"parent_id": "8141404",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141410",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T07:24:13",
"content": "When I read the article, I thought the system was able to track your fingers positions, their state (are they curved correctly or straight), the timing, the prepare for the next note, and so on. In fact, it’s dumber than a simple MIDI keyboard. A dumb keyboard will know when a key is pressed with 100% success, it’ll know the force provided with 100% success too. This will miss keys, will not track anything about your fingers, it’s simply AI boolcheat.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141539",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:49:27",
"content": "A hybrid perhaps of a Yamaha Disklavier, with maybe some hall/optical switches, and an Intel Realsense for better depth perception. More and better information for the AI.",
"parent_id": "8141410",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141463",
"author": "WurstCase",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T10:24:31",
"content": "Stop calling everything AI … thats computer vision",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141529",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:38:28",
"content": "Umbrella term for a host of technologies.",
"parent_id": "8141463",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141565",
"author": "LookAtDaShinyShiny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:43:33",
"content": "can’t we just call it ‘binfire’ instead?",
"parent_id": "8141529",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141716",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:30:12",
"content": "The term “AI” exclusively referring to LLMs or anime girl jpg generators is a very recent idea",
"parent_id": "8141463",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141773",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:07:43",
"content": "It’s stupid, though. A.I. used to imply neuronal nets or expert systems.This stuff shown here rather falls in OCR category.And calling optical character recognizion or speech recognizion as A.I. is a far stretch.Way back in the 80s/90s, your typical handy scanner wasn’t being advertised as having “A.I.” capabilities.Even IBM’s ViaVoice didn’t have an “A.I.” sticker slapped on the box.Let’s be honest, “A.I.” has become a meaningless catch phrase, just like Web 2.0, big data, cloud computing etc..Silicon Valley needs that stuff to make itself feel important.",
"parent_id": "8141716",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141577",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:35:35",
"content": "IMHO, one of many POTENTIALLY useful AIs, but not the most critical. You’d still need a mentor. Not merely teacher, mentor that would see your every mistake made and, ideally, prevent those from happening in the first place. AI-wise I am not sure it can anticipate things that well. Yet. Maybe in the future, once it will learn to tailor to one particular person, quirks and all.(Spoiler – classical piano background; the learning curve for mastering the piano, or any instrument, really, won’t get any flatter with any new uber technology – once more, “Fahre fort, übe nicht allein die Kunst, sondern dringe auch in ihr Inneres; sie verdient es. Denn nur die Kunst und die Wissenschaft erhöhen den Menschen bis zur Gottheit.” – the loose/romantisized translation is – “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.” Ludwig van Beethoven).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141596",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:21:43",
"content": "i really understand the temptation to approach music from this direction, as a techy, but it isn’t fruitful.and i think that’s really the thing that bums me out the most about hackaday…just a constant drumbeat “i want to brag about the build of something unusable / unused that i made.” there are a ton of people out thereusing their hacks, but of course they aren’tcontent creatorsso we never hear from them. i guess that’s intrinsic and i should just move on. really, i’m part of the problem.but anyone who uses a tool like this to try to learn piano is soon going to run into its limits. i know 100% if i had done this, i’d write in my project diary about how unsatisfactory it is. instead of publishing it. (in fact, i did this, using MIDI, 15 years ago and it was so unsatisfactory that i didn’t even bother to write the entry, i just dropped it on the ground — that project’s diary is already full of criticism of my other failed add-ons)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141681",
"author": "Dubious",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:21:17",
"content": "So your complaint is what, exactly? Someone put together a very very detailed discussion about how they did something in case someone else can learn something from it and you’re not happy about it because it doesn’t have 100% utility for you? You may need to find another website, friend.",
"parent_id": "8141596",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141853",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:02:51",
"content": "because it was never used by the person who made it. please try to keep up.",
"parent_id": "8141681",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141612",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:47:22",
"content": "This just reminds me how much I’d love for a solid open source program like Rocksmith to teach loads of instruments.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,508.808644
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/3d-print-glass-using-accessible-techniques/
|
3D Print Glass, Using Accessible Techniques
|
Jenny List
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"3d printed glass",
"glass",
"sodium silicate",
"waterglass"
] |
When seeing a story from MIT’s Lincoln Labs that promises 3D printing glass, our first reaction was that it might use some rare or novel chemicals, and certainly a super-high-tech printer. Perhaps it was some form of high-temperature laser sintering, unlikely to be within the reach of mere mortals. How wrong we were, because these boffins have developed
a way to 3D print a glass-like material using easy-to-source materials and commonly available equipment
.
The print medium is sodium silicate solution, commonly known as waterglass, mixed with silica and other inorganic nanoparticles. It’s referred to as an ink, and it appears to be printed using a technique very similar to the FDM printers we all know. The real magic comes in the curing process, though, because instead of being fired in a special furnace, these models are heated to 200 Celsius in an oil bath. They can then be solvent cleaned and are ready for use. The result may not be the fine crystal glass you may be expecting, but we can certainly see plenty of uses for it should it be turned into a commercial product. Certainly more convenient than
sintering with a laser cutter
.
| 21
| 12
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141362",
"author": "ganzuul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T04:28:34",
"content": "Deep eutectics are wild. Would love to see if these can be used as molds for casting metal with household microwave ovens.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141363",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T04:29:34",
"content": "“The real magic comes in the curing process, though, because instead of being fired in a special furnace, these models are heated to 200 Celsius in an oil bath. ”I think we’re seeing a lot more this instead of “lets do everything in air” but goo.https://www.rapidliquidprint.com/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141389",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:38:11",
"content": "Not the same. That technology is printing in a gel to eliminate the need for supports. This process is using oil only during the thermal curing process to ensure the part is heated evenly, not to provide support.",
"parent_id": "8141363",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141396",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:09:56",
"content": "Probably not just for even heating, actually. I’d imagine the oil keeps enough water trapped in the sodium silicate to allow it to react with the other ingredients. Sort of like an in-situ hydrothermal reactor. Really cool idea if that’s what it is.",
"parent_id": "8141389",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141377",
"author": "Daniel Matthews",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T04:48:46",
"content": "How tough is the result, watertight and resilient enough for outdoor lighting applications?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141387",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:27:12",
"content": "One of the things I would like to see done is having a sculpted liquid surface harden at once—no layers.Maybe this points the way:https://phys.org/news/2025-06-physicists-3d-spines-sculpt-surface.htmlFor the cortex of Darth Vader’s Super Star Destroyer, each layer is about a deck—so that works out.For Star Trek ships—you want smoother saucers.I have seen Bessel functions and acoustics have the raised letter “S” in a liquidhttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-ultrasound-imaging-detachable-acoustic-lens.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2025-04-exception-laws-thermodynamics-recovering-liquid.amphttps://phys.org/news/2019-02-sculpting-stable-pure-liquids.amp",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141419",
"author": "udif",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:25:20",
"content": "Is it only me that took a moment to realize that a 410um nozzle is simply a standard 0.4mm nozzle?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142511",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T20:59:53",
"content": "Only 400 microns thick!",
"parent_id": "8141419",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142891",
"author": "dtwprojects",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T07:02:50",
"content": "Lol +/- .01 mm!",
"parent_id": "8141419",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141439",
"author": "Oh Be Juan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:29:28",
"content": "I see where this is headed… Miniaturize the process by about 100x and add in doping compunds instead of dyes, and you’re 3D printing microchips. If they’re able to pull that off, it will put SoC design in the hands of hobbyists. It’ll be the next great silicon revolution.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141604",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:08:43",
"content": "Good ICs require monocrystalline silicon. which melts at 1687 K. At best, they’re getting amorphous sodium silicate which is annealing (?) at 500 K.It’s a nice new tech, but it’s not near semiconductors.",
"parent_id": "8141439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141707",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:07:37",
"content": "SUTD has a new product “Glass-Nano:”“Glass nanostructures reflect nearby all visible light, challenging photonics assumptions”From Phys,org",
"parent_id": "8141439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141442",
"author": "Oh Be Juan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:34:31",
"content": "Next thought in the thought chain… Add AI into the design cycle once you reach that level of resolution and computers would be self replicating. Hello Skynet! LOL",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141474",
"author": "FEW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T10:42:02",
"content": "This is very cool,, though I don’t want a toluene/IPA wash bath as part of my home game.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141742",
"author": "Sengfroid",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T01:21:43",
"content": "I mean, IPA bath’s are pretty common for resin printing already, so that part is not a crazy jump from what people are doing just to save money on Warhammer mini figures or whatever",
"parent_id": "8141474",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141602",
"author": "JJW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T15:58:54",
"content": "Now I know why I bought a $500 laboratory blast oven that can reach and hold temps as high as 300 deg C for many hours — instead of the various “high temp” filament driers emerging on to the market and which top out between 80 and 160 deg C …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141629",
"author": "JKocurek",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:02:15",
"content": "No idea what those widely available, inorganic nanoparticles are, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141787",
"author": "Jelle",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:47:10",
"content": "fumed silica would be my guess.",
"parent_id": "8141629",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141645",
"author": "Clyde",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:48:10",
"content": "Will it dissolve in water after it has been cured?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141708",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:08:36",
"content": "Water glass was used in Fukashima as I recall",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141788",
"author": "Jelle",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:48:26",
"content": "So? It is a very common chemical that can react with CO2 and harden.",
"parent_id": "8141708",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,508.981663
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/hackaday-links-june-22-2025/
|
Hackaday Links: June 22, 2025
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links",
"Slider"
] |
[
"asciimation",
"automaton",
"chatbot",
"ChatGPT",
"ecu",
"education",
"firmware",
"hackaday links",
"LLM",
"mtrek 1701",
"retrotechtacular",
"reverse engineering",
"robot",
"telnet"
] |
Hold onto your hats, everyone — there’s stunning news afoot. It’s hard to believe, but it looks like
over-reliance on chatbots to do your homework can turn your brain into pudding
. At least that seems to be the conclusion of
a preprint paper
out of the MIT Media Lab, which looked at 54 adults between the ages of 18 and 39, who were tasked with writing a series of essays. They divided participants into three groups — one that used ChatGPT to help write the essays, one that was limited to using only Google search, and one that had to do everything the old-fashioned way. They recorded the brain activity of writers using EEG, in order to get an idea of brain engagement with the task. The brain-only group had the greatest engagement, which stayed consistently high throughout the series, while the ChatGPT group had the least. More alarmingly, the engagement for the chatbot group went down even further with each essay written. The ChatGPT group produced essays that were very similar between writers and were judged “soulless” by two English teachers. Go figure.
The most interesting finding, though, was when 18 participants from the chatbot and brain-only groups were asked to rewrite one of their earlier essays, with the added twist that the chatbot group had to do it all by themselves, while the brainiacs got to use ChatGPT. The EEGs showed that the first group struggled with the task, presumably because they failed to form any deep memory of their previous work thanks to over-reliance on ChatGPT. The brain-only folks, however, did well at the task and showed signs of activity across all EEG bands. That fits well with our experience with chatbots, which we use to help retrieve specific facts and figures while writing articles, especially ones we know we’ve seen during our initial scan of the literature but can’t find later.
Does anyone remember
Elektro
? We sure do, although not from personal experience, since the seven-foot-tall automaton built by Westinghouse for the World’s Fair in New York City in 1939 significantly predates our appearance on the planet. But still, the golden-skinned robot that made its living by walking around, smoking, and cracking wise at the audience thanks to a 78-rpm record player in its capacious chest, really made an impression, enough that it toured the country for the better part of 30 years and made the unforgettable
Sex Kittens Go to College
in 1960 before fading into obscurity. At some point, the one-of-a-kind robot was rescued from a scrap heap and restored to its former glory, and now resides in the
North Central Ohio Industrial Museum
in Mansfield, very close to the Westinghouse facility that built it. If you need an excuse to visit North Central Ohio, you could do worse than a visit to see Elektro.
It was with some alarm that we learned this week from Al Williams that
mtrek.com 1701
appeared to be down. For those not in the know,
mtrek
is a Telnet space combat game inspired by the
Star Trek
franchise, which explains why Al was in such a tizzy about not being able to connect; huge
Trek
nerd, our Al. Anyway, it appears Al’s worst fears were unfounded, as we were able to connect to mtrek just fine. But in the process of doing so, we stumbled across
this collection of Telnet games and demos
that’s worth checking out. The mtrek, of course, as well as Telnet versions of chess and backgammon, and an interactive world map that always blows our mind. The site also lists the Telnet GOAT, the
Star Wars Asciimation
; sadly, that one does seem to be down, at least for us. Sure, you can see it in
a web browser
, but it’s not the same as watching it in a terminal over Telnet, is it?
And finally, if you’ve got 90 minutes or so to spare, you could do worse than to spend it with our friend Hash as he
reverse engineers an automotive ECU
. We have to admit that we haven’t indulged yet — it’s on our playlist for this weekend, because we know how to party. But from what Hash tells us, this is the tortured tale of a job that took far, far longer to complete than expected. We have to admit that while we’ll gladly undertake almost any mechanical repair on most vehicles, automotive ECUs and other electronic modules are almost a bridge too far for us, at least in terms of cracking them open to make even simple repairs. Getting access to them for firmware extraction and parameter fiddling sounds like a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to hearing what Hash has to say about the subject.
| 16
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141319",
"author": "Colin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T23:45:11",
"content": "I did a double-take at Elektro who was the thumbnail image for this post in my RSS reader. “Is that Thinko the robot from Beauty and the Robot (better known as Sex Kittens Go to College)?” Indeed it was. I’d have used a pseudonym if I’d appeared in that one, too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141321",
"author": "PWalsh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:16:25",
"content": "I just did a deep dive into using ChatGPT over the last 6 weeks or so, and I am simultaneously impressed, scared, and disgusted.I’m writing a book and simultaneously learning to be a writer. Basically, learning a skill and taking on a project to promote that learning. I’m using ChatGPT as an alpha reader, as in “how can I make this text better”?Firstly, ChatGPT uses unconditional positive regard, and it’s easy to get hyped up about a project because it will gush about it and tell you that you’re a natural and your project will transform the world. (Instead, tell it “you are a tech reviewer, you know what works, what sells, and what is a dumb idea. Analyze my idea and tell me whether it will work.)Secondly, ChatGPT is really good at writing short stretches of text, but the text is what people online typically write and is not ready for publication. Actual writers will take a line of text and shorten it, remove worthless phrases, use targeted verbs instead of adverbs (“whispered” instead of “spoke softly”), and so on.Also, ChatGPT can write short stretches of text that seem reasonable, but anything longer than a couple of paragraphs and you start to see cracks in the edifice. Point of view is not consistent, central thesis tends to wander, that sort of thing. If you want it to write you a story (say), you have to take the story and upgrade it to be consistent and interesting.But it’s also creative. It suggests lines that are inventive and unique, funny or ironic, and that come out of nowhere; ie – that aren’t suggested by the source material. Sometimes it’s scary good at this. Ask it to create a poem some time and see for yourself.And finally, as research for my project I’ve been reading newly published books (similar to my book idea), and I note that some books seem to have sections that feel for anything like they’ve been written by ChatGPT, these books are self published on Amazon, and it makes me wonder…Just about anyone can type in an idea for the plot line of a book and tell ChatGPT “now, write me the book” and it’ll do that. And that gets me a little scared, because the average public reader won’t be able to tell the difference between a high quality writer (Stephen King) and a self-published ChatGPT novel based on a 2 page plot description.I wish I got this idea to write a book 5 years ago, because it looks to me like everyone and their dog can generate a book from almost nothing using ChatGPT, and I’m a little nervous that books themselves – great literature, things that are popular and good reading – will be lost in a torrential deluge of books that are “mediocre, but serve their purpose”.I’m just a tiny bit uneasy over the idea that writing, especially good writing, will soon disappear as an art form.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141344",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:28:06",
"content": "The em dashes are the biggest ChatGPT tell. “–” Did you prompt AI to write this? A meta joke?",
"parent_id": "8141321",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141745",
"author": "PWalsh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T01:43:29",
"content": "No, I’m learning to write well and just recently discovered the difference between comma and em-dash, where you use one versus the other and so on.So I’m trying to use more em-dashes in written prose. Trying to use all the tools available.(Apropos of nothing, I’ve decided not to use ChatGPT to write my words for me. I use it for critique and suggestions, but I’m the actual author.)",
"parent_id": "8141344",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141370",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T04:36:42",
"content": "If it does it is because people don’t want to pay for it. e.g. newspapers, etc.",
"parent_id": "8141321",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141497",
"author": "brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:42:27",
"content": "Excellent points ; the LLM’s will duly use these suggestions after they scrape hackaday later",
"parent_id": "8141321",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141340",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T01:45:49",
"content": "Bite my shiny golden arse.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141345",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:29:17",
"content": "I wonder how many students will figure out that if AI can do your homework, it can do whatever job you think you want.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141383",
"author": "ziew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:03:07",
"content": "Am I the only one who can’t tell between “AI” and “Al” at first sight, especially if an article mentions both?From what I see, the Proxima Nova font used here does provide an alternate lower case “L” that’s rounded at the bottom. Could we at least give it a try? Pretty please?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141401",
"author": "BT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T06:21:19",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8141383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141413",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T07:51:16",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8141383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141414",
"author": "bitsquirrel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T07:58:03",
"content": "That’s only half of the problem. Proxima Nova isn’t on any of my devices, and Hackaday isn’t serving a copy of it (and probably won’t because it’s a commercial font from Adobe).How about a website refresh, with a libre font that makes the difference between Al Williams and his evil clone clear?",
"parent_id": "8141383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141416",
"author": "bitsquirrel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:08:39",
"content": "N/m, it is being downloaded from typekit.com, it’s just not showing up for me.shrug",
"parent_id": "8141414",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141575",
"author": "Snarkenstein",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:30:09",
"content": "I blame the font nerds and design geeks. They all love the sans serif fonts.I hate them. I find them much less easy to read, to begin with.Also, if you have a last name with a sequence of ayes and ells, you often can’t tell easily if you have a typo when you enter your name in a web form. Try “William” or “Philip” in your typical shipping address form and see what it looks like. Or “Illinois”.",
"parent_id": "8141383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141944",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T20:12:19",
"content": "I think Al should just change his name :-)",
"parent_id": "8141383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142147",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:46:45",
"content": "Thank you for pointing out the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum! That is just around the corner from me and I didn’t even realize it was there. Next time my wife goes shopping in Mansfield I might have to stop there and check it out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.032027
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/has-a-nuke-gone-off-indicator/
|
Has A Nuke Gone Off? Indicator
|
Ian Bos
|
[
"Current Events",
"hardware",
"Weapons Hacks"
] |
[
"ESP32",
"global thermonuclear war",
"micropython",
"neon bulb",
"nuclear blast",
"nuke"
] |
Look out of a window, ask yourself the question, “Has a nuke gone off?”. Maybe, maybe not, and all of us here at Hackaday need to know the answer to these important questions! Introducing the
hasanukegoneoff.com Indicator
from [bigcrimping] to answer our cries.
An ESP32 running a MicroPython script handles the critical checks from
hasanukegoneoff.com
for any notification of nuclear mayhem. This will either power the INS-1 neon bulb, indicating “no” or “yes” in the unfortunate case of a blast. Of course, there is also the button required for testing the notification lights; no chance of failure can be left. All of this is fitted onto a custom dual-sided PCB and placed inside a custom 3D-printed enclosure.
Hasanukegoneoff.com’s detection system, covered before
here
, relies on an HSN-1000L Nuclear Event Detector to check for neutrons coming from the blast zone. [bigcrimping] also provides the project plans for your
own blast detector
to answer the critical question of “has a nuke gone off” from anywhere other than the website’s Chippenham, England location.
This entire project is open sourced, so keep sure to check out [bigcrimping]’s GitHub for both portions of this project on the
detector
and
receiver
. While this project provides some needed dark humor, nukes are still scary and especially so when disarming them with
nothing but a hacksaw and testing equipment
.
Thanks to [Daniel Gooch] for the tip.
| 23
| 14
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141299",
"author": "JT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:31:11",
"content": "Wasn’t this already covered this past week?https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/bhangmeterv2-answers-the-question-has-a-nuke-gone-off/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141300",
"author": "spiritplumberspiritplumber@gmail.com",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:33:03",
"content": "There’s always place to show another 3D-printed enclosure.",
"parent_id": "8141299",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141301",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:36:53",
"content": "like the recurrent bento.",
"parent_id": "8141299",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141304",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:52:03",
"content": "Handy if an unexplained chest X-ray shows up.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141327",
"author": "Trash Panda",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:35:00",
"content": "Neutrons are not generated in conventional photoelectric range x-rays. You’ve got to get above 10 MV to generate neutrons. Energies at or above that range take horrible pictures unless you are looking a welded seams.",
"parent_id": "8141304",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141314",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:42:37",
"content": "This gizmo reminds me of the infamous “Weather Rock”– a stone, dangling from a string, tied to a tree branch.If the rock is wet, that means it’s raining. If it’s covered with snow, it’s snowing. If it’s swinging, then it’s windy.A better nuke detector would be one with a light that’s always on, but extinguishes when a nuke is detected. Not only does the light become a metaphor for all of civilization, a detector configured this way is failsafe: It will correctly indicate bad times ahead even if the EMP fries the whole thing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141315",
"author": "Jan-Willem Markus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:50:05",
"content": "The detector is interesting, and I hope it’ll never have to detect anything. The indicator is a bit odd as it relies on quite a bit of infrastructure which can’t be guaranteed. I can see how you can have one detector, but many (less expensive?) indicators.As I was curious about the data handing, l’ve taken a brief look at the code. There seem to be several ways in which the indicator can stay stuck in the ‘no’ state. For example, the indicator does not verify if the JSON has been recently updated. The indicator also doesn’t seem to have code for reconnecting to Wifi if the connection is dropped. While it is a novelty until it’s not, it’s not too difficult to handle these exceptions and indicate that the data is unreliable.The minimalist website and reporting and the nice enclosure is something I can learn from.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141317",
"author": "Big Nukes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T23:05:17",
"content": "Think about it for a few picoseconds.The message is never going to make it through the network before the networking infrastructure is destroyed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141411",
"author": "Menno",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T07:36:55",
"content": "From the article earlier this week:“The gamma ray pulse occurs at the beginning of a “nuclear event” precedes the EMP by some microseconds, and the blast wave by perhaps many seconds, so the HSN-1000 series seems be aimed at triggering an automatic shutdown that might help preserve electronics in the event of a nuclear exchange.”Microseconds could be enough.",
"parent_id": "8141317",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141750",
"author": "forty-2",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:18:43",
"content": "There was a tektronix oscilloscope, the type 519, made in the 1960s for fast, single shot events, primarily used for nuclear testing. Apparently they’d put the scopes some distance from ground zero, close enough to get a good signal off the detector, point a TV camera at the screen, then record the output at a safe distance, because you could push video a lot farther than you could the fast risetime signal from the detector. The video signal was quite literally outrunning the blast as it traveled down the wire.A lot of them got destroyed or hopelessly irradiated, only to record one single shot event, and they weren’t cheap! I’m lucky to have a working example.",
"parent_id": "8141317",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141320",
"author": "NerdWorld",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T23:53:22",
"content": "If you have nothing positive to say, keep quiet. Your hate harms creative people with tools, resources and ambition to deliver amazing projects.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141329",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:41:32",
"content": "It’s a valid criticism.The light for “No” is physically closer to the word “Yes”!",
"parent_id": "8141320",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141418",
"author": "MichD",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:23:06",
"content": "Do you see how comments do absolutely nothing toward helping anyone though? There’s a big difference between providing critical feedback that someone can take on board to learn from, and just shitting on someone’s work.So in order to not do the same when criticizing your commentary, allow me to provide some critical feedback, on your feedback.Your feedback only points out that you dislike it. It gives no pointers of what properties could be improved on, and no ideas of what you would change orwhy.A better critical comment would be, (drawing from Jim’s comments up in the thread):“I think the front-panel is not really user-friendly. The positioning of the LEDs in relation to the labeling makes it hard to, at a glance, read what is going on. I would recommend moving the LEDs and button to be in line with their respective labels.”",
"parent_id": "8141320",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141498",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:42:29",
"content": "Others might argue that pointing out details is so pedantically negative, it’s better to just say ‘it’s awful’ and let the maker decide how to improve it. Or to ignore it if he’s confident he likes his own design.So which is the better stance eh. And wo is to decide? Grok or ChatGPT… OK I was being snide there :)",
"parent_id": "8141418",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141328",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:36:03",
"content": "Interesting proof of concept project but also a very depressing one.Something weird though : no detection range is provided.Best part is the “SAFETY NOTE” about 91V that “might kill you”…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141348",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:33:46",
"content": "“IF YOU CAN READ THIS THE ANSWER IS NO”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141350",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:48:12",
"content": "While the look of a neon bulb is cool, I’ve had very bad luck with their longevity, especially the ones you can get cheap on eBay these days. A neon-colored LED would be preferable, although I suppose the “Yes” bulb would only be used when tested, hopefully.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141353",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T03:19:58",
"content": "I am not sure, but what If pressing the “Test” button launches a nuke? Also where is the “nurse” button?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141614",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:52:53",
"content": "Superman where are you now?",
"parent_id": "8141353",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141441",
"author": "IT-Wizard",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:32:45",
"content": "I like the idea and the way “to the point” approche without taking it too seriously.I would like to have an Home Assistant integration (or other) of this.And it would be nice if other people could add data to the site, so range and direction would be possible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141540",
"author": "Iván Stepaniuk",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:58:26",
"content": "≈ 2 × 10⁵ to 2 × 10⁷ rad(Si)/s, so… it needs to be close enough to a nuclear event that you’ll definitely know anyways (if you survive)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141717",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T22:34:09",
"content": "Interesting. My comment about the appalling front panel layout seems to have disappeared.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141940",
"author": "NeoHavic",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T19:47:31",
"content": "So THEYRE the one who bought that HSN-1000L that that electronics surplus website had for like $200 all those years back, and I’ve been kicking myself for not buying…(And no, there’s almost zero chance of getting another one, I tried… the manufacturer didn’t QUITE laugh at me, it was more of a “oh, you sweet summer child” type situation when I sent an RFQ lol)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,508.922455
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/22/photogrammetry-takes-to-the-skies/
|
Photogrammetry Takes To The Skies
|
Seth Mabbott
|
[
"3d Printer hacks",
"drone hacks"
] |
[
"3d printed house",
"Photogrammetry"
] |
Maybe your goal is to preserve the heyday of rail travel with a precise scale replica of a particular railroad station. Maybe you’re making a hyper-local edition of Monopoly in which the houses and hotels are the actual houses and hotels in your hometown.
Whatever the reason, if you have need for shrinkifying a building or other reasonably large object, there is (at least) one sure-fire way to do it, and [ nastideplasy ] is your guide with this tutorial on
drone photogrammetry
.
The process is essentially the same as any other photogrammetry you may have seen before—take lots of overlapping photos of an object from many different angles around it, stitch those photos together, make a 3D mesh by triangulating corresponding points from multiple photos—but this time the photos are captured by drone, allowing for much larger subjects, so long as you can safely and legally fly a drone around it.
The challenge, of course, is capturing a sufficient number of overlapping photos such that your reconstruction software can process them into a clean 3D mesh. Where
purpose-built 3D scanners
,
automatic turntables
, or a steady hand and lots of patience worked well at a smaller scale, skill with a pair of control sticks is the key to getting a good scan of a house.
[ nastideplasy ] also points out the importance of lighting. Direct sunlight and deep shadows can cause issues when processing the images, and doing this at night is almost certainly out of the question. Overcast days are your best bet for a clean scan.
The tutorial calls for software from Autodesk to stitch photos and clean up 3D meshes. We’ve also seen some excellent results with open source options like
Meshroom
as well.
| 14
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8141253",
"author": "Leszek Pawlowicz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:11:47",
"content": "AutoDesk Recap only offers full features for a month-long trial, then defaults to a limited free version; full version is super expensive. Better to use Reality Scan (https://www.realityscan.com/en-US), which is full-featured for anyone making less than $1 million in revenue, students and educators. Not a big fan of the interface, but it’s a lot better than Meshroom.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141262",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:25:31",
"content": "What about WebODM, the open source software developed for exactly this purpose?",
"parent_id": "8141253",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141330",
"author": "Hales",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:44:59",
"content": "Just a +1, WebODM worked like magic for me. Used it a few years ago to make a 3d model of the front of my house using photos taken from ground level and from my neighbour’s house across the street. I suspect too many people think it’s drone only.",
"parent_id": "8141262",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141991",
"author": "rc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T00:09:00",
"content": "WebODM to create architectural survey, generating accurate facade ortho images is possible?",
"parent_id": "8141330",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141356",
"author": "OG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T03:32:44",
"content": "Autodesk should be shunned at all costs. These scumbags have done more to harm users, developers, and even musical artists through their precedent-setting licensing douchebaggery.",
"parent_id": "8141253",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141500",
"author": "issac",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T11:47:22",
"content": "Thanks for posting this. I really wish Hackaday would apply some content filters beyond “is the end result neat?”",
"parent_id": "8141356",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141258",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:24:21",
"content": "Hard to believe this topic never made it onto Hackaday before (it’s been a thing for more than 10 years). And especially now when flying drones is so restricted in most jurisdictions that this information won’t be useful for many anymore.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141280",
"author": "Mark Lougheed",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T18:58:13",
"content": "Epic RealityScan could be a possibility here as well.https://www.realityscan.com/en-US/news/realityscan-20-new-release-brings-powerful-new-features-to-a-rebranded-realitycaptureI’ve used it successfully for other nerdly persuits and projects as wellhttps://hackaday.com/blog/?s=mdlougheed",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141313",
"author": "Zai1208",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:41:10",
"content": "Just a question, does google use this for google maps to get the 3d version of the map?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141358",
"author": "Zai1208",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T03:54:33",
"content": "In case anyone’s wondering (and is too lazy to google it), yes google does use it",
"parent_id": "8141313",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141607",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:14:23",
"content": "Soooo, if in a combat zone the suicide drones send the video back, and them are sent in waves, you can save all the footage, then you’ll get the 4d model of what you destoyed from untouched to rubble.Just got the same ideea for all the nukes.Who’s gonna sell the popcorn to the aliens after the show is recorded?",
"parent_id": "8141358",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141578",
"author": "Kyle",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T14:36:08",
"content": "I am working on a Blender addonhttps://github.com/kyjohnso/skysplat_blenderto do this will all free and open source software",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141740",
"author": "Don",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T00:43:51",
"content": "I was just reading the project!!Looks great!I see the wish to have some testing done. I can dig into it in a few days and run some tests.Excellent project!!",
"parent_id": "8141578",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141867",
"author": "Indigo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:50:54",
"content": "Photogrammetry takes to the skies, huh? I think you meant “back to the skies”. That’s kinda where it started… Lol!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,508.545111
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/retrotechtacular-1970s-radio/
|
Retrotechtacular: 1970s Radio
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Retrotechtacular"
] |
[
"radio",
"retrotechtacular",
"training film"
] |
Before YouTube, you had to watch your educational videos on film. In the 1970s, if you studied radio, you might have seen the video from Universal Education and Visual Arts, titled
Understanding
Electronics Basic Radio Circuitry
. The video’s been restored, and it appears on the [CHAP] YouTube channel.
The video starts with a good history lesson that even covers Fessenden, which you rarely hear about. The video is full of old components that you may or may not remember, depending on your age. There’s a classic crystal radio at the start and it quickly moves to active receivers. There’s probably nothing in here you don’t already know. On the other hand, radios work about the same today as they did in the 1970s, unless you count software-defined varieties.
We expect this was produced for the “trade school” market or, maybe, a super advanced high school shop class. There were more in the series, apparently, including ones on vacuum tubes, the transistor, and the principles of television.
We were sad that the credits don’t mention the narrator. He sounded familiar. Maybe Robert Vaughn? Maybe not. A little research indicates the company was a division of Universal Studios, although the Library of Congress says it was actually produced by Moreland-Latchford Productions in Toronto.
Maybe these videos were the next step in becoming a
child radio engineer
. If you like old radio videos,
this one is even older
.
| 10
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140897",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:34:40",
"content": "Sounds like Alex Trebek, who was Canadian, so…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140937",
"author": "fabo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:31:08",
"content": "I liked the one tube ‘breadboard’ circuit (2:53) – a piece of wood with nails for tie points.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141037",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:23:07",
"content": "Hey, that’s why it’s called a breadboard after all. Originally it was quite literally a wooden cutting board with nails and components stuck on top. I bet varying humidity in the wood would create all sorts of fun parasitic capacitance to figure out…All of the graphics in this video ooze style by the way, I like what they were able to accomplish with just printouts on colored construction paper.",
"parent_id": "8140937",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141351",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T02:52:22",
"content": "Where I live we use uncoated thumbtacks on plywood boards instead.They’re making for good solder points, too.",
"parent_id": "8141037",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141023",
"author": "Thaddeus Drabick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T02:22:07",
"content": "Takes me decades back when studying electronics in Toronto at Radio College of Canada. Television was included as we were receiving Telecasts from Buffalo and Rochester. There was none in Canada until 1952. Montreal was first then Toronto. So I have seen A.M then F.M. then Side band. Also high fi came along. Stereo showed up.Color T.V. .computers satellite G.P.S. cell phones. Micro wave towers . That’s just a few items that I was privileged to experience. Am still active in the field of electronics at my present age of 94. Upon reflection, am astonished at the advances made during my lifetime. From Crystal radio to space flight to DNA to defeat of Polio .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141036",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:21:43",
"content": "The video is fine, but makes it more complicated than it really is.It does so, in order to group everything into function blocks, I think.As if someone was going to build an overly complex superhet receiver..In practice, though, a single tube was sufficient for building a TRF receiver.(By 1970s, there also were even more miniature battery tubes with wires,so a complete AM receiver did fit in a matchbox; for matches, not a tuner.)It doesn’t need much parts to build a basic audion, for example.Or his cousin, a regenerative receiver (audion w/ backfeed; an ultra audion?).Which was followed by super-regenerative receiver (a pendulum audion).(It was used as receiver in basic CB walkie-talkies at some point, I think, due to simplicity.)A crystal radio with a tube for an RF or AF amp was a possibility, too.There were so many variations of that. It was a whole sub hobby of its own!The tube was involved in RF amplificiation/detection/AF amplification or all of them.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuned_radio_frequency_receiverhttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einkreiserhttps://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_circuithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheterodyne_receiver",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141083",
"author": "Glen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T05:57:20",
"content": "Certainly does sound like Alex Trebeck in his younger days.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141323",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T00:25:13",
"content": "Brings back memories of electronics shop class in high school.We had breadboarding systems like that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141611",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T16:45:20",
"content": "My HS ‘electronics’ class (1972) consisted largely of building an “All American Five”, five-tube AM radio. Learned a lot about tubes and how they worked, not much about anything else. Still, building the radio was fun. Listing the tubes was almost a litany: 50C5, 35W4, 12BA6, 12BE6, and one I can no longer remember…One thing I learned: do NOT have the radio plugged in and switched on when pointing out to little brother the functions of the pins on the rectifier. Discovered that line voltage causes a rather loud and uncomfortable hum in the brain/nerves….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141794",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T08:11:52",
"content": "12AV6 or 12AT6 is the missing tube, as detector and first audio amplifier (and maybe part of the AGC circuit, my rusty mind is nagging).Yes, that’s the later AA5 set, made with 7-pin miniatures. Before that, starting about WWII, it was usually 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 50L6, and 35Z5 octal tubes. FM receivers usually had something like a 6/12DT8 for their discriminator and oscillator, IIRC.",
"parent_id": "8141611",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,508.855809
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/measurement-is-science/
|
Measurement Is Science
|
Elliot Williams
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Science"
] |
[
"magnets",
"measurement",
"quantification",
"science"
] |
I was watching Ben Krasnow
making iron nitride permanent magnets
and was struck by the fact that about half of the video was about making a magnetometer – a device for measuring and characterizing the magnet that he’d just made. This is really the difference between doing science and just messing around: if you want to test or improve on a procedure, you have to be able to measure how well it works.
When he puts his home-made magnet into the device, Ben finds out that he’s made a basically mediocre magnet, compared with samples out of his amply stocked magnet drawer. But that’s a great first data point, and more importantly, the magnetometer build gives him a way of gauging future improvements.
Of course there’s a time and a place for “good enough is good enough”, and you can easily spend more time building the measurement apparatus for a particular project than simply running the experiment, but that’s not science. Have you ever gone down the measurement rabbit hole, spending more time validating or characterizing the effect than you do on producing it in the first place?
This article is part of the Hackaday.com newsletter, delivered every seven days for each of the last 200+ weeks. It also includes our favorite articles from the last seven days that you can see on
the web version of the newsletter
.
Want this type of article to hit your inbox every Friday morning?
You should sign up
!
| 22
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140870",
"author": "baltar",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:10:23",
"content": "And…?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140908",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T18:09:50",
"content": "They really should start a parallel site.HackaDay for middle schoolers.Their thesis is wrong.Measurement is not ‘science’.Science is a process, that often includes measurement, but can just be ‘cipherin’.The key step is ‘publishing’ IMHO.But it’s a feedback process, the whole thing has to work.Open loop ‘science’ gets you sociology.",
"parent_id": "8140870",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140919",
"author": "None",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:31:20",
"content": "Yeah, well. Publishing is not science, either. Although publishing is necessary. For me the key is making verifiable predictions. With math. About measurements. An publishing the method.If there are no predictions, you’re doing history.If there’s no math, you are doing philosophy.If there are no measurements, you are doing pure math (or metaphysics).And if you are not publishing your methods, then you’re an snake oil seller.My 2c.",
"parent_id": "8140908",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140929",
"author": "Peter Petit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:02:45",
"content": "I agree that the heart of the scientific method is making a prediction (“hypotheisis”) and testing to see of that hypothesis is true or not. Pass of fail, the objective is learning (generating “knowhow”).I was surprised to see “publishing” listed as “ket part” of the scientific process. I happen to be in the private sector, where successful commercialization is the desired outcome, and knowhow from the scientific process is often treated as Confidential Information. I do not consider myself a snake oil salesman.If you call a failed hyphothesis a “mistake”, and discovering a verifiable hypothesis a “success”, then our job as researchers is to make mistakes as fast as we can.",
"parent_id": "8140919",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141296",
"author": "Driek",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:00:44",
"content": "Publication is not a necessary part of science, but sharing knowledge is essential to make advancement possible.If every scientist would keep all discoveries to himself others would need to reinvent the wheel over and over again.So, publication may not be a necessary part of doing science, but it is absolutely necessary as an enabler for progress.",
"parent_id": "8140929",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140951",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T21:23:16",
"content": "No. The key is being able to makefalsifiablepredictions.If you make a hypothesis (a ‘prediction’) that only produces answers that verify your point, you’re not strengthening the case. You’re not proving anything. You need to ask a question thatallowsan answer to contradict you: You need to make afalsifiableprediction. Only then can you tell if the result actually supports (or refutes) your theory.",
"parent_id": "8140919",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140921",
"author": "Jan-Willem Markus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:36:11",
"content": "A long time a go, Hackaday used to have a specific filter which didn’t show any content with Arduino, as some people believed anything build with an Arduino was either ‘not a hack’ or it ‘could be done with a 555’. I guess you can filter these types of posts as well. However, you can also ask yourself, why do you keep reading Hackaday? (And more specifically, replying to them.)The paragraph from the newsletter is quite interesting, and it doubles as a way to bring the newsletter to the attention of more readers. I sometimes listen to the podcast, and rarely read newsletters, but I’m glad they exist.",
"parent_id": "8140908",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140967",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T22:46:34",
"content": "Back in the day when Arduino was new, all Arduino hacks were basically just second hand AVR hacks, where someone else had done the hard work and the author was just copy-pasting it in the form of a library, adding some trivial code on top to make it their project.Come to think of it, that is still true to this day. It’s just that the standards have dropped a bunch to the point that actually reading the datasheet instead of relying on the Arduino programming reference and libraries is now considered a hack.",
"parent_id": "8140921",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141060",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:35:05",
"content": "to be fair the atmega 168 datasheet is 288 pages long, kind of a bit of a read if you want to do most simple shit.yea I was a kid in the 80’s and reading an encyclopedia was normal while your parents fell asleep watching “”the LawrenceWelk show” after the news then dinner, but still that’s still a bit of a read in order to rig a do dad to flip a output state every half a secondand especially in todays world, its just about impossible. Even the most impressive projects using the absolute cutting edge technology only skim the data sheet in a fact finding mission to accomplish a goal.And not much else",
"parent_id": "8140967",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141133",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:29:28",
"content": "288 pages longThat’s a short datasheet as far as MCUs go, and you don’t need to readallof it every time. There’s a table of contents and the list of registers for a reason.Reading data sheets has just become a lost art, or have people become that bad at reading that 300 pages is too much? In there it’s like 30 pages worth of actual text to read and the rest is diagrams and tables. It’s perfectly possible to read through such a datasheet and understand most of it in a couple hours if you just start reading it.",
"parent_id": "8140967",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141137",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:49:59",
"content": "only skim the data sheet in a fact finding mission to accomplish a goal.That seems to be the problem. People try to treat the datasheet like a google search, only paying attention to specific answers to specific queries to find fast information. They’re reading the paper like they were committing a random burglary. Smash a window, grab some stuff, run. Trick is, if you’d been to the house before, you’d know where they keep the valuables.Even a 1000 page datasheet isn’t actually that hard to read through, and once you do you’ll have a much better overview of how the thing works and what features are available.",
"parent_id": "8140967",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141145",
"author": "mist4a4",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T10:16:17",
"content": "With all due respect to the writes responsible for these newsletter article, this comment is what pops in my head every single time I read one of these.",
"parent_id": "8140870",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140931",
"author": "Willam J. Yankt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:08:34",
"content": "Was really hoping this would be a run down of strategies to get better at arriving at accurate measurements, using different measurement tools etc",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140963",
"author": "mayhem",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T22:26:17",
"content": "I have a lowly certificate in metrology. Measuring is absolutley a science. Why is there a thimble on the back of a micrometer? It gaurantees that us lowly humans are applying the same amount of torque to the measurement with repeatability. There are many things that can’t be measured directly but only by “comparison” measurements. Once you’ve entered the realm of metrology it is hard to look back. How accurate is your tape measure? how acccurate is your calipers? If you measure something with one tape measure and compare it to a second tape of the same brand from the same store at 3 meters you could easily be out by 3-5mm. I was working on a construction site and the foreman measured a piece os siding at 112 7/8 inches. He would yell it out to the siding cutter who would repeat the measurment back before cutting the part. After four incorrectly cut pieces I finally told them I wanted to the tape measures. Both were new and good quality. and one of them(the foremans) had a really wierd long inch at the 87 inch mark. making the tape wrong by almost a 1/2 inch after that mark. One of the parts of metrology is “Are you using the correct measurement method?”. Are you trying to be accurate to 5mm or 1mm or .100mm? This will help determine what you are going to use. Sometimes a scale or a ruler is good enough. Past 64ths of an inch the human eye has trouble differentiating the lines on the scale.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140974",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T23:24:51",
"content": "Why is there a thimble on the back of a micrometer? It gaurantees that us lowly humans are applying the same amount of torque to the measurement with repeatability.It does not. That is why there is a ratchet clutch in the micrometer that clicks and releases when you’ve done enough.",
"parent_id": "8140963",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141166",
"author": "Mayhem",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:16:13",
"content": "Thats called a thimble.",
"parent_id": "8140974",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141167",
"author": "Mayhem",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T11:17:47",
"content": "I apologize. Its called a ratchet stop.",
"parent_id": "8141166",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141390",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:38:52",
"content": "Yes. The thimble is just the knurled cylinder at the end. Some may get the wrong idea that the size or shape of the knob is somehow supposed to limit the amount of torque you apply.",
"parent_id": "8141167",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141061",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:36:53",
"content": "nice wall, you should build it on a border, its dense enough that no one could possibly pernitrate it let alone comprehend it",
"parent_id": "8140963",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141240",
"author": "Just So",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T15:44:20",
"content": "Oh go away and pernitrate something. It’s standard English and contains a lot of useful information.",
"parent_id": "8141061",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141251",
"author": "ramzi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T17:54:43",
"content": "u mad bro?getting trolled must hurt so much XDDDDDD",
"parent_id": "8141240",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141667",
"author": "Just So",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T20:43:32",
"content": "?",
"parent_id": "8141251",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,508.758937
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/tiny-tellurium-orbits-atop-a-pencil/
|
Tiny Tellurium Orbits Atop A Pencil
|
Tyler August
|
[
"classic hacks",
"Space"
] |
[
"brass",
"clockwork",
"CNC machined",
"tellurium"
] |
We like scale models here, but how small can you shrink the very large? If you’re [Frans], it’s pretty small indeed: his
Micro Tellurium fits the orbit of the Earth on top of an ordinary pencil
. While you’ll often see models of Earth, Moon and Sun’s orbital relationship called “Orrery”, that’s word should technically be reserved for models of the solar system, inclusive of at least the classical planets, like [Frans]’s Gentleman’s Orrery that
recently graced these pages.
When it’s just the Earth, Moon and Sun, it’s a Tellurium.
The whole thing is made out of brass, save for the ball-bearings for the Earth and Moon. Construction was done by a combination of manual milling and CNC machining, as you can see in the video below. It is a very elegant device, and almost functional: the Earth-Moon system rotates, simulating the orbit of the moon when you turn the ring to make the Earth orbit the sun. This is accomplished by carefully-constructed rods and a rubber O-ring.
Unfortunately, it seems [Franz] had to switch to a thicker axle than originally planned, so the tiny moon does not orbit Earth at the correct speed compared to the solar orbit: it’s about half what it ought to be. That’s unfortunate, but perhaps that’s the cost one pays when chasing smallness. It might be possible to fix in a future iteration, but right now [Franz] is happy with how the project turned out, and we can’t blame him; it’s a beautiful piece of machining.
It should be noted that there is likely no tellurium in this tellurium — the metal and the model share the same root, but are otherwise unrelated. We have
featured hacks with that element, though.
Thanks to [Franz] for submitting this hack. Don’t forget:
the tips line is always open
, and we’re more than happy to hear you toot your own horn, or sing the praises of someone else’s work.
| 7
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140867",
"author": "thestoneburner",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:08:26",
"content": "I think the name is wrong, at least according to the wikipedia, tellurium is a element, the astronomical device is called a tellurion:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellurion",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140933",
"author": "frans",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:09:48",
"content": "If you read the first line of that page it tells you that tellurium is one of the accepted names, besides tellurian and tellurion.",
"parent_id": "8140867",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140965",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T22:36:47",
"content": "I thought a Tellurian was like a Tellurite. But I digress. (Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor not an astrophysicist nor a linguist!)",
"parent_id": "8140933",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140882",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T16:10:45",
"content": "What is this, a tellurium for ants?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140883",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T16:24:11",
"content": "And that’s how you get ants!",
"parent_id": "8140882",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140925",
"author": "frans",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:46:51",
"content": "actually it worked with the smaller axle, so it can work perfectly, but it just wasn’t too reliable. One day it worked, and another day the rubber ring kept slipping. So just for demonstration purposes, I used a bigger axle to make it work every day, just not at the right ratio, but that doesn’t make it less impressive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140947",
"author": "Tristan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T21:10:21",
"content": "Absolutely stunning work regardless!",
"parent_id": "8140925",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,508.375496
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/21/if-your-kernel-development-is-a-little-rusty/
|
If Your Kernel Development Is A Little Rusty
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Linux Hacks",
"Software Development"
] |
[
"kernel",
"linux",
"rust"
] |
To paraphrase an old joke: How do you know if someone is a Rust developer? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. There is a move to put Rust everywhere, even in the Linux kernel. Not going fast enough for you? Then check out
Asterinas
— an effort to create a Linux-compatible kernel totally in Rust.
The goal is to improve memory safety and, to that end, the project describes what they call a “framekernel.” Historically kernels have been either monolithic, all in one piece, or employ a microkernel architecture where only bits and pieces load.
A framekernel is similar to a microkernel, but some services are not allowed to use “unsafe” Rust. This minimizes the amount of code that — in theory — could crash memory safety. If you want to know more, there is
impressive documentation
. You can find the code on
GitHub
.
Will it work? It is certainly possible. Is it worth it? Time will tell. Our experience is that no matter how many safeguards you put on code, there’s no cure-all that prevents bad programming. Of course, to take the contrary argument, seat belts don’t stop all traffic fatalities, but you could just choose not to have accidents. So we do have seat belts. If Rust can prevent some mistakes or malicious intent, maybe it’s worth it even if it isn’t perfect.
Want to understand Rust?
Got ten minutes?
| 40
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140806",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T09:20:28",
"content": "This is what Rust programmers should have done from the beginning. Rewrite it in Rust!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140858",
"author": "Duncan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T14:28:43",
"content": "Why? Linux has thousands of man-years put into the development and a massive user base. Anything written from scratch will have a much smaller user base and a tiny fraction of the functionality.Bringing rust into Linux a bit at a time is a much more sensible approach",
"parent_id": "8140806",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140871",
"author": "Pedro",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:18:14",
"content": "Bringing rust into Linux a bit at a time is a much more sensible approachThousands of AAA developers (both hobbyists and corporate) would love to, but as long as Adolf Torvalds is in charge, there’s a zero chance of this happening. For Linux to move on we need to ditch the BDFL model of development and implement direct democratic process. Features could be discussed on a Reddit-like webpage and implemented (or rejected) based on amount of upvotes, instead of arbitrary “my way or the highway” mindset. I suppose some kind of blockchain voting should be used to prevent abuse and clone accounts.",
"parent_id": "8140858",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140879",
"author": "Oliver",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:55:09",
"content": "What are you even talking about. Rust is already in the kernel, vetted by adolf torvalds himself.Yes a lot of drama is going on, sometimes valud, sometimes not…",
"parent_id": "8140871",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140901",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:52:34",
"content": "Reddit driven development for the core operating system used for the most things today…. You think that’s a good idea?",
"parent_id": "8140871",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140943",
"author": "Bruno",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:59:56",
"content": "He must be attending communist rallies too…",
"parent_id": "8140901",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141316",
"author": "Mikul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:57:01",
"content": "It’s not Linus who’s stopping rust from the kernel but different maintainers who are unhappy with rust in the kernel mainly because they don’t want to learn a new language or maybe they’re afraid that they will loose the position if enough rust enters in the kernel",
"parent_id": "8140871",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141534",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:45:31",
"content": "Hum, it’s always the other that are wrong, hu?Maybe, just maybe, they are competent, studied the pro and cons of adding rust, and logically deduced that it wasn’t a good idea.Because, beside “mhu memory safety”, what will rust bring to the linux kernel? (or other programs in general?)I mean, I get it, it’s an other language, fairly new, but what makes it better at safety than, say ADA?",
"parent_id": "8141316",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141833",
"author": "cal5582",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:23:01",
"content": "some of us have production servers to maintain. we dont want to deal with you rewriting the core utilities of linux and implementing untested implementations because you wanted to try a new language.",
"parent_id": "8141316",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141541",
"author": "Jay Kumar",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:00:31",
"content": "Linus Torvalds definitely votes to have safe code.",
"parent_id": "8140871",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141979",
"author": "Stephan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T23:36:32",
"content": "@cal5582 I fully agree with your “some of us have stuff to get done” stance… but that angle is a bit unfair.Google has rewritten parts of Android in Rust as part of a larger “it doesn’t matter what language the rewrite is in as long as it’s memory-safe” and seen a corresponding decline in new memory-safety exploits. (Here’s a write-up from December 2022:https://security.googleblog.com/2022/12/memory-safe-languages-in-android-13.html)Microsoft has rewritten parts of Windows in Rust. (Here’s a talk from 2023:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T6ClX-y2AE&t=2611s)It’s not as if Linux is jumping on some random toy moonshot.Hell, with Rust4Linux, the whole point is toavoidrewriting the world by allowingnewdrivers to be written in Rust while keeping the mature C code.",
"parent_id": "8140871",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140819",
"author": "Dave Boyer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T10:24:03",
"content": "No matter if written in C, Java or Rust, the fact remains that Linux is not UNIX, it’s something much worse.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140899",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:45:08",
"content": "Not gonna engage with that directly… But if someone really has the commitment to rewrite Linux from scratch, it does seem like a wasted opportunity not to treat it as a new OS. I’m sure even senior Linux devs have a list of things they’d do differently if they were starting over.",
"parent_id": "8140819",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140902",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:57:04",
"content": "There are plenty of reasons, starting with the fact that there is no ecosystem and no immediate benefits for the majority of potential users.Meanwhile a compatible kernel is not just an interesting research project, but a potential branch to test the viability of the idea. It’s not like the possible changes you mention can’t happen at all either.",
"parent_id": "8140899",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140916",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:09:01",
"content": "But rust devs want to rewite the ecosystem too hahaha",
"parent_id": "8140902",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142006",
"author": "Stephan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T01:19:37",
"content": "From what I’ve seen, it’s more that “the ecosystem” just happens to be made up of the kinds of tools that people like to rewrite as practice/hobby projects.…sort of like how it seemed everyone’s learning project was to write yet another IRC client.",
"parent_id": "8140916",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141008",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T01:38:01",
"content": "Linux is in fact not UNIX/POSIX because Linux is a kernel while UNIX/POSIX defines a userspace environment. Linux can host a UNIX/POSIX compliant environment but does not do so in almost all cases. Adelie Linux is a distribution that is working toward full compliance.",
"parent_id": "8140819",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141026",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T02:35:01",
"content": "Why would anyone want to take zero lessons from the last 46 years?",
"parent_id": "8140819",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141027",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T02:35:47",
"content": "45* (since the 80’s when unix work, and most OS work, generally stopped)",
"parent_id": "8141026",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140828",
"author": "BT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T11:09:43",
"content": "≥ there’s no cure-all that prevents bad programmingwhich these days seems to include AI generated code being used without full understanding of what it does or needs to do. Every protection possible in the OS needed more than ever.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140841",
"author": "Jouni",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T12:55:48",
"content": "That sounds more like fear of new tools than a measured critique. AI-generated code can be risky if misused—just like human-written code. The key is understanding and testing, not assuming humans do it better by default.Your comment leans on appeal to fear, a hasty generalization, and an implied slippery slope—none of which make for a strong argument.",
"parent_id": "8140828",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140853",
"author": "kovo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:51:44",
"content": "and you should learn to read :)",
"parent_id": "8140841",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140861",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T14:52:32",
"content": "Vibe coding skips debugging. If a human codes they test and debug the code, for example sending every possible value to an integer variable and seeing what breaks a function. In C/C++ syntax hides thijgs which Rust makes sure you declare upfront.Humans do the full work, whereas using AI code skips several key steps of development. Shortcutting vs full investment in the process. AI use cant be a function of development if it is inhetently a dysfunction. AI is for research, and is less reliable than wikipedia.",
"parent_id": "8140841",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140905",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T18:02:12",
"content": "Bad example, Wikipedia ismuchmore reliable, and history, comments, and references are available.Generative systems are fact auto completion that require a hand on the reigns at all times.",
"parent_id": "8140861",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140945",
"author": "CCO18",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T21:02:37",
"content": "Wikipedia is the worst source of knowledge. Most universities forbid its use.",
"parent_id": "8140905",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141066",
"author": "TimT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:48:01",
"content": "To CCO18: then just use Wikipedia as an aggregation of other sources. Most articles have citations which can be used and verified as primary sources",
"parent_id": "8140905",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141138",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:53:41",
"content": "You think human software developers test every possible value of every variable? You are terribly mistaken; software development needs to happen within the lifetime of THIS universe.",
"parent_id": "8140861",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140911",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T18:21:35",
"content": "I keep hearing this argument – that slop code is fine as long as you understand every detail of what it’s doing – and, yeah, obviously, but isn’t that wilfully missing the point? Because understanding the details isprecisely what you’re using an LLM to avoid.If you tell me a piece of code was generated by an LLM, I don’t know whether that code isgood,but I am confident the person who generated it doesn’t understand it as well as a human author would. Because there would be no reason for them to use an LLM in the first place if they were willing to do that work.",
"parent_id": "8140841",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141139",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T09:56:02",
"content": "There are plenty of parts of most programs that are simple but repetitive and time consuming.",
"parent_id": "8140911",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141028",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T02:38:32",
"content": "i have some anxiety about the way the world is going, rust in particular, so i wanted to take a look at this.the first question on my mind was how they could have done enough work to consider that they have built their own kernel, when in my mind that would require an enormous amount of device driver labor. and the answer is that it only runs under qemu, which means they use the handy qemu ‘virtio’ class devices. which definitely is, as they say, a convenient way to prototype OS ideas without the real struggle of making a kernel that talks to hardware.the next question is whether the rust object model always makes a bunch of repetitive boilerplate code and this does seem to be another project that has that attribute. Linux itself, of course, has a lot of wrappers…but this has a lot of wrappers too. it didn’t seem to reduce that. and the wrappers each seem to have a lot of verbosity, like i found pro forma accessor functions, and also wrappers that copy the same 4 variables from one struct definition to another. i was really hoping it might improve the code readability but it seems to have slightly done the opposite.and my biggest rust fear is cargo, and this uses cargo a bunch. it pulls in a bunch of 3rd-party crates. it has a bunch of repetitive filenames: 59 directories named “src/”, 55 files named “lib.rs”, and 185 files named “mod.rs”. all of these things make me unhappy but maybe i’m being unfair. surely the fantastic set of problems i ran into the first time i used cargo years ago have mostly been cleaned up. but i really hope if linux uses rust that it doesn’t use cargo, and certainly not 3rd-party crates.so those observations really are more about my anxieties than they are necessarily problems in this project.but i do have one straight up criticism…if i understand correctly, the ‘framekernel’ idea’s only concrete manifestation is that they’ve scattered deny(unsafe_code) around their codebase. that’s just the regular rust practice of only using unsafe when you need to. kind of no duh, and i don’t think it means this is fundamentally a different kind of kernel. it seems to be monolithic with the separation between services only guaranteed by the language…all rust kernels would presumably be like this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141243",
"author": "Jonathan Gibbons",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T16:17:13",
"content": "mod.rs and lib.rs are a “don’t repeat yourself” measure built into standard rust; looking at them without their directory name is essentially incorrect. mod.rs avoids putting the root source file of a module outside of the directory for that module, so instead of having both some_module.rs and a some_module/ directory next to it you just have some_module/ with mod.rs and any submodule files. Nothing in the directory needs to repeat the module’s name, which is good practice. lib.rs is just the entry point for a library crate, and if there’s 55 of them then they’ve split the project into 55 libraries and probably a few executables (I’d expect four, given that there are 59 src/ directories that also are part of the usual crate layout). Crates are the unit of code that the compiler takes as input, not just code modularity or a cargo thing. main.rs is probably there a couple times too, although there could also be some src/bin/some_binary_name.rs. All of this is built into the toolchain so this is the default layout and using a different one is less convenient.Seems a bit like complaining how C programmers frequently have a function called “main” in their code for executables.#![deny(unsafe_code)] actually isn’t quite the standard practice; at the top of the crate it makes compilationerrorif there’s an unsafe block anywhere in the crate, and does so from a central location that is much less error-prone to validate than a search or just enforcing appropriate use of unsafe at code review. It probably would have ended up mostly that way anyways, and it’s not anunusualline to draw, but it’s not the default.",
"parent_id": "8141028",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141341",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T01:52:27",
"content": "i’ll admit that it’s possibly harmless, or mostly harmless, or at least not very harmful. but it’s absolutely not comparable to main() in C. especially the “src/” directories really bum me out. the whole thing is a source tree…to make directories named src/ under the head of a source tree. yuck. android makes me do a bunch of that sort of garbage these days. it’s just clutter and it makes me feel bad about dominant rust development patterns.my real question is just personal. i have an interest in new languages and i’ve run into rust a few times now and each time it gives me a big downer feeling. that’s my feeling.and i couldn’t possibly disagree more strenuously about deny(unsafe_code). rust maintainers have resisted for years repeated requests by people to make deny(unsafe_code) the default, or a configurable default. it’s basically a way of saying you don’t trust rust, your contributors, or your process. given that it’s pulling in 3rd-party crates, i imagine the deny actually means something…and they really don’t / shouldn’t trust their 3rd-party contributors. safety doesn’t come from a keyword…it comes from a code audit, and deny is not a code audit. and 3rd party crates don’t make a code audit impossible but they sure do change the practice of it.but you replied to a point i didn’t even make. i just said, it’s not a new kind of kernel. it’s just a regular monolithic kernel, but using rust. scattering deny around your source tree doesn’t differentiate it from a monolithic kernel.",
"parent_id": "8141243",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141755",
"author": "Stephan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:41:11",
"content": "“rust maintainers have resisted for years repeated requests by people to make deny(unsafe_code) the default”Because it’ would be pointless.There’s already a deny-by-default mechanism in theunsafekeyword itself and makingdeny(unsafe_code)the default would literally be requiring that you pair yourunsafewith a#[yes_really]annotation.“or a configurable default”That’s what putting #![deny(unsafe_code)] at the top of your root source file is… and it’s a per-project default because you want to make sure everyone who clones your repo gets the same settings. (Personally, I think git’s ~/.gitignore is a terrible idea because anyone who checks out your repos without that out-of-band info will see differentgit stoutput.)“safety doesn’t come from a keyword…it comes from a code audit”I’ll agree there.First, I think that they should have usedforbid(unsafe_code)(you can’t re-allowif youforbid)Second,deny(unsafe_code)orforbid(unsafe_code)is a PR reviewing aid. The idea is that you slap#![forbid(unsafe_code)]on the modules the junior devs get to work on and have the senior devs encapsulate all use ofunsafebehind correct-by-construction APIs that the junior devs can’t use to violate memory safety.",
"parent_id": "8141341",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141067",
"author": "TimT",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:49:40",
"content": "Umm, RedoxOS seems to be coming along…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141232",
"author": "rey5e",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:19:20",
"content": "all RTOS use this way ;-)kernel linux is a normal proces, and small RTOS working on metal",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141526",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T12:33:23",
"content": "RUST is NOT even finalised, there is NO ANSI/ISO spec..Why build a skyscraper on sand?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141756",
"author": "Stephan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T02:47:36",
"content": "What would an ANSI/ISO spec do?Rust as implemented by rustc is already pinned down more tightly by the regression/conformance suite they run on everypushthan C is by ANSI/ISO with all the implementation-defined holes and undefined-behaviour twister they had to put in to get the various proprietary compiler authors to shake hands on a single spec that their existing compilers would require minimal modification to comply with.…and, even if that weren’t the case, the Linux kernel isn’t written in ANSI/ISO C, it’s written in GNU C.https://maskray.me/blog/2024-05-12-exploring-gnu-extensions-in-linux-kernelAn ANSI/ISO Rust wouldn’t prevent the rustc devs from continuing to build out a superset of what’s been pinned down, similar to how GCC races ahead of ANSI/ISO C with GNU C.Hell, the LLVMLinux effort was a little bit of removing things the Linux devs had changed their mind on anyway (eg. use of VLAs) and mostly teaching LLVM Clang to understand GNU C.",
"parent_id": "8141526",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8156275",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-07-30T19:58:36",
"content": "ISO/IEC standard provides a solid reference that covers everything from syntax to libraries. It’s a lifesaver in corporate life when shit hits the fan one has to find a creative way to shift the blame not to get fired. A few times MISRA came useful too, especially when other devs in the project were too lazy to look through company’s online library and vacuum whatever useful PDFs were there that could not be obtained from Libgen. And let’s be real. C is still and will be the thing in the embedded systems industry. By learning C17 instead of K&R as done at the university, I’m not just picking up a skill but I’m fitting myself with knowledge that’s relevant and in demand. It’s like having a golden ticket to job opportunities that many other languages can’t compete with.",
"parent_id": "8141756",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8183664",
"author": "g2-c133535210f76855393e13f95c9684ee",
"timestamp": "2025-09-24T14:53:55",
"content": "I spent so long dealing with fortran and C compiler bugs in my HPC days I can catagorically say thatallthe ISO standards did was allow blame shifting by the vendor. Absolutely useless if you want to get real work done. At least for rust I can see the tests that defacto define the behaviour, and contribute new ones if I find a corner case. Far more useful than a spec that makes so much ‘undefined’ that it’s useless",
"parent_id": "8156275",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141832",
"author": "cal5582",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T12:19:33",
"content": "rust seems like one of those things that people hype because its new and not because its better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.1097
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/the-most-satisfying-way-to-commit/
|
The Most Satisfying Way To Commit
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks"
] |
[
"front panel",
"Git",
"macro pad",
"silicone"
] |
Have you ever finished up a bit of code and thought that typing “git push” in a terminal is just not a satisfying finish? So did [penumbriel], so he built
a big red button he could smash instead
.
This is a very simple hack: an Arduino sits inside a 3D-printed case that holds a big, red button. The case itself is very sturdily made to withstand a good satisfying smack: it has thick walls, brass insets, and rubber feet to protect the de The code for the Arduino is very, very simple: it spoofs a USB HID using the standard keyboard library, and automatically types out “git push” whenever the button is pressed. Or smashed, because you know you’re going to want to slam that thing. So far, so good– very innovative for 2006, right?
The detail that made this project stand out in 2025 was the technique [penumbriel] used for lettering– we’re always looking
With a simple soap-and-water mask, the cured silicone peels right off, leaving a clean label.
for
new ways to make a good front panel
. In this case, the letters were printed as a valley and filled with silicone adhesive. To protect the top surface of the print, soapy water was used as a mask. The silicone would not adhere to the wet plastic, so all [penumbriel] had to do was peel it off after it had cured, leaving solid white inside. It’s a neat trick, and a great way to use up an old tube of silicone before it goes hard. You could also use it
for injection molding
, but this is a great use for the dregs.
This might go well next to the
programmer’s macro pad
we featured a while back, but it really needs to stay as a big red button for maximum satisfaction.
| 8
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140783",
"author": "Randlin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T05:40:33",
"content": "I love this",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140785",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T05:56:08",
"content": "Nice, but the project page is rather…sparse. There’s only one log entry and it doesn’t mention which Arduino is used–not all Arduinos can operate as an HID. Fortunately, the Arduino appears in the last picture in the entry, and it looks like an Arduino Pro Micro.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140795",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T07:32:44",
"content": "Ah push it, push it good from Push it by Salt ‘n’ Pepper should play when it is pushed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140813",
"author": "noapparentfunction",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T09:50:32",
"content": "Is no one here familiar with the absolute classic Lupe Fiasco track “Kick Push”? it would go perfectly here:https://youtu.be/Gl83mI69nX4?si=T04flA2wejMFfmJX",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140816",
"author": "stella",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T10:14:16",
"content": "Adhear?? what? Adhere!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140878",
"author": "Stoey",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:42:17",
"content": "I want one of these but with a load cell so that if you hit it hard enough it doesgit push --forceinstead.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140915",
"author": "Peter_s",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:04:51",
"content": "PLS, let the poeple know which version of Arduino IDE and libraries is used.It does not comlpile.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140922",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:37:34",
"content": "You forgot to shame them for LITERALLY 3d printing an off-the-shelf available project box…Neat trick on the silicone label though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.198994
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/eliza-reanimated/
|
ELIZA Reanimated
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Artificial Intelligence",
"Retrocomputing"
] |
[
"chatbot",
"eliza"
] |
The last time we checked in with the ELIZA archeology project, they had unearthed the earliest known copy of the code for the infamous computer psychiatrist written in MAD-SLIP. After a lot of work, that version is now
running again
, and there were a number of interesting surprises.
While chatbots are all the modern rage, [Joseph Weizenbaum] created what could be the first one, ELIZA, in the mid-1960s. Of course, it wasn’t as capable as what we have today, but it is a good example of how simple it is to ape human behavior.
The original host was an IBM 7094, and MAD-SLIP fell out of favor. Most versions known previously were in Lisp or even Basic. But once the original code was found, it wasn’t enough to simply understand it. They wanted to run it.
Fortunately, there is an emulator for the IBM 7094. MAD-SLIP is around, too, but for whatever reason, didn’t support all the functions that [Weizenbaum] had used. The 2,600 lines of code are mostly undocumented, and the only copy was on fanfold printer paper, so the first step was getting the text in digital form.
Once it was manually transcribed, they found some functions were missing in their MAD-SLIP version. Rewriting the functions and correcting a typo made everything work.
The original version had a learning mode that did not carry over to the later clones. There’s an example of how to teach new rules in the paper. You can also see a video (below) of the original code duplicating (nearly) the original published conversations from the 1966 paper.
We have been
following the team
for some time and they’ve made their work available if
you want to try it
. We have
thought a lot about Eliza
since the chatbots have started taking over.
| 7
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140796",
"author": "Jeff Shrager",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T07:40:16",
"content": "Thanks for highlighting this. FYI, we’re next working on reanimating Simon, Newell, and Shaw’s Logic Theory Machine and other of the earliest true AIs, written at RAND and CMU in IPL-V in the 1950s. (IPL is an amazing lisp predecessor that looks like lisp’s assembly language! It’s ugly but fun!)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140846",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:26:08",
"content": "Poor girl!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140848",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:33:31",
"content": "How about a nice game of chess?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140946",
"author": "SKY",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T21:09:18",
"content": "You know the only winning move",
"parent_id": "8140848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140957",
"author": "ramzi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T21:59:12",
"content": "\\1.f3\\2.Tarrasch.exe",
"parent_id": "8140946",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140864",
"author": "CJS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T14:56:56",
"content": "10 print “Eliza”20 goto 10",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141238",
"author": "Falken",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:59:15",
"content": "Weizenbaum wrote a book about (among other things) his experience with the reactions that ELIZA elicited from the public: “computer power and human reason”. It is now unfortunately forgotten in the english speaking world (can’t have nay sayers in tech heaven, right?) and no one publishes it anymore (it’s still published in germany though, where I live). He was very critical of how people use tech and use or propose to use AI and basically already spelled out all the problems we now perceive with the use of AI in the present. If you can pick up a copy, go for it. In the first chapter or so he says that you can skip certain chapters that contain technical explanations. You can safely take his advice for a first read through.Unfortunately he’s dead now but maybe thats better for him. I think the present would have driven him insane.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.152706
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/pva-filament-not-always-what-it-seems/
|
PVA Filament: Not Always What It Seems
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"PVA",
"PVA glue"
] |
PVA filament with a core. (Credit: Lost In Tech)
PVA filament is an interesting filament type, for the reason that while it can be printed with any FDM printer, it supposedly readily dissolves in water, which is also the reason why PVA glue sticks are so popular when doing crafts and arts with young children. This property would make PVA filament ideal for printing supports if your printer can handle two different materials at the same time. So surely you can just pick any old PVA filament spool and get to printing, right? As [Lost in Tech] found out,
this is not quite the case
.
As an aside, watching PVA supports dissolve in water set to classical music (Bach’s
Air
from Orchestral Suite No. 3) is quite a pleasant vibe. After thus watching the various PVA prints dissolve for a while, we are left to analyze the results. The first interesting finding was that not every PVA filament dissolved the same way, or even fully.
The first gotcha is that PVA can stand for
polyvinyl acetate
(the glue stick) or
polyvinyl alcohol
(a thickener and stabilizer) , with the ‘PVA’ filament datasheets for each respective filament showing various combinations of both types of PVA. This results in wildly different properties per filament, both in terms of Shore hardness, their printability, as well as their ability to dissolve in water. Some of the filament types (Yousu, Reprapper) also have an outer layer and inner core for some reason.
Ultimately the message appears to be that ‘PVA’ filament requires a fair bit of research to have any chance of having a relatively trouble-free printing experience.
| 6
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140769",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T02:00:18",
"content": "This is a neat video, but man is it confusing what filament you’re talking about at different times. Really could have benefited from a summery of what brand had what pros/cons/properties/whatever. Which one totally dissolved? Which one didn’t? Which one had a core? Which one was too brittle to print properly (or required different settings from the main print, necessitating a 2nd head)?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140775",
"author": "JJW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T04:01:37",
"content": "There’s some weirdness in the video also — such as the presenter’s commentary that the PLA dissolved before the PVA. PLA does not readily dissolve in water.",
"parent_id": "8140769",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141001",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T01:20:43",
"content": "PLA is technically certified as biodegradable, though it’s pretty hard to get it to do that. As he notes in the video, “PVA” filaments can be two different things with the same acronym, and one doesn’t dissolve in water at all.",
"parent_id": "8140775",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140982",
"author": "Lost",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T00:04:22",
"content": "A reasonable point.Reprapper and yousu had the core and thus partially dissolve.Real filament appears to be pure PVA.esun however prints the best due to its mix of PVA formulas.None really printed well on a single head but the most likely to succeed would be the cored filament.",
"parent_id": "8140769",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141690",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T21:41:59",
"content": "You have to qualify “PVA” with what you actually mean. There’s Poly Vinyl Acetate, which dissolves in water, and Poly Vinyl Alcohol, which does not.One of the main takeaways of this video is that there are companies selling the latter plastic as if it were the former.",
"parent_id": "8140982",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141003",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T01:22:04",
"content": "So it was the esun stuff that dissolved completely? But was also somewhat brittle and needed to be printed at a lower temperature?",
"parent_id": "8140769",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,509.60277
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/building-diode-and-diode-transistor-logic-gates/
|
Building Diode And Diode-Transistor Logic Gates
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"how-to"
] |
[
"diode-transistor logic",
"DTL",
"logic gates"
] |
AND gate implemented as diode-resistor logic. (Credit: Anthony Francis-Jones)
The fun part about logic gates is that there are so many ways to make them, with each approach having its own advantages and disadvantages. Although these days transistor-transistor logic (TTL) is the most common, diode-transistor logic (DTL) once was a regular sight, as well as diode-resistor logic (DRL). These logic gates are the topic of a
recent video by [Anthony Francis-Jones]
, covering a range of logic gates implemented using mostly diodes and resistors.
Of note is that there’s another class of logic gates: this uses resistors and transistors (
RTL
) and preceded DTL. While
DRL
can be used to implement AND and OR logic gates, some types of logic gates (e.g. NOT) require an active (transistor) element, which is where
DTL
comes into play.
In addition to the construction of a rather nifty demonstration system and explanation of individual logic gates, [Anthony] also shows off a range of DTL cards used in the Bendix G-15 and various DEC systems. Over time TTL would come to dominate as this didn’t have the diode voltage drop and other issues that prevented significant scaling. Although the rise of VLSI has rendered DRL and DTL firmly obsolete, they still make for a fascinating teaching moment and remind us of the effort over the decades to make the computing device on which you’re reading this possible.
| 7
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140737",
"author": "willaim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:50:17",
"content": "A rather demonstration system?Rather advanced, enemic, ingenious?Also what is VLSIYou did well with defining the others..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140774",
"author": "D",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T03:56:05",
"content": "VLSI is very large scale integration.Back when all the circuitry was individual components (like here) those new fangled chip makers would put those components into a single IC, eg the early 74xx or 4000 series. This was SSI “small scale integration”Then later in the series (all the 3-digit ones and some of the higher 2-digit chips) were released, things like counters and latches and buffers. Those were built from SSI circuits but multiple chips worth now combined into one chip. This is MSI (medium scale integration)Later many of those multiple MSI chips were combined further into LSI (large scale integration) and here the first CPUs in a single IC package came to be.But memory manager chips, RAM chips, ROM chips, and others are also LSI.So take all those things needed to make not just a CPU but a whole computer, combine them all into one chip, and you get VLSI.Current day Intel and AMD processors fall into this level, where the IC pins take the place of expansion bus slots and to add more memory. Though consumer processors are not technically stand alone, that is almost entirely because integrating RAM would be far too limiting, or at least integrated RAM with no option for external memory.You can have that too of course but we tend to call them things like SOC (system on a chip) readily available for a smaller market.Since VLSI has all the things built in we would consider separate SSI/MSI chips of the past, as well as the glue logic internal, you don’t need to use TTL externally to connect those multiple chips together.So at least for current cutting edge tech, everything comes “glued together” internally, so TTL that glues MSI chips together isn’t needed, and why in that scope TTL is now obsolete.",
"parent_id": "8140737",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141302",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:41:19",
"content": "Another interesting drive from LSI to VLSI was not only size, but speed. Hooking up multiple LSI chips is not the same as a VLSI chip, because the connections between gates in a VLSI chip are extremely short and do not generally need to handle powering a random number of connected devices with random noise issues.Once you send a signal off-chip, you have to allow for some reasonable amount of load and noise. Thus, a VLSI chip can be internally fast, but the equivalent LSI version would be comparatively slow.The engineers of old did try to make LSI computers faster by using crazy tech like ECL, but In the end VLSI won.",
"parent_id": "8140774",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140741",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T22:07:18",
"content": "This is wonderful. 🙂🩶I just like to remind that tube logic and relay logic used to exist, too.Especially relays are nice, because they can physically open/close circuits.And work with different voltages, including high voltages.Opto-couplers are also interesting since they’re based on diodes/transistors.There’s so much to experiment. Just try it! 🙂",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140758",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T00:06:14",
"content": "While DRL can be used to implement AND and OR logic gates, some types of logic gates (e.g. NOT) require an active (transistor) elementNot if you invert your logic after the gate. After all, who says “1” must be “true”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140797",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T07:41:51",
"content": "You’d still have issues when combining that with other logic and expanding into larger chains of logic because you’d still need a NOT gate in between two sets that are at two different logic configurations.",
"parent_id": "8140758",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140802",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T08:52:10",
"content": "Yes, but you still don’t absolutely always need active elements for a NOT gate.I think it might also be possible if you construct some of the logic using negative voltages.",
"parent_id": "8140797",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,509.555163
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/all-you-need-to-know-about-photographic-lenses/
|
All You Need To Know About Photographic Lenses
|
Jenny List
|
[
"digital cameras hacks"
] |
[
"camera design",
"lens",
"lens design"
] |
If you have ever played around with lenses, you’ll know that a convex lens can focus an image onto a target. It can be as simple as focusing the sun with a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a piece of paper, but to achieve the highest quality images in a camera there is a huge amount of optical engineering and physics at play to counteract the imperfections of those simple lenses.
Many of us in the hardware world aren’t optical specialists but our work frequently involves camera modules, so
[Matt Williams]’ piece for
PetaPixel
laying out a primer on lens design should be essential reading
well beyond its target audience of photographers.
In it we learn how a photographic lens is assembled from a series of individual lenses referred to as elements, combined together in groups to lend the required properties to the final assembly. We are introduced to the characteristics of different types of glass, and to the use of lens coatings to control reflections. Then we see examples of real lens systems, from some famous designs with their roots in the 19th century, to the lenses of today.
Sometimes a piece written for an entirely different audience can bring really useful insights into our field, and this is one of those times. We learned something, and we think you will too.
Header image: 4300streetcar,
CC BY 4.0
.
| 12
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140722",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T19:25:35",
"content": "You guys must be reading my mind:“The ideas behind analog gravity systems, especially those that manipulate wave propagation through media, could indeed inspire new types of lenses or wave-guiding materials — particularly in semiconductors, metamaterials, and photonics.”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140742",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T22:32:03",
"content": "Paper, ants, whatever.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140831",
"author": "Hussien",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T11:15:35",
"content": "Back in 2007, when I was 12 years old I used magnifying glass to scar myself. Being an edgy, depressed and bullied teenage fan of Nightwish I wanted to burn a pentagram on my forearm. Unfortunately, making a five-pointed star was too hard for my teenage brain (which was also occupied with suffering burning pain). Instead of “satanist star” I scarred myself with a Star of David -.-“",
"parent_id": "8140742",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141426",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:52:53",
"content": "“It’s not until you look at ants really closely under a magnifying glass that you realise how many of them spontaneously combust” – Harry Hill",
"parent_id": "8140742",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140754",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:29:52",
"content": "Header image: Nikon F5 with a 85mm f1.4 lens?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140893",
"author": "SteveS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:13:04",
"content": "Nah… Maybe half an F5 and 85mm lens. At best 60%",
"parent_id": "8140754",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140761",
"author": "crispernaki",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T00:52:17",
"content": "Photographic lenses are cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140825",
"author": "bikerosbarrek",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T10:54:22",
"content": "4f optical collector springs to mind , image recognition the old analog way , sort of , light performing computational transformation with maximum speed possible, very interesting 🤔",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140854",
"author": "preamp.org",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:57:26",
"content": "Hmm, they call “improved bokeh” a perk of aspherical elements. While asphericals tend to improve pretty much anything else, the bokeh usually suffers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8143009",
"author": "Matt Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T00:09:02",
"content": "I should have been clearer there. Bokeh balls do indeed suffer with aspheric elements because they are (generally) moulded, which creates texturing (some exceptions though are hand ground aspheric elements). What I was referring to was the transition between in-focus and out of focus.",
"parent_id": "8140854",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141443",
"author": "frenchone",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:36:25",
"content": "Have there been any developments in diy community afterMexican scientist solves aberration problemhttps://newatlas.com/spherical-aberration-optical-lens-solution/60937/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143008",
"author": "Matt Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-29T00:06:44",
"content": "I wrote the article mentioned here! Thank you for your comments!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.461181
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/hackaday-podcast-episode-325-the-laugh-track-machine-diy-usb-c-power-cables-and-plastic-punches/
|
Hackaday Podcast Episode 325: The Laugh Track Machine, DIY USB-C Power Cables, And Plastic Punches
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] |
[
"Hackaday Podcast"
] |
This week, Hackaday’s Elliot Williams and Al Williams caught up after a week-long hiatus. There was a lot to talk about, including clocks, DIY USB cables, and more.
In Hackaday news,
the 2025 Pet Hacks Contest
is a wrap. Winners will be announced soon, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, how’d you like a free ticket to attend Supercon? Well, free if you
submit a talk
and get accepted. November is right around the corner, so get those talks ready.
Hackaday is a big fan of the
NOAA Polar sats
, and it looks like they are on their last figurative legs. The agency has left them up for now, but won’t be keeping them in shape, and if they misbehave, they may be neutralized for safety.
Since Elliot was off, Al supplied the sound, and in a bout of karma, Elliot had to do the guessing this week. How’d he do? Not bad, but there’s room to do better. If you do better, there could be a coveted Hackaday Podcast T-shirt in your future.
Moving on the hacks, the guys were interested in magnets, clocks, cables, 3D printed machine tools, and even old moonbase proposals. For the can’t miss articles, Al took the bifecta, since Elliot picked a piece on the machine that generated laugh tracks in the latter part of the 20th century and Al shamelessly picked his own article about the role of British ham radio operators during WWII.
Miss anything? Check out the links below and catch up. As always, drop a comment and tell us what you think about the week in Hackaday.
Download in
DRM-free MP3
unencrypted and oxygen-free.
Where to Follow Hackaday Podcast
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
YouTube
Check
out our Libsyn landing page
Episode 325 Show Notes:
News:
2025 Pet Hacks Contest
NOAA Polar Satellites
What’s that Sound?
Know what the sound was? [Elliot] got close!
Let’s see if you can do better
.
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Iron Nitride Permanent Magnets Made With DIY Ball Mill
This Thermochromic Clock Is A Ray Of Sunshine
What Happened To Duracell PowerCheck?
The Most Trustworthy USB-C Cable Is DIY
All About USB-C: Cable Types
A Concentric Clock With Multiple Modes
Compound Press Bends, Punches And Cuts Using 3D Printed Plastic
History Of Forgotten Moon Bases
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks:
Expanding Racks In The Spirit Of The Hoberman Sphere
The Switch 2 Pro Controller: Prepare For Glue And Fragile Parts
Watkin’s Tower: London’s Failed Eiffel Tower
BhangmeterV2 Answers The Question “Has A Nuke Gone Off?”
Al’s Picks:
Building A Cyberpunk Modular Keyboard
Split Keyboard Uses No PCB
LED Probe: A Smart, Simple Solution For Testing LEDs
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Just For Laughs: Charlie Douglass And The Laugh Track
Crowdsourcing SIGINT: Ham Radio at War
High-Stakes Fox Hunting: The FCC’s Radio Intelligence Division In World War II
| 1
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140728",
"author": "A European not grown up on laughtracks",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T20:38:49",
"content": "Haven’t listened to this yet, I will probably do that during the coming work week, but I read the article about the canned laughter, and got a worrying thought:How much has the laugh tracks on TV shows affected people’s empathy since their invention? Is it possible that being continuously exposed to the social pressure of “this should be funny” regarding others’ misfortune, pain and emotional suffering, causes people to find it funny, or less bad, in real life too?Sure, the “video violence” debate is old, but I think this is something else – it’s not just showing something bad happening to someone, it’s that and telling you, not in words but on a primal level, “you should like this”, and associating it in our minds with the good feeling of laughter, remembered for the future.Would a considerable portion of today’s and recent history’s criminality, fraudulent behaviors, maybe even wars, not have happened if laugh tracks weren’t invented, or used as they have been?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.504067
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/pi-pico-powers-parts-bin-audio-interface/
|
Pi Pico Powers Parts-Bin Audio Interface
|
Tyler August
|
[
"digital audio hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"adc",
"Paspberry Pi Pico",
"usb audio"
] |
USB audio is great, but what if you needed to use it and had no budget? Well, depending on the contents of your parts bin, you might be able to use
[Veyniac]’s Pico-Audio-Interface
as a free (and libre! It’s GPL3.0) sound capture device.
In the
project’s Reddit thread,
[Veyniac] describes needing audio input for his homemade synth, but having no budget. Necessity being the mother of invention, rather than beg borrow or steal a device with a working sound card, he hacked together this lovely device. It shows up as a USB Audio Class 2.0 device so should work with just about anything, and offers 12-bit resolution and 4x oversampling to try and deal with USB noise with its 2-channel, 44.1 kHz sample rate.
Aside from the Pico, all you need is an LM324 op-amp IC and a handful of resistors and capacitors — [Veyniac] estimates about $10 to purchase the whole BOM. He claims that the captured audio sounds okay in his use, but can’t guarantee it will be for anyone else, noise being the fickle beast that it is. We figure that sounding “Okay” has got to be pretty good, given that you usually get what you pay for — and again, [Veyniac] did build this in a cave with a box of scraps. Well, except for the cave part. Probably.
While the goal here was not to rival a commercial
USB sound card,
we have
seen projects to do tha
t.
We’re quite grateful to [Omadeira] for the tip, because this really is a hack. If you, too, want a share of our undying gratitude (which is still worth its weight in gold, despite fluctuations in the spot price of precious metals),
send in a tip of your own.
| 10
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140659",
"author": "Clara Hobbs",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:03:28",
"content": "I’m not sure what kind of “USB noise” the original poster is talking about. Power noise, perhaps? If that’s it, that would likely be better dealt with by power filtering.Amusing too that the OP built a whole modular synth, but didn’t have any budget left over for a decent audio interface.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140679",
"author": "your name",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:53:55",
"content": "Maybe the RP2024 ADC issue.",
"parent_id": "8140659",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140669",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:31:48",
"content": "USB audio is great, but what if you needed to use it and had no budget?Amazing introduction…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140671",
"author": "imqqmi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:44:39",
"content": "A usb sound card can be bought for less than $10 though (I’ve seen them as low a $5). It’s usually a mike input but with a bit of hacking I’m sure it’s possible to convert it to a line-in. But it’s of course more fun to make your own.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140695",
"author": "asheets",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:41:10",
"content": "Yea, but I’ve found that some of those cheapo USB pieces have a nasty sine wave hum in them, to the point that they literally heat up earbuds.",
"parent_id": "8140671",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140678",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:53:43",
"content": "i think it’s a sickness.(every accusation is a confession)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140726",
"author": "KenN",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T19:55:37",
"content": "Good project, especially for someone wanting to understand how A/D conversion is done. And USB, too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140746",
"author": "mordae",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:16:23",
"content": "Yeah, USB can be a source of noise for Pico down at the audio frequencies. Those caps are overkill, though. What is needed is a different cable, ferrite bead or both.Next, the guy guessed right to toggle SMPS into PWM mode. Received 10 dB better noise floor in exchange for different spur positions. The SMPS switches anywhere between 0.8 to 1.2 MHz and drifts with temperature, so its a bit of lottery where it folds. Proper solution would be to jumper 3V3_EN to GND and supply external clean 3V3 from e.g. AMS1117-3.3 linear regulator. That would bring the noise floor down to below 12b for sure.Finally, 12b ADC of Pico is not 12b but really only good for about 9.5 bits. 4x oversampling gives like 10.5b. Not great, not terrible I guess, since at 1.5 kHz we get extra 2.5b effective bits for grand total of 13b.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141307",
"author": "oldradiofixer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T21:13:07",
"content": "the title made me think, “parts bin, which drawer has the 470uf caps and how many are left?”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141860",
"author": "Rob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T14:30:41",
"content": "How can this be UAC 2 when the Pico has only USB 1.1?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.69986
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/this-week-in-security-that-time-i-caused-a-9-5-cve-ios-spyware-and-the-day-the-internet-went-down/
|
This Week In Security: That Time I Caused A 9.5 CVE, IOS Spyware, And The Day The Internet Went Down
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] |
[
"Meshtastic",
"spyware",
"This Week in Security"
] |
Meshtastic just released
an eye-watering 9.5 CVSS CVE
, warning about public/private keys being re-used among devices. And I’m the one that wrote the code. Not to mention, I triaged and fixed it. And I’m part of Meshtastic Solutions, the company associated with the project. This is is the story of how we got here, and a bit of perspective.
First things first, what kind of keys are we talking about, and what does Meshtastic use them for? These are
X25519
keys, used specifically for encrypting and authenticating Direct Messages (DMs), as well as optionally for authorizing remote administration actions. It is, by the way, this remote administration scenario using a compromised key, that leads to such a high CVSS rating. Before version 2.5 of Meshtastic, the only cryptography in place was simple AES-CTR encryption using shared symmetric keys, still in use for multi-user channels. The problem was that DMs were also encrypted with this channel key, and just sent with the “to” field populated. Anyone with the channel key could read the DM.
I re-worked an old pull request that generated X25519 keys on boot, using the
rweather/crypto
library. This sentence highlights two separate problems, that both can lead to unintentional key re-use. First, the keys are generated at first boot. I was made painfully aware that this was a weakness, when a user sent an email to the project warning us that he had purchased two devices, and they had matching keys out of the box. When the vendor had manufactured this device, they flashed Meshtastic on one device, let it boot up once, and then use a debugger to copy off a “golden image” of the flash. Then every other device in that particular manufacturing run was flashed with this golden image — containing same private key.
sigh
There’s a second possible cause for duplicated keys, discovered while triaging the golden image issue. On the Arduino platform, it’s reasonably common to use the
random()
function to generate a pseudo-random value, and the Meshtastic firmware is careful to manage the random seed and the
random()
function so it produces properly unpredictable values. The
crypto
library is solid code, but it doesn’t call
random()
. On ESP32 targets, it does call the
esp_random()
function, but on a target like the NRF52, there isn’t a call to any hardware randomness sources. This puts such a device in the precarious position of relying on a call to
micros()
for its randomness source. While non-ideal, this is made disastrous by the fact that the randomness pool is being called automatically on first boot, leading to significantly lower entropy in the generated keys.
Release 2.6.11 of the Meshtastic firmware fixes both of these issues. First, by delaying key generation until the user selects the LoRa region. This makes it much harder for vendors to accidentally ship devices with duplicated keys. It gives users an easy way to check, just make sure the private key is blank when you receive the device. And since the device is waiting for the user to set the region, the
micros()
clock is a much better source of randomness. And second, by mixing in the results of
random()
and the burnt-in hardware ID, we ensure that the crypto library’s randomness pool is seeded with some unique, unpredictable values.
The reality is that IoT devices without dedicated cryptography chips will always struggle to produce high quality randomness. If you really need secure Meshtastic keys, you should generate them on a platform with better randomness guarantees. The openssl binary on a modern Linux or Mac machine would be a decent choice, and the Meshtastic private key can be generated using
openssl genpkey -algorithm x25519 -outform DER | tail -c32 | base64
.
What’s Up with SVGs?
You may have tried to share a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) on a platform like Discord, and been surprised to see an obtuse text document rather than your snazzy logo. Browsers can display SVGs, so why do many web platforms refuse to render them? I’ve quipped that it’s because SVGs are Turing complete, which is almost literally true. But in reality it’s because
SVGs can include inline HTML and JavaScript
. IBM’s X-Force has
the inside scoop on the use of SVG files in fishing campaigns
. The key here is that JavaScript and data inside an SVG can often go undetected by security solutions.
The attack chain that X-Force highlights is convoluted, with the SVG containing a link offering a PDF download. Clicking this actually downloads a ZIP containing a JS file, which when run, downloads and attempts to execute a JAR file. This may seem ridiculous, but it’s all intended to defeat a somewhat sophisticated corporate security system, so an inattentive user will click through all the files in order to get the day’s work done. And apparently this tactic works.
*OS Spyware
Apple published
updates to its entire line
back in February, fixing a pair of vulnerabilities that were being used in sophisticated targeted attacks.
CVE-2025-43200
was “a logic issue” that could be exploited by malicious images or videos sent in iCloud links.
CVE-2025-24200
was a flaw in USB Restricted Mode, that allowed that mode to be disabled with physical access to a device.
What’s newsworthy about these vulnerabilities is that Citizen Lab has published a report that CVE-2025-43200 was used in a 0-day exploitation of journalists by the Paragon Graphite spyware. It is slightly odd that Apple credits the other fixed vulnerability, CVE-2025-24200, to Bill Marczak, a Citizen Lab researcher and co-author of this report. Perhaps there is another shoe yet to drop.
Regardless, iOS infections have been found on the phones of two separate European Journalists, with a third confirmed targeted. It’s unclear what customer contracted Paragon to spy on these journalists, and what the impetus was for doing so. Companies like Paragon, NSO Group, and others operate within a legal grey area, taking actions that would normally be criminal, but under the authority of governments.
A for Anonymous, B for Backdoor
WatchTowr has a less-snarky-than-usual treatment of
a chain of problems in the Sitecore Experience
that take an unauthenticated attacker all the way to Remote Code Execution (RCE). The initial issue here is the pre-configured user accounts, like
default\Anonymous
, used to represent unauthenticated users, and
sitecore\ServicesAPI
, used for internal actions. Those special accounts do have password hashes. Surely there isn’t some insanely weak password set for one of those users, right? Right? The password for
ServicesAPI
is
b
.
ServicesAPI
is interesting, but trying the easy approach of just logging in with that user on the web interface fails with a unique error message, that this user does not have access to the system. Someone knew this could be a problem, and added logic to prevent this user from being used for general system access, by checking which database the current handler is attached to. Is there an endpoint that connects to a different database? Naturally. Here it’s the administrative web login, that has no database attached. The
ServicesAPI
user can log in here! Good news is that it can’t do anything, as this user isn’t an admin. But the login does work, and does result in a valid session cookie, which does allow for other actions.
There are several approaches the WatchTowr researchers tried, in order to get RCE from the user account. They narrowed in on a file upload action that was available to them, noting that they could upload a zip file, and it would be automatically extracted. There were no checks for path traversal, so it seems like an easy win. Except Sitecore doesn’t necessarily have a standard install location, so this approach has to guess at the right path traversal steps to use. The key is that there is just a little bit of filename mangling that can be induced, where a backslash gets replaced with an underscore. This allows a
/\/
in the path traversal path to become
/_/
, a special sequence that represents the webroot directory. And we have RCE. These vulnerabilities have been patched, but there were more discovered in this research, that are still to be revealed.
The Day the Internet Went Down
OK, that may be overselling it just a little bit. But
Google Cloud had an eight hour event on the 12th
, and the repercussions were wide, including
taking down parts of Cloudflare for part of that time on the same day
.
Google’s downtime was caused by bad code that was pushed to production with insufficient testing, and that lacked error handling. It was intended to be a quota policy check. A separate policy change was rolled out globally, that had unintentional blank fields. These blank fields hit the new code, and triggered null pointer de-references all around the globe all at once. An emergency fix was deployed within an hour, but the problem was large enough to have quite a long tail.
Cloudflare’s issue was connected to their Workers KV service, a Key-Value store that is used in many of Cloudflare’s other products. Workers KV is intended to be “coreless”, meaning a cascading failure should be impossible. The reality is that Workers KV still uses a third-party service as the bootstrap for that live data, and Google Cloud is part of that core. When Google’s cloud starting having problems, so did Cloudflare, and much of the rest of the Internet.
I can’t help but worry just a bit about the possible scenario, where Google relies on an outside service, that itself relies on Cloudflare. In the realm of the power grid, we sometimes hear about the cold start scenario, where everything is powered down. It seems like there is a real danger of a cold start scenario for the Internet, where multiple giant interdependent cloud vendors are all down at the same time.
Bits and Bytes
Fault injection is still an interesting research topic, particularly for embedded targets. [Maurizio Agazzini] from HN Security is doing work on
voltage injection against an ESP32 V3 target
, with the aim of coercing the processor to jump over an instruction and interpret a CRC32 code as an instruction pointer. It’s not easy, but he managed 1.5% success rate at bypassing secure boot with the voltage injection approach.
Intentional jitter is used in many exploitation tools, as a way to disguise what might otherwise be tell-tale traffic patterns. But
Varonis Threat Labs has produced Jitter-Trap
, a tool that looks for the Jitter, and attempts to identify the exploitation framework in use from the timing information.
We’ve talked a few times about vibe researching, but
[Craig Young] is only tipping his toes in here
. He used an LLM to find a published vulnerability, and then analyzed it himself. Turns out that the GIMP despeckle plugin doesn’t do bounds checking for very large images. Back again to an LLM, to get a Python script to generate such a file. It does indeed crash GIMP when trying to despeckle, confirming the vulnerability report, and demonstrating that there really are good ways to use LLMs while doing security research.
| 18
| 12
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140631",
"author": "Otis Rowell",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:20:22",
"content": "Just wanted to leave a comment saying how much I enjoy reading this series weekly. While I’m not a hardcore security researcher, it’s really nice knowing some of the larger attacks floating around, especially when it comes to working on a software project and knowing what to avoid doing. Keep up the good work, it’s been a pleasure to read these weekly.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140637",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:33:03",
"content": "Ditto. Keep at it.",
"parent_id": "8140631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140682",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:59:29",
"content": "Same here.",
"parent_id": "8140637",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140721",
"author": "russell",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T19:25:03",
"content": "agreed. thanks Jonathan. I look forward to it every week. Most reports don’t affect me, but when one does —wow — it’s good to know.",
"parent_id": "8140637",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140762",
"author": "Randlin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T00:56:43",
"content": "Absolutely 100%",
"parent_id": "8140631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140799",
"author": "Pacraf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T07:49:58",
"content": "Exactly.",
"parent_id": "8140631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140632",
"author": "Nath",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:20:23",
"content": "I don’t know any fisherman using SVG in their fishing campains. They usually use lure or worms.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140658",
"author": "NQ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:00:51",
"content": "Campaigns.",
"parent_id": "8140632",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140639",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:37:34",
"content": "Safely using a random() function call is the real trick. Using the system time introduces values which may have a granularity of accuracy. What if the system time function calls only gives us even numbers?I use functions to generate a seed by taking its binary representation and setting half the digits to 1 and half to 0. From there I can assume entropy from the PRNG will obscure the seed sufficiently.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140640",
"author": "jepler",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:44:59",
"content": "many nrf family devices have a hardware RNG.circuitpython has two code paths (only the softdevice one is used in practice, probably): if nordic softdevice is in use, call sd_rand_application_bytes_available_get+sd_rand_application_vector_get in a loop. If it’s not, use the nrf_rng_random_value_get API and its siblings in a loop.The softdevice API documentation I checked just now, erm, doesn’t actually state that these are cryptographic-quality numbers but what other purpose could you possibly have for an extremely bandwidth-limited RNG?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140641",
"author": "Collie147",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:48:33",
"content": "I had a similar issue to the meshtastic one with my own code while it was in alpha. It was a raspi based device, key was set at boot but in the beta I made sure to salt it with the hardware id before encryption. Every day is a school day, but also decent validation when you find someone is using the same technique.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140660",
"author": "TerryMatthews",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:04:04",
"content": "Google is handing over coding to their AI it sounds like. Probably an extra ; or it just assumed what the function would be called in x library repo lol. Sounds about right. It probably made them start over with the blink led sketch for their router and spent the next 7 hours adding functionality like network access lol.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140688",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:19:40",
"content": "I’ve seen a lot of “golden image” files released by radio enthusiasts in the SDR (Software Defined Radio) space who knows a lot about radio but are missing knowledge about SSH (Secure SHell) and distibute the exact same private and public key files in /etc/ssh/ instead of deleting them and allowing the initialization script/service to automatically give every install unique keys with “keygen -A”.When I see this and contact the people responsible, they are more worried about all the SDR tools working above everything else. They do not see lackluster security as a problem!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140794",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T06:58:23",
"content": "You could check for different unique id than stored and force key regeneration. This would avoid the golden image problem.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141230",
"author": "Natak",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T14:16:57",
"content": "please make Heltec 2.1 on oficial or non oficial web page.please. In my town I see 6 devices! (all have 2.5* version)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141311",
"author": "ian 42",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T22:29:08",
"content": "“The reality is that IoT devices without dedicated cryptography chips will always struggle to produce high quality randomness.”not if they have a esp32…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141646",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T19:02:25",
"content": "Even if you don’t have a hardware RNG- and it looks like many of the radio chips do even if the micro doesn’t- you could get some nice entropy from the least significant bits of basically any noisy input. A floating ADC, the instantaneous RSSI from the radio, timing from multiple button presses, etc. You can pretty much always do a lot better than one call to micros()!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141816",
"author": "Mark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T11:06:55",
"content": "When sending SVGs via social media, why can’t they just detect interactive elements and scripts, and if none of those are present, display it as an image anyway?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.020321
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/spiral-connector-makes-fastener-free-assemblies/
|
Spiral Connector Makes Fastener-Free Assemblies
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Art",
"classic hacks"
] |
[
"3d printed",
"golden ratio",
"golden spiral",
"sculpture",
"spiral"
] |
[Anton Gaia]’s SPIRAL sculpture resembles an organizer or modern shelving unit, but what’s really interesting is how it goes together. It’s made entirely from assembling copies of a single component (two, if you count the short ‘end pieces’ as separate) without a fastener in sight.
[Anton] made the 3D model available
, so check it out for yourself!
The self-similar design of the joint, based on the golden spiral, makes a self-supporting joint that requires neither glue nor fasteners.
The ends of each part form a tight, spiral-shaped joint when assembled with its neighbors. Parts connect solely to themselves without any need of fasteners or adhesives.
The end result is secure, scalable, and with a harmonious structure that is very pleasing to look at. Small wonder [Anton] used it as the basis for artistic work. You can
see more pictures here
.
The design of the joint is based on the
golden spiral
(which it turns out is also a pretty useful
chicken coop architecture
.)
The parts lend themselves quite well to 3D printing, and we’d like to take a moment to appreciate that [Anton] shared the
.step
file instead of just an STL. STEP (or STP) files can be imported meaningfully into CAD programs, making it much easier to incorporate the design into one’s own work. STEP is also
supported natively in many 3D printer slicers
, so there’s no need to convert formats just to print them.
A brief video describing SPIRAL is embedded just below, with a closer look at how the pieces fit together.
| 11
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140612",
"author": "Andy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:10:05",
"content": "I wonder if you could use this for creating mazes for robots / small critters to explore?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140625",
"author": "Braino",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:52:00",
"content": "ferb, I know what we’re doing today",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140651",
"author": "Thinkerer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:41:15",
"content": "So if a ~270° spiral gets you a 90° angle, could you use similar explementary geometry to get triangles/pentagons/hexagons etc.? I’m AFP (away from printer) right now and can’t try it though I’d imagine material thickness would need to be considered.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140657",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:59:50",
"content": "It’s not the 270 degree’s that counts, It’s the ratio between the angle and the diameter with the wall thickness. I.e. this has 4x the material thickness in 360 degrees, and thus four lobes. This also had nothing to do with the “golden spiral” (which is logarithmic). because of the constant diameter increase with angle, it’s much closer to Archimedes” spiral. (xkcd/386)",
"parent_id": "8140651",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140661",
"author": "Mr. Christopher",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:06:35",
"content": "Yeah, I bet if the “exit angle” was 210 and you changed the thickness to plan for three plates it should make hexes.",
"parent_id": "8140651",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140697",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:49:15",
"content": "Surely it has to be 240 degrees to make hexagons. 210 is nothing, that would just fall apart.",
"parent_id": "8140661",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140662",
"author": "Scott Pickett",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:16:27",
"content": "If each spiral had a base plate for its 90 degrees, it would create a box to store parts in.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140686",
"author": "Donald Papp",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:12:41",
"content": "I printed the pieces and one thing that became apparent after handling and assembling them is that the joint is (sort of) self-tightening, in a way. The curved ends of each piece can be pried “outward” a little to increase the space between them and ease assembly, but once the pieces are together, they all sort of clench onto one another as they return to their original shape — making a tight knot of a spiral in the process. It’s pretty neat.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140843",
"author": "Jan-Willem Markus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:04:19",
"content": "I’ve printed several pieces as well, as I believe it could make a nice spice rack for my kitchen. The pieces are indeed self tightening, and for the larger construction I required a mallet to get them together. This is likely due to me scaling the example down, and running into tolerance issues.I may revisit it again, if I can figure out how to recreate the hook shape in OpenSCAD. An OpenSCAD file, or any other parametric CAD can make it a lot easier to build any configuration (not just cubes), and arbitrary length.",
"parent_id": "8140686",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140892",
"author": "Chuck Malloch",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T17:11:44",
"content": "Picking a nit: it looks to me like the grey-and-white illustration of the joint depicts not a golden or logarithmic spiral but an Archimedian spiral. Can this be fixed?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141120",
"author": "trapicki",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T08:31:59",
"content": "It’s an Archimedian Spiral actuall, with the distance to the center proportionally increading the the rotation angle.Not everything nature-made and man-made can be fit to an Golden spiral, not even with the most wishfull thinking.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.652592
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/20/bento-is-an-all-in-one-computer-designed-to-be-useful/
|
Bento Is An All-In-One Computer Designed To Be Useful
|
Jenny List
|
[
"computer hacks",
"Cyberdecks"
] |
[
"all-in-one",
"cyberdeck",
"steam deck"
] |
All-in-one computers in which the mainboard lurked beneath a keyboard were once the default in home computing, but more recently they have been relegated to interesting niche devices such as the Raspberry Pi 400 and 500.
The Bento is another take on the idea
, coming at it not with the aim of replacing a desktop machine, instead as a computer for use with wearable display glasses. The thinking goes that when your display is head mounted, why carry around a screen with your laptop.
On top it’s a keyboard, but underneath it’s a compartmentalized space similar to the Japanese lunchboxes which lend the project its name. The computing power comes courtesy of a Steam Deck so it has a USB-C-for-everything approach to plugging in a desktop, though there’s a stated goal to produce versions for other boards such as the Raspberry Pi. There’s even an empty compartment for storage of peripherals.
We like this computer, both for being a cyberdeck and for being without a screen so not quite like the other cyberdecks. It’s polished enough that we could almost imagine it as a commercial product. It’s certainly
not the first Steam Deck based cyberdeck
we’ve seen.
| 23
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140555",
"author": "Mrroland",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T08:10:52",
"content": "Same article?https://hackaday.com/2025/06/15/bento-vr-xr-from-a-keyboard/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140587",
"author": "iAmNotADog.honest.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T11:31:13",
"content": "Same project, much clearer write-up!",
"parent_id": "8140555",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140615",
"author": "Guymcdood",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:19:00",
"content": "Looks like this sites fallen to the allure of ai journalism",
"parent_id": "8140555",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140643",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:01:56",
"content": "Not us! To err is human. :)",
"parent_id": "8140615",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140759",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T00:32:03",
"content": "https://www.saltwire.com/cape-breton/twelve-minutes-ahead-cape-breton-caught-in-ai-time-warpimustfillalltheselinessoIcanseethewholeerrormessagethatkeepsmefromcommentingsth.withsecureconnectiontojetpackwordpress?",
"parent_id": "8140643",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140760",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T00:34:31",
"content": "not it has worked for some reason?Well, my original comment is gone now anyway.Sth. along the lines of PAI (pseudoAI) not being able to properly recognize irony, sarcasm, jokes or comedy so every meme and comment on the net is potential poison for PAI",
"parent_id": "8140759",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141639",
"author": "michaelthatsit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:13:28",
"content": "As the creator, I’m honored to get a mention not once, but twice!",
"parent_id": "8140643",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142471",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T18:41:33",
"content": "Mission accomplished! :)",
"parent_id": "8141639",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140573",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T10:23:55",
"content": "I can’t stand these glasses. I bought the Xreal Air and I just can’t use it. I keep having to refocus after every eye movement even if it’s a small movement. After 5 minutes, I have to take them off. I have no idea how others do this. I’m slightly nearsighted, so I can’t see things that are far way, but up close everything is clear. I take my glasses off when I’m reading a book.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140670",
"author": "CampGareth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:38:32",
"content": "The lenses simulate a display further away. I need prescription lens inserts to use a VR headset which is similar, even though I’m nearsighted.",
"parent_id": "8140573",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140763",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T01:07:16",
"content": "Oh is that the problem? Because after focusing, it’s really sharp. But it takes time which is a pain with faster games.",
"parent_id": "8140670",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140807",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T09:25:25",
"content": "The Airs areextremelysensitive to your prescription. Even mild shortsightedness means you won’t have a good time with them. I’m only about 0.25/0.5 dioptres out, and getting prescription inserts for the Airs made amassivedifference to their clarity for me.",
"parent_id": "8140573",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140616",
"author": "rthrthrt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:19:23",
"content": "usefull computer without pgUp pgDown , home, end keys on keyboard?not for me",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140647",
"author": "HegTek",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:23:47",
"content": "10keyless is also an issue. I have no clue how people do anything productive without 10keys.",
"parent_id": "8140616",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140668",
"author": "freedomunit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:22:17",
"content": "You learn to touch type the number row.It took me a while, but now I’m very comfortable without a 10 key.Don’t get me wrong, I’m still faster and more consistent with a 10 key, although it’s nice to not have to move my hand when typing occasional numbers in something that is otherwise text.The keeb enthusiasts tend to insist that no one needs a 10 key; in truth they just want to spend less on switches / keycaps :)",
"parent_id": "8140647",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140810",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T09:28:00",
"content": "Or you learn to use layers. Why have a dedicated numpad when the numbers can move to wherever you want them at the touch of a key?",
"parent_id": "8140668",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141306",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T21:12:18",
"content": "This is based on the Apple Magic Keyboard, which is available in both compact (basically laptop keyboard) and full (with 10-key). Seems like the case could be easily modified to handle this, if you value 10-key more than compactness.",
"parent_id": "8140616",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141638",
"author": "michaelthatsit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:12:07",
"content": "^ this! I just wanted something more bag friendly.",
"parent_id": "8141306",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140634",
"author": "imqqmi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:27:38",
"content": "If the computer dies, you can use it as a lunchbox, as the name bento implies lol!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141634",
"author": "michaelthatsit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:09:07",
"content": "lol I’m the guy who built it and this is the best comment on it that I’ve seen.",
"parent_id": "8140634",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141038",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:26:03",
"content": "“Bento” is fantastic branding, and it should have more little compartments for expandability. Or soy sauce.As some have said, this concept has been done many times, but marketing and branding is 95% of what makes one implementation rise above many others.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141637",
"author": "michaelthatsit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T18:10:26",
"content": "Thanks! Working on the next rev, soy sauce compartment is at the top of the list!",
"parent_id": "8141038",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141739",
"author": "oishiCongee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T00:32:38",
"content": "Supercool. Now I hope someone makes a Matcha Linux distro",
"parent_id": "8141637",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,509.847064
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/mac-se-restomod-has-a-floppy-surprise/
|
Mac SE Restomod Has A Floppy Surprise
|
Tyler August
|
[
"computer hacks"
] |
[
"Macintosh SE",
"restomod",
"retrocomputer"
] |
If he’s anything like us [Duncan Hall] was probably equal parts excited and disgusted when he found a 1987 Macintosh SE case at a garage sale. Excited, because not every day do vintage computers show up at these things. Disgusted, because it had been gutted and coated in house paint; the previous owner apparently wanted to make an aquarium. [Duncan] wanted to make a computer, and after 15 years, he finally did,
calling it the PhoeNIX SE.
Note the small hole in the top floppy bay for the laptop webcam.
The NIX part of the name might make you suspect he’s running Linux on it, which yes, he absolutely is. The guts of this restomod were donated from a Dell XPS laptop, whose Core i7 CPU and motherboard power the project. A 9.7″ LCD serves in place of the original monochrome CRT, held in place by 3D printed hardware. While a purist might complain, it’s not like anyone makes replacement CRTs anymore, and once that’s gone? You might as well go full modern. (The
analog board, on the other hand
, is available.
So is the logic board,
if you were wondering. Lacking a CRT,
some might have chosen e-ink instead,
but the LCD looks good here.)
All ports are on the rear, as Steve would have wanted. That original sticker survived under latex paint is a spot of luck.
Having gone full modern, well, there’s no need for the M5011’s dual floppies, so one of them holds a webcam and monitor for a modern experience. A zoom call from that case would be a bit surreal, but we really appreciate the use of the empty floppy bay to keep the clean lines of the Macintosh SE unaltered. The other floppy bay (this is a dual-floppy unit) appears empty; we might have put an SD-card reader or something in there, but we absolutely agree with [Duncan]’s choice to 3D Print a new back panel and keep all I/O on the rear of the case, as God and Steve Jobs intended.
However you feel about restomodding retrocomputers (and we’re aware it’s a controversial practice), I think we can all agree this is a much better fate for the old Mac than
becoming an aquarium
. Thanks to [Loddington] for the tip.
If you’re on the side of the aisle that prefers to see restorations than restomods,
the tips line
is waiting for some
quality restorations
.
| 20
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140537",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T05:19:58",
"content": "Floppy surprise? C’mon you can’t set people up like that",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140541",
"author": "flipperpi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T06:20:55",
"content": "The 3.5″ disks were hardly “floppy”, but that’s the least issue that I have with this article.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140544",
"author": "Sheldon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T06:45:59",
"content": "They had a rigid housing, but the recording media was definitely floppy. But, you do have a point. I seem to remember that we avoided using the word “floppy” to distinguish a 5.25″ floppy from a 3.5″ floppy. I just called them disks and in the times when I meant a 5.25″, they were floppy disks.",
"parent_id": "8140541",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140548",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T06:52:44",
"content": "Some called them “stiffies” instead of”, “micro floppies” right? :)But joking aside, the floppy part is the wobbly discus thingy inside.Though that perhaps wasn’t apparend in the 5,25″ or 8″ floppy days.Or must I say “flappy” disk for the 8″ disk?A “flippy” was a double sided disk 5,25″ diskette, I think?!",
"parent_id": "8140541",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140607",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:43:56",
"content": "They were not, but outside of children making purile jokes about “stiffies” I cannot recall anyone calling them anything else in the last 30 years.Some people called Zip disks floppies, and I’m quite certain if magneto-optical disks had caught on we’d be calling our MOdisk or MD Data disks “floppies” too, with even less excuse.",
"parent_id": "8140541",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140626",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:52:39",
"content": "My recollection in Silicon Valley was diskette. Universally “diskette” with everyone I knew and all the sales literature, etc. “Floppy” meant 5.25 “Five and a quarter” since 8″ floppies faded from sight rather quickly. But really, floppy was anything in the flexible envelope. I have a Dyson proto of a very small drive of that type that either failed in the market or was never pushed into full production. I think they are about 3.25″. Wait!…http://regnirps.com/SEF/oddities.htm",
"parent_id": "8140541",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140681",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:58:22",
"content": "Tenuously related but… coincidentally, in my local electronics surplus store last week, I saw a Mentor Graphics 8″ external floppy drive on sale. The unit wasn’t too far short of the size of this Mac SE and was clearly designed in the old IBM “this should be able to survive a nuclear blast” mindset. It dwarfed the 5.25″ floppy drive that was stacked above it!",
"parent_id": "8140626",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140630",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:20:07",
"content": "Floppy refers to the magnetic disk, which in a 5″ the plastic enclosure was soft and bent with the internal disk. The 3″ had a hard plastic encasing but the disk inside was also a similar material.Floppy refers colloquially to both disk formats.",
"parent_id": "8140541",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140543",
"author": "Troepje",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T06:45:51",
"content": "I have one of them still. But im scared to turn it on. It has been turned off for 20 years and im afraid it will release its magic smoke. One day ill clean and restore it and then im going to play icmb on it again like 35ish years ago :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140545",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T06:47:34",
"content": "Relax, kids. Such vintage chassis are being scanned and digitally archived.It’s possible to 3D print such chassis in case you need replacement parts once.So making a case mod on a beaten vintage Mac chassis is no big deal.Otherwise, this chassis might have ended up in a recycler or a landfill.Like a dozen of Lisa computers did once, because Apple wanted it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140559",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T08:48:49",
"content": "i never really understood the appeal of old proprietary machines. i know people grew up with a specific machine. but i have almost always used a home built rig, and i dont go through such extreme measures to preserve them. i try to keep hardware around as long as its useful (and i have machines that are over 10 years old because they remain useful) but at a point i have to pull the ewaste trigger. if people can find uses for this stuff, good, its better than throwing it all out. there will be enough working specimens for the historical record even if 90% gets gutted, these machines were kind of ubiquitous.",
"parent_id": "8140545",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140566",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T09:16:25",
"content": "Hm. Not sure how to explain. I’m wrong person, I guess.I was raised with the idea that items/objects have a soul and a story to tell.And that “throwing out” is wrong per se, until there’s a good reason.If possible, we must try to recycle parts of something so it’s not wasted.Unless it’s unfixable, like a cheap, broken coffee machine, of course.My grand grand father did repair his radio, for example. Or furniture.Nothing was “thrown out” in the common sense.He and his wife also repaired clothes, of course.People in my family still do (try) to fix old clothes, if the damage isn’t that big. Patches can help, for example.One of the roots to this general thinking was the book burning here in Germany, maybe. And the poor times after ww2, of course.After that, people did hesitate a bit to easily throw out books and magazines.Unless they’re not being important (news papers, TV magazines) and can be recycled.Meals aren’t wasted, either, of course. The plate has to be emptied, if possible.Food as such is valuable, no matter the economics behind it.It’s a cultural principle of right/wrong.Where I live the kids from local church to collect old papers, for example.There’s also a dedicated paper trash bin for old paper and cardboard.Old books are rather sold via Amazon or brought to modified telephone boots. You know, such boots which carry books for free.Everyone can take/donate a book 24/7. There’s even a light inside for sake of conveniance.",
"parent_id": "8140559",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140589",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T11:55:56",
"content": "People still own and drive Ford Model T’s, even though they only go about 30 MPH and piss off people who get stuck behind one. “I need a car for transportation” is not why people buy them. This is just the computer version of that.",
"parent_id": "8140559",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140621",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:45:12",
"content": "45 MPH with the aftermarket anti-shimmy spring-clips on the tie rods.",
"parent_id": "8140589",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140608",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:46:23",
"content": "Most of us here had a computer sitting on the altar at which we sacrificed our youth– our work desks. Is it any wonder then that some of us should come to treat that which sat upon the altar as a sacred object?",
"parent_id": "8140559",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141064",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T04:45:17",
"content": "cause its fun duh",
"parent_id": "8140559",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140558",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T08:42:15",
"content": "idk an aquarium is a clever idea given some of the screen savers that were available for mac. so its like the screensaver is always on but the fish are real. i want to see that hack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140610",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:55:13",
"content": "I could not find that we ever covered it here– not flame-proof enough — but the “Macquarium” idea is apparently relevant for wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarium",
"parent_id": "8140558",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140653",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:45:11",
"content": "Maybe strip off the backlight from an LCD screen, stick it on the side of a real aquarium and run the aquarium screen saver on the LCD with actual fish behind in the tank, backlit.(I once saw an arcade game with an LCD overlaying physical gameplay space where the light through the LCD was just what reflected off of the painted playfield behind. The virtual image floated above the physical image. It was a fun effect. Made me think that it might be usable on a pinball machine somehow.)",
"parent_id": "8140558",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140613",
"author": "Duncan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:10:32",
"content": "I do have an empty Mac 512K case too. Maybe retrofit a toaster in it to go with the flying toaster screensaver?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.959817
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/ben-eater-makes-computer-noises/
|
Ben Eater Makes Computer Noises
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"digital audio hacks",
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers",
"Retrocomputing",
"Software Development",
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"6502 microprocessor",
"Ben Eater",
"computer noises",
"W65C22 Versatile Interface Adapter"
] |
When [Ben Eater] talks, hackers everywhere listen. In his latest video [Ben] shows us
how to make computer noises using square waves and a 6502 microprocessor
.
[Ben] uses the timer in the
W65C22 Versatile Interface Adapter
to generate the square waves which generate a tone. He then adds support for a new
BEEP
command into his MS BASIC interpreter. We covered
[Ben Eater]’s MS BASIC
here at Hackaday back in April, so definitely check that out if you missed it.
After checking the frequency of oscillation using his Keysight oscilloscope he then wires in an 8Ω 2W speaker via a LM386 audio amplifier. We can’t use the W65C22 output pin directly because that can only output a few milliwatts of power. [Ben] implements the typical circuit application from the LM386 datasheet to drive the speaker. To complete his video [Ben] writes a program for his BASIC interpreter which plays a tune.
Thanks to [Mark Stevens] for writing in to let us know about this one. If you’re planning to play along at home a good place to start is to
build your own 6502, like [Ben] did
!
| 7
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140529",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T03:47:13",
"content": "I’m disappointed that he didn’t actually make the computer noises. I wanted some beatboxing.This guy gets it!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140624",
"author": "mordae",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:48:44",
"content": "Is this for real? Is the guy a cyborg? Is this an AI video? I mean, this is not humanly possible, right? Right??",
"parent_id": "8140529",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140635",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:30:51",
"content": "The horn sound in the beginning; how do you think brass instruments work in the first place? What makes the sound? The beatboxing is real – what makes it sound special is feedback and echo effects through the mic.",
"parent_id": "8140624",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141086",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T06:11:59",
"content": "Let me know when it sounds like the Bennings-Thing.",
"parent_id": "8140635",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140642",
"author": "SETH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:58:57",
"content": "Beep is fun to play with. I used to write FreeBasic, I remember making a musical octave table, you input the number of equal tempered scale steps in the octave and the root freq. It would play back the micro tones chromatically and show their pitch in hz.Ironically I failed math that semester and got a C+ in CS101For those interested in “computer noises” look into ByteBeat, granular synthesis, PureData, Miller S Puckette, Curtis Roads, John Chowning. The list is long but these are good places to start.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140690",
"author": "wm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:37:54",
"content": "I’ve spent way too many hours trying to convince people that a 60 step just tempered octave is superior. Major 3rd is horrendously off in the standard 12 tone just tempered octave. 60 tone also allows for supermajor/subminor chords…okay I’ll shut up now",
"parent_id": "8140642",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140667",
"author": "prosper",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:21:02",
"content": "friends don’t let friends use the LM386. Though I suppose it is period appropriate for a 6502. Still, if you’re just using square waves, why not a simple transistor?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,509.896003
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/build-your-own-telescope-the-modern-way/
|
Build Your Own Telescope The Modern Way
|
Al Williams
|
[
"3d Printer hacks",
"Science",
"Space"
] |
[
"3d printed telescope",
"telescope"
] |
When we were kids, it was a rite of passage to read the newly arrived Edmund catalog and dream of building our own telescope. One of our friends lived near a University, and they even had a summer program that would help you measure your mirrors and ensure you had a successful build. But most of us never ground mirrors from glass blanks and did all the other arcane steps required to make a working telescope. However, [La3emedimension] wants to tempt us again with a
3D-printable telescope kit
.
Before you fire up the 3D printer, be aware that PLA is not recommended, and, of course, you are going to need some extra parts. There is supposed to be a README with a bill of parts, but we didn’t see it. However, there is a
support page in French
and a Discord server, so we have no doubt it can be found.
It is possible to steal the optics from another telescope or, of course, buy new. You probably don’t want to grind your own mirrors, although good on you if you do! You can even buy the entire kit if you don’t want to print it and gather all the parts yourself.
The scope is made to be ultra-portable, and it looks like it would be a great travel scope. Let us know if you build one or a derivative.
This telescope looks much different than other
builds we’ve seen
. If you want to do it all old school, we’ve seen a great
guide
.
| 37
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140492",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:05:23",
"content": "…So not PLA, what’s the suggested material? ABS? PETG? Some stupid exotic filament?Looked through a couple linked pages, one translated from French, and no real mention of what WAS used to print this.What’s the issue with PLA? I assume heat warping. That should only be an issue in certain specific areas.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140493",
"author": "Kallee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:20:52",
"content": "In the support page there’s a README:PETG – ASA – ABS (NO PLA) 2000 gr",
"parent_id": "8140492",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140503",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:05:34",
"content": "it says ABS ASA PETG in the readmei’d like to know why they recommend against PLA. my personal feeling is that PLA’s no good for durable goods, because it becomes so brittle. and this does seem to require a thin part holding the secondary up, which will actually certainly fail in a small number of years. but i imagine they have different concerns.",
"parent_id": "8140492",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140514",
"author": "LookAtDaShinyShiny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:10:01",
"content": "Almost certainly moisture and form creepage under load, it’s just not great for functional parts that need to keep their shape to any great degree like this would need.",
"parent_id": "8140503",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141040",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:27:57",
"content": "Yeah I figured this was most of it. Any amount of creep in the sockets for the struts holding the mirrors would immediately ruin collimation and all sorts of other things.",
"parent_id": "8140514",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140517",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:25:44",
"content": "PLA is not all that rigid, and rigidity is everything in a telescope. Orientation with respect to gravity would significantly distort the truss in noticeable ways. The recommended filaments form much more rigid structures once they cool.",
"parent_id": "8140503",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140523",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T03:02:34",
"content": "But PLA is stiffer than any of the other plastics mentioned.",
"parent_id": "8140517",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140580",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T11:13:42",
"content": "Why not print PLA parts, add a wax sprue, slather on plaster, then burn out the PLA. Last step, use this as a mold to cast an aluminum part from scrap soda cans",
"parent_id": "8140523",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140622",
"author": "seb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:46:41",
"content": "But PLA sags under the weight with time, unlike other mentioned filaments. You will have to readjust everything after a week, after a month telescope will go to trash, I have unfortunate experience with PLA and telescopes…",
"parent_id": "8140523",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140914",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T18:54:41",
"content": "Ummm, PLA is more rigid than some of the recommended filaments. So it’s not that. PLA isn’t as tough as the others mentioned and isn’t as durable so that may be part of the issue.",
"parent_id": "8140517",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140928",
"author": "Sandro",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:02:19",
"content": "PLA is very stiff, it just creeps. That’s the real problem.",
"parent_id": "8140517",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140605",
"author": "mrehorst",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:41:09",
"content": "I’ve been 3D printing stuff for about 12 years. In that time I have printed no more than 2 kg of PLA filament. Once I realized that PLA prints won’t hold their shape if you leave them in a hot car for a few minutes, I stopped using PLA.Any time you consider printing something with PLA, ask yourself two questions:1) do I want the print to be around for a long time?2) can I absolutely guarantee the print will never be left inside a car or truck parked in the sun?If either answer is “yes”, don’t use PLA.In other words, don’t use PLA, ever.",
"parent_id": "8140492",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140606",
"author": "mrehorst",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:43:09",
"content": "Oops, senior moment. If the answer to the second question is “No”…",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140623",
"author": "seb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:48:22",
"content": "Not only heat, it does warp and sag under even the smallest weight after some time.",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140629",
"author": "wm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:19:35",
"content": "Fully agree with you. PLA is overrated; PETG gets a bad rap for being goofy, but in my experience modern PETG is just as easy to print. It also has the advantage of being really easy to sand",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140633",
"author": "wm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:21:09",
"content": "Darn autocorrect.s/goofy/goopy/",
"parent_id": "8140629",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140638",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:35:05",
"content": "i don’t know if the PETG filament has improved but i think what’s improved is the extruder. when i was trying to decide what to switch to after abandoning PLA, i found a bunch of forum posts of people…i don’t know, 2-3 years ago complaining about PETG and then the follow up saying “oh i upgraded to the new extruder and i haven’t had that problem since.” so i figured i’d try my luck, and, lo, my new cheapo extruder cuts the mustardthe only thing i don’t like about PETG is that it’s finnicky about bed adhesion. i raised bed temp all the way to75C i think, and i wash the bed with dish soap every couple months and it’s alright but i rarely had any of that sort of problem with PLA (otoh i was always playing with ‘blue painters tape’)",
"parent_id": "8140629",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140646",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:10:54",
"content": "If you want to sand PLA, wet-sand it. Like, under running water. Works really well.The issue is that sandpaper microscopically heats the PLA high spots, and turns it to a nicely lubricating liquid, preventing any more material removal. Keeping it cold with a stream of water keeps it solid.",
"parent_id": "8140629",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140636",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:31:56",
"content": "heh i printed PLA over a decade and never once left it in a car. but thanks for answering my question why people want PLA HT :)",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140751",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:25:42",
"content": "Don’t use PLA ever? Um, no. That’s very poor advice. It’s cheap, ubiquitous, versatile, and ideal for many applications. It’s not perfect for some projects, so yes, use another material in those cases.",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140930",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:08:10",
"content": "Question 0 is: Is this art, a toy, or a prototype?If the answer is no, you can stop, because you shouldn’t be printing it anyway.",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140932",
"author": "Sandro",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T20:09:13",
"content": "You could anneal it, then it’s deformation temp is higher than most other common thermoplastics.",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141043",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:30:05",
"content": "I also had the hot car moment. I stopped printing stuff that would matter in heat with PLA, but plenty of things stayed PLA if they were not dimensionally important, or would live 100% of the time in air conditioning. It’s all about the application.A telescope will be in a hot car, it will get hot from focused light (even moonlight will heat up a telescope by a surprising degree!) and it will go through all other sorts of stresses… So I agree on the no PLA, but I was frustrated by the statement of a negative without any positive suggestion :)",
"parent_id": "8140605",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140495",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:28:58",
"content": "The first line of the description is “README ON MY PAGE” with a link to his page, and the readme is linked at the top of said page…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140504",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:14:29",
"content": "the focuser is interesting. if i was inclined in this direction i might print the focuser and maybe even a couple brackets but i would definitely be drawn to more traditional assembly techniques for the rest of it. but it seems like there’s a lot of people out there who don’t mind running2kgof filament through their printer for a single project.fwiw this seems to use a 150mm f/5 mirror, which is what i have in my favorite scope. i think it’s a great size, big enough but not too big. compatible with wide views but still easy to get a lot of magnification. orion used to sell a good dob in this size as the “starblast 6” for about $300, which doesn’t seem like much more than you’d pay to put together this kit (mirror alone seems to be $130). i’m not going to put much effort into the search but last time i looked around i was surprised to see no one seems to be making a telescope like that at the moment…kind of a bummer given that chinese manufacturers have made the price come down for a lot of quality optics, but this size seems to be abandoned. one of the rare cases where a bit of kit actually became less common / affordable?? maybe i just looked wrong.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140512",
"author": "Steven-X",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T01:59:42",
"content": "I still have my edmund 6″ reflector I bought when I was 16 (1978)Yes, and the Edmund catalog was the coolest, then Heathkit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140522",
"author": "JDShaffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:56:51",
"content": "Heathkit! I forgot about that catalog. I loved looking through it back in the day. But I never could convince my dad to buy the heathkit robot kit they had in the back. I really wanted to try building it, soldering iron in hand!",
"parent_id": "8140512",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140513",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:07:06",
"content": "I built the Hadley after seeing it mentioned here on Hackaday:https://hackaday.com/2022/11/04/3d-printed-newtonian-telescope-has-stunning-looks-hadley-breaks-the-bank/I used PLA. Why not for this one?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140515",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:14:15",
"content": "cool that you actually built it!! have you gotten much use out of it? is it fun? (i’m saying that as someone who hasn’t pulled my scope out since last year)unless the spider vanes holding the secondary are a lot thicker than they look then i would be really worried about that part in particular becoming brittle over time. i’d be paranoid about it breaking off and falling onto the primary. but you’re probably gentle with your scope..what are you using for a focuser? the 3d printed helical (screw thread) focuser seems really frustrating to me (i’ve used a factory-made one of those before), but depending on the eyepieces you use maybe it isn’t so bad? seems like probably the thing i’d experiment the most with if i built one",
"parent_id": "8140513",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140539",
"author": "Zachary",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T05:39:50",
"content": "I also made the Hadley after seeing it here, it was my first telescope and has been absolutely brilliant.It’s been to outreach sessions multiple times and so far the only damage was when I left it in my car and the altitude bearings melted! This was unexpected being in the UK but it taught me a lot about PLA. Surprisingly the spider vanes which are only 2 wall thicknesses (the alternative curved spider) has never had any issues but I can understand why PLA isn’t recommended for something you might leave in a car or travel with.For Hadley I swapped to the Hypatia crayford focuser and don’t think I’ll ever change it, so easy to use but does require a few specific parts to buy and make aside from 3d printing. The stock one I found difficult to get to the right tolerance but there have been a couple of revisions now so might be better. I might have a go at printing the focuser from this telescope too as it looks really neat.I got a Bambu A1 mini last year which was a huge speed and experience upgrade over my old DIY prusa but I might have to resurrect that to print this!",
"parent_id": "8140515",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140550",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T07:28:16",
"content": "I thoroughly recommend building one (a Hadley). It really works, and it’s not expensive. And yes, it is fun. I haven’t had any of the problems you are concerned about, but the key point is that I could re-print any parts that degraded.The main advantage of this design is that it’s Open Source. So, all of the dimensions are available, and new parts can be designed that fit perfectly with the others. I started with the stock eyepiece/focuser, but it’s not that good, so I moved on to an improved version (although I can’t remember the name).My advice for anyone who is curious is to go right ahead and build one. The Moon looks fantastic, and I have seen Mars and Jupiter (and four moons) and some well-known star clusters. It’s just amazing, and I built it myself.",
"parent_id": "8140515",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140553",
"author": "Raph",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T07:54:49",
"content": "Hello, I’m Raph, the creator of the Smallest. Thank you very much for sharing the project, it’s really cool. I have modified the accessibility of the Readme file to make it straightforward.You will want to hike or go to darker places with your compact telescope, but PLA will deform if left in a moderately hot car.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140750",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:22:15",
"content": "Thanks for dropping in! And thanks for clarifying the reason for “no PLA”. I think you should add this to the description on the website. When anyone makes such blanket statements without any context or explanation others start to get suspicious, and want to know why. I suggest “DO NOT print with PLA – it will deform if you leave the telescope in a hot car”. Then it’s up to others to heed the warning, or not, but for the right reasons.I printed my Hadley with PLA. I am careful not to leave it in a hot car, or other excessively hot environment. I haven’t noticed any creep, but it’s fully adjustable, so it can be realigned at any time. It’s certainly not going to change shape over a few hours.",
"parent_id": "8140553",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140614",
"author": "Hector Bombino",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:14:21",
"content": "I ground my own 8 inch (200mm) f/5 mirror when I was 15 and the Mirror kit came from Edmund Scientific Co. I was fortunate that I was a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society where I received guidance and help with the final figuring. An F/5 requires a deep parabola before you polish the final shape. One of the LA Astronomical advisors was Tom Cave, a very well known optician and owner of Cave Astronomical Scopes. After 50 yrs, I still use and enjoy my scope. I own more modern scopes, an SCT and two APO refractors for imaging. My 8″ F/5 was made into a truss Telescope for portability and most of the truss blocks both upper and lower were 3d printed in PA6-CF as well as small parts used in the build. I agree, no standard PLA, but if you used HT PLA by Polymaker (150C) heat-resistant, they guarantee it will not warp up to 150C. However, in the literature it does not mention its UV resistance, therefore, I would not consider it for the build.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140745",
"author": "Zombodotcom",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T22:56:46",
"content": "I swear hackaday installed a tracker on my PC.I’ve been searching stuff like this the past week. And multiple other occurrences of articles on the exact topic I’m looking into all the time🤣",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141044",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T03:32:36",
"content": "Curation algorithms have expanded beyond specific sites… I also find stuff from my niche suddenly popping up all over the place, and it’s because the people running those sites are getting the same stuff fed to them by the same pile of algorithmically-curated social media dumps.It really does eventually create a creepy hivemind effect, as people have noticed for almost twenty years now at least",
"parent_id": "8140745",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140809",
"author": "Bijo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T09:26:54",
"content": "There is a link at the top of the printable page with the README and BOM.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.094528
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/fission-simulator-melts-down-rp2040/
|
Fission Simulator Melts Down RP2040
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"ece 4760",
"nuclear fusion",
"Paspberry Pi Pico",
"physics demonstrations"
] |
We’ve seen a lot of projects based on the Pi Pico, but a nuclear reactor simulation is a new one. This project was created by [Andrew Shim], [Tyler Wisniewski] and another group member for Cornell’s ECE 4760 class on embedded design (which should silence naysayers who think the Pi Pico can’t be a “serious” microcontroller), and
simulates the infamous soviet RMBK reactor of Chernobyl fame.
The simulation uses a 4-bit color VGA model. The fission model includes uranium fuel, water, graphite moderator, control rods and neutrons. To simplify the math, all decayed materials are treated identically as non-fissile, so no xenon poisoning is going to show up, for example. You can, however, take manual control to both scram the reactor and set it up to melt down with the hardware controller.
The RP2040’s dual-core nature comes in handy here: one core runs the main simulation loop, and the main graphic on the top of the VGA output; the other core generates the plots on the bottom half of the screen, and the Geiger-counter sound effect, and polls the buttons and encoders for user input. This is an interesting spread compared to the more usual GPU/CPU split we see on projects that use
the RP2040 with VGA output
.
An interesting wrinkle that has been declared a feature, not a bug, by the students behind this project, is that the framebuffer cannot keep up with all the neutrons in a meltdown simulation. Apparently the flickering and stuttering of frame-rate issues is “befitting of the meltdown scenario”. The idea that ones microcontroller melts down along with the simulated reactor is rather fitting, we agree. Check it out in a full walkthrough in the video below, or enjoy the student’s full writeup at the link above.
This project comes to us via Cornell University’s ECE 4760 course,
which we’ve mentioned before
. Thanks to [Hunter Adams] for the tipoff. You may see more student projects in the coming weeks.
| 10
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140465",
"author": "Anonymus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:56:07",
"content": "This reminds me of Chernobyl: The Legacy Continues on Windows 95",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140467",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:08:39",
"content": "man the simulation of reaction byproducts is the only interesting thing imo. without that, it’s just remove rods to increase temperature. you effectively pretend the reactor is stateless, but real reactors very much are not",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140497",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:45:33",
"content": "Very true, but these are computer science grads doing a final project to show off their embedded programming chops, not physicists or nukeEs, so we can perhaps find it in ourselves to forgive them.",
"parent_id": "8140467",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140521",
"author": "alanrcam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:47:11",
"content": "They are more inventive than me. I would have just made an RBMK shaped electic kettle, with a top that pops up when the water boils.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140602",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:17:09",
"content": "But RBMKettles Don’t explode…",
"parent_id": "8140521",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140755",
"author": "large charles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:54:24",
"content": "But no isotopes of xenon are fissile. Xenon poisoning isn’t because of fission, it’s because 135Xe has an absolute massive capture cross section",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140757",
"author": "RoboJ1M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:58:32",
"content": "Well somebody’s been watching Higgsino Physics! 🤩https://youtu.be/P3oKNE72EzU",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140868",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:09:44",
"content": "It’s the emoticon that stopped me from clicking that link.",
"parent_id": "8140757",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140927",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:59:46",
"content": "Emoticons are constructed with ASCII. =/The abomination they used in their post is an emoji.",
"parent_id": "8140868",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141420",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:27:30",
"content": "Apologies, you are right, I should have said emojiIt wasn’t said as a critique per se BTW, more as an insight into my reasoning to show what effect emoji can have. Thought it might be interesting to RoboJ1M since my reaction was not the intent – one assumes.Talking of which, I often see people using massive amounts of emoji and I wonder if they think people really appreciate it.",
"parent_id": "8140927",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,510.139574
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/dual-rgb-cameras-get-depth-sensing-powerup/
|
Dual RGB Cameras Get Depth Sensing Powerup
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"digital cameras hacks",
"Machine Learning"
] |
[
"depth camera",
"depth sensor",
"dual RGB",
"point cloud"
] |
It’s sometimes useful for a system to not just have a flat 2D camera view of things, but to have an understanding of the
depth
of a scene. Dual RGB cameras can be used to sense depth by contrasting the two slightly different views, in much the same way that our own eyes work. It’s considered an economical but limited method of depth sensing, or at least it was before
FoundationStereo
came along and blew previous results out of the water. That link has a load of interactive comparisons to play with and see for yourself, so check it out.
A box of disordered tools at close range is understood very well, and these results are typical for the system.
The FoundationStereo
paper
explains how researchers leveraged machine learning to create a system that can not only outperform existing dual RGB camera setups, but even active depth-sensing cameras such as the Intel RealSense.
FoundationStereo is specifically designed for strong zero-shot performance, meaning it delivers useful general results with no additional training needed to handle any particular scene or environment. The framework and models are available from the project’s
GitHub repository
.
While products like
Microsoft’s Kinect have struggled to keep the consumer’s attention
, depth sensing remains an enabling technology that opens possibilities and gives rise to interesting projects, like a
headset that allows one to see the world through the eyes of a depth sensor
.
The ability to easily and quickly gain an understanding of the physical layout of a space is a powerful tool, and if a system like this one can deliver such fantastic results with nothing more than two RGB cameras, that’s a great sign. Watch it in action in the video below.
| 17
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140441",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:45:02",
"content": "Oh Deities, an AI voice…I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t do it again, nVidia. You have money enough to hire someone with actual educational skills to narrate the text.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140494",
"author": "Ø",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:21:54",
"content": "Knowing Nvidia and how almost all of their profits is from selling proverbial shovels and pickaxes to the “AI” goldminers, I’d bet that using a AI voice was a hard requirement by higher ups.",
"parent_id": "8140441",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140866",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:07:49",
"content": "That leaves the question why they use such an outdated voice system.",
"parent_id": "8140494",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140455",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:20:18",
"content": "You don’t actually need two cameras. You can recover 3D structure if you have a video shot using a moving camera (basically every video ever) where different frames offer different perspectives.This is the foundational principle behind SLAM, which everyone seems to think is impossible. (but is readily available on github in multiple implementations, most notably ORBSLAM3)The one catch is you don’t getscaleunless you have objects in the environment you know the size of……or you have an accelerometer strapped to your camera, as all smartphones do.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140532",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T04:26:00",
"content": "everyone seems to think is impossibleNo they don’t, and claiming incorrectly that they do doesn’t bolster your argument.Also, you can do everything with a single low-res camera connected to a potato, but you can’t do itwell. The entire point of this is the quality of the output, and if you’d actually bothered to look at the website you’d have seen copious interactive examples of just how much better the output of this is over the alternatives.",
"parent_id": "8140455",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140565",
"author": "c",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T09:16:06",
"content": "This is a contest. The rules of the contest were to use stereoscopic images. They won the contest. By using moving cameras they could not have entered the contest.There are dozens of ways to obtain 3d information from 2d images. Stereoscopic images are just one way to get this.The advantage of using stereoscopic images vs a moving camera is that you instantly have depth information and if objects from the scene are moving it remains accurate. With a moving camera there is latency and if objects are moving you get errors (think of those images of running pets in panorama shots).Another point is that it is not either or. This method could be combined with other methods if there is a moving stereoscopic camera.",
"parent_id": "8140455",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141292",
"author": "J. Samson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T19:51:14",
"content": "How did you come to the conclusion that “basically every video ever” was “shot using a moving camera”? It’s obviously patently false, which calls into question every statment you make. Why would we trust you as an expert on SLAM, when you don’t even acknowledge that many videos are taken from stationary cameras? Also, who thinks SLAM is impossible- seriously, who? Everyone????",
"parent_id": "8140455",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140456",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:27:22",
"content": "What part of this needed a NN? You’d think this stuff would just be done by phase detection techniques like a camera autofocus. Does the AI make some stage of that process (e.g. matching up the waveforms) better than algebra?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140483",
"author": "dahud",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:51:35",
"content": "Phase detection autofocus tends to work on maybe 16 spots on a really high end camera. In order to do the kind of modeling they’re doing here, you’d need roughly one autofocus zone per pixel.",
"parent_id": "8140456",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140499",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:51:58",
"content": "Fortunately they have that. This is pretty directly equivalent to a split-pixel system.",
"parent_id": "8140483",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140600",
"author": "LoopUnstable",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:14:01",
"content": "I bet you could do some cool stuff with camera autofocus but it would require a lot of work and specialized gear. Cameras don’t report that raw autofocus information (not that I’ve seen at least). And it can’t be added to standard image/video formats so now you are looking at custom files, etc. Also from my understanding I don’t think “every pixel is a split pixel” CMOS sensors are common, and would probably be crazy expensive. I believe for most DLSR cameras it’s a small subset of the pixels.I also don’t think it would be as fast, if you’ve played around with a DSLR before you’ve probably noticed the autofocus isn’t instantaneous (they’ve gotten pretty snappy but it isn’t instant). This is because of 2 reasons, 1) Phase measurement on your image sensor only works if focus is close enough to correct first, which is why when it fails to find focus it looks like it’s “hunting”. Because that is what it’s doing, it’s brute force sweeping through the focal settings to find the closest match. 2) Once the closest match is found it’s an iterative process: Check phases, get consensus on gradient direction across AF points, take step, check again, etc.All that just for answering “what is a single depth plane that fits my view the best”. It’s optimized for answering that, and doing it fast in a handheld system, and for that it does it really well. But it’s a square peg/round hole for the per-pixel depth measurements needed by most robotics applications.That being said you should check out the LYTRO cameras, some really cool tech that unfortunately failed, but it’s a “light field” sensor rather than an “image sensor”. You could take a picture and decide the focal point later. Theoretically it captured all the depth information at once. But the company went under because that tech is really hard.The TL;DR is industry has moved to Deep Stereo because it’s the cheapest and most performant option available so far for this type of sensor (dense near-field depth aligned with an RGB image). It’s what all of the major robotics companies use in their stereo setups (Telsa, Waymo, etc. even the off the shelf Stereolabs stereo cameras ship with their own deep stereo SDK). Neural nets can learn semantic information about the local pixel region that things like AF points or stereo block matching (the off the shelf naive approach you get in OpenCV) can’t. It turns out it’s just really hard to beat being able to understand in each image that the sink in front of the wall is a single contiguous object separate from the wall with clean boundaries, before you go in and try to associate which pixels match to which. That’s a pretty human interpretation of what this net does but it’s a decent enough analogy. And neural net’s can do this at 10Hz or even a lot more on a moving platform depending on the image resolution and GPU, which is again critical for most robotics applications (although not offline photogrammetry or Structure-from-Motion).",
"parent_id": "8140499",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140509",
"author": "Gryd3",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T01:13:00",
"content": "I skimmed it. Saw NVidia and AI was a major talking point, then moved on to validate the “We’re number one on the leaderboards”. They’re no longer #1, and there’s been no github activity for about a month. Leads me to believe the article here is based on the youtube video itself, as there’s no mention of the other solutions that are now listed #1 in the leaderboard this project so proudly claims to be at the top of.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140533",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T04:28:03",
"content": "Just because things have changed since the paper was published doesn’t suddenly make their technique or their paper invalid.",
"parent_id": "8140509",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140549",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T07:01:54",
"content": "But it does mean there article should be different.",
"parent_id": "8140533",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140518",
"author": "JC",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:34:34",
"content": "I did something similar a few years ago as a proof of concept just to see if I could. It turned into a poorly written multi-threaded C++ program. It uses no AI, and no phase detection. Just raw brute-force pixel matching. Super inefficient, and the results are prett meh in comparison, but I did find that it will extract depth from Magic Eye pictures. The small startup company I’ve been working with decided to make it open source.https://github.com/Haptic-Solutions/DepthExtrapolator",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140530",
"author": "Chris Matthieu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T04:06:12",
"content": "Just FYI, Intel real sense is still in business and doing very well. They only discontinued their lidar cameras.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141297",
"author": "J. Samson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:05:18",
"content": "Why is Nvidia never mentioned in the article??? Seems a deliberate oversight, intended to minimize questions about whether the article belongs here on a hacker site, though honesty would probably be respected more… Every other article on this site attempts to give proper attribution for these published projects, except when (like this project) they’re published by major corporations. It’s deliberate obfuscation, assumedly to avoid having to justify writing about a large company (although if you trusted your readers’ intelligence at all, you’d give us the facts and let the chips fall where they may, rather than obscuring one of the more relevant parts of the story).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.27237
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/hacker-tactic-esd-diodes/
|
Hacker Tactic: ESD Diodes
|
Arya Voronova
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Parts"
] |
[
"electrostatic discharge",
"esd",
"esd diode",
"tvs"
] |
A hacker’s view on ESD protection can tell you a lot about them. I’ve seen a good few categories of hackers neglecting ESD protection – there’s the yet-inexperienced ones, ones with a devil-may-care attitude, or simply those of us lucky to live in a reasonably humid climate. But until we’re able to control the global weather, your best bet is to befriend some ESD diodes before you get stuck having to replace a microcontroller board firmly soldered into your PCB with help of 40 through-hole pin headers.
Humans are pretty good at generating electric shocks, and oftentimes, you’ll shock your hardware without even feeling the shock yourself. Your GPIOs will feel it, though, and it can propagate beyond just the input/output pins inside your chip. ESD events can be a cause of “weird malfunctions”, sudden hardware latchups, chips dying out of nowhere mid-work – nothing to wish for.
Worry not, though. Want to build hardware that survives? Take a look at ESD diodes, where and how to add them, where to avoid them, and the parameters you want to keep in mind. Oh and, I’ll also talk about all the fancy ways you can mis-use ESD diodes, for good and bad alike!
How It’s Made
The simplest ESD diode is just two diodes in series, with the protected signal connected at midpoint. The wiring is easy to remember – wire the diodes in a way that they don’t conduct from 3.3 V to GND, so, in reverse, same way you’d wire up a diode to shunt a relay coil. It’s only meant to conduct in unprecedented circumstances, not normally.
Say, you use a diode with 0.7 V forward voltage drop. Then, such a configuration will shunt voltages above – into your power rails and ground, both low-impedance with plenty of capacitance and inductance, enough to dissipate the shock energy. Lower than GND – 0.7 V, and higher than VCC + 0.7 V – ever seen that mentioned in datasheets, by the way?
The overwhelming majority of ICs come with ESD diodes built-in. CMOS logic, overwhelmingly prevalent these days, basically requires them – FETs are overwhelmingly sensitive to ESD events, especially their gates. Don’t believe me? Here’s
a highly persuasive video
we’ve covered, that shows a FET easily dying from an ESD event!
So, is your job done here? Can you just rely on IC-internal ESD diodes? No, sadly. IC-internal ESD diodes are nice and a must have, but not sufficient for a large portion of shock. Effectively, they’re there for lower-grade GPIO protection. If your GPIOs go, or could easily go, to the outside world, or maybe they’re near high-power rails, maybe you’re driving a speaker or some motors with part of your circuit, or if maybe you want to touch your board with your fingers sometimes – you will want to add your own ESD diodes into the mix.
Let’s Protect Some GPIOs
You can use two diodes in a pinch – two 1N4148’s are a valid form of ESD protection. Better yet, you can buy a two-diode component ready to go. Here’s a part number – BAV99; it’s two diodes in series, in SOT23, with midpoint being on pin 3. Top pin to VCC, bottom pin to GND, middle pin goes to your signal – what could be easier to route? BAV99 isn’t quite intended to be an ESD diode, but it will perform wonderfully. This is the most basic protection you can give a GPIO – throw in a low-value series resistor too, if you’re generous. If you’re doing, say, a RP2040 circuit, you will already have some 27R resistors in series – just sprinkle some more of those on your board, and you’re golden.
But Wait, There’s More
Is that all you can do with these? No, there’s more! Remember how you have to put a diode across a relay coil or a motor that you’re driving with a transistor? Here’s a fun relay for you –
Omron G6SK-2
. It’s a tiny relay for switching signals (think analog audio switching), and what’s cool about it, it’s latching. You know how you need to reverse the voltage polarity on a DC motor in order to reverse the direction it spins? This relay uses polarity reversal to switch, instead of a coil that requires constant power draw to keep one set of contacts connected.
So, a tiny relay for signals, that requires zero power to stay on. Now, how do you drive it? With motors, you drive them with a H-bridge – one transistor from VCC, one from GND, for each pole, and these four transistors are typically put inside a single IC. However, using a whole H-bridge IC on a tiny relay that barely needs any power to begin with? Feels quite wasteful!
A GPIO set to output is electrically equivalent to a H-bridge. Put the relay’s coil between two GPIOs instead, and you can effortlessly switch it. What about a back EMF protection diode? Can’t put it across the coil anymore, then you couldn’t switch polarity. Instead, just put a pair of ESD diodes on the GPIOs, and you’re good.
You can drive a fair bit of stuff this way – not just cool low-power relays, but also linear actuators like iPhone’s Taptic Engines, vibromotors, and tiny electromagnets. So, if you needed to stock up on BAV, this is your extra reason to do so.
Where would you commonly put these kinds of diodes? On external GPIOs, yes, but also buttons – even if they’re behind a thin layer of plastic!, – and keypads, user-touchable pogo pins, off-board connectors, headphone jacks, iButton pads, and so on. These are not the only diodes you’ll ever want, of course. Let’s talk about ESD diode capacitance and where it starts to matter.
High Speed, High Demands
Imagine a Pi Pico. On it, there are GPIOs worth protecting. What else? The USB port, for sure – and if you’re daring enough to wire Ethernet to a Pico, also those pins. However, if you do use BAV, you might experience signal degradation, or other unexpected side effects. Why? One major reason is ESD diode capacitance.
High-capacitance diodes will mess with high-speed signals. That’s why we have lower-capacitance ESD diodes, though. SRV-05 is one of these – it’s an old and trusty part, with many pin-compatible successors and clones alike. Four diodes inside, one pin for VCC, one for GND – it just works, whether you do USB2, Ethernet 100 or 1000 – or even capacitive touch pads! Captouch benefits a whole lot from ESD protection, as you might guess, and low-capacitance diodes are a must – just remember to also check the docs of the captouch chip you’re using and see what it says about the matter.
Using a SOT23-6 pack like this to protect USB lines? Watch out for how you’re supposed to wire it up. Some diode packs have internal connections and expect you to interrupt the signal under them, and other ones require you to pull wires under the package; some of them include inductors. Check the datasheet for an example schematic and compare with yours.
Another pitfall to mind. Remember how there’s one path to GND and one to VCC? Well… What if your GPIO is powered, but your VCC isn’t? Power will flow from the GPIO into VCC – you might remember this one from the cut-down ATTiny we’ve featured. This is also a problem you can stumble upon if you put chips with multiple power inputs and don’t think about it.
Where else could this situation appear? Why, USB-C. If you’re connecting ADC channels to CC pins, like you would if you want to check that you do get 3A at 5V, you’ll want to protect that. Or maybe you have a PD controller on your board – you’ll want to protect its CC pins, for sure. Now, remember how CC negotiation works? A PSU has a resistor from its VBUS to the CC pin(s), and it measures the CC voltages, expecting a 5.1K resistor. What if your VBUS isn’t powered and you use a VBUS-connected ESD diode on CC? Part of the CC pullup current flows into VBUS, voltage sags, CC voltage is lower than expected, and the PSU never ends up supplying VBUS.
No VBUS, No Problems
Bad? Bad. I’ve stumbled upon this one recently, in my own project, was quite a headscratcher. Thankfully, you don’t actually need a VBUS connection – really, all you need is to shunt voltage if it exceeds a certain threshold. We have diodes for that, too! They’re called TVS – it’s kind of like a Zener, but better. In fact, since SOT23-6 ESD diodes tend to contain a TVS, you might be able to disconnect VBUS from your SOT23-6 altogether. However, you should still know about yet another breed of ESD diodes – for a start, they’re probably the flattest ESD diodes you’ll work with.
In VBUS-less ESD diodes, instead of a VBUS connection, the top point goes to a TVS diode to ground. When the top point voltage raises above the TVS diode’s threshold voltage, the diode starts conducting. The TVS diode has to dissipate the ESD shock energy now, but they’re big boy TVS diodes, they can handle it.
DFN25-10 format diodes. Where have you seen them? A Raspberry Pi, for one – there, they’re right next to the HDMI connector(s), three of them at the very least! These diodes are great for general purpose protecting whatever you want, too – you can put them on USB, Ethernet, USB CC pins, keyboard matrix pins. My fave part number is TPAZ1043, but don’t hold onto that – just look up DFN2510 and you’ll find alternatives aplenty.
Any catches with these? The threshold voltage, for one. If you’re doing 3.3V GPIOs, you want to make sure your diode won’t start shunting them – and if you buy a diode aimed at protecting modern-day interfaces like USB3, its threshold might very well be 3.3V or a little below – borderline if not outright disqualifying if you want your GPIO (or a USB2 connection) to stay unaffected. It’s a wonderful diode, of course, just, the wrong application.
They’re the nicest to route, too. Put them inline with signals, put a via down to your GND (0.5/0.3 via will do wonders), and you’re set. The catch with that? You might relax a little too much when using them, gotta remember to keep on your toes.
A Key Element
Think we’re done? Not yet. Remember that they’re very flat? Now, where could you use some very flat diodes? How about… a handheld keyboard with NKRO? NKRO needs diodes on every key, but if you’re doing a even 50-key handheld keeb, you might not necessarily want to use 50 separate diodes. Not to worry – the to-ground diodes inside the DFN2510 ESD diode pack are still good to go. Able to connect four keys per diode pack, these are way easier to handle and pick-and-place than regular tiny-package SMD diodes, and they make sure your keyboard can do all sorts of key combos. You know, to compensate for the lower amount of keys.
The hacks are cool, of course, but above all, ESD diodes are meant to make sure that your hardware lasts. Whether you’re building a devboard, a captouch arts installation, a trusty pocket electronics multitool, a custom clock to gift to your kid, or the tiniest keyboard ever, ESD diodes are your friends. You should sprinkle them on your circuits, keep them in your stock, spread the word, and they will protect you in turn.
Liked this article? Check out one of the
previous Hacker Tactic installments
, where I’ve shown you how to detect internal ESD diodes with a multimeter, specifically, to probe wiring continuity and reverse-engineer circuits! You should know about it, too.
| 24
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140409",
"author": "Dylan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:14:36",
"content": "ESD was invented by big diode to sell more diodes",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140562",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T09:12:54",
"content": "Just wait till you hear about AC voltage conspiracy…",
"parent_id": "8140409",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141879",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:55:16",
"content": "Something about selling more elephants, I think?",
"parent_id": "8140562",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140414",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:42:26",
"content": "I live in southern Arizona. It has literally become an unconscious action (I didn’t even realize I was doing it at first) for me to brush my forearm against my car door when I get out so that the static discharge doesn’t hit my more sensitive fingertips. If I reach for something metallic I touch it with the back of my hand first.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140449",
"author": "Ali",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:54:37",
"content": "Arizona is where nukes are tested right? So it’s probaby beta radiation (electrons) in the air. Would be fun to buy a gieger counter and do some snooping.I’m lusting after Polaron Pripyat counter, it looks so hazardous.",
"parent_id": "8140414",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140498",
"author": "fonz",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:48:22",
"content": "nah that was Nevada",
"parent_id": "8140449",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140500",
"author": "Et",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:02:03",
"content": "It’s all about the humidity, nothing to do with radiation. Just walking around generates lots of static electricity, but if the air is humid it discharges through the air. But in really low humidity places the air has so little water it’s a strong enough insulator to support high static charges on your body.",
"parent_id": "8140449",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140519",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T02:34:43",
"content": "Nope … not Arizona.Beta radiation isn’t the problem here. Storms can be, though. I’m a ham radio operator and a simple dipole antenna can collect enough charge BEFORE an incoming thunderstorm to generate a thick blue arc across the tip-to-shield of a PL-259 connector (roughly half an inch gap) about every ten seconds. Coils or resistors are used to bleed it off.",
"parent_id": "8140449",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141880",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T15:58:24",
"content": "I grew up in AZ. One of the things I miss is the absolutely spectacular lightning we used to get from those storms. I wasn’t a ham yet then, so this was a good tip to remember. I’ve seen warnings about discharging antennas, but have never experienced the arcs.",
"parent_id": "8140519",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140776",
"author": "Steven Schafer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T04:03:08",
"content": "Charged-particle radiation (alpha or beta) tends to reduce static charge accumulation, not increase it, since the charged particles are attracted to areas having the opposite charge. You used to be able to buy radioactive antistatic brushes for cleaning vinyl records, although I don’t think they’re available any more.",
"parent_id": "8140449",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140439",
"author": "John Benham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:36:36",
"content": "Sometimes its possible to avoid the cost of ESD diodes by some careful design. I remember way back I got asked to help with an ESD problem that my employer’s Special Products division had run into.The product was a small hand-held device to be used by visiting nurses for logging patient data. Back in the pre-universal-wireless-connectivity dark ages the game plan was to use it to enter the patient’s data during home visits and on returning to the office at day’s end connect it to a docking port that both downloaded the data to a server and recharged the battery.Fortunately the engineering team had scheduled an extensive period of field testing prior to product release as it turned out that the prototypes were an ESD disaster. The combination of testing in the dry atmospheres of Colorado and Arizona and the synthetic materials commonly used in nurses scrubs resulted in one or more test samples being destroyed on an almost daily basis.To provide a liquid and dust resistant data entry interface the designers had used a moulded rubber alpha-numeric keypad. When pressed down, a conductive pad underneath each keypad made a contact between two pads on the PCB that were scanned by the microprocessor’s GPIO lines. Haptic key-press feedback was provided by the distortion of the keypad walls as the key was pressed.It turned out that that the withstanding voltage of an non-depressed key was quite adequate – around 12-15kV. However as the keypad was depressed the sidewalls of the key were distorted and this greatly reduced the dielectric breakdown of the rubber so, that a depressed key could only withstand ~3-4kV before there was a discharge to the PCB signal contacts.I spent a day or so building a rough model of the depressed/non-depressed key situations and examining the resulting field distributions. It became apparent that the simplest and least costly solution was to have two perimeter ground traces surrounding the contact pads with gaps for the ingress/egress of the GPIO lines. As the keys were depressed the discharge now became a harmless ground current pulse that the existing PCB grounding was able to handle without upset.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140567",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T09:36:10",
"content": "Is this AI slop?",
"parent_id": "8140439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140618",
"author": "Egghead Larsen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:28:44",
"content": "Probably not with the name of an actual EE attached. Unfortunately well-written, detailed text runs the risk of being attacked as “AI slop” since so many cannot write clearly and use polysyllabic words these days.",
"parent_id": "8140567",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140842",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:04:02",
"content": "I only say because of the redundant, oddly intricate and verbose yet irrelevant descriptions of how things things work.",
"parent_id": "8140618",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141886",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:22:22",
"content": "I do understand being on the lookout for AI slop, it’s a real problem and it drives me nuts as well. The big red flag there would be random facts that are outright wrong, and I hope someone experienced would be all over that.Perhaps it was downright pedantic if those details were obvious to you. I don’t even know enough about the topic to know what is common knowledge and what is not.As someone with no experience doing ESD design, though, I found this post informative and was glad for the detail. Drawing attention to the usage patterns and materials involved would not have been intuitive for me, so I was glad for the verbosity.I don’t intend to be hostile towards you, I just wanted to provide some counter feedback that there is value there to at least some of the readers — I’d hate to discourage someone from taking the time to explain something in the future.And now I have been overly verbose, used an em-dash, and am self conscious about sounding like an AI. We really need some mechanism to positively identify ourselves as meat robots.",
"parent_id": "8140842",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142381",
"author": "John Benham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T13:53:51",
"content": "Yup, life senior membership of the IEEE qualifies you as an AI now I guess.",
"parent_id": "8140618",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141430",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:04:23",
"content": "I think AI uses paragraphs.",
"parent_id": "8140567",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140468",
"author": "Marko Dukši",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:14:45",
"content": "Yeah, there are better options than BAV99, like BAT854SW which are much faster and lower voltage drop Schottky diodes, but neither are meant for ESD protection. With current limiting and additional shunting TVS diode, they can work great, but you can’t avoid using a proper TVS diode, either integrated or standalone. See here: “Does BAV99 Really Protect My System from ESD” (https://www.ti.com/lit/an/slva898/slva898.pdf).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140756",
"author": "Shervin Emami",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:56:07",
"content": "Thanks for the link, that document makes a good point about proper ESD components being a better option than BAV or similar methods.",
"parent_id": "8140468",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140627",
"author": "evad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:58:56",
"content": "If you are making a commercial product, you test it to EN61000-4-2 to find out if your ESD mitigation (which includes PCB layout) is up to the challenge or not.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141889",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T16:27:23",
"content": "Does the standard do a good job of representing worst case scenarios for electronics (or at least consumer electronics)? Or do we still encounter edge cases where user testing ends up finding ESD issues that aren’t caught by standard testing? (Asking from near total ignorance, I apologize if this is a really stupid question).",
"parent_id": "8140627",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140739",
"author": "Ryan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:53:02",
"content": "I used the SRV-05 in a design only last week.It’s in my favourites library :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140885",
"author": "Dmitry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T16:40:00",
"content": "After busting a few IRLML2502 and 2N7002 transistors with static discharge, I’ve discovered there are FETs with ESD diodes built in! 2N7002K is the drop-in replacement for the non-K version, and AO3415/AO3416 for the cases when you need more current.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143934",
"author": "Calvin",
"timestamp": "2025-07-01T15:11:29",
"content": "Can I use SRV05-4 to protect pi4 GPIO from EMI that couples into all of the cabling?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.207849
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/game-boy-nes-why-not-both/
|
Game Boy? NES? Why Not Both!
|
Jenny List
|
[
"handhelds hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] |
[
"emulator",
"gba",
"handheld",
"nes",
"pic32"
] |
If you’re a retro Nintendo fan you can of course carry a NES and a Game Boy around with you, but the former isn’t very portable. Never fear though, because here’s [Chad Burrow], who’s created
a neat handheld console that emulates both
.
It’s called the Acolyte Handheld, and it sports the slightly unusual choice for these parts of a PIC32 as its main processor. Unexpectedly it can use Sega Genesis controllers, but it has the usual buttons on board for portable use. It can drive either its own LCD or an external VGA monitor, and in a particularly nice touch, it switches between the two seamlessly. The NES emulator is his own work, while Game Boy support comes courtesy of Peanut-GB.
We like the design of the case, and particularly that of the buttons. Could it have been made smaller by forgoing some of the through-hole parts in favour of SMD ones? Quite likely, but though it’s chunky it’s certainly not outsized.
Portable Nintendo-inspired hardware is popular around here, as you can see with
this previous handheld NES
| 4
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140475",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:32:18",
"content": "NES BOY, NEGS, GES, GESB, GEBS, NEGBS …So many potential acronyms and none are in the article?Too low hanging fruit? I’m kinda disappointed anyway. ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140510",
"author": "Chris Pepin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T01:40:33",
"content": "Using buttons instead of a crosspad for movement inputs is not ideal. There are a number of NES games that really need a crosspad or a joystick in order to play properly. Additionally, some games freak out if they receive opposite inputs at the same time (ie left and right for example). The nes game pad was never designed to allow those inputs so many games never checked what would happen if they were inputted at the same time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140611",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:55:42",
"content": "Do you know how Nintendo compensates for games emulated for Nintendo Online, like do they just block out opposing inputs in the emulator? Since joycons have separate directional buttons",
"parent_id": "8140510",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140923",
"author": "MartyK",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T19:43:59",
"content": "That should be “Game-person”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.316255
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/split-keyboard-uses-no-pcb/
|
Split Keyboard Uses No PCB
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Peripherals Hacks"
] |
[
"keyboard",
"nRF52840",
"split keyboard"
] |
When [daniely101] wanted a split keyboard,
he decided to build his own
. It wound up costing $25 to create a wireless board with no custom PCB required. Each half has its own microcontroller, and the whole thing connects via Bluetooth. While we don’t mind making a PCB, we can appreciate that you could change your mind easily with this wiring scheme.
The 3D printed case holds the keys, and then it is just a matter of carefully soldering the keys to the microcontrollers. Of course, each side also has to have its own battery. The ZMK firmware is split in half, one part for each side of the keyboard. The nRF52840 CPUs have plenty of wireless connectivity. The keys are set in rows and columns, so the amount of soldering back to the controller is manageable.
While we applaud the wireless design, it does seem odd that you have to charge both halves and turn them on and off separately. But that’s the nice thing about a design like this — you could modify the design to not have a split. Or, you could allow one flexible wire pair to run across for power. Of course, you could modify the layout, including adding or deleting keys.
You might consider adding
a pointing device
. At least you don’t have to
pull out a saw
.
| 18
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140084",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:40:43",
"content": "For a lot of these projects, the PCB is created just because people like making them. I get it, sometimes it’s fun and it feels a lot nicer. But usually if you do a one-off you just bend some solid-core wires and do point-to-point. It ends up being a lot faster than fiddling around in CAD, and usually the CAD needs a revision and you end up bodging some wires anyway",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140112",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:27:01",
"content": "True.But using CAD and making a PCB also means that what you make will be quite a lot more reliable in the long run, at least it’s by far not so fragile as a point-to-point wired PCB. And you can put your design on Github so that others might be able to use it as well.Imo two very important pros.",
"parent_id": "8140084",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140375",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:26:58",
"content": "I’m not sure you can really say a PCB will be more reliable as so much of surviving the real world is the mechanical design around the components – sometimes the PCB can be a core part of that, but others all the PCB does is hold the pad that will ripped right off it as soon as a bit of torque is applied to the cable plugged into that socket etc.In many ways the point to point manual wiring is just as accessible if not more so than a PCB design that most folks would have to send off to the fab house to create as well – so hardly a downside for replication of your work (assuming you actually document and publish the wiring diagram).NB not down on PCB at all, convenience factor is huge, speed of assembly especially if you are a wizard with the SMD and reflow profiles (etc) is orders of magnitude faster, and gets even crazier with a Pick’n’Place, almost certainly still faster if the PCB is all through hold components to hand solder too..",
"parent_id": "8140112",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140153",
"author": "Uneducated Barbarian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:33:34",
"content": "Point to point wiring with solid core and diodes is how I’ve done my hand wired keebs.It certainly was fast, but I also have not attempted any PCB design, so hand wiring was the only realistic option for me.One day I’ll be actually have hardware skills… (Been saying that for about a decade)",
"parent_id": "8140084",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140109",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:23:58",
"content": "Hmm….“I wasn’t sure if it could be shipped to me, since all the sellers were located on the opposite side of the continent”.Then proceeds to buy some unnamed dodgy looking clone with probably a cloned CPU that doesn’t have the same specs as the real thing, let alone having all of it’s listed peripherals, from the opposite side of the world through AliExpress… :PI mean, it’s fine to buy such a clone through AliExpress, but “I wasn’t sure if it could be shipped to me” is a real weak excuse for choosing some AliExpress clone just because it’s so much cheaper. At least be honest about it. ;)I buy lots of stuff through AliExpress, just because it’s cheaper. Just last week I bought six FT231 chips through AliExpres. Because they cost me €20.32 including shipping for €7.75. The only “Western” sources are Mouser, where six would have cost me €43.21, or Digikey, where they would have cost me €30.30, or Farnell, who doesn’t want to sell to me as I’m not a business, but would have charged €34.98.The issue is the shipping costs. Mouser: €20.00, Digikey: €18.00, Farnell: €14.99.€20.00 for a frigging 5cm strip of SMD IC’s!!??? In a €0.50 envelope??? Sent from my neighbouring country (Germany)??? Are you serious?Hey, ok, I receive it 3 days after ordering, while AliExpress takes 10 days or so. But still, the distance is much shorter. I can’t understand how it can be that they are so inefficient that shipping costs twice to three times as expensive as the much, much, much longer distance from China.Oh, and the funny thing? Mouser Netherlands is in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where I live. But I can only choose “International” or “Worldwide” shipping. Come on! Send it to me via regular post, it costs €3.95, not €20.00!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140136",
"author": "Marc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:39:39",
"content": "They don’t want small orders and apparently it works.Farnell used to have free shipping. Order at 17.00 and you would have it the next day around 12.00. But no free shipping anymore, and next day only if you’re very lucky. I mostly use TME or Mouser for parts. Mouser when I’m above the free shipping threshold, TME otherwise, they have more reasonable shipping costs.Mouser Netherlands is just an office I believe, they have no stock…",
"parent_id": "8140109",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140237",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T06:20:03",
"content": "Mouser having only an office in The Netherlands – yeah, I figured such.The problem originated from me making an SMD-based design that I wanted to be easily soldered. It has a USB controller, and I used a CP2102. It works great, but it’s a tiny QFN28 chip and is hard to hand-solder. So I searched for something with pins sticking outwards and found the FT231. But then found out that hardly any electronics provider that sells to consumers carries it. FTDI doesn’t sell directly to consumers, and so I got into this mess.Basically, my only serious options are Reichelt, TME, and since a few months RS. But none of them carried the FT231.",
"parent_id": "8140136",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140362",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:23:18",
"content": "Hey, creator here. Just to clarify, I haven’t dealt with sellers outside my country before, and it didn’t make sense to buy from an unfamiliar place at a higher price when I could get the board cheaper from a source I already know. The whole point here was building a budget keyboard, and time wasn’t a factor.I also searched for the actual nice!nano on AliExpress , spoiler: it’s not there. So I went with a compatible alternative that works well for this project.Plus, I talked with Nick Winans, the guy behind the nice!nano, and he confirmed the schematics, diagrams, and bootloader files(which are public btw) are free to use without restrictions. Using a compatible board for a hobby project is totally fine.Another reason for going with AliExpress is that anyone who watches the video can easily order all the parts from there at the same time, no need to hunt for the original nice!nano, which isn’t available everywhere. Not everyone watching will be able to order the original board anyway, since it’s not sold on all continents and there are other barriers.Bottom line: this was a practical choice to keep things affordable, simple, and accessible for a personal project.",
"parent_id": "8140109",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141783",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T07:14:49",
"content": "Hey Daniel, this is Nick, the guy behind the nice!nano. I don’t recall ever speaking to you, so I’m a bit surprised to see my name being used to validate clone boards using the nice!nano trademark as “totally fine”. I don’t think it’s totally fine, but there’s not much I can do about it. Overall I’m pretty disappointed these boards advertise themselves as nice!nanos and use firmware using the nice!nano mark. The firmware is open source, yet they just copy the nice!nano’s with no modifications, really just sad.",
"parent_id": "8140362",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142316",
"author": "Strathe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-26T08:09:26",
"content": "I am having a true dead internet moment here. Which of these accounts, if any, is who they say they are??",
"parent_id": "8141783",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8143388",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-30T08:49:50",
"content": "Hey Nick,Let’s clarify a few things because your message is throwing around assumptions that don’t hold up. First, I’m not “validating clones using the nice!nano trademark.” That’s your wording, and frankly, it doesn’t even make sense in context. I said I used a board that is compatible with the nice!nano, which is exactly how it’s labeled, not as a nice!nano, not pretending to be one, not using your branding. The word “compatible” is a factual technical descriptor, not a trademark violation.Second, the schematics are all published publicly on your official website, not hidden, not behind a request form, and not behind any restrictive license. In fact, when I asked you about the copyright license, you explicitly said I was free to use them however I pleased.Now you’re shifting tone and making it sound like I’m doing something shady by using open resources you put out without restrictions. That’s not how this works. If you didn’t want people using them, even for commercial purposes, then you should’ve attached a proper license or enforced your trademark where it applies. You didn’t. That’s on you, not the people making use of what you openly shared. It’s fine to dislike that people are building clone boards. But calling it “sad” or acting like your hands are tied when you yourself provided the files is just trying to have it both ways. So let’s be clear, there’s no misuse of your name, no violation of terms, and nothing to apologize for. If your problem is with third-party sellers misusing your trademark, go after them. But don’t come at individuals like me with vague accusations when the facts don’t back you up.",
"parent_id": "8141783",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140116",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:33:17",
"content": "The keyboard is nice. But I really prefer to not have it in two separate parts, but have it joined together in the middle. Because I am always moving my keyboard around on my desk, and don’t want to be moving TWO half keyboards around on my desk. ;)One day, I will create my own custom tailor-made keyboard.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140336",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:28:50",
"content": "With genuine curiosity: why are you always moving your keyboard around on your desk?",
"parent_id": "8140116",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140217",
"author": "allen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T03:59:06",
"content": "could use a pair of esp32’s and use espnow to wirelessly signal the other half to come out of deep sleep",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140285",
"author": "frenchone",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T08:41:46",
"content": "Does using matrix implies some ghosting and a limited combinations of keys that could be pressed at the same time ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140327",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:53:27",
"content": "Not necessarily, since diodes are a thing.",
"parent_id": "8140285",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140487",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T22:09:45",
"content": "No, it’s scanning at high freq.",
"parent_id": "8140285",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140699",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:57:44",
"content": "It’s not the high frequency scanning that alleviates the ghosting issue, it’s the diodes.If you there are no diodes and you press two keys on both adjacent row and column it doesn’t matter how fast you scan you won’t be able to determine which keys are being pressed. And the diodes allow the controller to identify every key being pressed even if the scan would happen at a glacial pace, it doesn’t matter.",
"parent_id": "8140487",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,510.371754
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/zpui-could-be-your-tiny-embedded-gui/
|
ZPUI Could Be Your Tiny Embedded GUI
|
Arya Voronova
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Software Development"
] |
[
"embedded",
"gui",
"raspberry pi"
] |
One of the most frustrating things to me is looking at a freshly-flashed and just powered up single board computer. My goal with them is always getting to a shell – installing packages, driving GPIOs, testing my proof of concept code, adjusting the device tree to load peripheral drivers. Before I can do any of that, I need shell access, and getting there can be a real hassle.
Time after time, I’ve struggled trying to get to a shell on an SBC. For best results, you’d want to get yourself a keyboard, monitor, and an Ethernet cable. Don’t have those, or there’s no space to place them? Maybe a UART connection will work for you – unless it’s broken or misconfigured. Check your pinouts twice. Sure, nowadays you can put WiFi credentials into a text file in
/boot/
– but good luck figuring out the IP address, or debugging any mistakes you might make formatting the file. Nowadays, Pi 4 and 5 expose a USB gadget connection on the USB-C port, and that helps… unless you’re already powering the Pi from that port. There’s really no shortage of failure modes here.
If you put a Pi on your network and it goes offline, you generally just don’t know what happened unless you reboot it, which can make debugging into a living hell. I’ve dealt with single-board computers mounted above fiberglass lifted ceilings, fleets of Pi boards at workshops I organized, pocket-carried Pi boards, and at some point, I got tired of it all. A hacker-aimed computer is meant to be accessible, not painful.
Server-Grade Interfaces For All
That’s why, for years now, I’ve been working on a cheap and accessible embedded UI, called
ZPUI
(Zippy UI) – with its help, a cheap I2C screen and a few buttons is all it takes to keep track of your Pi or other Linux device.
A separate lightweight control interface isn’t a new concept. Back in the glorious era of character LCDs and non-standard mounting boxy cute servers, you could get a 16×2 display and five arrow keys on a Sun machine, and with help of a little bespoke software, you could do basic management actions on your server without having to break out a KVM.
It started as a character display UI,
grew into 128×64 screens,
and then adapted to 400/320×240 screens
One of my first semi-serious projects, way back in 2014, was a HD44780 library for Raspberry Pi use, universal and lightweight, supporting both direct GPIO access and I2C backpacks with ease. People have had used those for IP address display for a while by then, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to easily power off my boards to avoid SD card corruption (which was way worse back in the day), figure out my boards’ IP addresses without Nmap scans, and connect to WiFi networks without SD card machinations. All throughout, it felt like a piece of software someone should’ve had written years ago. It’s a simple concept – if I have physical access to my SBC, I should be able to take control of it.
So, with a HD44780, a USB numpad, and a heap of Python code, I’ve built the first version of the software I called
pyLCI
– for Linux Control Interface. I gave it app loading support, then wrote code to parse commands like
ip addr
,
wpa_cli
for WiFi connection management,
tvservice
for HDMI monitor connection debug,
reboot
and
poweroff
, as well as an ability to run arbitrary pre-defined scripts from a menu. I made sure it’d only require 5 buttons at all times – up, down, left, right, and enter, and that it’d work with character LCDs from as small as 16×2 to as big as 20×4.
pyLCI quickly became a useful tool in my SBC forays, and I’ve built it into a number of my portable devices, most of them Pi-powered. I’ve added it to a portable hardware hacking workbench I built for SPI flash and general hardware tinkering, home automation Pi boards I’d run, and even a desktop/pocket Pi 2 that served as only computer for almost half a year. When I ran Raspberry Pi workshops in our hackerspace, I bought a few character-LCD-and-button HATs and used them to determine IP addresses of student-issued Pi boards, so that I wouldn’t need to drag a monitor around or do USB-UART interventions.
The move from character displays wasn’t quick,
but I did get it to a way better place
Entering WiFi passwords with arrow keys wasn’t ideal, but it was miles ahead of the frustration I used to routinely experience before it, every time I brought a Pi somewhere for a project – only to get effectively locked out of a computer I own.
Bigger Screens, Bigger Ambitions
When I worked on ZeroPhone, an open-source Raspberry Pi Zero-based numpad phone, naturally, I forked pyLCI into a base for the UI, called it ZPUI (for ZeroPhone UI), and decided to target the super common 128×64 screens. Initially, I made the color screen imitate a character screen – it worked kind of well as a stopgap but resulted in tiny text. It took a good while to make the screen readable, make apps work passably well and write new better-working ones, implement numpad input in addition to arrow keys input, and I’ve ended up learning a ton from building an UI framework where none was intended to be.
Recently, I’ve reignited my portable platform building ambitions, and as part of a hacker collective, I’ve been working on a Beepy derivative device – a QWERTY PDA-like Pi Zero-based pocket Linux terminal. Just like many portable Linux devices in this form-factor, it’s badly missing a low-frills graphical UI, with three or four people having attempted to write one, and one in particular getting pretty far. I ported ZPUI to a larger screen, borrowed a UI layout mockup from
one of the more successful Beepy UI projects
, and I’m now porting ZPUI to larger screens. My goal with ZPUI is making your Linux devices accessible and friendly, and the Beepy community could definitely benefit from a software boost like that.
My goal is creating a UI that you can use to make any of your Linux devices accessible – no matter if you’re building a home automation panel with a Pi at its heart, or an OpenWRT-powered pocket router, putting together an overpowered Meshtastic node you want to adjust on the fly, or a PWN4Pi device that you want to manually pick RubberDucky scripts for, designing failsafes for a robot with computer vision, or simply organizing workshops where seeing your Pi’s IP address is important, in circumstances of twenty students who all want your attention during setup. This year, I’ve started working on ZPUI again, bringing it up to speed with modern software realities, and I invite you to try it out in your projects.
How ZPUI Can Help You
Cheap enough to order a dozen, for $5, only needs an OLED and buttons, and it’s very JLC-compatible
At minimum, you only need a small 128×64 OLED screen and give buttons – for instance, if you have a Waveshare Pi Zero hat, it will do just fine. In case you’re ordering PCBs anytime soon, I’ve also
designed a businesscard form-factor Pi shield,
which fits on any Pi and even works over QWIIC if you want – throw the board into your next JLC order, solder an OLED and a few jellybean buttons to it, follow
the install instructions
, and enjoy the extra point of control over your Linux install.
As-is, ZPUI can do most of the basic tasks for you – show network info, connect to WiFi networks (and even display known network passwords), manage system services with help of a systemctl API,
poweroff
/
reboot
, unmount partitions so you don’t have to SSH in to unplug that one flash drive, list USB devices so you know if your favourite device fell off the bus, and do a number of other things (there’s even an AVRDUDE app!). It will even let you input console commands through arrow keys in a pinch.
Example ZPUI apps, complete with instructions, coming soon!
Currently, apart from UI improvements, I’m working on a heap of mechanisms to make third-party app designs easier. You already can develop ZPUI apps, and you can even distribute ZPUI apps as Python packages, but there’s still work to do. If you want to help contribute and tackle goals like, say, a
raspi-config
app or a Bluetooth config interface, you’re most welcome to join in and help – there’s even
a ZPUI emulator
for app development purposes!
ZPUI is a project aimed to make your other projects easier. I invite you to try it out, especially if you’ve faced the kind of problems I’ve told about in the article intro. If it were up to me, SBCs like Raspberry Pi would come with these kinds of interfaces out of the box, simply because of the insanely large amount of problems I’ve had it solve and figure out.
Unexpectedly Cyberpunk
Here’s a cool demo! I’ve assembled a ZPUI businesscard into a palm-sized shield, with a QWIIC cable connected to it. On my SBCs, I have QWIIC sockets exposed, with ZPUI installed and configured to expect such a shield. When I plug it in, ZPUI detects it on the I2C bus and shows up on the screen. This palm-sized shield feels surprisingly cyberpunk to use, akin to having a cable in your wrist that lets you tap into any device of your choice. For a while now, all my devices come with QWIIC connectors, because of just how much ZPUI helps me in bringup and development.
Kitchen computer UI froze up? The reboot option is right there.
The device is (mostly) pocket-friendly,
and this is how it feels to use it.
If you have any questions, ask away, and I hope ZPUI can help you. If not – let me know! This year, I’m aiming to seriously upgrade it, building it into a fully-featured UI it is meant to be, and if there’s a feature you’re looking for, it could very well get implemented alongside.
| 17
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140070",
"author": "spiritplumberspiritplumber@gmail.com",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:47:37",
"content": "Fun fact, internally cyberpunk uses another three-letter preposition instead of “out” 😂Because of i18n package (whatever language you pick) it’s not visible to player.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140075",
"author": "QBFreak",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:56:52",
"content": "One of the ways I reduce the pain of “What IP is it?” is to grab the MAC address as soon as I can get a shell (yes, chicken and egg), and then configure my DHCP server to always issue the same IP to that MAC. It then gets recorded on the network spreadsheet, and I can later look it up there, or on the DHCP server if I’m using a terminal. From that point on, I’m using the hostname to connect 90% of the time.That doesn’t help with any of the other benefits of your project, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140144",
"author": "PreferLinux",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:57:43",
"content": "Two suggestions to help with that: the router probably shows DHCP losses somewhere, or even better, Multicast DNS.",
"parent_id": "8140075",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140209",
"author": "wm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T03:44:40",
"content": "Yes, leases are usually very easy to look up, even in garbage soho equipment running stock firmware. If your device is set to static IP (but does not have a DHCP reservation), the arp table will give you the mapping, but this may not be available on a soho router. pfSense makes all of this much easierDear God I hate mDNS. It’s a stopgap for people who don’t know how to manage their own network. I do use it, but only on devices that require mDNS for operation (Chromecast is a good example). Of course, those devices are on their own subnet to allow for firewalling, and mDNS packets don’t go across subnets (the packets have a TTL of 1), so mDNS reflection must be configured – there is a pfSense package that I use for reflection, but I would much rather not use mDNS anywhere",
"parent_id": "8140144",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140159",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:57:44",
"content": "I just use a redis server. All wifi/hardwired devices are setup to report their static IP address/mask, name, data/controls available, is-alive counter to the redis server on the home network (separate from internet network). A master application I wrote then periodically reads the information found on the redis server for all the devices and updates itself. So all I have to do is glance at the monitor and know what is where, what input/output it has, and what is working/not working (color change). Redis server is located on a RPI5 which is attached to my PiDP 11/70 front panel. It is also a PI-Hole server as well. It is connected to a UPS so never goes down (unless I want it to). I could’ve used a spreadsheet… but was more fun to write a common api for this task using a redis server as the repository :) .",
"parent_id": "8140075",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140162",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:59:47",
"content": "That said. Neat project above. Cool beans! Gave me some ideas!",
"parent_id": "8140159",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140318",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T10:55:01",
"content": "Sounds like you started your own Network Management System. Did you consider any of the existing open source NMSs?",
"parent_id": "8140159",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140789",
"author": "Eddie",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T06:34:20",
"content": "I do i do a reverse shell i have this stalker on all my electronics and says no one will ever find him cuz he has a level 4 in address",
"parent_id": "8140159",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140400",
"author": "elcritch",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:36:18",
"content": "My goto nowadays has become IPv6. It always seemed esoteric or annoying but it has some nice benefits for embedded.Each IPv6 devices gets a link local address, generally based on the MAC address. So find the ip and you got the mac, or vice versa. Also the link local address generally doesn’t change, even on different networks. Great for accessing a device on your hotel WiFi say.To find it plug the device into Ethernet or get its WiFi going with the /boot setup. Then do aping6 -I eth0 ff02::1. Modify eth0 to the right network interface to match the devices hardware media. Then just look for any new/unknown IPs. I use a sort and filter of before and after I power on the device.Generally it’s much more reliable than ARP. All IPv6 routers have to support local multicast. They’re self assigned so no waiting for mDNS to populate.",
"parent_id": "8140075",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140076",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:57:15",
"content": "And here I was thinking Zoomable interfaces.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140080",
"author": "Pete",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:28:37",
"content": "@Arya, I have not seen snap-off standoffs like what you have on your zpui business card PC, and cannot envision how they would be used. Are there any examples of them in use that you can post?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140160",
"author": "mehrdad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:59:22",
"content": "I solved this problem with UBO GUI that mirrors on the browser and you can control almost all of raspberry pi functions with it easily. You don’t need any additional hardware to use it. The hardware option right now only supports TFT displays over SPI but I would like to support I2C too. I made a short video to show how it works:https://youtu.be/Rro3YLVIUx4",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140181",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:21:31",
"content": "took me a while to understand that some people can’t just look at syslog on their dhcp server.for slightly increasing my convenience for this sort of operation, i bought a tiny hdmi monitor for $50 on temu, and a regrettable tiny usb keyboard for almost nothing. it is nice having a monitor to hook up to someting that isn’t part of the livingroom cable mess.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140212",
"author": "freedomunit",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T03:51:35",
"content": "So you used ‘AI’ to produce a couple of sentences that provides nothing that someone with rudimentary reading comprehension could have gleaned from the beginning of the article.Bravo… 🙄",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140275",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T07:47:39",
"content": "My approach to solving the “my device is inaccessible, and I don’t know why” problem has been to put a Bluetooth Serial Port Profile device on the UART. These are available for less than $1 each (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32961565740.html), and run from 3.3V sourced from the target device. Configure it in advance, before attaching to the target, add a pairing PIN, configure the baud rate, and give it a suitable name to broadcast. Then hook it up to the console UART. Make sure the target device is actually logging to that UART, and has a login/shell available as needed.Then, when you need it, you can pair with that device, and use a serial terminal to do whatever is required. This solves the “I can’t open it to put a serial terminal on, without powering it off in the process” problem, the “it’s in the ceiling and don’t want to get in there” problem, etc, etc.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140319",
"author": "FadeFX",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:15:14",
"content": "In RaspberyPi OS you can also place userconfig.txt in boot containing username and hashed password. After that you don’t need to know the IP,as long as you have dhcp. You can SSH into the machine by SSHusername@raspberrypi.local",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140674",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:47:15",
"content": "Very nice toolset. Will take a close look to learn from your experience.My current solution is to add devices to one of my self-hosted Nebula Defined networks. By now the config is so stable that even UDP port randomization by Ubiquiti devices is not a problem.And work in progress is a logging to UART device based on the CYD because most often I don’t need immediate access but feedback on what’s going on inside the box.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.713256
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/esp32-dashboard-is-a-great-way-to-stay-informed/
|
ESP32 Dashboard Is A Great Way To Stay Informed
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"epaper",
"ESP32",
"micropython"
] |
The original ESP32 may be a little long in the tooth by now, but it remains a potent tool for connected devices. We were drawn to [Max Pflaum]’s
ESP32 Dashboard
as a great example, it’s an ESP32 hooked up to an e-paper display. The hardware is simple enough, but the software is what makes it interesting.
This is deigned as a configurable notification tool, so to make it bend to the user’s will a series of widgets can be loaded onto it. The device runs MicroPython, making it easy enough to write more than the ones already on place. The screen is divided into four zones, allowing for a range of widgets to be used at once. All the details
can be found in a GitHub repository
.
We like it for its configurability and ease of programming, and because it delivers well on the promise of a useful device. An ESP32 and e-ink combination with MicroPython apps is
something we’ve seen before in the world of badges
.
| 3
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140051",
"author": "Ken de AC3DH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:53:21",
"content": "I love the wood work! I made something very similar many years ago using an ESP8266 and an e-ink display. 4 AA batteries would last about a month. I had a weather feed and my simple calendar with the days to do list.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140644",
"author": "Silviu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:02:48",
"content": "Great! Greetings from Brașov!PS: there are 22 degrees here now 😁",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142843",
"author": "HarryHighPants",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T00:07:23",
"content": "I’m a huge fan of the ESP32 eink combo. I’ve used one to create a minimal battery powered GitHub commit graph which you might be interested in as well:https://github.com/HarryHighPants/esp32-git-contributions-epd",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.58927
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/just-for-laughs-charlie-douglass-and-the-laugh-track/
|
Just For Laughs: Charlie Douglass And The Laugh Track
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Featured",
"History",
"Interest",
"Original Art",
"Slider"
] |
[
"canned laughter",
"laff box",
"laugh track"
] |
I ran into an old episode of
Hogan’s Heroes
the other day that stuck me as odd. It didn’t have a laugh track. Ironically, the show was one where two pilots were shown, one with and one without a laugh track. The resulting data ensured future shows would have fake laughter. This wasn’t the pilot, though, so I think it was just an error on the part of the streaming service.
However, it was very odd. Many of the jokes didn’t come off as funny without the laugh track. Many of them came off as cruel. That got me to thinking about how they had to put laughter in these shows to begin with. I had my suspicions, but was I way off!
Well, to be honest, my suspicions were well-founded if you go back far enough. Bing Crosby was tired of running two live broadcasts, one for each coast, so he invested in tape recording, using
German recorders Jack Mullin had brought back after World War II
. Apparently, one week, Crosby’s guest was a comic named Bob Burns. He told some off-color stories, and the audience was howling. Of course, none of that would make it on the air in those days. But they saved the recording.
A few weeks later, either a bit of the show wasn’t as funny or the audience was in a bad mood. So they spliced in some of the laughs from the Burns performance. You could guess that would happen, and that’s the apparent birth of the laugh track. But that method didn’t last long before someone — Charley Douglass — came up with something better.
Sweetening
The problem with a studio audience is that they might not laugh at the right times. Or at all. Or they might laugh too much, too loudly, or too long. Charley Douglass developed techniques for sweetening an audio track — adding laughter, or desweetening by muting or cutting live laughter. At first, this was laborious, but Douglass had a plan.
He built a prototype machine that was a 28-inch wooden wheel with tape glued to its perimeter. The tape had laughter recordings and a mechanical detent system to control how much it played back.
Douglass decided to leave CBS, but the prototype belonged to them. However, the machine didn’t last very long without his attention. In 1953, he built his own derivative version and populated it with laughter from the Red Skelton Show, where Red did pantomime, and, thus, there was no audio but the laughter and applause.
Do You Really Need It?
There is a lot of debate regarding fake laughter. On the one hand, it does seem to help. On the other hand, shouldn’t people just — you know — laugh when something’s funny?
There was concern, for example, that the Munsters would be scary without a laugh track. Like I mentioned earlier, some of the gags on Hogan’s Heroes are fine with laughter, but seem mean-spirited without.
Consider the Big Bang theory. If you watch a clip (below) with no laugh track, you’ll notice two things. First, it does seem a bit mean (as a commenter said: “…like a bunch of people who really hate each other…” The other thing you’ll notice is that they pause for the laugh track insertion, which, when there is no laughter, comes off as really weird.
Laugh Monopoly
Laugh tracks became very common with most single-camera shows. These were hard to do in front of an audience because they weren’t filmed in sequence. Even so, some directors didn’t approve of “mechanical tricks” and refused to use fake laughter.
Even multiple-camera shows would sometimes want to augment a weak audience reaction or even just replace laughter to make editing less noticeable. Soon, producers realized that they could do away with the audience and just use canned laughter. Douglass was essentially the only game in town, at least in the United States.
The Douglass device was used on all the shows from the 1950s through the 1970s. Andy Griffith? Yep. Betwitched? Sure. The Brady Bunch? Of course. Even the Munster had Douglass or one of his family members creating their laugh tracks.
One reason he stayed a monopoly is that he was extremely secretive about how he did his work. In 1960, he formed Northridge Electronics out of a garage. When called upon, he’d wheel his invention into a studio’s editing room and add laughs for them. No one was allowed to watch.
You can see the original “laff box” in the videos below.
The device was securely locked, but inside, we now know that the machine had 32 tape loops, each with ten laugh tracks. Typewriter-like keys allowed you to select various laughs and control their duration and intensity,
In the background, there was always a titter track of people mildly laughing that could be made more or less prominent. There were also some other sound effects like clapping or people moving in seats.
Building a laugh track involved mixing samples from different tracks and modulating their amplitude. You can imagine it was like playing a musical instrument that emits laughter.
Before you tell us, yes, there seems to be some kind of modern interface board on the top in the second video. No, we don’t know what it is for, but we’re sure it isn’t part of the original machine.
The original laff box wound up appearing on
Antiques Roadshow
where someone had bought it at a storage locker auction.
End of an Era
Of course, all things end. As technology got better and tastes changed, some companies — notably animation companies — made their own laugh tracks. One of Douglass’ protégés started a company,
Sound One
, that used better technology to create laughter, including stereo recordings and cassette tapes.
Today, laugh tracks are not everywhere, but you can still find them and, of course, they are prevalent in reruns. The next time you hear one, you’ll know the history behind that giggle.
If you want to build
a more modern version of the laff box
, [smogdog] has just the video for you, below.
| 40
| 16
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140003",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:13:38",
"content": "Sitcoms are worthless without forced laughter injected.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140167",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:42:25",
"content": "Laugh tracks are the corn syrup of television. If the product sucks, just throw more in.",
"parent_id": "8140003",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140488",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T22:38:11",
"content": "You could have stopped after 3 words.",
"parent_id": "8140003",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140014",
"author": "NerdWorld",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:45:02",
"content": "Yes, SitComs without laugh tracks seem flat, but worse, IMHO, is when they over-do it. When my kids were young and watched Disney channel, actors on shows would walk into a room and say something simple like “hello stupid”, which generated uproarious laughter. Every line was over-the-top hysterical, at least to the artificial audience.I loved the Big Bang Theory and Seinfeld, but in later seasons, as the jokes got weaker, the canned laughter got stronger. Worse, once you notice laughter as being out of proportion, you can’t pretend it’s not there and the shows become unwatchable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140146",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:08:08",
"content": "The core “problem” with such SitComs is, I think, that they’re aimed at an US audience and don’t take foreign audiences into account (obviously).This is no complaint, just an realization. A lot gets lost in translation, also for cultural reasons.In principle, such shows are thus better not sold internationally, thus.Because us foreigners living in Europe and other places do have a different culture and “don’t get it” most of time.So to us, these laugh tracks are some sort of indicator that there’s a funny moment right now.Which as such is a positive thing, maybe, so we can learn about US culture a bit.But that being said, the SitComs aren’t exactly an authentic representation, but a distorted picture of the real thing. Obviously.The bad thing is , perhaps, that these SitComs do shape the image of the “dumb American”.In an ideal world, such shows would have a warning/information dialogue in the beginningthat tells us foreign people that the following programme is a satire and doesn’t represent real US society.",
"parent_id": "8140014",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140282",
"author": "Naj",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T08:20:54",
"content": "“In an ideal world, such shows would have a warning/information dialogue in the beginningthat tells us foreign people that the following program is a satire and doesn’t represent real US society.”And that’s the real problem, those silly signs and warnings:“don’t touch the fire place, it can be hot”“slippery when wet”“objects in mirror are closer than they appear”Assuming that everything can be fixed with a sign is not my ideal of “an ideal world”. It prevents people from thinking for themselves while providing leverage for silly lawsuits.",
"parent_id": "8140146",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140457",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:28:20",
"content": "“thinking for themselves” is good, but let’s have a look at current political situation. It’s worse than a SitCom.How are we people from Europe, China, Australia etc supposed to know what’s real and not? And where to draw the line?We have little idea about the US pop culture, for example.The music/film charts are different, too.A lot of music played in Europe on radio is unknown in the US and vice versa.A message screen that says “Warning: This is a SitCom. All names and characters are fictious and are not related to real, living people.Similarities with real, living people are not intended.” would not harm, I think, but remind the audience that the show isn’t real.Because, it’s easy to forget.An example:Here in my family, I often had to tell my relatives that it’s just a show and not a documentary.It sometimes happened that a relative came into the living room, stood there when TV was running, and saying “it’s incredible how dumb the Americans are”.I had to remind them “See, these are actors. It’s just a show. They’re not really that dense.”Then I got a look of disbelief “Hmm, okay. Sure.”– Which means that there’s still some questioning happening.Exactly because us people don’t know how much truth is in there, actually.Somehow you do understand it’s “just a show”, but due to lack of a real life comparison it’s hard to judge.And YouTube videos are also nolonger a thrustful source, sadly.In the early days of YouTube you had ordinary people with a trashy 320×240 or 640×480 pixel camcorder talking about their life and their hobbies.You had authentic people, in short.Nowadays everyone makes a show out if it and “influencer” is a job to some.",
"parent_id": "8140282",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140332",
"author": "meh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:04:13",
"content": "Wild! I wonder how many of us Americans “learn” [wrongly?] about each other (and maybe even our own selves) in the same way!I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched shows with tons of laughter that I thought to myself “What’s wrong with me, that everyone else thinks this is hilarious, and I just feel like it’s work…”",
"parent_id": "8140146",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140019",
"author": "Azzy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:51:30",
"content": "A lot of these sitcoms are full of people that you wouldn’t ever hang out with personally. And you need the assurance of other humans that it’s a joke.I don’t understand how people like the Big Bang Theory and the autistic guy being the brunt of jokes. The people that it makes fun of the most seem to be the ones that it’s actually targeted to.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140065",
"author": "D",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:25:44",
"content": "I’ve heard Big Bang described as a show ABOUT nerds, but not FOR nerds. It was made to appeal to normies, so it is about how absurd the nerds are.As opposed to shows like IT Crowd or Community, where the nerds were ok and it was often the world around them that was absurd.",
"parent_id": "8140019",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140105",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:14:45",
"content": "Someone nailed it some time ago.‘The “Big Bang Theory” is what you get when stupid people attempt to write smart characters.’Pennie is the only somewhat real human.Howard is when they stopped trying.They cast an obvious, flamboyant gay actor to play the ‘king nerd’…Because they called the nerds ‘gay’ in HS…Logical.",
"parent_id": "8140065",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140735",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:40:55",
"content": "I think it’s morally wrong to accuse a fictional character of being autistic just because he refused to have sex with you. Did you fail at stalking him?",
"parent_id": "8140019",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140022",
"author": "J. Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:03:45",
"content": "The show MAS*H was a very different program without the laugh track, which is an option on the DVDs- while some of the episodes were pretty dark in their own right, without the laugh track a lot of the episodes have a tinge of malevolence to it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140031",
"author": "Julian Skidmore",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:56:39",
"content": "I was going to bring up the MAS*H example. In the UK the laugh track was removed, because Brits felt that it was crass to add fake laughs, especially given that it’s set in the Korean war.Though this is not the correct story. The producersdidn’twant the laugh track, but CBS forced it on them.https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/7xauws/til_that_mash_aired_on_bbc2_in_the_uk_without_a/",
"parent_id": "8140022",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140106",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:19:30",
"content": "Many of the episodes have tinge of suck to them.All the episodes Alda directed should be erased, burnt and forgotten.Laugh tracks are interesting…You were supposed to thinkthatwas funny?WTF?Was the laugh track added to Python for American release?It’s there.",
"parent_id": "8140022",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140306",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T09:31:52",
"content": "Monty Python’s Flying Circus was “filmed in front of a live studio audience”, as they used to say about Cheers. They are occasionally visible, for instance in series II episode 13 when there is a “pitch invasion” and part of the audience is seen running onto the set to remonstrate with the performers about a sketch in appalling taste. If you watch carefully, there’s a lady in the front row wearing a blue dress who is doubled over laughing, but when the cue comes to get onto the set she leaps through the rest of the audience like a gazelle with a lion on its tail and makes it to the counter first to start arguing with Graham Chapman. Evidently this was her one chance in a lifetime to be in a Monty Python sketch and she wasn’t going to lose out!",
"parent_id": "8140106",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140731",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:10:49",
"content": "And like Cheers they did multiple takes and had lights to remind the audience when to laugh, particularly on the 10th try.",
"parent_id": "8140306",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140157",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:54:01",
"content": "the creators really didn’t want a laugh track, as it was more of a studio note, but they made this one compromise and i think it did wonders for the show, that was to never use the laugh track during an or session. it gives the show a cool down period that makes the funnier scenes stand out more, even the or jokes were often pretty funny. the duality of the show allows it to make you bust guts one minute and then rip the heart out of your chest the next. it is the perfect tv show.",
"parent_id": "8140022",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140033",
"author": "Julian Skidmore",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:03:32",
"content": "Laugh tracks are the norm in the US, but certainly in the UK they’re seen as being crass: as though you’re being told when to laugh rather than being allowed to make up your own mind when a joke is funny.https://www.eskimo.com/~rkj/weekly/aa022101a.htmThere are many US comedies without laugh tracks now (thankfully). Here’s a list of UK & US comedies without laugh tracks.https://www.imdb.com/list/ls002740489/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140073",
"author": "irox",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:55:45",
"content": "I seem to recall that some shows had two sound tracks, and US one with laugh tracks and a UK one without. Also once somebody had to apologize for accidentally airing the US version in the UK for one episode of something, since it caused a lot of angry letters…",
"parent_id": "8140033",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140139",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:46:03",
"content": "Here in Germany, we’re often having the laugh tracks, too and are used to it when it comes to US shows (on free TV).Well, at least my generation is used to it by now.Older generations like my grandma were slightly confused about the laugh tracks.And when I was being asked “who’s always laughing and why?”,I couldn’t help and had to agree that it’s a bit annoying and confusing after a while. If you do focus on it, consciously.Because it feels like someone’s telling “you must laugh here, dummy! It’s so funny”.Also, it kind of harms the atmosphere if a joke or situation was very humorous all by its own and doesn’t need any support.Or if the situation/dialogue has had some actual depth to it that’s more powerful without the laughs.Mash comes to mind, which I can’t remember having a laugh track here.That being said, we also have background laughs in comedy shows or political satire, but it’s a bit more natural maybe.The audience in the studio does the laughing part, though some might be paid for this, not sure.But that’s just me, speaking under correction. I’m no expert here.Personally, I think it’s good if releases on DVD/BD have both kind of tracks.At very least for the original US English audio track. :)",
"parent_id": "8140033",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140044",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:27:58",
"content": "Laugh tracks are unbearable, which leads to spared time not watching the images that go with these.i",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140046",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:34:06",
"content": "Isn’t Big Bang Theory mostly filmed infront of a live audience, so most of the laugh track is ‘real’?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140089",
"author": "HaHaHaMeow",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:43:31",
"content": "Both… They were filmed with a live audience, but a laugh track was still used to fill in where the audience did not provide the desired response.",
"parent_id": "8140046",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140108",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:22:09",
"content": "Also:Laugh lights, clap lights.So the audience knows that was supposed to be funny.They don’t do it in one take, even if you assume it was funny once…",
"parent_id": "8140089",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140047",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:35:31",
"content": "So unreal all my life. The only reality TV is a security camera aimed at random, everything else is edited and manipulated..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140050",
"author": "drenehtsral",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:45:16",
"content": "The social nature of laughter explains the mean-to-funny transition. I remember watching “The Royal Tennenbaums” in the theater when it came out amd there’s a subtle gag where Dudley (the autistic member of the family)several scenes afterthe scene where the sister attempts suicide pushes open a glass door and leaves a bloody hand print, implying thatin the intervening half hour of the time line nobody clues Dudley in that he should wash his hands.You could have heard a pin drop in the theater until the two of us laughed, and effectively gave permission for other to laugh too at whatcould beread as a sick and cruel gag, but which really just further illustrated that the whole family was somewhat out to lunch (the premise being that they’re all self-involved basket cases).People often hold back laughter in ambiguous or fraught situations (and fraught situations often get the hardest tension dispelling laughter and so they are a staple of comedy) so given that viewers are mostly atomized and glued to thelr TVs singularly in small groups where the social cost of laughing first at something your roommates/family/whatever don’t find funny is much lower if the “studio audience” laughs first.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140101",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:02:46",
"content": "There’s also a message in here about how much our emotions are collaboratively generated and how easy it is for someone to manipulate group emotional responses.",
"parent_id": "8140050",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140081",
"author": "Amphraredamine",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:28:47",
"content": "I always enjoy a good invention origin story. This one makes me wonder how my sense of humor may have been shaped by the use of the laugh track. As a child raised in front of a black and white glowing box, what I perceive as funny today may have been developed from a comedy show producer inserting a laugh track into scenes where laughter would have been an unnatural reaction. This may explain why I chortle instead of scream in pain when I slip on banana peels.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140138",
"author": "Bill Gates",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:43:27",
"content": "The Big Bang Theory takes simple elementary school “physics” and dumbs it down so an American audience can understand it. And just in case, they add a laugh track to be sure.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140190",
"author": "Special",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:43:36",
"content": "“The Big Bang Theory takes simple elementary school “physics” and dumbs it down so an American audience can understand it.”Cue laugh track…",
"parent_id": "8140138",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140738",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:52:25",
"content": "You overlook the white board which was vetted by actual physicists to botch about an imaginary world where Maxwell equations and tensors are taught in elementary school like a little botch (didn’t want to use a profanity, actually did want to but didn’t do).",
"parent_id": "8140138",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140199",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T02:25:02",
"content": "Charles M. Schultz insisted that there be no laugh tracks on his Peanuts movies, in spite of all the pressure put on him. I’m glad he didn’t give in. My wife thinks they’re kind of depressing; but I laugh all the way through them.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140208",
"author": "Garth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T03:42:41",
"content": "Even social media is infected with laugh tracks. Some so called “content creators” have devolved into using a split screen with some laughing woman to make their droll video funny. It is just more digital garbage.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140323",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:21:48",
"content": "If you listen to Hogan’s heroes laugh tracks long enough you know they’re using a recording because you’ll hear the same laughter loops after awhile, not recorded in front of a live audience",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140355",
"author": "HaHaHaMeow",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:59:51",
"content": "Shows of this era have one particular laugh loop that always catches my attention. Towards the end of the loop there is what I can best describe as a cat meow. Like “ha ha ha h merrrow” or maybe “ha ha ha her-rowr”.",
"parent_id": "8140323",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142148",
"author": "Anonabot",
"timestamp": "2025-06-25T15:53:18",
"content": "I was about to post that in Get Smart, there’s a repeating laugh line of a woman, who, at the end of the laugh track does a little happy “ah-huuuh.” It happens so often in the show that it becomes kind of funny in and of itself. It makes it really obvious that it’s a laugh track.I’ve heard that same exact recording in other shows as well, and it always makes me laugh because it’s so recognizable.",
"parent_id": "8140323",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140325",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:43:34",
"content": "I don’t know where this hoax came from that the big bang theory uses laugh tracks. But just muting the audience doesn’t mean it’s suddenly without a laugh track. If you take an F1 race video and you remove the engine noise it’s not suddenly a bunch of electric cars.The big bang theory is the only show where we know they DIDN’T use a laugh track.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140740",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T22:01:25",
"content": "Yes, it did indeed use a laugh track. Why do you lie? Forget about electric cars, if you lie about something that doesn’t make it true. I imagine your parents must be quite ashamed that you lie, and about such trivial easily verifiable matters. Lyin’s bad, m’kay?",
"parent_id": "8140325",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140773",
"author": "Don Colbath",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T03:46:09",
"content": "A Mellotron for laughter.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.791803
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/keeping-snap-and-crackle-under-control-with-prunt-printer-firmware/
|
Keeping Snap And Crackle Under Control With Prunt Printer Firmware
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"3D Printer Controller",
"3D printer controller board",
"motion control",
"open-source firmware"
] |
For quite some time now, Marlin has been the firmware of choice for any kind of custom 3D printer, with only Klipper offering some serious competition in the open-source world. [Liam Powell] aims to introduce some more variety with the development of
Prunt
, a 3D printer control board and firmware stack.
Smooth motion control is Prunt’s biggest advantage: Klipper and Marlin use trapezoidal (three-phase) motion profiles, which aim for acceleration changes with physically impossible rapidity, leading to vibrations and ringing on prints. By contrast, Prunt uses a more physically realistic 31-phase motion profile. This lets the user independently adjust velocity, acceleration, jerk, snap, and crackle (the increasingly higher-order derivatives of position with respect to time) to reduce vibration and create smoother prints. To avoid sharp accelerations, Prunt can also turn corners into 15-degree Bézier curves.
The focus on smooth motion isn’t just a software feature; the Prunt control board uses hardware timers to control step generation, rather than the CPU. This avoids the timing issues which Klipper sometimes faces, and avoids slowing other parts of the program down. The board also seems to have a particular focus on avoiding electrical damage. It can detect short circuits in the heaters, thermistors, fans, and endstops, and can cut power and give the user a warning when one occurs. If the board somehow experiences a serious electrical fault, the USB port is isolated to prevent damage to the host computer. The firmware’s source is available
on GitHub
.
If you’re more interested in well-established programs, we’ve given a quick
introduction to Klipper
in the past. We’ve also seen people develop their own firmware for the
Bambu Lab X1
.
| 27
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139957",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:17:05",
"content": "Klipper = possible SD card/linux corruptionMarlin = simply works",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140145",
"author": "Vinny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:03:32",
"content": "It’s always about trade-offs. Marlin is absolutely god-awful when you want to make some changes in configuration. Klipper? Edit a config file, restart the process and you are done. After using both I can’t use Marlin anymore, it’s just too cumbersome for me.",
"parent_id": "8139957",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140169",
"author": "Randlin",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:58:18",
"content": "Same here",
"parent_id": "8140145",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140193",
"author": "sd cards are for cameras",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:53:41",
"content": "sd card? sounds like a personal choice?my klipper setup runs on an unlocked chromebox.",
"parent_id": "8139957",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140359",
"author": "Rob Nixon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:19:08",
"content": "Last I checked, every Marlin board on the market has uses SD card. Klipper doesn’t inherently require the use of an SD card. On the host side, you can use a Pi Compute Module with baked in EMMC memory if you want, or a full-blown PC. Linux isn’t a hard requirement, either. Klipper is just a Python app. I don’t know of any control boards that have eMMC memory or similar, but there’s no reason that klipperhasto have an SD card on the client device side, either. Also, “just works” means recompiling and reflashing with every configuration change. No thanks!-",
"parent_id": "8139957",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139968",
"author": "Vinny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:23:09",
"content": "Their site does not dive deep into the juicy technical stuff, which is exactly what hardcore, living-in-the-bleeding-edge users would like to read, but for a first presentation of the firmware it does fine.The use of a GUI is also a really nice addition, that eases the way for beginners and also doesn’t hinder the more experienced users (RRF also does that).It looks like the firmware is married with the hardware, much like reprapfirmware was with Duet3D’s boards at the beginning, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 3rd-party boards are created if this firmware becomes popular enough.That’s a really interesting addition to the 3d printing landscape, I’ll keep an eye on it to see where it goes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139973",
"author": "liampwll",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:36:18",
"content": "For our trajectory planning we have a non-mathematical explanation in this section and the one after:https://prunt3d.com/docs/features/#g-motion-profilesIf anyone has questions on a specific technical detail then I’m happy to answer them here or on our Discord server. We plan to write a series of posts on more of higher level concepts involved eventually but that’s not done yet.",
"parent_id": "8139968",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139978",
"author": "Liam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:47:09",
"content": "For our trajectory planning we have a non-mathematical explanation in the sections on the features page titled “G4 Motion Profiles” and “Advanced Corner Blending”.If anyone has questions on a specific technical detail then I’m happy to answer them here or on our Discord server. We plan to write a series of posts on more of higher level concepts involved eventually but that’s not done yet.",
"parent_id": "8139968",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140094",
"author": "Siana",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:09:43",
"content": "RRF was developed for Arduino Due with RADDS (a slightly adampted RAMPS).",
"parent_id": "8139968",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139972",
"author": "timonsku",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:31:30",
"content": "RepRapFirmware is also huge and I would say far ahead of Marlin. I always wonder why it sees so little attention, its a really great piece of software.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140018",
"author": "TRL7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:51:05",
"content": "Wow and it’s written in Ada!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140026",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:25:43",
"content": "i was frustrated by the write up of the “motion model” here…strikes me as a bad gloss. even in so few words, i think better words could have been chosen. but the write up on the prunt site is pretty good!https://prunt3d.com/docs/features/#g-motion-profilesi’m not crazy about klipper and i figure marlin’s enduring popularity is just a perfect example of ‘worse is better’. i, for one, am not interested in rewriting something that happens to work :)(but yes i can see the ringing in my prints)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140034",
"author": "Venix42",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:07:50",
"content": "Ok for Snap and Crackle…. But what about Pop?",
"parent_id": "8140026",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140170",
"author": "Guy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:58:50",
"content": "Don’t forget Lock and Drop!",
"parent_id": "8140034",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140141",
"author": "luccamakesthings",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:52:33",
"content": "Can I ask what it is you dislike about klipper? I’ve generally had great results with it. The UI options less so, but the core firmware I’ve been fairly happy with.",
"parent_id": "8140026",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140184",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:24:54",
"content": "it’s just a philosophical complaint…i don’t begrudge it.i rememer when soft modems started to take over the world in the late 90s, there was a post from Linus Torvalds that called them all garbage. i don’t feel that they’re garbage. but when a good enough serial protocol already exists, i vaguely prefer to implement the entire protocol inside of the device instead of having half of it implemented on the “host CPU”. i want to send G-code to the printer.shrug",
"parent_id": "8140141",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140032",
"author": "ewr4gfergf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:00:02",
"content": "We have 3 slicers and program for printingand we no have open source slicers for cnc ;(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140132",
"author": "imqqmi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:30:25",
"content": "FreeCAD has some CNC ‘slicing’ capability, it’s called CAM though. It’s still early days for CAM in Freecad though.",
"parent_id": "8140032",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140133",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:32:24",
"content": "If by “CNC” you mean “CNC milling” and by “slicer” you mean “CAM”. Then rest assured we have free opensource CAM software for CNC milling. Namely bCNC, FreeCAD, kiri:moto and couple more… (laserweb, camotics, blendercam, pycam). Also there is huge possibility of software improvements to all of those, because commercial software has fancier features and opensource still has to catch up.Also there is this thinghttps://github.com/Harvie/cnc-simulator",
"parent_id": "8140032",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140213",
"author": "the gambler",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T03:52:12",
"content": "as others have said it is called cam software and there are plenty around and have been for a long time. CNC mill/lathe operators despise the term “slicer” for the most part. Also even though it gets a very bad wrap the free version of Fusion 360 does a pretty good converting solid’s into gcode for mills and lathes.here is a quick and i’m sure not 100% complete list of cam software and post processors out there",
"parent_id": "8140032",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140270",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T07:23:38",
"content": "If you want a “slicer” rather than a CAM application (which needs skilled user to decide how to machine things), you may be searching for Kiri:Moto.",
"parent_id": "8140032",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140364",
"author": "Tom Brazier",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:31:34",
"content": "Nice work on the Bezier curve cornering. Klipper and then Marlin went down the input shaping route instead (I implemented IS in Marlin). One correction to the material athttps://prunt3d.com/docs/features/#g-motion-profiles: S-Curve (at least what Marlin calls S-Curve) is linear in pop. Which makes it smoother than prunt if I have understood correctly. However it’s the abrupt direction changes on cornering which are the real problem in Marlin.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140401",
"author": "Liam",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:36:34",
"content": "I’ll have to look in to this and update the docs. At a glance it doesn’t look like Marlin gives the user control over the bounds of each derivative, it just fits a predetermined curve to have the same derivative as the original velocity curve, which is much easier. I haven’t tested Marlin’s S-Curve acceleration on any of the printers I test Prunt on so I don’t have any insights on how well it performs in comparison.For reference Marlin’s 16 line algorithm is here:https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/62bb61b3d9b0e109cf0b132aeea9ce2613d18874/Marlin/src/module/stepper.cpp#L843-L8581400 lines of just part of our algorithm are here:https://github.com/Prunt3D/prunt/blob/master/src/prunt-motion_planner.adb",
"parent_id": "8140364",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140365",
"author": "Tom Brazier",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:33:27",
"content": "Also, I really envy your hardware timer step generation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140609",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T12:49:41",
"content": "“To avoid sharp accelerations, Prunt can also turn corners into 15-degree Bézier curves.”I’m not quite sure what that means, since I’m pretty sure a corner has to be 90° /eventually/ or it’s not a corner.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140617",
"author": "yo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:22:11",
"content": "make a curve small enough and will be indistinguishable from a proper corner, while being way more gentle on the vibration side",
"parent_id": "8140609",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140628",
"author": "Biotronic",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T14:09:31",
"content": "A Bézier curve is a polynomial – that’s why you hear about quadratic or cubic Bézier curves. The degree of a polynomial is the highest exponent used, so a 15-degree Bézier curve would have (up to) 15 terms.",
"parent_id": "8140609",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,510.649117
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/weighing-an-airplane-as-it-flies-overhead/
|
Weighing An Airplane As It Flies Overhead
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"Arduino Hacks",
"Science"
] |
[
"airplane",
"conservation of momentum",
"scales",
"weight"
] |
Recently,
[AlphaPhoenix] weighed an airplane
. Normally, that wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment. Except in this case, the airplane happened to be in flight at the time. In fact we’re not sure what is more remarkable, as he not only weighed real actual airplanes but a paper airplane too!
The sealed box essentially acts as a pressure sensor.
To test the concept, a large scale is made from foamcore and four load cells which feed into an Arduino which in turn is connected to a laptop for a visualization. After a brief test with a toy car, [AlphaPhoenix] goes on to weigh a paper airplane as it flies over the scale. What we learn from the demonstration is that any weight from a flying object is eventually transferred to the ground via the air.
In the second part of the video a new, smaller, type of scale is created and taken to the airport where airplanes flying overhead are weighed over the course of three days. This new apparatus is basically a pressure sensor enclosed in a nominally air-tight box, essentially a fancy type of barometer. Measurements are taken, assumptions are made, and figures are arrived at. Unfortunately the calculated results are off by more than one order of magnitude, but that doesn’t stop this experiment from having been very cool!
If you’re interested in weighing things for fun or profit be sure to check out
Hackaday Prize 2022: Arduino-Powered Weighing Scale Has A Real Analog Display
or
Reverse Engineering A Bathroom Scale For Automated Weight Tracking
.
| 54
| 13
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139912",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:29:42",
"content": "Isn’t random gust of wind gonna change the air pressure more than any airplane flying by possibly could?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140399",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:34:27",
"content": "Yes",
"parent_id": "8139912",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139915",
"author": "Tom",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:48:05",
"content": "I mean, at some point there’s a line of accuracy where you can’t really say you’re “weighing” something any more. I looked at the picture in the article and said, “Yeah, about 150 tons”. I’m off by a factor of two or so, but I’ve done better than this “weighing” apparatus.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139918",
"author": "Another Tom",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T09:00:39",
"content": "Yeah, this really isn’t weighing anything. It’s just click bait.Would John mind off his payment for this article was under by an order of magnitude?",
"parent_id": "8139915",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139933",
"author": "LK",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:13:25",
"content": "The video is not about weighing. It is about showing momentum conservation when producing lift. I think this article misrepresents that a bit.",
"parent_id": "8139915",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139993",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:47:25",
"content": "Passive way of seeing if someone’s sneaking a plane across borders.",
"parent_id": "8139933",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140024",
"author": "L Hoyte",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:18:59",
"content": "Or seeing which plane is carrying large quantities of gold out of the country,",
"parent_id": "8139993",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140118",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:35:31",
"content": "The true professionals doing that would fill the unused space in the plane with helium or even hydrogen to fool the weight detectors (/s🙂)",
"parent_id": "8140024",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140176",
"author": "Skyler",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:03:38",
"content": "It’s G-ERTI, isn’t it?",
"parent_id": "8140024",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139921",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T09:34:40",
"content": "Off by more than one order of magnitude?You’d do better pointing your camera at the plane and asking an AI assistant what plane it is and what it weighs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139941",
"author": "WonkoTheSaneUK",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:30:57",
"content": "Don’t bother with an AI. NEVER bother with an AI.Point FlightRadar at the plane, it will give you info on what plane it is, then look it up on Wikipedia.",
"parent_id": "8139921",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139975",
"author": "Bruce G. Gettel Jr.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:38:49",
"content": "The name is WonkoTheSane for a reason. Listen to this sage advice re: AI, otherwise evntually risk a T-800 knocking at your door . . . . .",
"parent_id": "8139941",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140058",
"author": "Jii",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:10:19",
"content": "Hey, any T-800 is any time welcome to my place. I either get a IRL, working AI assistant, i get killed by a T-800 or in one a billion chance, i kill the T-800 and get to hang it on the wall. Any way, what’d be cooler than that?",
"parent_id": "8139975",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139928",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:05:29",
"content": "Wait, so we do have anti gravity?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139932",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:11:51",
"content": "Despite accuracy issues I’m impressed with the cleverness of this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139946",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:42:16",
"content": "I’ve seen some pretty impressive video’s from AphaPhoenix but for this one I would have given him more credit if he realized this can never work and if he did not make the video at all.",
"parent_id": "8139932",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139969",
"author": "Gabe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:27:26",
"content": "I mean it did work at the small scale and it was pretty clear that he knew he wouldn’t get the full weight of the plane at full scale. He still managed to demonstrate the concept, explain the physics, made a barometer out of a strain gauge, and made a quite entertaining video to boot! Full credit from me :)",
"parent_id": "8139946",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140402",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:39:47",
"content": "It did work in the sense that you can get individual readings off the sensor, and fiddle with the setup until it shows you the correct number of grams that you already know is going to be the answer, but then that’s just fitting the test to the theory.To actually proof (prove) it, you’d have to take differently sized, heavier and lighter, faster and slower, higher and lower, paper airplanes and show that the results generalize before you can say you’ve “weighed” the airplane based on the pressure of the downwash.",
"parent_id": "8139969",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140404",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:49:56",
"content": "For one thing, lift is about conservation of momentum – it doesn’t say where that momentum is ultimately going. With the wing tip vortices for example, the spinning mass of air has momentum that is conserved even though it’s going in a circle. In other words, you don’t absolutelyhaveto push off the ground via the air to get lift – lift should work perfectly fine even if there was no ground whatsoever – so this is where the theory is wrong,",
"parent_id": "8140402",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140078",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:10:03",
"content": "AlphaPhoenix is a physics channel. Explaining the physics is the point. This is not a video about ‘weighing an airplane’.",
"parent_id": "8139946",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140128",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:07:04",
"content": "Of course it’s not about “weighing an airplane”, which makes the title misleading (As David in TX also mentioned below). And I simply boycott video’s with misleading titles (or clickbait). So I have not seen the video, and won’t see it either. It’s so annoying when even the makers of the video’s themselves can’t be bothered to put a fitting title on it.",
"parent_id": "8140078",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139971",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:29:42",
"content": "How is it clever if it doesn’t actually work?",
"parent_id": "8139932",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139996",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:00:28",
"content": "it doesn’t successfully weigh the plane but it does successfully detect the pressure wave. i think that’s pretty cool. i think hackaday chose to highlight the fail rather than the winshrug",
"parent_id": "8139971",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140023",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:11:33",
"content": "Detected the pressure wave and made a measurement. Job accomplished. Theory is a bit off, but otherwise good starting point",
"parent_id": "8139996",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139999",
"author": "John Spencer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:07:48",
"content": "But it did work. Are you criticising detecting an effect or measuring an effect? Accurately measuring an effect is best but simply detecting the effect is a pretty good experiment.",
"parent_id": "8139971",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140405",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:56:23",
"content": "It’s overselling the concept and fitting the test to the theory, which is a bit bad as far as science is concerned.",
"parent_id": "8139999",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140083",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:33:59",
"content": "Because it’s a real science channel (not pop sci), he explained the hypothesis, did the experiments at different scales, showed the results, and proved it wasn’t simply an artifact?",
"parent_id": "8139971",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140410",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:18:06",
"content": "Of course, but then nobody questioned the fact that airplanes emit pressure waves that can be detected at ground level. The problem is in claiming that these pressure waves are a direct proxy for the mass of an airplane or the lift that it’s generating.Indeed, you don’t need to “push off the ground” to get lift by accelerating a fluid such as air. Lift works perfectly fine in an infinite column of air with no ground beneath. The momentum imparted by the wing, which is what it is actually pushing on, is conserved in the circular return motion of the air (angular momentum), so not all of the conserved momentum has to be linear momentum that reaches the ground with the pressure wave, and no pressure wave necessarily reaches the ground. The amount that does depends on the shape of the plane, the altitude, winds, air density, temperature gradients, all sorts of effects that throw multiple variable fudge factors in the attempt to “calibrate” the sensor to measure the mass of the airplane.All that means is, the “theory” works if you tune the setup to work under particular conditions, when you already know the mass of the plane in advance so you can tune the system to measure it.",
"parent_id": "8140083",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140683",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:00:41",
"content": "“Lift works perfectly fine in an infinite column of air with no ground beneath.”no it doesn’t. there’s no infinite column and all finite columns will disperse unless confined. the ground doesn’t have to carry the force in a straightforward fashion but the confinement has to eventually carry the force of all pressure waves or the material disperses, no exceptions.",
"parent_id": "8140410",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140675",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:49:25",
"content": "a real science channel (not pop sci), he explained the hypothesis, did the experiments at different scales, showed the resultsIt’s a bit backwards as far as science goes. Usually the starting point is showing that an effect exists (measurement), then forming a hypothesis that explains the effect and quantifies the expectations – including alternatives that might also explain it – then formulating a prediction based on the most likely hypothesis, then repeating the experiment to find whether the prediction works.Here we got the hypothesis first, then an experiment that shows there is an effect that fits the hypothesis under certain conditions, but here’s the catch: the effect that is measured is not necessarily the same thing or relevant to the hypothesis. This is fitting the test to the theory.When you fit the test to the theory, you overstep and ignore the alternative hypotheses and other sources of error that might cause the same effect. You’re liable to accept any result that looks like the one you’re expecting as confirmation of the hypothesis, when in reality you’re modifying the circumstances to cause the expected effect yourself.A classical example is the weighing of the electron: back in the day when people attempted the experiment, they got the mass wrong. Subsequent scientists who repeated the experiment got it right, but because their results didn’t agree with the previous ones they thought their setups were faulty and they started tweaking them until they got the same wrong results. The right thing to do would have been simply to publish the disagreeing results, but then you’d become open to criticism for being sloppy with your experiment.Or in the case of a youtube video, if your experiment doesn’t meet the expectations, you don’t really have a video to publish. Nobody wants to see you throw a bunch of paper airplanes and go “welp, I got nothing.” That’s why a youtube channel rarely features real science.",
"parent_id": "8140083",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140680",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:58:20",
"content": "i love that “The right thing to do would have been simply to publish the disagreeing results, but then you’d become open to criticism for being sloppy with your experiment.” is truly the recommended path. almost all scientific journal articles i’ve read have a section where they explain the slop. rather than waiting for the accusations, they’re straight up about it. in medical research it’s especially brazen, “n=10, self-selected walk-in clinic patients.” it’s still valuable information and they (ideally) don’t hide the weakness",
"parent_id": "8140675",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140088",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:43:05",
"content": "It reveals a different methodology which might be refined in the future, and it’s unexpected and thus might spur some inspiration in others",
"parent_id": "8139971",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140028",
"author": "David in TX",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:52:41",
"content": "Super interesting video, misleading video title.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140064",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:25:38",
"content": "What about detecting small meteor strikes in the upper air via the multi array of pressure sensors? Seems this could do both count strikes and “weigh” aircraft.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140090",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:47:08",
"content": "The failure here isn’t in the accuracy of the result. The failure here is the assumption that there is a definable relationship between the measured pressure wave and the weight of the plane. The undefinable influencing variables are many, with unsupportable assumptions necessary to come up with a result at all. An incident sensor is not a measurement … it’s like pretending “yes-or-no” translates to “how much”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140091",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:50:14",
"content": "Then again, I suppose that an argument could be made that, as a general condition, you don’t really know how undefinable the variables are until you do the experiment and find out how far off you are.",
"parent_id": "8140090",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140102",
"author": "Alphaphoenix",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:11:23",
"content": "Momentum conservation says these two things must not only have a definable relationship, but be identical. The scale was a sucky pressure sensor, but it WAS accurate at small scale with the paper airplane",
"parent_id": "8140091",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140155",
"author": "CS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:44:19",
"content": "Is the weight you actually measured a relatively constant proportion of the true weight? I’m wondering if instead of trying to extrapolate the rest of the data to get a prediction from the measurement, could you use some of these measurements to calibrate or build a model? I know that’s kind of beside the point of showing the conservation, but I wonder how accurate it would be.A generic model would have to have height as an input, but assuming all the planes pass at around the same height, it could be treated as a constant . Or you could do large scale tests with the paper airplane to build a model for how the measurement changes with height, then extrapolate that model to real scale.",
"parent_id": "8140102",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140411",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:30:11",
"content": "Momentum conservation says these two things must not only have a definable relationship, but be identical.The faulty assumption is that all momentum must be linear momentum directed towards the ground and not, say, angular momentum conserved in the vortices that form after the wing has passed, or simply dissipated into random eddies and heating the air along the way to the ground.In other words, you don’t know how much of the momentumshouldshow up in the pressure wave that you’re measuring.",
"parent_id": "8140102",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140421",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:03:39",
"content": "For more fudge factors, consider that there can be temperature gradients or even inversion layers near the ground that result in differences in air density and the speed of sound. These are effectively impedance mismatches that will cause part of the pressure wave energy to be reflected off before it reaches the sensor.A mirage is formed when there’s a layer of air 1-2 meters off the ground that is considerably hotter than above, and the density difference is enough to bend light coming in at a shallow angle. Just this is enough to throw off your measurement, so you might be better off placing the sensor on the top of a 30 ft pole, preferably well above the treeline to keep it out of the turbulent wind layer next to the ground.",
"parent_id": "8140411",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140412",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:37:54",
"content": "but it WAS accurate at small scale with the paper airplaneBecause you created special conditions for it. You may ask, is the small scale setup in any way relevant to the large scale test when you don’t have plexiglass walls a mile high around the airplane that you’re measuring? Does the behavior of air currents change when you scale up from a paper plane to a jumbo jet and change the time scale by 100x?",
"parent_id": "8140102",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140417",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:48:22",
"content": "For a point of reference, see for example the experiment of pouring down a laminar stream of water from a tall tower. There is a point where the water will just disperse into a mist from air resistance as it approaches terminal velocity. The small scale test done from some centimeters to meters would suggest that it just keeps going down in a narrow stream no matter what the height, so you might falsely assume that it’s the same for 100 meters or 1000 meters.",
"parent_id": "8140412",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140733",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:25:54",
"content": "To have a definable relationship you need to be able to define and quantify the variables, and that most certainly is not the case here. Wind, density gradients, wave reflections off terrain or nearby structures … please explain how you would quantify any of those. Even the profile of the wave coming off the underside of the plane isn’t going to be known since the lift isn’t uniform and the non-uniformity is going to create interactions. Even the turbulence from the engine thrust will have an influence on the downward wave from the lift.You clearly haven’t thought this through very well.",
"parent_id": "8140102",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140130",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:19:18",
"content": "Good !Now improve the thingy to compute what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.And eventually carrying a coconut…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140131",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:27:57",
"content": "Somewhat related to this, there are youtube video’s of whole buildings collapsing because of the downwash of an overflying chinook.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140347",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:13:04",
"content": "IMHO, ballpark figures using ordinary high school physics topic. Not magic. Basic science and proper planning/thinking, even though it is quite good ballpark.As a side note, you can weight your car without expensive equipment, cargo, passengers, and all. All you need is the timed accelerometer measurements matched with the current speed. That will give you the mass, which, as you know, multiplied by G, will give you the weight. You already have accelerometer and timer in your cell phone, and all you need is the speed readings (or you can go fancy and use the GPS or cell-towers triangulated coordinates to calculate such). Yes, you can weight your car with your cell phone. Ballpark figure, not absolute reading (rolling resistance, maybe some air resistance, too), but quite good ballpark figure, enough to use as the basis for calculating the distance that can be covered on one tank/charge of gas/battery.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140424",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:10:49",
"content": "The mass of your car dominates the drag equation at low speeds, and the aerodynamic coefficient dominates at high speeds, and the number of stops and accelerations is also unknown, so you can’t extrapolate from mass to fuel economy without knowing a bunch of other stuff which are frankly going to be more important than the weight of your car.",
"parent_id": "8140347",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140729",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T20:55:39",
"content": "Yep, tho, number of stops and accelerations, too, can be extrapolated/triangulated from GPS or cell tower signals.IMHO, fuel economy is almost always ballparked; if I am to design something properly, for ICE engine it should factor in things like ambient temperature/pressure/humidity (important), engine temperature, cold, hot, etc; readings from both oxygen sensors (engine and exhaust), fuel grade (this one is a doozie, just HOW one averages the fuel tanks’ contents’ octane number?), CCs, etc etc.Not impossible, just reasonably sophisticated to be just outsourced to some kind of Arduino reading sensors, more like “start with the Carnot Cycle and work backwards to the actual/particular engine”.",
"parent_id": "8140424",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140730",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:01:59",
"content": "Ah, the mass of your car has zero bearing if it is at rest OR moving with constant speed. Mass only shows up as a thing once the speed changes, which is how it can be measured.Aerodynamic coefficient is usually measured by the certifying agency, so can be looked up in the public documentation. I don’t know what speeds they measure that at, but I would wager “highway speeds”, which is good enough basis to start with/from.",
"parent_id": "8140424",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140438",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:32:51",
"content": "It may be instructive to actually try doing this calculation to see what extra information you need, and which you have not provided here. Hint: F=Ma.",
"parent_id": "8140347",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141247",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T16:53:19",
"content": "Hidden humor is appreciated :-] Hint: mechanical engineer major changing mid-way to electronics engineer major background. This was the era when textbooks were still being re-written to add the quantum level phenomena, advanced field theory equations and all. Literally, we used both, old and new textbooks, as they were being edited.I was plotting the BALLPARK framework, not exact/absolute measurement. For that ordinary LIDAR may even be good enough, but if I am to launch into proper assessment, I’ve outlined what I’d be using, OBDII readings, additional sensors, etc. Actually now that I think of it, cell phone may not be the best location reference, as it is full of unknowns, shaking, etc. It is good enough for average Sam’s walking needs, but that’s about it.",
"parent_id": "8140438",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140435",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:24:39",
"content": "It’s interesting to compare the “weight” pressure you might expect, to the actual acoustic radiation pressure you get from a low-flying airplane passing overhead.With the help of some spherical cows, I get about 10 watts of acoustic power hitting that 0.1 square-meter force sensor sensor. The radiation force is simply the power divided by the speed of sound, 10 W divided by 330 m/s = 30 mN. (yes, the units work out: a Watt is just a Joule/second is a Newton-meter per second. Thanks, SI units!).So, depending on whether you believe the speed-of-sound momentum transfer mechanism explains all the lift or not, the acoustic radiation pressure from a jet is quite a bit less force, but still substantial.(For the unfamiliar: Yes, acoustic radiation pressure is a real thing, just like light photon pressure. It’s a gold standard method of measuring power output from acoustic transducers. It’s also a million times easier to measure than light radiation pressure, for obvious reasons.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8148852",
"author": "Farmer Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-07-13T12:32:19",
"content": "I take videos of cows walking and upload the videos to AI and ask the AI to calculate the weights of the cows based on their differing gaits and hip accelerations and speeds and it works out pretty close usually to the ounce or so.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8148892",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-07-13T13:24:42",
"content": "Neat application.But anounce or so? Incredible.That’s about the mass of one large cow fart, and about what they lose just standing around and not eating for ten minutes.Literally incredible.",
"parent_id": "8148852",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,511.023621
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/capturing-screenshots-using-a-fake-printer/
|
Capturing Screenshots Using A Fake Printer
|
Jenny List
|
[
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"gpib",
"oscilloscope",
"screenshot",
"test equipment"
] |
If you have very old pieces of analogue test equipment with CRTs on your bench, the chances are they will all have surprisingly similar surrounds to their screens. Back when they were made it was common to record oscilloscope screens with a Polaroid camera, that would have a front fitting for just this purpose.
More recent instruments are computerized so taking a screen shot should be easier, but that’s still not easy if the machine can’t save to a handy disk.
Along comes [Tom] with a solution
, to hook up a fake printer, and grab the screen from a print.
Old instruments come with a variety of ports, serial, IEE-488, or parallel, but they should usually have the ability to print a screen. Then capturing that is a case of capturing an interpreting the print data, be it ESC/P, PCL5, Postscript, or whatever. The linked page takes us through a variety of techniques, and should be of help to anyone who’s picked up a bargain in the flea market.
This isn’t the only time we’ve touched on the subject of bringing older computerized equipment into the present, we’ve also shown you
a disk drive emulator
.
Thanks [JohnU] for the tip.
| 16
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139893",
"author": "Thijzer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T06:58:55",
"content": "Wasn’t the GPIB port meant for taking the sampling data out and re-visualize it on a computer? I mean, it’s not a screenshot per se but you can also zoom in and out and display some more information than the CRT.At least, that’s how I did it for my internship in 2001…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139903",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:51:57",
"content": "Looks closer at the first two letters of the GPIB acronym.",
"parent_id": "8139893",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139945",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:41:55",
"content": "GPIB is great for control, automated test and collecting data from older instruments but is way overkill if all you need is a screenshot for a document, blogpost etc. so this is a pretty cool solution (though I have a feeling I’ve seen it or something very similar elsewhere, maybe even on HaD)",
"parent_id": "8139893",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140039",
"author": "Tom Verbeure",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:18:42",
"content": "This blog post is not one specifically about Fake Printer, but a more generic one about different ways in which I capture and convert test equipment screenshots.However, in many of the methods I use Fake Printer, which is one of my earlier projects and blog posts, and one that has been featured on Hackaday as well.",
"parent_id": "8139945",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140043",
"author": "Tom Verbeure",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:26:12",
"content": "If you’re interested in the pure data for visualization or post processing, GPIB is the way to go. But for my blog posts, I usually want screenshots: they look way cooler. :-)Also, there is absolutely no standard to transfer GPIB data: for each instrument, I would need to Google or write a script. The screenshots generated by old and new test equipment are all transmitted by some know standard format. Some those, like HPCL and PostScript, are quite a pain to convert to bitmaps, but one reason why I wrote this blog post is as a notebook to myself to remember the recipes of doing so.",
"parent_id": "8139893",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139906",
"author": "Pocky",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:00:04",
"content": "The article mentions limited linux support, difficulty configuring, and difficult to find/expensive hardware as reasons op did not go this route.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139965",
"author": "paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:10:45",
"content": "To me it looks very much like the motivation was created in reverse. There are quite a lot of DIY options for GPIB / IEEE-488 from various sources There are some on Hackaday and EEVblog, some also have sourcecode on publicly available GIT repository sites. It looks like OP already made a simpler printer adapter, and he also has a few “official” GPIB interfaces, so he never had a reason to dive deep into the DIY market. But on the other end, I won’t be surprised if some of the DIY projects are better maintained and work more reliably with an equipment mix from different manufacturers ten the “official GPIB interfaces, from one of the well known brands”. I assume the latter are only interested in support for their own brand of equipment.But overall, making screenshots of scope screens is often 90% of what people want to connect to their oscilloscope for, and this seems quite a nice solution for this.",
"parent_id": "8139906",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140148",
"author": "paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:10:18",
"content": "Long thread, maybe worth reading if you really want to DIY one yourself:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/ar488-arduino-based-gpib-adapter/",
"parent_id": "8139965",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139913",
"author": "JSL",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:45:59",
"content": "Similar in function and purpose to the fake plotter referenced here:http://www.ke5fx.com/gpib/readme.htm",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139916",
"author": "jon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:49:59",
"content": "I totally found one of them old polaroid cameras in a cupboard at work a few years ago.There’s also the draw with the usb floppy drive (in iMac translucent plastic) and disks for some slightly less ancient machines from 90s to early 2000s and small usb drives for test equipment from the 2000s.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139984",
"author": "Tim Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:18:19",
"content": "Funny to see symptoms like this:I’m able to talk to the device and send commands like “*IDN?” and get a reply just fine,but the GPIB script that works fine with the TDS 540 always times out eventually.I’d had similar problems with my GPIB adapter (another one of many hand-made designs:https://github.com/T3sl4co1l/GPIBSerial) — mind, at best vaguely so, given they don’t go into detail here, or try to debug their issue — but, based on hand-prodding my adapter via PuTTY, I seemed to need an extra+readonce in a while. Maybe this is itself a sign of underlying link bugs, I don’t know, but it always seemed to work, hacking it along in this way. Along with some setup and detection adjustments, and holdoff delays, I automated reading screenshots from my TDS460 into this little app:https://github.com/T3sl4co1l/tekcap(Yes, written in C; how cursed…) Which, in addition to nudging along a stalled download, also happens to treat the end of a download as a stall, amusingly “shaking the last drops off” when it’s done…Still haven’t gotten around to making an analogous app for the spectrum analyzer, or for waveform download (I just copy-paste it out of PuTTY when I need to…), or config/setup or other automation; hasn’t been enough need for that. Nice to have the tools handy for if/when I do need it though (i.e., cables, adapter, toolchains; and, KE5FX tools are indeed excellent for the spec’s HPGL output).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140042",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:19:54",
"content": "Sometimes (with the National Instruments and Prologix adapters at least) you can use a +command to set/increase the transfer timeout to handle the 100x as long transfer times for screenshots without crashing/stalling. That might do something similar to your +read. I wrote a python script to do this with my prologix and it was a lot of adapter setup beforehand before I could get the HPGL out in one uninterrupted/complete file.",
"parent_id": "8139984",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140173",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T00:45:19",
"content": "cough 2023 coughhttps://hackaday.com/2023/02/03/building-a-fake-printer-to-grab-screenshots-off-the-parallel-port/<- same project",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140322",
"author": "DaveP",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:19:49",
"content": "There is also this project that emulated an HPGL plotter with options to save the screenshot in various formats:https://github.com/VK2BEA/HPGL-Plotter",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140329",
"author": "Benjamin Goldberg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:00:23",
"content": "Surely you can open postscript file with Adobe or Ghostscript?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140505",
"author": "Eugene",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:19:24",
"content": "I had an old tektronix 2211 with a rs232 port intended for printing. It used HPGL format. I ran it into my pc and foundhttps://www.gnu.org/software/hp2xx/so I could capture the output and convert it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,510.844853
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/space-based-datacenters-take-the-cloud-into-orbit/
|
Space-Based Datacenters Take The Cloud Into Orbit
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Artificial Intelligence",
"News",
"Space"
] |
[] |
Where’s the best place for a datacenter? It’s an increasing problem as the AI buildup continues seemingly without pause. It’s not just a problem of NIMBYism; earthly power grids are having trouble coping, to say nothing of the demand for cooling water. Regulators and environmental groups alike are raising alarms about the impact that powering and cooling these massive AI datacenters will have on our planet.
While Sam Altman fantasizes about fusion power, one obvious response to those who say “think about the planet!” is to ask, “Well, what if we don’t put them on the planet?” Just as
Gerard O’Neill asked over 50 years ago
when our technology was merely industrial, the question remains:
“Is the surface of a planet really the right place for expanding technological civilization?”
O’Neill’s answer was a resounding “No.” The answer has not changed, even though our technology has. Generative AI is the latest and greatest technology on offer, but it turns out it may be the first one to make the productive jump to Earth Orbit. Indeed, it already has, but more on that later, because you’re probably scoffing at such a pie-in-the-sky idea.
There are three things needed for a datacenter: power, cooling, and connectivity. The people at companies like Starcloud, Inc, formally Lumen Orbit,
make a good, solid case
that all of these can be more easily met in orbit– one that includes hard numbers.
Sure, there’s also more radiation on orbit than here on earth, but our electronics turn out to be a lot more resilient than was once thought, as all the cell-phone cubesats have proven. Starcloud budgets only 1 kg of sheilding per kW of compute power in
their whitepaper, as an example.
If we can provide power, cooling, and connectivity, the radiation environment won’t be a showstopper.
Power
There’s a great big honkin’ fusion reactor already available for anyone to use to power their GPUs: the sun. Of course on Earth we have tricky things like weather, and the planet has an annoying habit of occluding the sun for half the day but there are no clouds in LEO. Depending on your choice of orbit, you do have that annoying 45 minutes of darkness– but a battery to run things for 45 minutes is not a big UPS, by professional standards. Besides, the sun-synchronous orbits are
right there
, just waiting for us to soak up that delicious, non-stop solar power.
Sun Synchronous Orbit, because nights are for squats. Image by Brandir via Wikimedia.
Sun-synchronous orbits (SSOs) are polar orbits that precess around the Earth once every sidereal year, so that they always maintain the same angle to the sun. For example, you might have an SSO that crosses the equator 12 times a day, each time at local 15:00, or 10:43, any other time set by the orbital parameters. With SSOs, you don’t have to worry about ever losing solar power to some silly, primitive, planet-bound concept like
nighttime
.
Without the atmosphere in the way, solar panels are also considerably more effective per unit area, something the Space Solar Power people have been pointing out since O’Neill’s day. The problem with Space Solar Power has always been the efficiencies and regulatory hurdles of beaming the power back to Earth– but if you use the power to train an AI model, and send the data down, that’s no longer an issue. Given that the 120 kW array on ISS has been trouble-free for decades now, we can consider it a solved problem. Sure, solar panels degrade, but the rate is in fractions of a percent per year, and it happens on Earth too. By the time solar panel replacement is likely to be the rest of the hardware is likely to be totally obsolete.
Cooling
This is where skepticism creeps in. After all, cooling is the greatest challenge with high performance computing hardware here on earth, and heat rejection is the great constraint of space operations. The “icy blackness of space” you see in popular culture is as realistic as warp drive; space is a thermos, and shedding heat is no trivial issue. It is also, from an engineering perspective, not a
complex
issue. We’ve been cooling spacecraft and satellites using radiators to shed heat via infrared emission for decades now. It’s pretty easy to calculate that if you have
X
watts of heat to reject at
Y
degrees, you will need a radiator of area
Z.
The Stephan-Boltzmann Law isn’t exactly rocket science.
Photons go out, liquid cools down. It might be rocket science, but it’s a fairly mature technology. (Image: EEATCS radiator deployment during ISS Flight 5A, NASA)
Even better, unlike on Earth where you have changeable things like seasons and heat waves, in a SSO you need only account for throttling– and if your data center is profitable, you won’t be doing much of that. So while you need a cooling system, it won’t be difficult to design. Liquid or two-phase cooling on server hardware? Not new. Plumbing cooling a loop to a radiator in the vacuum of space? That’s been part of satellite busses for years.
Aside from providing you with a stable thermal environment, the other advantage of an SSO is that if one chooses the dawn/dusk orbit along the terminator, while the solar panels always face the sun, the radiators can always face black space, letting them work to their optimal potential. This would also simplify the satellite bus, as no motion system would be required to keep the solar panels and radiators aligned into/out of the sun. Conceivably the whole thing could be stabilized by gravity gradient, minimizing the need to use reaction wheels.
Connectivity
One word: Starlink. That’s not to say that future data centers will necessarily be hooking into the Starlink network, but high-bandwidth operations on orbit are already proven, as long as you consider 100 gigabytes per second sufficient bandwidth. An advantage not often thought of for this sort of space-based communications is that the speed of light in a vacuum is about 31% faster than glass fibers, while the circumference of a low Earth orbit is much less than 31% greater than the circumference of the planet. That reduces ping times between elements of free-flying clusters or clusters and whatever communications satellite is overhead of the user. It is conceivable, but by no means a sure thing, that a user in the EU might have faster access to orbital data than they would to a data center in the US.
The Race
This hypothetical European might want to use European-owned servers. Well, the European Commission is on it; in the ASCEND study (
Advanced Space Cloud for European Net zero Emission and Data sovereignty
) you can tell from the title they put as much emphasis on keeping European data European as they do on the environmental aspects mentioned in the introduction. ASCEND imagines a 32-tonne, 800 kW data center lofted by a single super-heavy booster (sadly not Ariane 6), and proposes it could be ready by the 2030s. There’s no hint in this proposal that the ASCEND Consortium or the EC would be willing to stop at
one
, either. European efforts have already put AI in orbit, with missions like
PhiSat2 using on-board AI image processing for Earth observation
.
You know Italians were involved because it’s so stylish. No other proposal has that honeycomb aesthetic for their busy AI bees. Image ASCEND.
AWS Snowcone after ISS delivery. The future is here and it’s wrapped in Kapton. (Image NASA)
The Americans, of course, are leaving things to private enterprise. Axiom Space has leveraged their existing relationship with
NASA to put hardware on ISS
for testing purposes, staring with an
AWS snowcone in 2022
, which they claimed was the first flight-test of cloud computing. Axiom has also purchased space on the
Kepler Relay Network satellites set to launch late 2025.
Aside from the 2.5 Gb/s optical link from Kepler, exactly how much compute power is going into these is not clear. A
standalone data center is expected to follow in 2027
, but again, what hardware will be flying is not stated.
There are other American companies chasing venture capital for this purpose, like Google-founder-backed Relativity Space or the wonderfully-named Starcloud mentioned above. Starcloud’s whitepaper is incredibly ambitious, talking about building an up to 5 GW cluster whose double-sided solar/radiator array would be by far the largest object ever built in orbit at 4 km by 4 km. (Only a few orders of magnitude bigger than ISS. Not big deal.) At least it is a modular plan, that could be built up over time, and they are planning to start with a
smaller standalone proof-of-concept, Starcloud-2, in 2026.
You can’t accuse Starcloud of thinking small. (Image Starcloud via Youtube.)
A closeup of one of the twelve “Stars” in the Three Body Computing Constellation. This times 2,800. Image ADA Space.
Once they get up there, the American and European AIs are are going to find someone else has already claimed the high ground, and that that someone else speaks Chinese. A startup called
ADA Space launched 12 satellites in May 2025
to begin building out the world’s first orbital supercomputer, called the Three Body Computing Constellation. (You can’t help but love the poetry of Chinese naming conventions.)
Unlike the American startups, they aren’t shy about its capabilities: 100 Gb/s optical datalinks, with the most powerful satellite in the constellation capable of 744 trillion operations per second. (TOPS,
not
FLOPS. FLOPS specifically refers to
floating point
operations, whereas TOPS could be any operation but usually refers to operations on 8-bit integers.)
For comparison, Microsoft requires an “AI PC” like the copilot laptops to have 40 TOPS of AI-crunching capacity. The 12 satellites must not be identical, as the constellation together has a quoted capability of 5 POPS (peta-operations per second), and a storage capacity of 30 TB. That’s seems pretty reasonable for a proof-of-concept. You don’t get a sense of the ambition behind it until you hear that these 12 are just the first wave of a planned
2,800 satellites.
Now that’s what I’d call a supercluster!
A man can dream, can’t he? Image NASA.
High-performance computing in space? It’s no AI hallucination, it’s already here. There is a network forming in the sky. A sky-net, if you will, and I for one welcome our future AI overlords. They already have the high ground, so there’s no point fighting now. Hopefully this datacenter build-out will just be the first step on the road Gerry O’Neill and his students envisioned all those years ago: a road that ends with Earth’s surface as parkland, and civilization growing onwards and upwards.
Ad astra per AI
? There are worse futures.
| 41
| 21
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140357",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:06:48",
"content": "NOT profitable, AI chips go obsolete in months.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140380",
"author": "lwheelerc5e3f6416e",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:53:14",
"content": "As do the Starlink satellites. Why do you think they launch them so often? to replace the aging obsolete ones with new ones. The same would happen for these “datacenters in the sky”",
"parent_id": "8140357",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140482",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:51:02",
"content": "And fill the upper atmosphere with aluminum vapor and god knows what else.How about putting them in the ground instead.",
"parent_id": "8140380",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141088",
"author": "Jeff Wright",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T06:16:39",
"content": "I want physical media on the Moon as well—a LONG NOW orbital antenna farm far out, so Hypatia 2 doesn’t get skinned by an ASAT",
"parent_id": "8140482",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140360",
"author": "Mr T",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:19:25",
"content": "I think the title should have been something like “A New Cloud in the Sky”.The real issue here is probably that such servers may be more susceptible to solar events … and it is probably somewhat difficult to replace a component or blade in a failing server although I would volunteer to do it, provided I had the right equipment to open the “can” and do the work needed — plus a free ride to and from the installation. 😁",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140366",
"author": "The HR rep",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:33:29",
"content": "Sorry MrT, the maintenance position is a contract job so you have to get yourself to the site but just keep track of your mileage and you can claim it at tax time",
"parent_id": "8140360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140371",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:00:29",
"content": "That’s a good title!Yes, solar events are a potential issue– but we’ve gotten better at hardening satellite busses to flare events over the years. As far as I know, not a single bird has been lost in a geomagnetic storm this solar maximum in orbit, but I could very well be wrong.(As opposed to that bunch of starlinks that were lost right after launch.)",
"parent_id": "8140360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140426",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:15:13",
"content": "When you fill up the orbit with satellites, a random meteor shower is going to play havoc with your setup.",
"parent_id": "8140360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140447",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:52:38",
"content": "No, the real issue is exactly the same as it is for every project we currently do.Maintenance.There just happen to be dozens and dozens of other functionally impossible problems too.",
"parent_id": "8140360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140377",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:38:08",
"content": "Putting it in space seems like a terrible idea, at least if the functionality is really important rather than just convenience boosting – in this ever more cluttered orbital mess and increasingly geopolitically unstable world full of hybrid warfare a satellite is rather vulnerable. For something like starlink with that huge cluster and the relatively short expected lifespan anyway it isn’t such a big deal if anything happens to a few satalites the service will be fine or at least rapidly repairable and the failed units are for space hardware dirt cheap, but a datacentre in space…The only thing I really like about this plan is they won’t rip out the hardware and throw in 1000w GPU and 500+W CPU into every unit with even more energy intensive cooling to keep up the way many places on the ground do now hardware tends to get more powerful mostly by throwing more power at it. Shame you can’t benefit from more efficient hardware upgrade paths as directly but the fixed power budget and near impossibly to access the hardware for upgrades should lead to a very predictable self contained lump that nobody else needs to plan around.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140379",
"author": "aki009",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:46:33",
"content": "To be blunt, space is the last place you’d want to put a data center in. The environment is just too harsh for our current technology. Sure, the stuff might seem to work for a while, but bit errors will start creeping in and cascade, chips will die in unexpected ways, and eventually one is dealing with just a chunk of useless hardware with poisoned bits, and who knows what in storage. And if one mitigates these issues using space hardened systems, the inefficiency of it eliminates whatever benefit might have been gained.Not to mention the beancounter’s concerns, such as a large investment in hardware that might be obsolete before fully amortized, given the steady advances in computing power down on earth.That said, it’d be cool if they can make it work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140383",
"author": "Antti",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:56:21",
"content": "What could possibly go wrong ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140480",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:48:01",
"content": "Thermal management for a start",
"parent_id": "8140383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140725",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T19:38:33",
"content": "Aliens could steal our tech.",
"parent_id": "8140383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141079",
"author": "Z00111111",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T05:39:07",
"content": "How could putting AI in the sky, networked together into a sort of sky-net, where we can’t turn it off be a problem?I’m pretty sure tech bros know what they’re doing. When is the last time any of them did anything that wasn’t purely for the benefit of mankind?",
"parent_id": "8140383",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140393",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:08:54",
"content": "100gbps doesn’t sound fast for a data centre.100Mbps sounded fast for users 10 years ago. Not now. If this is launching in the 2030s, it’ll be obsolete before it’s launched.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140427",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:16:23",
"content": "We were installing multi-terabit links here in Tokyo before corona (a bunch of 100Gbit aggregated links) for backhaul. Now we fill multiple racks with 64 port switches with all their ports full of 100G optics in our fabric systems.Nowdays 100Gbit is a standard everyday speed, we don’t even bother to make customer connections slower than that anymore as the hardware is so cheap now.Only the slow servers still run at 10Mbit but they get sent off for scrap as we decomission them.",
"parent_id": "8140393",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140394",
"author": "Nemo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:10:11",
"content": "Well go the other way….down vs up…..submerge it in the oceans… free cooling, no rad hardening needed",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140395",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:11:14",
"content": "I read a whitepaper like a decade and a half ago outlining combining a datacenter with an LNG terminal. LNG requires heat to fully gasify, which can easily be provided by the heat from the datacenter. Additionally, due to the amount of expansion, the paper also postulated that in addition to the savings in cooling costs, that the expansion could return something like 20% of the datacenter’s energy consumption. I’ve personally thought that combining one with a desalinization plant might work as well – use the heat from the datacenter to drive evaporation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140413",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:40:58",
"content": "Power, cooling? Sounds like a job for a Hydro dam.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140469",
"author": "Schobi",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:20:36",
"content": "Totally agree.You can have 10 – 25kW for a regular rack, with over to 40kW for a GPU rack. In space, this requires huge solar panels. ISS does 84 to 120kW, but is huge, much more than 3 racks. I don’t think you would get enough power and cooling.Data center near Hydro plant seems good, you could use the water for cooling directly. Doesn’t even need a pump any more.",
"parent_id": "8140413",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140485",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:54:41",
"content": "You could probably use the thermal mass of the dam itself for cooling.",
"parent_id": "8140469",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140428",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:18:36",
"content": "Of course the environmental impact of launching thousands and thousands of rockets on the ozone layer etc. are totally ignored.https://earthsky.org/space/ozone-layer-damage-increased-launches/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140478",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:45:41",
"content": "This is how 99% of green industry works. It is all just a bunch of industrialists wanting to sell absolute garbage at a much higher profit margin by saying it will fix the environment. And then they throw smoke bombs and chaff if you point out “No, you’re not doing what you’re saying, you’re just doing the exact same thing and using the opposite rhetoric…” Then they conflate you with climate denialists, as if the only options are “You aren’t actually helping, you’re part of the problem” and “The problem doesn’t exist at all.”Very nasty people. I work in the industry btw. It is full to the ceiling with snakes and con-men.",
"parent_id": "8140428",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140430",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:37:20",
"content": "Wouldn’t that beGerard O’Neill? (got both first and last names wrong. did it go undetected because the parity error cancel out?)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140451",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:59:32",
"content": "Something like that. Fixed.",
"parent_id": "8140430",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140432",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:42:02",
"content": "Is orbit out of reach of national regulatory issues and surveillance by three letter organizations?Could it be a good location for data havens who want to be out of reach of certain nations’ rules?The suchly-styled HavenCo in the self-declared sovereign entity of Sealand went defunct in 2008. Maybe the orbit-based reborn version should be called HeavenCo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140656",
"author": "Benjamin Henrion",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:57:46",
"content": "Sealand and the new EU patent court (which will rubberstamp software patents):https://ffii.org/eu-patent-court-will-be-located-in-sealand-ministers-say/",
"parent_id": "8140432",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140442",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T19:45:45",
"content": "People who think putting a data center in space is a good idea don’t understand much about datacenters OR space…It is basically the worst possible location for a data center that humanity can reliably get to.“Basically” might not even be a strong enough word.Are there actually any worse places that we can put things at scale?I feel like the inside of an active volcano might be worse? But it might not be.I guess putting one on Luna would be worse too? I dunno.It would be a step better for maintenance availability but steps worse for communication delay. And then there is the problem of Lunar dust destroying everything. And you still have almost all the same problems of being in space.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140474",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:31:39",
"content": "2800 satellite supercluster computer. Equipped with lasers. Skynet indeed.How is that ground-based laser-powered deorbiting system coming along now? We don’t want to have to start throwing rocks at them when they go rogue.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140479",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:47:39",
"content": "People should try working on an open-source anti-satellite tool and see how quick that gets a knock on the door",
"parent_id": "8140474",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140484",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T21:52:32",
"content": "Sounds like a rocket company owner trying to gin up more business by floating stupid ideas.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140507",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:41:24",
"content": "This, there’s no way Puti putting it in space is cheaper, and if you care about the environment instead of doing this greenwashing crap as another comment says put a big ass solar fiels by your data center and use a closed loop cooling system. (This disregards the environmental impact of mining the materials needed for the batteries for this.) Actually, why don’t data centers use closed loop cooling? News articles make it sound like they just pour water down the drain. Does anyone know?",
"parent_id": "8140484",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140652",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:43:08",
"content": "the news articles are stupid is why. Estimates for “water usage” have about the same basis as the estimate for plastic in the ocean.",
"parent_id": "8140507",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140736",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T21:41:35",
"content": "Like the company (Astrocast) that raised a bunch of money to put up a cluster of satellites that would provide a space-based network for IoT communications. It was a laughable idea from the start, but they did manage to put a dozen or so satellites in orbit that are now turned off (they don;t even put out a beacon) because the company soon went bankrupt. The most annual revenue they ever generated was something like $350 thousand (not million) dollars.Somebody somewhere probably made money on it at some point in time, though … buzzwords fleece the ignorant.",
"parent_id": "8140484",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140489",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T22:49:55",
"content": "The panels on the ISS are massive, and give you 120kW.A quick Google tells me a single medium size data center needs 500kw-2MW.This idea seems about as valid as the “circular runway” that made the rounds a few years back.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140561",
"author": "ethzero",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T09:05:52",
"content": "🤦",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140619",
"author": "xwxd",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T13:40:13",
"content": "Problems1. SAtlantic anomalyhttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4840/https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/nasa-is-tracking-a-massive-anomaly-in-earths-magnetic-field-and-its-getting-worse/https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2025/05/28/the-south-atlantic-anomaly-earths-magnetic-enigma-unveiled/2. fuel. We constantly need something to discard in order to move and correct the position.3. RF capacity. It is already more cost-effective (China is so circumventing US sanctions on AI science) to transport physical disks than to transmit this over slow radio.https://www.wsj.com/tech/china-ai-chip-curb-suitcases-7c47dab1",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140650",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T15:34:16",
"content": "“Sure, there’s also more radiation on orbit than here on earth, but our electronics turn out to be a lot more resilient than was once thought…”NASA frequently complains about the hardware shielding and software redundancy needed to keep things functioning, as well as the unwillingness of the electronics industry to provide them with better radiation hardened electronics (otherwise, they quite rightly point out, they wouldn’t still be funding research into nanoscale vacuum-channel transistors). This is less of a problem in orbit around the Earth, as opposed to out in interplanetary space or further, but still a problem that gets worse the more complex your digital computing and the smaller your average semiconductor components get.Ideally, we’d switch to some material that is inherently radiation resistant, such as gallium arsenide (like everyone thought we would 30 years ago) but between industry inertia and the already worsened tunneling effects in the current size regime, we likely won’t.Veritasium had some good coverage of this when he was predicting a renaissance of analog computing, even citing how cosmic rays cause logic and memory errors in electronics on the ground before touching on the problems in space.And while StarLink has been having some minor problems with shielding, their main issue the last three years has been space weather causing changes in drag and pulling satellites out of orbit (space being a true vacuum and the atmosphere staying a consistent height are two other myths about space).Both effects (radiation and high atmosphere/space weather) are set to get worse as Earth’s magnetic field follows its general downward trend in field strength.All said, I’ll be interested to see how the satellites hold up.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140720",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T19:14:13",
"content": "Where’s the best place for a datacenter?The landfill.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141424",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T08:41:59",
"content": "Not for one thing or another but with all the starlink and similar sats and the offshoot of the massive amounts of low orbit spy sats and the increasing presence of rockets to more and more countries I am actually fully expecting that in a not too distant future people will start shooting satellites out of the sky.I mean is it officially an act of war if you shoot down a commercial satellite that is used in wars against you in the first place? I bet that the US would do it and label it as ‘national security’ (which they think excuses anything these days).I see it as something that will happen at some point.So if your are in the media you can start writing your tiresome BS pieces on the subject now, and press publish when it happens.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.165122
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/flopped-humane-ai-pin-gets-an-experimental-sdk/
|
Flopped Humane “AI Pin” Gets An Experimental SDK
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Artificial Intelligence",
"Reverse Engineering",
"Wearable Hacks"
] |
[
"ai",
"Assistant",
"humane",
"reverse engineering"
] |
The Humane AI Pin was ambitious, expensive, and failed to captivate people between its launch and shutdown shortly after. While the units do contain some interesting elements like the embedded projector, it’s all locked down tight, and the cloud services that tie it all together no longer exist. The devices technically still work, they just can’t do much of anything.
The Humane AI Pin had some bold ideas, like an embedded projector. (Image credit: Humane)
Since then, developers like [Adam Gastineau] have been hard at work turning the device into an experimental development platform:
PenumbraOS
, which provides a means to allow “untrusted” applications to perform privileged operations.
As
announced earlier this month
on social media, the experimental SDK lets developers treat the pin as a mostly normal Android device, with the addition of a modular, user-facing assistant app called MABL. [Adam] stresses that this is all highly experimental and has a way to go before it is useful in a user-facing sort of way, but there is absolutely a workable architecture.
When the Humane AI Pin launched,
it aimed to compete with smartphones
but failed to impress much of anyone. As a result, things folded in record time. Humane’s founders took jobs at HP and buyers were
left with expensive paperweights
due to the highly restrictive design.
Thankfully, a load of reverse engineering has laid the path to getting some new life out of these ambitious devices. The project could sure use help from anyone willing to pitch in, so if that’s up your alley be sure to join the project; you’ll be in good company.
| 11
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140333",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:15:47",
"content": "I’d for sure have a sour taste in my mouth if I’d wasted $700 on an almost immediately defunct brick, but [Adam] said he’s put ~400 hours into this project…I certainly appreciate the hack and the project from a technical point of view, but it seems so pointless. There’s never going to be another of these pins made, best guess there have only ever been a few thousand of them in the world, and most of them are not going to see this project, their owners are already onto the next big thing.If this were targeting a product that’s available but restricted I’d be enthusiastic about joining, but this… I’ve never even seen a Humane AI pin in person, and I’m only ever likely to see one in a museum.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140339",
"author": "agg23",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:39:40",
"content": "While I believe you are correct that it’s generally not worth it to work on a project like this, I didn’t even own an Ai Pin until Humane announced it was shutting down. I like picking a platform and diving deep into it (in the past this has been the Analogue Pocket and Apple Vision Pro), though those platforms have been orders of magnitude more popular than the Ai Pin (which has <1000 units in the wild with our estimations).Ultimately, I think the hardware is really neat and polished and I’ve wanted something like this since I was a young teen, so when I had the ability to finally build on a similar platform, I jumped on it.",
"parent_id": "8140333",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140340",
"author": "agg23",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:53:24",
"content": "While I would say you’re generally correct, I actually never owned an Ai Pin until Humane announced they were shutting down. I like picking a hardware platform and diving deep on it (previously Analogue Pocket and Apple Vision Pro), though those platforms have orders of magnitude more units out there (we estimate there are <1,000 Ai Pins out in the wild left).Ultimately this hardware formfactor is something I’ve desired since a young teen, and it has a level of industrial design polish that few devices of this scale have. It was definitely something I wanted to try to mess around with (though obviously spending tens of thousands of dollars of my theoretically “billable” time was not intended. I’m quite aware of how my work is disappearing into the void due to so few possible users, but I mostly don’t care.",
"parent_id": "8140333",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140356",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:01:15",
"content": "I too have long desired something broadly with the capabilities and form factor of the Humane pin, for a few years I was really hoping that Pranav Mistry would actually do something with SixthSense. Though I never purchased a Humane pin because I just won’t buy something that’s entirely reliant on cloud magic.I definitely appreciate the curiosity and the desire to own the thing, I really do. I’ve purchased defunct things for curiosity and reverse engineering too. I just don’t like to see someone waste so much really good effort. I guess my complaint is sadness because you’ve open sourced your work on the Humane pin (which is good, don’t get me wrong there), but in the same time you could have designed an open source pin and REALLY had something for the future.",
"parent_id": "8140340",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140462",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:40:41",
"content": "Sometimes it takes a techbro blowing a shitload of VC money to get something brought into the world.",
"parent_id": "8140356",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140387",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:58:20",
"content": "400 hours? That seems like more than humane put into it…",
"parent_id": "8140333",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140352",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:46:42",
"content": "Just think with a “pin” this size, everyone would know who their senators were. ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140419",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:00:11",
"content": "Oh! I saw one of these in the wild here in Japan a while back.A friend of an aquaintance was visiting and had one.It seemed to kind of work most of the time, but we were all mostly just ‘meh’ at it. It basically seemed to be a timelapse camera a-la Google Glass crossed with Microsoft Recall but without the glasses and with a crappy monochrome UI that required gestures that sometimes worked.It seemed like a solution looking for a reason to exist, except for what little it did do, a smartwatch does much more way betterer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140431",
"author": "W",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T18:39:43",
"content": "Even if Humane was a mess, I appreciate that there was an attempt.I find this weird modular lower power format of “personal computing” so much more interesting than smartphones, and it seems like LLMs provide an interface that could make them viable.I was so sad when the Pebble Core was canceled.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140461",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:39:39",
"content": "They’re a pretty neat bit of hardware, dumb cloud service aside. Camera, computer, battery, projector, almost like what jobs stupidly thought the first iphones would be like before he realized touchscreens were more practical.I wouldn’t mind playing around with one of these things. Could probably do some neat stuff with them without all the AI or cloud bullshit. Would be nice if there was a pmOS port to them though. Maybe someone can do a teardown and port it when these things start showing up in dumpsters by the hundred.I guess this is the hardware hacking circle of life. Some silicon valley techbro has a dumb idea and blows a ton of VC money making a million stupid widgets connected to a cloud service, that service collapses, and people repurpose the free ewaste after.Except, this one seems to have worked out like google glass, where the hardware was sold for $really_expensive rather than trying to go $razorblade_model, so it might hard to come by as people who bought the things try to “recoup” their “investment.” :/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141244",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T16:18:24",
"content": "Very tempting to look into and help but i can’t even find those things for sell second hand anywhere.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.221154
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/19/iron-nitride-permanent-magnets-made-with-diy-ball-mill/
|
Iron Nitride Permanent Magnets Made With DIY Ball Mill
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Science"
] |
[
"iron nitride magnet",
"magnets"
] |
Creating strong permanent magnets without using so-called rare earth elements is an ongoing topic of research. An interesting contestant here are iron nitride magnets (α”-Fe
16
N
2
), which have the potential to create permanents magnets on-par with with neodymium (Nd
2
Fe
14
B) magnets. The challenging aspect with Fe-N magnets is their manufacturing, with recently
[Ben Krasnow] giving it a shot
over at the [Applied Science] YouTube channel following the method in a
2016 scientific paper
by [Yanfeng Jiang] et al. in
Advanced Engineering Materials
.
This approach uses a ball mill (like [Ben]’s
planetary version
) with ammonium nitrate (NH
4
NO
3
) as the nitrogen source along with iron. After many hours of milling a significant part of the material is expected to have taken on the α”-Fe
16
N
2
phase, after which shock compaction is applied to create a bulk magnet. After the ball mill grinding, [Ben] used a kiln at 200°C for a day to fix the desired phase. Instead of shock compaction, casting in epoxy was used as alternative.
We
have covered
Fe-N magnets before, along with the promises they hold. As one can see in [Ben]’s video, oxidation is a big problem, with the typical sintering as with other magnet types not possible either. Ultimately this led to the resulting magnet being fairly weak, with a DIY magnetometer used to determine the strength of the created magnet.
Interestingly, there’s a
much newer paper
by [Tetsuji Saito] et al. from 2024 in
Metals
that does use sintering, specifically spark plasma sintering with dynamic compression (SPS-DC). SPS-DC can be done at fairly low temperatures (373 – 573 K, or 99.85 – 299.85 °C), producing much stronger magnets than [Ben] accomplished.
Although Fe-N magnets hold
a lot of promise
, they have lower coercivity. This means that they demagnetize easier, which is another aspect that weighs against them. For now it would seem that we aren’t quite ready to say farewell to Nd-Fe-B magnets.
| 10
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140330",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:01:26",
"content": "When using a rock tumbler to mill ingredients, there are optimum amounts of milling media and charge (the material being milled). Roughly, the jar is about half-full of media. Just enough charge is added to fill the spaces between the media. Many workers use too little media and too much charge.Grinding an oxidizer such as ammonium nitrate using steel ball bearings might be very hazardous. NH4NO3 is an oxidizer and very hygroscopic, and the iron powder that is created can react spontaneously with moisture as well as with oxygen in the air. I would investigate a less hygroscopic, less reactive compound as the nitrogen source. Perhaps ammonium chloride, urea, acetamide, or maybe acetonitrile. The latter being a liquid would simplify separation of the desired product by filtration.Still, I would work in a glove box with argon. Grainger has “glove bags” for about $50, or make your own. Cut two holes in a heavy polyethylene bag, heat-seal the cuffs of PE gloves to the holes. Cut top, bottom, and sides out of a suitable box, leaving the edges as a support frame. Insert frame and equipment into bag, fill with argon, close the opening with a few binder clips.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140334",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:16:19",
"content": "He’s making a few grams at a time, no need for all that.",
"parent_id": "8140330",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140335",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:27:02",
"content": "lol wut. The smaller the batch, the greater the surface area per gram, generally, and thus higher potential for contamination.",
"parent_id": "8140334",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140341",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:53:41",
"content": "Who said anything about contamination? Reading comprehension moment.",
"parent_id": "8140335",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140370",
"author": "Prowler50mil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:00:10",
"content": "Everybody else, but you?",
"parent_id": "8140341",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140391",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:04:40",
"content": "I think you could address multiple problems if you put the rolling mill in a glove box and used ammonia rather than ammonium nitrate, hence the need for the glove box.Although considering Ben’s past history and experience, I bet he had very good reasons for choosing this.",
"parent_id": "8140330",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140466",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:56:40",
"content": "I like the idea of making a glovebox out of a plastic bag. You can fill it up with any gas you like without much mixing with air. This also reminds me of the ortlieb bags, which are open on one end and then simply rolled up to make a water tight seal.With an image search for the magic words: “portable glove bag” you find a lot of examples from different manufacturers:https://duckduckgo.com/?q=portable+glove+bag&t=h_&iar=imagesFor DIY, maybe glue the backside edges of long sleeved dishwasher gloves into the bags. Or you can use smallish embroidery rings to clamp the edge of the glove to the hole in the bag. If you put some serving platters (or similar) inside the bag before you inflate it, you got a working surface that does not damage the bag too easily, and it also adds some weight to hold the bag in place. Once you know these things exist and you’ve seen a few pictures, it’s not so difficult to make a DIY version of it, and you can tailor it to fit your specific application.",
"parent_id": "8140330",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140452",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T20:02:31",
"content": "It’s nice to see HaD highlighting good science/hacking YouTube “creators” lately like Applied science and AlphaPhoenix, instead of the usual endless march of some obnoxious brat 3d printing brightly colored garbage to manipulate 1 million views from The Algorithm.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140664",
"author": "Beowulf Shaeffer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T16:19:14",
"content": "Or we could use tetrataenite…https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/a-new-way-to-create-permanent-magnets/I’ve seen multiple papers and patents over the last couple years.https://patents.google.com/patent/US11462358B2/en",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141305",
"author": "Joseph C Hopfield",
"timestamp": "2025-06-22T20:58:29",
"content": "Sometimes Ben doesn’t try very hard because he wants get a lot of smart people thinking/doing/making. It’s great news that strong magnets might not have to be problematic – Permanent magnet progress has been slow. I grew up before Neodymium -My brothers and I somehow had a huge military surplus AlNiCo horseshoe magnet. That old color tv was never quite right after that. ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.080597
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/gas-burner-reuses-printer-nozzle-for-metalwork/
|
Gas Burner Reuses Printer Nozzle For Metalwork
|
Tyler August
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"3D printer nozzle",
"forge",
"foundry",
"gas burner"
] |
Even if you don’t cast or forge metal yourself, you’re probably aware that you need to get the material very, very hot to make that happen. While some smiths might still stoke coal fires, that’s a minority taste these days; most, like [mikeandmertle] use gas burners to generate the heat. Tired of expensive burners or finicky DIY options [mikeandmertle] built their
own Better Burner out of easily-available parts.
Everything you need to make this burner comes from the hardware store: threaded iron pipes of various sizes, hoses and adapters– except for one key piece: a 3D printer nozzle. The nozzle is used here as the all-important gas jet that introduces flammable gas into the burner’s mixing chamber. A demo video below shows it running with a 0.3mm nozzle, which looks like it is putting out some serious heat, but [mikeandmertle] found that could go out if the breather was opened too wide (allowing too much air in the mixture). Eventually he settled on a 0.4mm nozzle, at least for the LPG that is common down under. If one was to try this with propane, their mileage would differ.
That’s the great thing about using printer nozzles, though: with a tapped M6 hole on the cap of the gas pipe serving as intake, one can quickly and easily swap jets without worrying about re-boring. Printer nozzles are machined to reasonable accuracy and you can get a variety pack with all available sizes (including ones so small
you’re probably better off using resin
) very cheaply.
These sorts of use-what-you-have-on-hand hacks seem to be [mikeandmertle]’s specialty– we’ve seen their
PVC thumb nut
and their very simple
mostly-wooden wood lathe here before.
| 8
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140230",
"author": "Jeff NME",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T05:29:36",
"content": "Binzel or Tweko style screw-in MIG contact tips are also useful in this application.They range in orifice size from 0.8mm to 1.6mm, so there should be one suitable for whatever fuel-gas you decide to use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140287",
"author": "Bob the Builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T08:43:50",
"content": "Stoke coal is still very common with forging. I can get a 50 liter bag of stoke coals for 30 euro’s that provides me the same (or more) forging time as 150 euro’s of propane.Propane is clean so it doesn’t give any problems when forging damascus steel. Especially with stainless damascus, the cleaner the better. When doing stainless damascus, the initial forging I do is always using propane and when everything is set and you start drawing out the material, then I switch over to stoke coal. It’s cheaper, easier, you can use precise heat where you want it, easier to manipulate, cheaper, easier to look into the fire (especially with propane forges you really need sunglasses to look into it), it’s cheaper and a lot less heat outside the forging area. I can stand right in front of my coal forge, I wouldn’t dare doing that with my propane forge, too afraid my cotton shirt will catch fire.I’m not casting yet, planning on casting zamak using lost PLA or other method casting soon. All the casting forges I’ve seen are either electric or gas. The electric ones I’ve been looking at seem very impractical. Takes several hours to heat up and will drain my wallet at the end of the month when the bill comes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140353",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:47:51",
"content": "This is the first I have heard about propane being more effective than coal for welding. I’m glad you left this comment, as I wonder if I too would have more success this way.Have you tried forging Damascus with anthracite coal? I have had some success with that (it happens to be all that is easily available in my area), but I have only tried 1084+15N20 laminate. I do not at present have a propane forge.Anthracite is certainly a cleaner coal than the bituminous commonly used by most smiths. It’s likely sold for heating furnaces if those are in use in your area — that’s how I get mine. I think it’s sold for air quality reasons. Its almost pure carbon.It’s much harder to burn. Usually I use a small amount of charcoal and/or left over coke to start my forge, and once I have a nice hot core I slowly start adding the coal. It helps to preheat some coal around the new fire. An electric blower is necessary for sustained burn, and then some way to switch between a high and low airflow (high replaces the times when you’d hand crank, lower is needed to sustain the flame at all).I have not had the opportunity to play with proper bituminous coal, but can say that anthracite CAN work for forging, despite a few smiths disagreeing on YouTube. It just requires some trial and error, managing it is a bit different.",
"parent_id": "8140287",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140552",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T07:45:03",
"content": "It’s more effective because it’s cleaner. There is always a lot of sud and with normal carbon steels better to use propane, but when forging stainless it’s a must to have a clean fire. I’ve made carbon steel damascus in coal and it does work but there is a bigger chance of separation.I have never used anthracite nor do I have access to it. I have only used coke coals. Even coke coals are difficult to burn, which is actually a good thing. I make a tiny fire and put the coke’s on it with air pressure building so it stays on. When I turn off the air it takes maybe 15 minutes or so and the fire is out. So it’s the same thing for both so I assume it works in a similar way.",
"parent_id": "8140353",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140396",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:13:59",
"content": "My propane furnace takes about 20-25 min to melt about 2kg of aluminum. It doesn’t take much longer to heat up 4kg, because most of the heat is going into the furnace walls and getting everything up to melting temperature. So it’s pretty quick, but if you can reduce the thermal mass of the furnace insulation, I think it’ll improve the performance a lot. I wish I’d made mine from ceramic wool with a coating, maybe sprayed on boric acid, rather than the castable refractory I chose. Having a somewhat reducing atmosphere is also nice compared to an electric furnace. But those little induction melting setups are pretty sweet for small quantities of metal, WAY faster than a propane furnace if you just need a few dozen grams of silver, for instance.I’ve been having a lot of fun emulating the ShakeTheFuture person on youtube (he’s been featured here on HaD multiple times) and melting small (<200g) amounts of just about anything in an old microwave. 200g of copper from start to pour in under five minutes!",
"parent_id": "8140287",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140415",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T17:43:34",
"content": "I don’t think you can buy coal in California any more, at least not in home use quantities.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140572",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T10:11:54",
"content": "First results on google: McLellan Blacksmithing and The Horseshoe Barn, both in California, provide blacksmith coal. I can’t find anything about a statewide ban and I can find many sources that sell bbq coal",
"parent_id": "8140415",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140536",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T05:12:12",
"content": "Didn’t the RepRap project originally use brass gas orifices as printer nozzles?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.269895
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/a-number-of-microphones-er-inductors-rather/
|
A Number Of Microphones… Er, Inductors, Rather
|
Al Williams
|
[
"hardware"
] |
[
"coil",
"inductor",
"mutual inductance",
"toroid"
] |
There’s a famous old story about [Charles Steinmetz] fixing a generator for [Henry Ford]. He charged a lot of money for putting a chalk X in the spot that needed repair. When [Ford] asked for an itemization, the bill read $1 for the chalk, and the balance for knowing where to draw the X. With today’s PCB layout tools, it seems easy to put components down on a board. But, as [Kasyan TV] points out in the video below, you
still have to know where to put them
.
The subject components are inductors, which are particularly picky about placement, especially if you have multiple inductors. After all, inductors affect one another — that’s how transformers work. So there are definite rules about good and bad ways to put a few inductors on a board.
However, in the video, air-core coils go through several orientations to see which configuration has the most and least interference. Using a ferrite core showed similar results. The final examples use toroids and shielded inductors.
One reason ferrite toroids are popular in radio designs is that coils made this way are largely self-shielding. This makes placement easier and means you don’t need metal “cans” to shield the inductors. How much do they shield? The orientation makes a little difference, but not by much. It is more important to give them a little space between the coils. Shields work, too, but note that they also change the inductance value.
While we like the idea of grabbing a breadboard and a scope to measure things, we want to point out that you can also
simulate
. If you didn’t understand the title, you probably don’t listen to
Propellerheads
.
| 5
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140222",
"author": "JSL",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T04:39:56",
"content": "This reminded me of the Heathkit SW717 receiver I built when I was 16. It had a persistent hum no matter how many capacitors I added to the (unregulated) power supply. I sold it cheap to a Polish immigrant a few years later and he fixed it by putting some brass shielding around the power transformer. Apparently Heathkit didn’t know how to layout inductors in their designs either.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140281",
"author": "plouc",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T08:20:26",
"content": "Eastern Europe electronicalian are really good! At least the ones I know…",
"parent_id": "8140222",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140388",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:59:59",
"content": "Back in the early 90’s, as part of an interview board, I sat in on an an interview for a production engineer position at a major U.S. car company. The applicant was a middle-aged man, a recent Russian immigrant.They asked they guy if he had any experience with PLCs, to which answered “No.”Sensing there was more to the story, I prompted him further. He then went on to describe, in surprising detail for his broken English, the microprocessor, RAM, and I/O cards he had designed and hand-wired, the assembler he wrote, application code he wrote, and the factory use-case for a homebrew PCL he’d created for his previous employer’s factory. This guy was brilliant.The HR Karen (and others) down-voted him because “…he didn’t have PLC experience, which was a requirement for the position.”I still wonder where that guy ended up and what he could have accomplished given some resources and half a chance.",
"parent_id": "8140281",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140701",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T18:07:28",
"content": "Ah, C-Stein that humpbacked bastard! Always wondered how he made out, doesn’t exist in my current timeline. Your company’s problem was they were interviewing a PCL guy for a PLC position and they have a lot of backstabbing backstabbers who go around calling people “Karen”. HR is properly employed (!) only in firing related CYA, they have no role in the hiring process and should not be in the room. The problem is the process and the process is the problem.",
"parent_id": "8140388",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140376",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T15:34:30",
"content": "In some of the older stereos, where the space was at premium, the 120/220 v transformer is rotated something like 30 degrees to offset the inductive coupling. Brass shielding helps, too, and some have these rotated AND shieded.",
"parent_id": "8140222",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,511.313866
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/floss-weekly-episode-837-worlds-best-beta-tester/
|
FLOSS Weekly Episode 837: World’s Best Beta Tester
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] |
[
"FLOSS Weekly"
] |
This week
Jonathan
chats with Geekwife! What does a normal user really think of Linux on the desktop and Open Source options? And what is it really like, putting up with Jonathan’s shenanigans? Watch to find out!
Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show right on
our YouTube Channel
? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us!
Take a look at the schedule here
.
Direct Download
in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along,
here’s the transcript for this week’s episode
.
Places to follow the FLOSS Weekly Podcast:
Spotify
RSS
Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under
Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,511.353505
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/18/bhangmeterv2-answers-the-question-has-a-nuke-gone-off/
|
BhangmeterV2 Answers The Question “Has A Nuke Gone Off?”
|
Tyler August
|
[
"internet hacks"
] |
[
"gamma ray detector",
"global thermonuclear war",
"IoT",
"nuclear event detector",
"Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W"
] |
You might think that a nuclear explosion is not something you need a detector for, but clearly not everyone agrees. [Bigcrimping] has not only built one,
the BhangmeterV2
, but he has its output publicly posted at
hasanukegoneoff.com,
in case you can’t go through your day without checking if someone has nuked Wiltshire.
The Bhangmeter is based on an off-the-shelf “nuclear event detector”, the HSN-1000L by Power Device Corporation.
The HSN 1000 Nuclear Event Detector at the heart of the build. We didn’t know this thing existed, never mind that it was still available.
Interfacing to the HSN-1000L is very easy: you give it power, and it gives you a pin that stays HIGH unless it detects the characteristic gamma ray pulse of a nuclear event. The gamma ray pulse occurs at the beginning of a “nuclear event” precedes the EMP by some microseconds, and the blast wave by perhaps many seconds, so the HSN-1000 series seems be aimed at triggering an automatic shutdown that might help preserve electronics in the event of a nuclear exchange.
[Bigcrimping] has wired the HSN-1000L to a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W to create the BhangmeterV2. In the event of a nuclear explosion, it will log the time the nuclear event detector’s pin goes low, and the JSON log is pushed to the cloud, hopefully to a remote server that won’t be vaporized or bricked-by-EMP along with the BhangmeterV2. Since it is only detecting the gamma ray pulse, the BhangmeterV2 is only sensitive to nuclear events within line-of-sight, which is really not where you want to be relative to a nuclear event. Perhaps V3 will include other detection methods– maybe even a
3D-printed neutrino detector?
If you survive the blast this project is designed to detect, you might need a
radiation detector to deal with the fallout.
For identifying exactly what radionuclide contamination is present, you might
want a gamma-ray spectrometer.
It’s a sad comment on the modern world that this hack feels both cold-war vintage and relevant again today. Thanks to [Tom] for the tip; if you have any projects you want to share,
we’d love to hear from you
whether they’d help us survive nuclear war or not.
| 47
| 17
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8140103",
"author": "topham",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:12:56",
"content": "Mock testing is good, but when you’re testing for Disaster Recovery purposes it really is worth while running the best test you can do.Now, where do you get a small nuke…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140107",
"author": "ALX_skater",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:21:34",
"content": "Now, where do you get a small nuke…The Best Korea – where Supreme Leader compensates for his erectile inadequacy with massive transporter erector launchers flaunting equally massive phallic-shaped rockets. They are supposed to be fitted with small nukes.",
"parent_id": "8140103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140202",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T02:52:44",
"content": "Actually filled with people who beat him at Tic-Tac-Toe.",
"parent_id": "8140107",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140702",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T18:12:10",
"content": "You seem fascinated with penises. I don’t come here to read about penises or your fascination. I keep my nukes in Israel and Boca Raton.",
"parent_id": "8140107",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140140",
"author": "ScubaBearLA",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:52:24",
"content": "You make it yourself, with plutonium the Libyan terrorists brought you. It’s not just for DeLoreans, ya know!",
"parent_id": "8140103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140313",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T10:26:59",
"content": "Jeff has a few of them.",
"parent_id": "8140103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140104",
"author": "aki009",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:13:47",
"content": "That’s really cool, but how can we find out that it actually works…. Can anyone point us to a source for home-sized thermonuclear devices that we could use to test the sensor?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140113",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:27:52",
"content": "I thought I had one once, but it turned out that the crazy-haired guy I sourced it from had given me a case full of used pinball machine parts instead. Tried to remonstrate with him in the Twin Pines shopping mall parking lot a few nights later, and, well…",
"parent_id": "8140104",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140179",
"author": "Agammamon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:08:39",
"content": "You mean the Lone Pine Mall?",
"parent_id": "8140113",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140324",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:37:28",
"content": "You win the internet, today.",
"parent_id": "8140179",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140114",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:30:35",
"content": "The first rule of personal collections of thermonuclear devices is: ‘Don’t talk about personal collections of thermonuclear devices.’",
"parent_id": "8140104",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140119",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:37:35",
"content": "If there are endless alternate realities, then we all have a personal collection of thermonuclear devices. Somewhere in some reality. :)",
"parent_id": "8140114",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140126",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:05:41",
"content": "“You, at the back of the classroom! Is that a thermonuclear device you’re hiding under your desk? Well, mister, I hope you brought enough for everyone…” 😂",
"parent_id": "8140119",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140156",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:49:23",
"content": "THERMOnuclear?No.This is not ahydrogenbomb.Inner voice…’don’t ask about cobalt bombs…don’t ask…’Snarky inner voice…’I do have enough for EVERYONE.’",
"parent_id": "8140126",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140122",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:38:54",
"content": "press that test button monthly…",
"parent_id": "8140104",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140125",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:02:12",
"content": "HSN-1000 series seems be aimed at triggering an automatic shutdown that might help preserve electronics in the event of a nuclear exchangeThat’s exactly what it’s used for. Keeps the aircraft flying so the crew can drop the bomb before they die.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140147",
"author": "SteveS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:09:14",
"content": "The idea that there was enough demand for a “nuclear event detector” that someone actually tooled up to make commercial chips…… is not a comforting thought.",
"parent_id": "8140125",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140158",
"author": "TSW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:57:04",
"content": "Welcome to the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Also, the 2020s, because we don’t learn.",
"parent_id": "8140147",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140342",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:54:51",
"content": "It’s a common feature of radiation resistant military equipment. The situations where it would be used are very not comfortable.",
"parent_id": "8140147",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140127",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:06:41",
"content": "Ok, so my only question is where did they get a radiation hardened raspberry pi Pico 2 W. Or is it protected with graded-Z shielding. Or is it inside a large lead, I was going to say box or chest but it would probably need to be a, building to attenuate the intensity enough to keep on working. The SoC is made with a 28 nm process, for some reason I suspect that a 6502 with fewer transistors and made with a 8000 nm process may survive more intense radiation for longer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140129",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:13:00",
"content": "They should reach out to Ben Eater and maybe “The Society for Radiological Protection”",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140137",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:42:14",
"content": "They should indeed have used a pico 1 and not a 2.",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140290",
"author": "BigCrimping",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T09:02:06",
"content": "The relative speeds of the gamma which the HSN-1000L detects and the speed of the blast wave differ sufficiently over a couple of miles that it should have enough time to detect and upload before the blast hits.",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140343",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:56:36",
"content": "Silicon on insulator technologies are best suited for radiation. I think the RCA1802 had a version built that way.",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140689",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T17:29:20",
"content": "Thank you! I just learned that there was also a Silicon on Sapphire (SOS) version of the 6502 – very cool.ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_1802#Radiation_hardening",
"parent_id": "8140343",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140403",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:48:58",
"content": "I would put the detector on a small pole and the pico in a hole in the ground.Would the signal be fast enough to reach the pico though? Oh wait it’s a pico W so wireless? Would the WiFi stack be fast enough to process and send though? I don’t think so, so you really need the pico in a protected place and let the detector be sacrificed.But from the mention of ‘line-of-sight’ this thing sounds like it would be directional right? So you need a circle of them to look around, and of course for an airburst maybe one looking up, especially since the nukes designed to cause an EMP are detonated in the air AFAIK.And if you got a circle of them you can also tell people from what direction the doom came.",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140851",
"author": "cplamb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T13:43:41",
"content": "A vacuum tube device would be much more immune to nuclear radiation.",
"parent_id": "8140127",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141429",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T09:00:38",
"content": "Elon Musk had a mock-up picture of a Mars base and he had his tesla robots in that image, and it made me think that not only is it very very cold on Mars, which does not bode well of lithium ion batteries, but also there is lots of radiation.And yet the helicopter on mars had off-the-shelf phone parts I understand, and that was OK electronics-wise for a long time.And regarding using tubes, sure but a chip is very small and a very small thing is easier to shield surely. And I wonder, if you take a chip and shield it so that you end with something the size of a tube, which would be more radiation-proof? (This reminds me of the question as to what you would rather fight, a duck the size of a horse or a hundred horses the size of a duck.)",
"parent_id": "8140851",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140134",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:36:29",
"content": "This is an interesting gizmo.. Seems like if it detects something that would be of zero use to biologicals. If it is set off, you are done. But as they mentioned, it might detect something just barely soon enough to shunt some power and protect something from EMP. I’d love to learn more about how that works. I can build a Faraday cage and I know that nuke-hardened electronics are made, but I would love to learn specifics.However I am still on team nothing ever happens; this is all for academic interest only",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140149",
"author": "SteveS",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:14:07",
"content": "it gives you a pin that stays HIGH unless it detects the characteristic gamma ray pulse of a nuclear event.Curious what exactly this signal is called….Doomsday*?Not_dead_yet?Maybe just “nBang!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140161",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:59:46",
"content": "The datasheet for the Maxwell Technologies HSN-1000 says that pin 2 is NED (active low Nuclear Event Detection signal).",
"parent_id": "8140149",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140164",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:10:23",
"content": "Detection threshold is 10^5 rads/s. So, a LD50 dose in an eyeblink, a prompt kill in less than a second.If this triggers and you’re anywhere nearby, you’re probably already dead. You just might not know it yet. The only thing that might save you is if the exposure time is less than a millisecond.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140272",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T07:29:04",
"content": "If wikipedia is accurate, the highest energy pulse in nuclear detonation lasts less than a microsecond.",
"parent_id": "8140164",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140171",
"author": "targetdrone",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T00:16:11",
"content": "The most useless device ever. If I had one and it went off, I’m already dead, and so is everyone else I care about.I’ve had enough of system support to last at least one lifetime. I’m certainly not interested in a post-mortem support task to keep anything else running for you lot.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140256",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T06:49:16",
"content": "I use it to send a command to power up my Aleph in case I’m caught in a nuclear blast.",
"parent_id": "8140171",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140192",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:47:01",
"content": "So, uh, what happened to the BhangmeterV1?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140292",
"author": "BigCrimping",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T09:05:19",
"content": "A better question I think is what will be in V3",
"parent_id": "8140192",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141388",
"author": "Then",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T05:36:27",
"content": "Sticks and stones",
"parent_id": "8140292",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140317",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T10:38:34",
"content": "I’d use this as a dead man’s switch, once triggered, it would send all the angry emails in my drafts folder, or upload the Epstein files to the internet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140344",
"author": "winky",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T12:56:38",
"content": "Don’t forget to delete the browser history :-)",
"parent_id": "8140317",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140321",
"author": "Eric R Mockler",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:19:43",
"content": "Connect it up to a conveyor to automatically bring in the tomato plants?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140326",
"author": "Winston",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:48:24",
"content": "Pointless on the nuclear war angle, but I wonder if it’s sensitive enough to be useful in creating a hobbyist network to detect these:May 21, 2025When lightning strikes: Gamma-ray burst unleashed by lightning collisionhttps://phys.org/news/2025-05-lightning-gamma-ray-unleashed-collision.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140348",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:13:34",
"content": "I simply leave an unlit candle by the windowsill. If the candle lights by itself, then a nuke probably went off nearby. It’s also useful for detecting housefires.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140486",
"author": "Dodo",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T22:04:29",
"content": "The sensitivity of this device seems quite low, it really is a nuclear blast detector. Won’t serious EMP protection be required to ensure the Pico stays operational in this environment?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140708",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T18:21:29",
"content": "Bhangmeter? Ganja Gauge? Charas Counter? I fly Chillum or I don’t fly at all.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140753",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T23:29:19",
"content": "My favorite part of the description is: “Its [the case’s] specialized polymer casing provides brief ablative cooling upon impact.”So the case (briefly) vaporizes, providing cooling. I appreciate the sense of humor! It is the little details that matter.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141560",
"author": "Max Allan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T13:36:52",
"content": "I get a very Pratchett vibe:Vimes had had a look at Throat’s Dragon Detectors, which consisted solely of a piece of wood on a metal stick. When the stick was burned through, you’d found your dragon. Like a lot of Cut-me-own-Throat’s devices, it was completely efficient in its own special way while at the same time being totally useless.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.466034
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/statusnotifieritem-how-standard-non-standards-tear-linux-desktops-apart/
|
StatusNotifierItem: How Standard Non-Standards Tear Linux Desktops Apart
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Linux Hacks"
] |
[
"linux desktop"
] |
Theoretically when you write a GUI-based application for Linux there are standards to follow, with these all neatly documented over at the Freedesktop website. However, in reality, Freedesktop is more of a loose collection of specifications, some of which are third-party specifications that have somehow become the de facto standard. One example of this is the StatusNotifierItem spec that provides a way for applications to create and manage a ‘system tray’ icon.
This feature is incredibly useful for providing a consistent way to users for quickly accessing functionality and to see application status. Unfortunately, as [Brodie Robertson]
notes in a recent video
, not everyone agrees with this notion. Despite that Windows since 95 as well as MacOS/OS X and others provide similar functionality, Gnome and other Linux desktop environments oppose such system tray icons (despite a
popular extension
), with an inevitable
discussion on Reddit
as a result.
Although the StatusNotifierItem specification
is listed
on the Freedesktop website, it’s under ‘Draft specifications’ along with another, apparently internal-but-unfinished System tray proposal. Meanwhile DEs like KDE have integrated first-party support (
KStatusNotifierItem
) for the specification. There’s currently an active Freedesktop
Gitlab discussion
on the topic, whether StatusNotifierItem should even be in the list, or become an approved specification.
With the specification mired in bureaucracy and multiple camps pushing their own idea of what ‘the Linux desktop’ should look like, it
feels like a real shame
that the Linux Standard Base effort died a decade ago. Users and developers just want their desktop environment to come with zero surprises, after all.
| 65
| 17
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139836",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:38:47",
"content": "Ya why I hate Linux its standards are not standard",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139839",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:45:47",
"content": "“Users and developers just want their desktop environment to come with zero surprises, after all.” Beg to differ somewhat… I want to pick a DE that fits my workflow… Not one that is ‘pushed’ on me as the only choice or is THE ‘standard’… With Linux I have a ‘bunch’ to pick from. For example, I like a menu button in left bottom corner. I want the standard menu when it is displayed and list goes on of my ‘wants’… So I go look for that in an offered DE. Some other person wants the menu bar at top and wants to right click on open desktop area to bring up a menu of applications. He/she will go find a DE that fits that workflow design. So standard? Naw … Freedom of choice is better :) .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139843",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:56:47",
"content": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access“The subset of CUA implemented in Microsoft Windows or OSF/Motif is generally considered a de facto standard to be followed by any new Unix GUI environment.”That’s how it’s done.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139987",
"author": "Antron Argaiv",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:31:47",
"content": "Motif…nowthere’sa name I haven’t heard in a long time.Back in the day, I actually sent a check and purchased a copy of mwm to run on my Linux system. I’m sure I have it here somewhere…[digs through piles of dusty stuff]…I know it’s here somewhere…",
"parent_id": "8139843",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139848",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T03:08:07",
"content": "Some other person wants the menu bar at top and wants to right click on open desktop area to bring up a menu of applications. He/she will go find a DE that fits that workflow design. So standard? Naw … Freedom of choice is better :) .Yay, the perfect recipe for making tech support even more impossible.I’d say DE standards as a base a great and should be “standard”. But deviations from that are always possible.If your tiling window managers doesn’t support “(K)StatusNotifierItem” than that’s your problem but every GUI application that wants to use it should just do so. (and there should be proper standard across different DEs for such things)Imagine *nix OSs hadn’t the POSIX standard and/or Linus had not followed it?Linux wouldn’t be were it is if it hadn’t followed several existing standards.Isn’t GNU pretty much an open source re-implementation of “standard” Unix utilities?Same should go for desktop environments (DEs), window managers etc. – one fundamental standard that evolves over time every app supports.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140049",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:43:39",
"content": "Yep. This is part of the “distro hell” that’s wrong with Linux. None of the distros can manage to maintain their repositories well enough that they’d have the latest updated application packages available – because it’s impossible – so you always end up “side-loading” a bunch of stuff that is technically compatible but not made for that particular distro, so you end up breaking all sorts of things – tray icons being a common example.If the sofware was following common standards, they wouldn’t have to go through the distro maintainers to get onto my desktop in the first place, because the standard DE would be directly compatible, so then the distro people wouldn’t have to spend all that effort and failing to maintain potentially millions of software packages.But noooo… that would be a security hazard if the user could just download a package directly from the software vendor and install it.",
"parent_id": "8139848",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139883",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:44:02",
"content": "I’m all for the freedom of choice, but surprises in the desktop environment usually come in only two flavours. Surprised it works and surprise it’s done something totally unexpected and crashed, neither of which is better than behavioural certainty.You can have standards that still give flexibility while avoiding major headaches. For example Python gives a programmer huge freedom of choice with what they want their program to do, but what hell would it be if every different operating system/architectures used a different character for comments.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139898",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:22:49",
"content": "You will never convince me that Python PEP-668 was a good idea.It literally fragmented everything. Instead of pip installing things you need to track down what system package provides the python package needed which varies based on distro, AND as an added annoyance it is Python on its high horse thinking they know better than me how things should be installed on my system.",
"parent_id": "8139883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139956",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:16:06",
"content": "It’s literally the opposite of what you’ve described. It’s Python knowing that they don’t know better than the package maintainer for your operating system. If you want to install packages from pip at the system level you can still do that but have to bother to look up one extra step, if you can’t bother to do that you definitely do not know better.",
"parent_id": "8139898",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139986",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:30:29",
"content": "Pip is just a package manager for Python.I love package mangers.But I hate EXTRA, single purpose package managers.I prefer one single package manager that manages everything. And the only sensible place for that is the distro, not one for each language.It makes it easier to find things and also easier to avoid conflicts.",
"parent_id": "8139898",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140714",
"author": "BitUniverse",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T18:32:57",
"content": "Honestly, it got me to actually learn how to use the virtual environment side of Python. This way I can use pip and I’m not cluttering my base system with random packages",
"parent_id": "8139898",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139884",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:48:06",
"content": "That doesn’t help make Linux more usable it makes it more fragmented.I’ll absolutely agree on the freedom of choice but there has to be a baseline standard that everything meets or else Linux will continue to be mess.Windows is awful but most of its awfulness is hidden until you get deeper in. Linux has its awfulness front and center because it is a bit of a broken puzzle, some pieces don’t fit right, some are missing, and there isn’t a consistent image they are building to use as a guide. What puzzle pieces do end up going together are a million times better than Windows but it’s not the full set.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139899",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:29:17",
"content": "Out of the box installers handle that for you. Since 2007 I have used a large variety of distros and DE’s without major issue aside from an aliexpress special with super oddball hardware. That wasn’t standards/DE/Linux’s fault though and I was able to get everything fully working",
"parent_id": "8139884",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139947",
"author": "Dominic Davis-Foster",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:51:58",
"content": "This is what pushes my away from recent GNOME, with their “my way or the high jump” mentality. I’ve nothing against the new design philosophy per se but I’d like to be able to change it if I so choose, but such things are verboten.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140052",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:54:57",
"content": "In the end this battle of opinions is 2-5% of all computer users who are presently running Linux on the desktop vs. 20-50% of the entire market who are interested in Linux but not enough to bother without working standards.One side is going “Noo! my freedom of choice!” and the other side is going “Not gonna touch that mess until you clean it up”. What’s your choice – best for you or best for all?",
"parent_id": "8139947",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140143",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:56:57",
"content": "and this is why i prefer kde.",
"parent_id": "8139947",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140072",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:52:41",
"content": "There is a difference to having a standard framework that means everything works together properly and having an ossified permanently fixed end result you can’t do anything with. If you or your application wants to interact with an element of the standard(s) is optional, having that standard framework behind your personal layout/program so everything plays nice with everything else really isn’t.",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140087",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:42:19",
"content": "The fear appears to be that standards represent hoops to jump through for programmers who don’t agree with the standards and don’t see the point of them, becausetheydon’t need them.It’s like, I can bodge together whatever crazy electrical appliance I want without regards to electrical safety or good user interface design, or any of that sort. I can operate it by a screwdriver and pinching my buttocks just fine, so why should I bother with implementing anything extra? Well, it comes to the point of someone else using it – but then this is Freedomland! If they want it, they can do it! They can’t? Well sucks to be them.In other words, when you’re not paid to write software for someone else, your attitudes towards user friendliness will inevitably be different – which is ironic in the context of the open sourcecommunity.",
"parent_id": "8140072",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140100",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:59:24",
"content": "I have found ‘open hostility’ to be a great way to avoid doing free computer support for friends/family/randos.Can’t blame them for writing ‘user hostile’ programs.Can’t blame me for not wading too far into that swamp.Task specific safaris into open source jungle.OSs are tools, not religions.I’d put 90% of the problems in open source down to failure to research before coding.It’s hard to do good research in a bazar.New dev thinks something is simple but is wrong, sees complex solutions, says ‘What a mess, that’s simple.’So starts coding, might fork something, might start with blank sheet.90% of time abandons project at useless level when he realizes it isn’t simple.Ego bruised so doesn’t go back and study the mess and actually help.If help is possible, code might be guarded by psychopath (e.g. Kernel), dev might be idiot who’s help isn’t helpful etc etc.The other 10% of the times you get brand, ‘highly evolved’, new mess, next to the established ones.",
"parent_id": "8140087",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140142",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T21:54:50",
"content": "it hurts my workflow when your distro does things in an unusual way and i have to spend the next 3 days figuring out why something doesn’t work, and the answer is never a solution (eg when the solution is use a different distro).",
"parent_id": "8139839",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139860",
"author": "Thopter",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:04:12",
"content": "I feel that any extension that enjoys a high level of popularity should be merged into the DE as opt-in/opt-out, as it has shown that that is what the users want.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140055",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:03:09",
"content": "If you keep adding extensions as “optional”, they will become practically mandatory, because users generally install many different software packages and one demands one, the other demands the other… until you have the whole set anyways.",
"parent_id": "8139860",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139868",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:23:59",
"content": "I guess Gnome opposing it means that this will in future be done by systemd.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139882",
"author": "lis0r",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:34:49",
"content": "I don’t know why anyone listens to gnome’s alleged designers. After the whole save/export debacle, they should have been so unemployable that they spent the rest of their days under a bridge. For people with negative talent, they sure do have strong opinions.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139891",
"author": "yarp",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T06:48:38",
"content": "+1 to Gnome team frustration. A similar thing that bothered me with Gnome was the removal of the type-ahead feature in the file explorer a few years ago (thankfully added back in a separate package by someone else).IIRC, a developer stated their replacement (launching a searching feature whenever you type) was better and that they will not add back type-ahead. This frustrated me to no end because the feature was painfully and so obviously slow (despite the developer insisting it was fast enough) (it took maybe half a second or more, compared to nearly instant behavior with type-ahead).How could any developer worth their salt say such an obviously incorrect thing. And how could they be in a position where they can make such decisions and impact. (The cynical answer is “sounds like they’re CEO/CTO material”). I guess in the end the DE choices (as well as that hero who maintains the type-ahead feature) make it tolerable.",
"parent_id": "8139882",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139939",
"author": "abb",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:27:03",
"content": "I like GNOME design. What’s the save export debacle?",
"parent_id": "8139882",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140248",
"author": "EEE",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T06:34:51",
"content": "Part of me wonders whether it’s a deliberate effort to fragment and cripple Open Source competition in the Desktop arena.“Embrace, Extend, Extinguish”:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguishI think people tend to underestimate how dirty these companies are willing to play.",
"parent_id": "8139882",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8144177",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-07-02T05:52:33",
"content": "I REALLY, REALLY STRONGLY believe that all the GUI’s on Linux and other alternatives are deliberately sabotaged. BSD had a great GUI distro called DesktopBSD. It got to be good, then changed names, twice, TrueOS, TridentOS,…then disappeared when they decided, to only use Void Linux?????. So after ten years or more of BSD they up and decide Void Linux is, the answer??? Gnome, a desktop for Linux, got good, then they rewrote the whole thing to be tablet form, (but stuck on desktops where it didn’t belong),and took away all the options. Ruined it for years. A really good, far better than windows and Mac desktop called “enlightenment” came out, got better but still needed a few bug fixes. They of course rewrite the whole thing, (for like a decade), and it falls apart. Now they have this new desktop for Linux they push called Wayland. They are complaining about the X window system which is what all GUI’s on Linux ride on top of. They are, supposedly, going to fix it with a new layer called Wayland. The guy in charge of this has been working on this “simpler” system for…I don’t know a decade??? and he hasn’t finished it. Is he being paid off too??? Why isn’t it done???. This, I believe, nothing but a huge stalling tactic.I also wonder why, oh why, when the Linux standards people got together to pick a desktop they did not take Sun’s offer of NeWS GUI for free. It was postscript like and very personalizeable cause, it’s PostScript. Instead we end up with a huge bastardized pile of excrement. There’s a reason Steve Jobs chose postscript for Next. Perfect graphics and perfectly customizable.Then they added this huge abortion no one could do anything with called Systemd that started up and controlled every damn thing they could think of. It was done by this super aggressive asshole AND, it was never needed. They said it was to parallelize start up programs but there were already existing start up programs that would do without embracing the whole entire system and cramming it into this abortion. I say it was a hit job, and likely someone in the intelligence agencies paid for it to be shoehorned in so no one could tell what was going on in this huge abortion of a program. And of course Lennart Poettering who wrote it now works for Microsoft.They are bribing people to sabotage these systems, is what I think. There’s too many of them, too many times, that have become successful and then all of a sudden they do things so stupid as to defy reason. People complain about the Gnome team constantly for the idiotic things they do, but, it’s not stupid, it’s a fix.The first couple times I saw this I thought it was just a mistake but when it happens time after time…Think, you’re some underpaid or not paid open source software writer. A lawyer calls you and promises a few thousand to talk under nondisclosure rules. They offer you, or the better part of your team, $250,000 a year for five years to do, nothing. What are you going to say? And it’s peanuts, a drop in the bucket for Microsoft or, whoever. I think it’s also likely the whole “woke” takeover of opensource foundations is just more of the same. Throw out a few million and then reap billions because the whole system has become unusable.",
"parent_id": "8140248",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8148541",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-07-12T19:19:51",
"content": "Here’s another big one. Xorg. I think related to Wayland as Wayland seems to be stalled artificially. Xlibre is a fork of the Xorg Xserver made because the administration of Xorg appears to be taken over by for profit companies who then have refused to release fixes and/or and substantial updates to kill it off. Just another attempt to kill off the Linux desktop.",
"parent_id": "8144177",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139922",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T09:50:18",
"content": "In the mean time, the global menu bar (à la MacOS) that used to work perfect under X11 still doesn’t work with Wayland because neither Gnome nor KDE nor … could agree on a dumb specification/protocol. With Gnome developers, on one side, that think that a menu is old school and should be removed (and so, don’t bother register the application menu with DBUS in any GTK4 software), and KDE users that don’t see any menu for those applications but not the “old” GTK3 application that do work (sometimes), it’s a real unexplainable and unforgiveable mess. Users are used to a their menu, if you don’t intend to provide a new menu in your “shinny” GTK4 trip, at least make sure all the software continues to work flawlessly.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139940",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:28:06",
"content": "Microsoft removed the start button in their ME version, and that generated a whole lot of hate speech. I saw the blue startup screen once when I got a free PC from my brother. I could not figure out how it worked or how I could get to a normal desktop so I installed Linux over it. I have not used a windoze PC after that. It was a nice PC though. I ran Linux on it until it was 13 years old, and then I decided I had to replace it with an upgrade. It was getting a tad slow, but the main reason was I wanted a big (107cm) 4K monitor (I can’t see those tiny pixels on the small 4k screens) and the old hardware really was not up to the task of supporting such a monitor.And the X11 vs Wayland seems like a huge waste of development effort to me, but I don’t know enough of the reasoning behind it to have a real opinion. I have experimented once with X forwarding over SSH from a beaglebone to my main PC and it was awfully slow (refresh rate of 2Hz or so).",
"parent_id": "8139922",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139944",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:37:14",
"content": "Another huge problem for Linux is software packaging. Some use Apt, some use RPM, or something else entirely. There seem to be 10+ different package managers in common use. It’s a big headache for people who want to distribute software on Linux systems. Things like Snap, Appimage and Flatpak also feel like quite a big kludge. They can be useful (for example for running an older KiCad version then the installed one for some projects) but it does not feel like the “normal way to run programs”. And because they are outside of the normal package management, they don’t update with your regular OS updates (Those system wide updates of both the OS and all installed programs is a Enormous advantage of Linux.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140059",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:12:35",
"content": "Combining application and OS updates is also an enormous headache, when your user software updates with the OS breaking stuff that used to work or changing things from how you liked it. Sometimes you have to upgrade the OS to keep the application updates rolling along because they decided not to maintain the new update in the old OS repository – again with similar problems: turn everything over, re-do configurations and custom hacks, just to get to the next version of your browser.What exactly is the advantage really? It keeps forcing users to update all their software packages, but the users don’t exactly want that because it breaks stuff and causes them extra work.",
"parent_id": "8139944",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139979",
"author": "YHVH",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:51:33",
"content": "LSB has nothing to do with this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140262",
"author": "Maya Posch",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T07:03:24",
"content": "Correct, because LSB and any attempt at Linux standardisation died back in 2015.",
"parent_id": "8139979",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139989",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:34:21",
"content": "Way back when, different desktops each had their own standard for shortcuts.Now they are standard. So if I switch desktops all my shortcuts are still there. Cool.I like to use a heavy full-featured desktop (currently KDE) when running locally.I prefer something lighter when connecting remotely such as via VNC or RDP.But there is some strange detail I haven’t figured out yet that differs. Often I find shortcuts created in one aren’t recognized as being shortcuts in the other. They display but clicking them brings up a text editor to edit them!That’s crap. How hard could it have really been to get that right?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139994",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:53:33",
"content": "Lets just get this in perspective… the problem here over which the community is divded relates to little notifier items in the system tray… this is not a major and serious issue… this is not “linux can’t run particular package which is vital for my workflow”, this is not “wifi connectivity fails when I open the browser”, this is not, to take an example from Windows “update is forced on to me which either crashes my system and prevents booting or otherwise enables unwelcome telemetry”. Little icons in the system tray are a minor cosmetic feature, I say that as somehow who uses GUI on Linux almost all the time (maybe one command in terminal per two days). Lets be glad our problems are so small, compared to all the trouble you get on “we want you to log in to your own system with an online cloud account” Windows or in an Apple walled garden.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139997",
"author": "Ken C",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:04:42",
"content": "Linux, just like dodo bird is a prime example of evolution in action… unfortunately it most often goes into a blind alley and loses against creatures of Intelligent Design.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140068",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:31:07",
"content": "When has Linux ever “lost against creatures of Intelligent Design”?",
"parent_id": "8139997",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140074",
"author": "Ken C",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:56:21",
"content": "When Windows ME was introduced and it was a total disaster – year of Linux never maternalized.When Windows XP SP0 was introduced and it was an unstable resource hog full of exploits (like Sasser worm) – year of Linux never maternalized.When Windows Vista was introduced and it was a total disaster again that didn’t run any games – year of Linux never maternalized.When Windows 8 was introduced and it was a total disaster one more time – year of Linux never maternalized.When Spydows 10 was introduced and it was a spyware pretending to be OS – year of Linux never maternalized.When Spydows 11 was introduced and it was a spyware not even pretending to be OS anymore – year of Linux never maternalized.Linux simply sucks. And I pity both Spydows and Linux users because Mac simply works.",
"parent_id": "8140068",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140111",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:26:58",
"content": "because Mac simply works.You get what youpayfor. Trouble is, the extra money you pay becomes decoupled from the quality you get because your ability to distinguish price and value becomes muddled by brand marketing (companies with a good name inevitably abuse their good name).",
"parent_id": "8140074",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140151",
"author": "Jinxy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:28:03",
"content": "There probably is something nasty in mac os aswell",
"parent_id": "8140074",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140152",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:28:16",
"content": "id just extend this to say that all modern operating systems suck. windows is spyware, apple is an ecosystem lock-in, and linux is a chaotic mess. of the 3 linux is the only one that’s shown improvement, they just have a very long way to go.",
"parent_id": "8140074",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140351",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:37:40",
"content": "You make no sense. Not having “year of Linux” isn’t a loss.There has never been a “year of MacOS” and it clearly doesn’t “simply work” as it can’t be installed anywhere that it doesn’t already exist, it can’t be run so it’s worthless, not even an operating system, just a firmware for a phone.Linux wins every year because it’s Free and free.",
"parent_id": "8140074",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140358",
"author": "Leif J Burrow",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:12:15",
"content": "Mac may simply work for you but as far as I can see it really only works for simple things.MacExpensive to buy in the first place.On a planned obsolescence cycle guaranteeing you will shell out your money again just as soon as they want you to.Pairs with the iOS ecosystemiOSExpensive to buy the first timeOn a planned obsolescence cycle much shorter than it’s competitors. Guaranteeing you will keep parting with that money.Shitty to no convergence. I guess you can sort of dock an iPhone now but it’s just same iOS UI blown up on a bigger screen. Not at all like the lap/desktop that Android can double as.Thoroughly anti-hacker/maker. Want to code for it? You have to pay Apple for the privilege. Want to control your projects from it? No support for cheap and simple bluetooth serial modules.WindowsLonger obsolescence cycle.Reasonably Hacker/Maker friendly. Plenty of free compilers available. Happy to talk to most classes of devices.LinuxObsolescence cycle? Want to run a 20+ year old program? It’s at worst a re-compile away.Completely 100% Hacker/Maker friendly. What won’t it let you do?",
"parent_id": "8140074",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140077",
"author": "Ken C",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:59:15",
"content": "Windows XP SP2 era and later Windows 7 era was the prime time for Linux people to rest, recover and gather energy for new age of OS war but instead they spent their time playing Tux Racer and arguing whether GIMP needs a main window or not. When Microsoft attacked them they could not respond organizedly.",
"parent_id": "8140068",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139998",
"author": "c",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:04:54",
"content": "Plus the development of Linux is also driven by commercial needs. Many large companies give back to the community. Just like socialism cannot survive without capitalism.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140053",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:59:58",
"content": "Linux and GNU were fully established before parasitic companies (most of them) or less parasitic companies who were forced, by the GPL, to contribute back their changes came along.80s – early 90s it was just hobbyists and students contributing to gnu. Same for Linux, in the early 90s. Both were great then. GNU was best in class, with anybody with a clue installing gnu tools onto their e.g., sunOS/Solaris boxes since what came with commercial *nix sucked in comparison.",
"parent_id": "8139998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140056",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:04:44",
"content": "Define “fully established”.",
"parent_id": "8140053",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140097",
"author": "Albert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:36:39",
"content": "The same asfully modelledAlyx in Half Life 2.(I find it kinda hot tbh.)",
"parent_id": "8140056",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140063",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:22:53",
"content": "Free desktop and LSB are stupid.LSB was a tool for Redhat to convince the uninformed to use their commercial distribution– Redhat came along years after other distros, and had the worst package manager of all (e.g., couldn’t delete auto pulled in deps when deleting a package which others that preceded redhat handled fine) but LSB said, packages were RPMs– total bullshit.Free desktop seems overly influenced by gnome, and therefore redhat. E.g., free desktop says all monitors must share a virtual desktop and not independent virtual desktops per monitor. The latter is a great feature in some WMs that predate gnome, but gnome devs apparently think it is too difficult, or something. And, so nobody should be doing it.As for taskbars, these should never be a dependency. Traditional X desktops had no ms windows style bar on the bottom. You right/left/middle clicked the root window aka desktop to bring up [different] menus, with no garbage taking up desktop space– a setup I prefer. But, if you want something that looks like ms Windows, you shouldn’t have someone making up fake standards saying what you want isn’t allowed either.Authoritarians GTFO!",
"parent_id": "8139998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140071",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:49:46",
"content": "You right/left/middle clicked the root window aka desktop to bring up [different] menus, with no garbage taking up desktop space– a setup I prefer.And I don’t. First of all you need to get to the desktop to get the menu, so you need a keyboard shortcut to hide all your windows (bad usability). Then it’s a dense list that you have to skim through to find what you want with a high probability of miss-clicks, and to make it organized you have to make it deeply nesting, making it slow. It’s non-discoverable, requires fine motor skills to use (not in a hurry), and it’s difficult overall. No wonder people prefer to just launch programs with the terminal window.Also, without the taskbar, you don’t get a list of currently running programs right in your view, which is a big annoyance because you could be running ten unnecessary instances of your file browser hidden behind other windows and completely unaware of it until you check.That was one of my biggest annoyances with “traditional” Linux back when I first tried it. Everything was just hidden, stuff happening deep in the dark until you go “ps” in the terminal window, and then it was just a list of numbers – like what does any of this mean?",
"parent_id": "8140063",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140067",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:29:27",
"content": "Lots of us were using Linux + GNU as daily drivers on workstations and servers before commercial involvement was the norm.The unwashed masses might have been unaware, but who cares?Fully established.",
"parent_id": "8139998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140095",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:23:46",
"content": "By that definition, penny farthings were a fully established mode of transportation and a perfectly viable way to get around town, so who cares about “safety bicycles” – a bunch of sissies the lot of them.",
"parent_id": "8140067",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140004",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:14:36",
"content": "i don’t care about any of this stuff…i just don’t use pc linux that way. i have a real antipathy towards gnome / kde / systemd. even xfce is too much for me. i want gimp and the browser to be stand-alone. and i’m willing to accept a hack to make that happen. and literally nothing else is a WIMP GUI on my PC. i use a lot of graphical applications but they are all keyboard controlled / “old school”.but linux on the desktop is here, if you want it. it’s called chromeos, android.the funny thing is, though, that android, despite being very popular, very well-supported, very mature, and ultimately very usable, is also a nightmare for its systray (“notifications”). they kept reinventing notifications, and they kept reinventing the compatibility layers to paper over having reinvented notifications. and then the app store started banning all the old compatibility layers. it’s a lot of pointless upkeep if you want to distribute your app that uses the systray.even if you just wrote your app last week, you probably stumbled across this in the massively redundant obsolete documentation that’s out there. but if you’ve distributed apps for 15 years like i have then it’s just been this constant thorn that every time you want to issue an update you have to reinvent the systray access. and the SDK access and etc.it’s really pretty funny, they make a nice general syntax in some configuration file for saying which version of the SDK your app should use, and then they update the SDK so that to say the same thing, you now need to spell it differently. the version specification itself keeps changing!i wonder if chromeos, windows, macos, and ios have similar nightmares over the last 15 years of systray innovation",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140349",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T13:19:44",
"content": "Yep, 200% there with you. I’d want to pack my own OS stuffs and just get rid of everything else I won’t need.I think Gentoo was one of them distros that tried doing that – and became way too complicated for the average Sam the Programmer to be useful. Not their fault, I suspect.",
"parent_id": "8140004",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140361",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T14:20:40",
"content": "I ran RatPoison and it’s replacement StumpWM for many years. It sounds like you might like that even more than Chrome. Stump is a completely keyboard controlled tiling window manager. It adds no Window decorations. There can optionally be a status bar at the top or bottom if you choose to configure that.If you don’t add the status bar and you don’t create any additional tiles then it just runs your program fullscreen like a kiosk.My daughter had a Chromebook. I installed a bunch of Linux desktop apps on it. Most were usable but there were strange artifacts, some controls didn’t draw completely. That was a while ago though, it could have gotten better since.",
"parent_id": "8140004",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140491",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T23:00:24",
"content": "i’m a stick in the mud :) i tried a bunch of different wms and configurations from 1995 to 2001 and then i came to a very basic config for fvwm that i haven’t changed since. thin window borders, no title bars, alt-Fn to modify windows (fullscreen etc), alt-n to circulate through a few different classes of windows.i keep thinking i ought to try some sort of tiling wm….maybe when i finally switch to waylandsometimes i’m struck by how boring my computer use is — when i buy a new laptop it takes me about 4 hours to set it up exactly like my old laptop to where i can’t even tell the difference. i have to write the hostname on it somewhere or i don’t even know which one i picked up for months after i switch",
"parent_id": "8140361",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140021",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:57:01",
"content": "First of all, I don’t really care all that much about Gnome or it’s developers ideas. I loved Gnome 1 and Gnome 2 though, but 3 is just unusable for me. It looks like a badly made version of the windows 8 interface. I’ve been using Linux for quite a while. I started with the Common Desktop Environment, but switched to Gnome 1 when that was released. Then to Gnome 2 and from there I went to KDE and eventually i3wm. When I even look at the Gnome 3 interface I get annoyed. Might be usable with heavy modifications, but stock, no thanks.The only thing I wish everyone would agree on is to get every single dot file out of the ~ directory and into the .config directory, where they belong. Anything else shouldn’t really be standardized as everyone has a different idea. I prefer i3wm on normal workstations and KDE for places i only point and click. I got a computer in my workshop where I’m grinding and welding and it’s using KDE, so does my laptop, which has both i3wm and KDE. But my workstation at work and the one at home run i3wm (on Arch by the way). I want xorg, I want my personalisation, i don’t want a graphical interface for a text editor, I want to feel comfortable. I’m glad it’s not all standardized as it results in me having options.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140037",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:12:26",
"content": "The comments above pretty much prove my point. Everyone wants something different… Which is why you can always find a DE that fits most if not all of your needs. Then, a compiler that you like to run if you are a developer (like me). A browser you like to use. Editor, Office applications, Etc… Multi-user from day one. Ie. enable as many users as you need. Secure. What’s not to like? I’ve been using Linux since the 90s. From Slackware, to Redhat, to Fedora Core, Fedora, Mint (LTS), and now KUbuntu LTS. At work, got our company to run Linux data servers (RedHat 5) back in the reboot NT server days with a stack of user licences to keep track of. Then migrated servers to CentOs and so forth… Maintenance went to almost zero. No user licenses to buy. No service agreements needed. Was great to have Linux on the back end (SAMBA was used as still had Windoze desktops to interface to) . I digress… I went the rounds with DEs too at home. Found KDE back then and that fit my workflow. Then they brought out KDE4. Yuck. Moved on to LXDE, then Cinnamon, and now back on KDE after all these years. Also my desktops, servers are running rock solid KUbuntu LTS now. SBCs PI OS / Ubuntu). Disable auto updates, turn off most notifications (stupid) where I can and just ‘use’ the OS. Linux is still Linux no matter what distro you pick. These days I use LTS versions as not interested in cutting edge, nor installing/upgrading every 6 months or so… Again wonderful ‘choices’. And ‘very’ reliable. Run for days, months, years if you desire. No forced updates or reboots. Nice to have an OS that just gets out of the way and allows you to just run the apps you want to get the job done. After all that is what computing is all about.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140038",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:17:48",
"content": "And of course if you don’t care for Linux, there is still M$ and Apple$, BSD, and other fringe OSs out there. You do have choices. Not one fits all it seems.",
"parent_id": "8140037",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140115",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:32:03",
"content": "Everyone wants something different… Which is why you can always find a DE that fits most if not all of your needs.Everyonewantssomething different, but whether that is what theyneedis a different matter entirely. That’s because people are poor judges of their own performance; one can become a master of one-legged hopping and an advocate of that mode of ambulation because it saves them 50% in the cost of shoes.",
"parent_id": "8140037",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140154",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T22:35:08",
"content": "the common thread is people dont like bloat in their oses. they want a simple os that just covers the basics and stays out of their way. if they need more functionality thats what application software is for.",
"parent_id": "8140037",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140328",
"author": "Miroslav",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T11:57:59",
"content": "Meanwhile, Windows UI is becoming worse and worse with every version. My former boss, a Windows administrator, was so frustrated with Windows 10 because everything changed location in Settings. He had to start using Search for trivial tasks.Enjoy being spied on by big corporations and their Copilot spyware.Freedom doesn’t have an alternative. You are either free (Linux, BSD) or you are not.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141653",
"author": "KL2001",
"timestamp": "2025-06-23T19:54:16",
"content": "I just wish there was an easy way to block stealing “Focus” – windows grabbing cursor while typing, or popping up to let me know I should interact with them instead of working on my work is why I switched. For a long time, on my Linux machines, windows didn’t steal focus. Now they’ve followed the windows paradigm of “Hey, look at me”. The computer should do whatItell it, not what someone 3000km away thinks my computer should do.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.565791
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/making-a-brushless-dc-motor-winding-machine/
|
Making A Brushless DC Motor Winding Machine
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers",
"Robots Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"BLDC",
"brushless DC motor",
"wire winding"
] |
Over on his YouTube channel our hacker [Yuchi] is building an
STM32 BLDC motor winding machine
.
This machine is for winding brushless motors because manual winding is highly labor intensive. The machine in turn is made from four brushless motors. He is using the
SimpleFOC
library to implement closed-loop angle control. Closed-loop torque control is also used to maintain correct wire tension.
The system is controlled by an STM32G431 microcontroller. The motor driver used is the DRV8313. There are three GBM5208 75T Gimbal motors for close-loop angle control, and one BE4108 60T Gimbal motor for torque control. The torque control motor was built with this machine! [Yuchi] says that the Gimbal motors used are designed to be smooth, precise, and powerful at low speeds.
The components of the machine communicate with each other over a CAN bus. This simplifies wiring as components (such as motor controller boards) only require four connections.
Thanks to [Ben] for writing in to let us know about this project. If you’re interested in automated wire winding we have certainly covered that before here at Hackaday. You might like to check out
Tips For Winding Durable Coils With Nice, Flat Sides
or
Coil Winding Machine Makes It Easy
.
| 35
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139788",
"author": "Sven Hapsbjorg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T23:10:41",
"content": "Why fixate on STM32 when literally the same task can be acomplished by any MCU made in the last 40 years. You could even build this using NES or Amiga.My spidey senses tell me it’s mostly marketing BS (or riding the hype.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139795",
"author": "Vinny",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T23:31:57",
"content": "Why change if something works for the maker? Using any other microcontroller for the sake of not using a STM32 is counter-productive, specially on the hobby field. And even if their goal is to sell kits, if they are already know how to productively use a STM32 there’s literally no reason to use another microcontroller, just the time they would spend to learn the intricacies of another architecture would be better spent developing the system. The only reason to change would be if the other microcontroller offers some useful feature for the project that a STM32 does not have or is difficult to implement.",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139803",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T00:01:29",
"content": "My first guess is that it is much easier and more reproducible to source an STM32 than an NES or Amiga in most regions at this time",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139818",
"author": "Milly",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T01:01:32",
"content": "“which microcontroller did you use” would be among the first questions the person would get asked on the internet, along with “which motors” and “what software” and they happened to point out all three in advanceyou really need to ease off the cynicism. It’s at the point where you make yourself unhappy for no reason whatsoever",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139823",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T01:20:59",
"content": "Coulda done it with a 555",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140168",
"author": "Marcel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:45:51",
"content": "🤣",
"parent_id": "8139823",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139866",
"author": "William A Mace",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:18:04",
"content": "Fixate? You look that up first?",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139896",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:11:36",
"content": "Because it has multiple hardware timers so you can choose 3 which can then be cascaded with a phase difference and output PWM. It was literally designed to drive 3 phase BLDC motorsWhy would you use an inferior software solution when a hardware solution exists (with a very fast ARM Cortex MCU too!)",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140002",
"author": "Brianac",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:12:44",
"content": "hmm, 3phase brushless dc motors? that sounds to me like the ultimate oxymoron, but there again I tend to regard brushless dc motors as an oxymoron, as they are driven by ac current anyway. they’re no more dc motors than any ac motor driven by an inverter.Brianac",
"parent_id": "8139896",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139908",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:02:29",
"content": "You could theoretically build anything with any turing-complete device, what’s your point?Mentioning the micro is no different than mentioning the other parts by number, it’s weird you’d fixate on that detail especially on a website like this.",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139948",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:52:42",
"content": "Might be sponsored, might not be, it could be the person knows the chips inside out, has a pile of them, can get them easily, any number of reasons including the Youtube algorithm, search tags etc.Personally? I know it could be accomplished with lots of different microcontrollers or even full on computers, but I’m more interested in the machine itself",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139964",
"author": "Brad",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:09:05",
"content": "Probably because ST has an inexpensive eval board that makes it easy to prototype. B-G431B-ESC1 is $19 on Digikey.",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139985",
"author": "c",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:28:21",
"content": "fixate? He just mentions the MCU he used. I can ask you the same. Why do you “fixate” on NES or Amiga?NES and Amiga are not MCUs and you cannot put them on a custom board. I’m sure there are 8-bit MCUs that have the same peripherals as the STM32 he chose. But STM32’s are affordable and are available in budget versions and high-end version. Also many development boards and examples are available.",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140006",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:24:32",
"content": "hehe quite a comment, and my reply is barely different than the others…but i just wanted to throw out, i switched from stm32 to pico rp2040 because at the single-digit-dollars price point, the rp2040 is just plain easier to program. it’s just easier to plug a usb cable to and upload your software to it. at that price in stm32 world, i would have to get a ‘blue pill’ sort of board (counterfeit?) and then solder on a new resistor to fix the defective one, and then i’d still need to use a separate board to program it.but if i had a big pile of stm32s and a good established pipeline for programming them, i would still use them. i liked the stm32. most of the arm microcontrollers are pretty good and have a pretty good range of i/o peripherals too. i’m sure esp32 is good too",
"parent_id": "8139788",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139827",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T01:37:00",
"content": "Really impressive build. I always wondered how they wound motors. Now I kinda do.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139835",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:25:36",
"content": "If you’re going to go through all that effort to make something “better” than a commercial motor, it would be a great opportunity to switch to something better than round copper wire for windings: You could use silver in a rectangular cross section for lower resistance and better packing fraction, for 16% better conductivity. Or use aluminum, for a double the conductivity per unit mass. Or Litz wire for higher conductivity at high frequency operation. Or tubing for water cooled conductors.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139864",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:15:50",
"content": "Manufacturing custom wire is quite a step above winding a pre-made stator",
"parent_id": "8139835",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139959",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:32:49",
"content": "But it’s not custom wire. Not readily available at your local hardware store, but commercial versions of everything I mentioned exist. I have used them all, and more (like zero-permeability aluminum-copper alloy wire, which is neat stuff)",
"parent_id": "8139864",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140007",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:26:39",
"content": "man, i’m not gonna say those are not neat innovations but each one requires quite a bit of specialization in your winding machine. tackle one problem at a time, i say.",
"parent_id": "8139835",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140061",
"author": "Zynerji",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:14:03",
"content": "https://newatlas.com/technology/kist-cnt-cscec-carbon-nanotube-wire/Try this wire? 🤔",
"parent_id": "8139835",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139861",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:05:35",
"content": "Well, it works, and that”s great. However, the motors seem to lack the fine control that is needed to turn this into a really great machine. FOC is quite good at improving motor efficiency for high rpm applications (such as driving wheels or propellers), but it’s not very good for precise positioning. There is not much info about the motor drivers used algorithms and what sort of feedback is used. Using stepper motors is a more “traditional” approach for driving the axis of a CNC machine, as the higher pole pair count increases stiffness and low rpm positioning accuracy. But high positoning accuracies can surely be achieved with a BLDC motor. There is very little difference between “BDLC” and “PMSM”, and PMSM servomotors (with 8 or so pole (pairs?) are commonly available with 17-bit resolution encoders and these are generally seen as quite a step up from the generic stepper motors.The motors used here have a 350Kv rating, i.e. with a 20V power supply they would run at 7000rpm. For the positioning axis, which run at a very low RPM only a very small portion of the motors capabilities are used. In addition to better software (and feedback) adding a (belt) gear reduction is another way to improve it. First, you improve the positioning resolution inherently with the gear ratio, and second, because the motor needs less torque to deliver the same torque at the positioning shaft, the drive circuit is “stiffer”, which further improves positioning accuracy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139874",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:53:01",
"content": "“Using stepper motors is a more “traditional” approach for driving the axis of a CNC machine, as the higher pole pair count increases stiffness and low rpm positioning accuracy”Strange, My Haas vf3 uses servo motors. My fadal 3016 uses servo motors. Every DMG Mori, Mazak, and Okuma mill Ive ever worked with used servo motors. The only CNCs Ive ever seen with stepper motors are tiny table top hobbyist toys.",
"parent_id": "8139861",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139926",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:02:32",
"content": "No, not strange at all. I also wrote about those motors, and the divers need to be tuned just right to make it all work properly. The motors in the coil winder presented here are clearly not tuned right, or they lack the high resolution feedback to enable the precise control, or some combination (or other…).",
"parent_id": "8139874",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139909",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:04:08",
"content": "Steppers are only traditional on hobby machines, all the serious stuff has used servos since forever.",
"parent_id": "8139861",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139931",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:10:41",
"content": "Maybe it was better if I added the “hobby” remark, but for the rest, it depends on what you define as “serious stuff”. Sure, those industrial servo’s have more performance then stepper motors, but big stepper motors are used quite often in the lower tier of machines. They are for example very common in the big flatbed routers (wood, stone, “advertisement”) and those things easily have a work envelope of 4 square meters and more. I would call that quite serious.A very long time at school (mid ’90-ies) we had a converted bridgeport at school for CNC lessons. It had quite big Nema 42 stepper motors.",
"parent_id": "8139909",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140120",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:37:43",
"content": "Loosely defined ‘servo motor’ though.None of the machines mentioned use a pot of position sensing, that would suck.Even old machines w DC motors have tachometers and pulse counters for position control.",
"parent_id": "8139909",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140166",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T23:29:25",
"content": "“Loosely defined ‘servo motor’ though. None of the machines mentioned use a pot of position sensing, that would suck.”Loose indeed.Hobby servos use potentiometers for position control. Fine for applications constrained below 360 degrees of rotation. Crap beyond those limited applications.Tachometers dont provide position information beyond an expected position relative to start.Pulse Counters generally lack directional indication so they also only provide expected relative position. They also get lost if power is interrupted, requiring rehoming.Most industrial servo motors use quadrature encoders. They provide both speed and position feedback, making them ideal for closed-loop control systems.",
"parent_id": "8140120",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139950",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:59:15",
"content": "I think one of the points of the project was to do it cheaply and I can absolutely get on side with that, the servomotors I have were the wrong side of $1200 each and the gear to control them was not cheap either.",
"parent_id": "8139861",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140008",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:30:21",
"content": "pshaw! PSHAW, i say.BLDCisa stepper motor, just with relatively large steps. the reason people love the traditional stepper motors is that you can often get away with open loop control on them. so long as you don’t need too much precision from ‘micro-stepping’, you can simply tell it to step N times and you know how many revolutions that is.but this is closed loop!!!!!! !!!closed loop is superior and if they worked through their problems then they worked through their problems.everyone else here is saying ‘servo’, and i’m really just spelling out that servo is a synonym for closed loop.",
"parent_id": "8139861",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140010",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:31:39",
"content": "want to take back the ‘DC’ in my comment :)",
"parent_id": "8140008",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140117",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T20:35:08",
"content": "Double Phsaw!! to you too. I once had a disagreement with someone on EEVblog who was convinced a BLDC motor was “significantly different” from a PMSM motor. Best I know, the BLDC has a bit of a trapezoidal voltage characteristic and is more optimized for power delivery, and the PMSM is more “classical” sinusoidal. I won’t be surprised if the “BLDC” turns out to be the better choice for nearly every application. Instead of the Sine / Cosine (cordic?) calculations, you can put linear interpolation in the motor controller to ease the math, maybe some correction factor or a LUT. But higher efficiency sort of translates into higher power density.And it’s OK to leave in the DC in a BLDC motor. They are called DC because they have a similar motor characteristic as brushed DC motors, but the commutaton is done electronically.I would be curious about using an AC induction motor for accurate position control. That would mean calculating and applying a continuous rotating field to get a static torque with no movement, but I’m sure it can be done. But power to weight of induction motors is not very high, and the cost of decent quality (3 phase) motors is also not very low so there does not seem much reason to go this way.",
"parent_id": "8140008",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139867",
"author": "William A Mace",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T04:21:35",
"content": "Clever build I like what you’ve done here. What can be used other than iron for winding on? Carbon fiber? Just wondering.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139961",
"author": "H Hack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:49:36",
"content": "I don’t know buy there’s a open source project for carbon fiber winding.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cabr47hHPI&t=11s",
"parent_id": "8139867",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139890",
"author": "Peach",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T06:46:49",
"content": "awesome! I’d love to build it",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139990",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:35:55",
"content": "Very nice work…What we have not yet seen is how it handles the transition from winding one coil on one tooth of the stator to the next coil, and any directional reversing necessary therein. I’d be interested to see that part too. I guess manual intevention would be required when it comes time to finish off the first phase and run the next phase and then the third phase’s wires, but so long as this machine can wind all coils within a single phase in one go then it is a superb labour saving device.Also, Hackaday headline writers…it is not a “brushless DC motor” winding machine, but just a “brushless motor” winding machine. Whether you call a motor brushless DC or brushless AC, or some other name, really depends on exactly what sort of driving circuitry and control software it is connected to when it is running.P.S. I’m guessing he used BLDC motors under FOC control as his “servos” in this, rather than using steppers simply because the BLDC’s are lighter weight, which wouldn’t matter for the fixed motor driving the leadscrew but makes things easier for the motor which rides along the leadscrew so as to turn stators about their axis.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.712108
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/the-most-trustworthy-usb-c-cable-is-diy/
|
The Most Trustworthy USB-C Cable Is DIY
|
Tyler August
|
[
"classic hacks"
] |
[
"diy or buy",
"USB cable",
"USB-C PD"
] |
We like USB-C here at Hackaday, but like all specifications it is up to manufacturers to follow it and sometimes… they don’t. Sick of commercial cables either don’t label their safe wattage, or straight up lie about it, [GreatScott!] decided to
DIY his own ultimate USB-C-PD cable for faster charging
in his latest video, which is embedded below.
It’s a very quick project that uses off-the-shelf parts from Aliexpress: the silicone-insulated cable, the USB-C plugs (one with the all-important identifier chip), and the end shells. The end result is a bit more expensive than a cable from Aliexpress, but it is a lot more trustworthy. Unlike the random cable from Aliexpress, [GreatScott!] can be sure his has enough copper in it to handle the 240W it is designed for. It should also work nicely with USB PPS,
which he clued us into a while back
. While [GreatScott!] was focusing here on making a power cable, he did hook up the low-speed data lines, giving him a trustworthy USB2.0 connection.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone test
USB gear and find it wanting
, though the problem may have improved in the last few years. Nowadays it’s the
data cables you cannot trust
, so maybe rolling your own data cables will make a comeback. (Which would at least be less tedious than than DB-25 was back in the day. Anyone else remember doing that?) USB-C can get pretty complicated when it comes to all its data modes, but we have an
explainer to get you started on that.
| 41
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139767",
"author": "electrobob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T21:37:20",
"content": "TBH, i am amazed about how many loose ends the USB C and USB-PD leave out.There is just too much freedom and combinations that your average person cannot make any sense of it.Couldn’t they just fix a few types of cables and a few types of capabilities to ports? Right now there are probably hundreds of combinations when you account for 2 devices and a cable connected together and a normal person somehow has to figure it out. With most often tiny microscopic labels next to the port nobody can understand and see, but also often times missing.And don’t get me started on PD. Couldn’t they just fix a set of spec for what an adapter of X watts should do? It would be great if any 2 adapters of the same power were interchangeable, but they are not.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139773",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T21:58:13",
"content": "If you want to know it gets even worse. I had an OEM HP motherboard (maybe a Blizzard2?), and when I finally found the documentation (on Archive.org, HP website had deleted it) it claimed no video outputs on the motherboard, well guess what, the USB C port had Alt Mode and the motherboard did have video!?!",
"parent_id": "8139767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139786",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T23:05:20",
"content": "Well at least that is a nice undocumented bonus, rather than a port that all the documentation makes you think SHOULD do one of the many not USB2.0 features of a USB-C port but actually doesn’t…I’ve seen plenty of stupid in USB-C that are still technically spec compliant, which just means I really can’t hate the spec enough… Once you add in all the folks using it out of spec, it just gets worse.",
"parent_id": "8139773",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139825",
"author": "Clara Hobbs",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T01:26:51",
"content": "And don’t get me started on PD. Couldn’t they just fix a set of spec for what an adapter of X watts should do? It would be great if any 2 adapters of the same power were interchangeable, but they are not.The standard does that. Standards-compliant chargers, therefore, do. Solution to your complaint: stop buying bad chargers.",
"parent_id": "8139767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139834",
"author": "Simon K",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:10:12",
"content": "the real problem is in the definition of “they”“they” are companies trying to min max bill of materials and labor to profit. companies plural so good luck forcing “they” to do anything",
"parent_id": "8139825",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139780",
"author": "rog",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T22:23:24",
"content": "He just needs to be sure he trusts the wire he got from alixpress, instead of the finished cabled made with ( maybe ) same wire.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139910",
"author": "Johnu",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T08:08:10",
"content": "^ this, I was wondering how it’s possible to buy real copper wire from Aliexpress with any sort of certainty.",
"parent_id": "8139780",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139925",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:01:28",
"content": "Measure its diameter (that’s obvious, the AWG of the wire is a well known standard for possible current)Put 12A in it and check its voltage drop. It’s a 2mn test with a lab power supply.Copper has a very well known resistivity of 17.8 nOhm.m, so the voltage drop will be current * 2 * wire_length * resistance, with resistance being the resistivity divided by the area of the section of the wire. You can use an online calculator, and you’ll get an idea of the resistance thus the section from the voltage drop.",
"parent_id": "8139910",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139977",
"author": "teh stig",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:42:32",
"content": "Wanna know a secret? There’s a far easier way. Apply an open flame from a lighter to the bare wire. CCA will curl up whereas copper will not.",
"parent_id": "8139925",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140005",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:22:56",
"content": "That’s the lazy uneducated way compared to voltage drop testing lmao",
"parent_id": "8139977",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140054",
"author": "Dragan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:02:40",
"content": "Yep",
"parent_id": "8139977",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140096",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:35:24",
"content": "Flame test won’t work for the steel cables. Yes, steel.Apparently it’s been a thing for awhile as I found an old power cable that a magnet stuck to.",
"parent_id": "8139977",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140099",
"author": "kwxx",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:58:48",
"content": "Will that help identify copper alloy, etc.?",
"parent_id": "8139977",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139963",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:58:50",
"content": "It’s easily testable on arrival. Strip some bare wire and hold it in a flame. Copper wire will stay intact, while copper clad aluminium will warp and melt. I think electronics Youtuber BigClive did this recently in one of his teardown videos.",
"parent_id": "8139910",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139791",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T23:15:34",
"content": ". (Which would at least be less tedious than than DB-25 was back in the day. Anyone else remember doing that?)Not sure I’d agree, making your own of those sort of connectors is tedious only because it takes time, it isn’t actually likely to go wrong unless you have no idea what you are doing and the singling done on such connectors are likely to be much more forgiving. Where USB-C, at least with the intention to run at anything beyond USB-2 speeds (and if all you need is USB-2 why wouldn’t you use the much much simpler to use connectors!!!) you have a huge number of conductors to hook up still, but now on a much much smaller connector, and thanks to the higher signalling speeds surely more problems actually maintaining the signal integrity. All along with probably wanting to put a chip in your cable to give access to the higher power levels, and at those higher levels your starting to want a multicore cable with some rather thicker cores to handle the power…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139806",
"author": "Thomas",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T00:10:11",
"content": "Why does it seem like I am the only person who has never had issues with USB-C or PD? I just buy quality cables and chargers from well known brands and leave it at that.This DIY option is pretty cool, though. Could be a fun project.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139943",
"author": "SteveW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:32:01",
"content": "I think you might be. The latest debacle for me is that the charging port on my phone is starting to fail, so that it is unreliable regardless of what charger I use. Cables/chargers from reputable suppliers do last longer, but none of them pass the “give it to a 13 year old” test.",
"parent_id": "8139806",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139991",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:37:48",
"content": "Because you have been insanely lucky? Or perhaps never want more than USB2 spec stuff from the USB-C connector?Though you do make a valid point getting reputable stuff will make a difference, especially as the USB-C standard terrible as it is is now being ‘used’ without actually bothering to be standards compliant all over the place – it has become the default connector for everything even when a barrel jack would have been more sane…",
"parent_id": "8139806",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140012",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:35:59",
"content": "heh that’s what i was thinking too. in both of these ‘dangers of usb cables’ articles. i’m not worried about an advanced persistent threat hacking my usb cables…but i am worried about a cable that won’t take data, or won’t take power. and i’ve simply never run into that.OTOH, my approach is totally different than yours. i only buy the cheapest of anything, and everything ‘just works’ because i don’t care about fast charging. if i had a usb-c charging port on my laptop, i’d have to be a little picky but my phone charges over night whether it takes half an hour or 3 hours.",
"parent_id": "8139806",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140085",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:41:10",
"content": "Yeah as long as you don’t need huge data speeds, USB-PD or worse high power marked cables USB-C is mostly alright, as you are not really getting into the weeds of the standard in what you need, all you really have is a new frock on the USB2 cable…You’ll really start to feel the USB-C cable hell when you want to run external GPU on your gaming handheld, or drive a high resolution display, network interface etc, all while also charging and still needing a few regular USB ports for the external KB/Mouse on your annoyingly fitted with only USB-C port machine. As suddenly you need that data rate (my experience says even decent branded cables tend to be lying on the data rate they can actually manage (at least on the longer cables I need)), and also need the high power throughput, and it all has to work at once and stay really stable or you’ll get file corruption, flickering screen etc. As it is the only cable you have connected and its doing everything it really needs to actually be able to handle it – in effect once you are really making use of USB-C in a way that somewhat justifies its existence over the other USB connectors it frequently becomes awful.",
"parent_id": "8140012",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140185",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:30:53",
"content": "i can imagine a world where usb-c replaces hdmi for tv / monitor, and hopefully by the time that happens all my cables will be good enough for it :)",
"parent_id": "8140085",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139816",
"author": "Sceptical",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T00:54:46",
"content": "Buying unbranded μchips from China to embed in your usb cable is the “most trustworthy” option?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139927",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:02:46",
"content": "Exactly. The alternative is… wait…",
"parent_id": "8139816",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139976",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T12:40:11",
"content": "“They respect human first”? That sounds like it was written by a PRC spokesperson. I’m sure the Uyghurs would disagree. And to be clear, I’m not pretending the U.S. has clean hands either—far from it—but let’s not whitewash authoritarian regimes with empty platitudes.",
"parent_id": "8139927",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140013",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:38:00",
"content": "i would highly recommend that you research Uyghurs’ opinions beyond the information that has been pushed to you by US media. FUD is not just in tech.",
"parent_id": "8139976",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140057",
"author": "Dragan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:07:18",
"content": "Uyghurs is a typical western propaganda talking point. Western media has been screaming about Uyghur “genocide” while the same media would not date to call the 100x larger slaughter in Palestine a genocide. In summary: don’t be an NPC.",
"parent_id": "8139976",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140066",
"author": "MW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:26:37",
"content": "Yep. Sure. Tell that to the 30+ million Chinese that Mao killed for his “cultural revolution”.",
"parent_id": "8139927",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139841",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T02:53:47",
"content": "Maybe measure the current draw of a cable that’s not plugged into a device. If it has hidden circuitry, then it should pull something.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139851",
"author": "TSW",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T03:15:03",
"content": "There’s a story about a fellow that stole power from the utility by tapping the feed before the meter.He got away with it for much longer than most folks do, because he fed the stolen power through a contactor whose coil was powered by the main breaker.If he’d put the contactor further away from the panel he might have gotten away with it, but an elf eared investigator heard the contactor in the wall.Anyway, the cable’s nefarious clandestine circuitry may only power up when there’s already power delivery occuring.",
"parent_id": "8139841",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139850",
"author": "Jack Dansen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T03:14:39",
"content": "USB-C is a victim of it’s own success. It is a horrible physical interface which constantly breaks and wears out. Micro-B was so much better in that regard and Micro-A even better. It is a horrible mix of standards where you never know if the cable or the port will support the specific feature you need. Yes, I am technical enough to validate the cable and sort through all the standards, but the average person and certainly not my parent’s are able to figure this out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139897",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:14:03",
"content": "Was Micro-B really better than USB-C in the durability department? I believe it instinctually but everyone online keeps harping about how durable USB-C is compared to micro-B so I don’t really know",
"parent_id": "8139850",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139919",
"author": "Conor Stewart",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T09:08:17",
"content": "On the other hand I have had many micro USB connectors fail, both on device side and on the cable but have not had a USB C connector fail yet.",
"parent_id": "8139850",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139929",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:10:13",
"content": "USB-C is a very good connector, it’s reliable and safe and technically superior in every aspect to any other USB connector. The issue is in the penny saver, those you decide, like the OP, not to wire all the connector but only few wire (and cheat with a µChip) and thus save money from cabling. Leading to USB-C to USB-C cable buying being a lottery, since you’ll never know what you’re gonna get. I’ve bought so many USB-C to USB-C cable from Amazon and returned so many that I hope, Amazon will stop those sellers from never selling their crap again (Iguessthat the return rate of a product is a good sign that’ll prevent bad seller from selling).There’s only one good cable: the one that has all its wires wired as they should with the right section, right insulation, right shielding, right resistors. Once you have one, you keep it and you can drop all the other one.",
"parent_id": "8139850",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139952",
"author": "Duncan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T11:04:18",
"content": "I’ve broken the USB-C connectors on diarrhea of cables, including e.g. very expensive apple ones.I’ve never broken a USB-B connector, and I’ve used those as load bearing components in some lamps.The right cable is the one that is to hand and works.",
"parent_id": "8139929",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140015",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:46:13",
"content": "i wish people would provide data — even anecdata — instead of “constantly breaks and wears out.” i’ll start.about a decade ago, i found two bad micro usb cables and i thought “these things are constantly breaking and wearing out”, just like you did. so i ordered 3 different cheapo micro usb cables, thinking at least one of them would work. the first one i opened up worked and in fact i think i’ve only thrown out one micro usb cable since. iow, they last really well for me, especially considering the abuse they endure.i’ve never had a usb-c cable or connector fail or disappoint in any way. i’m not a demanding user butand like Duncan said, the right cable is the one in your hand. and i’ve never seen micro-a in the flesh so i contest your assessment that it’s better :)",
"parent_id": "8139850",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139889",
"author": "D",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T06:40:39",
"content": "I would trust a name brand cable more than DIY. They likely have automated testing and at least semi automated soldering.At best I would trust DIY equally, only after building or buying some kind of cable testing device that could verify correct wiring.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140082",
"author": "Robert Hardy",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:30:17",
"content": "It’s your own diy, if you don’t have the competency, don’t do it.",
"parent_id": "8139889",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139894",
"author": "Thijzer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:03:38",
"content": "Cheap cables already have two thick wires for the power so I don’t see the issue that he’s trying to solve against the danger of shorting leads or breaking the connector(s).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139934",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:13:35",
"content": "That’s because USB-C is reversible, and it spread all the power on multiple wires into the cable to avoid too large wire (and rigidity). The thick 5V/GND wire is USB-A era cables. If you have a lot of thin wires and the manufacturer used even thinner wire than expected, they are more likely to break when twisted/bent, and, possibly short inside the cable.",
"parent_id": "8139894",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139923",
"author": "strawberrymortallyb0bcea48e7",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T09:55:39",
"content": "USB = over complicated mess",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139949",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T10:54:14",
"content": "I’ve made some short USB extension cables with loose plugs and silicone insulated wiring. Both the silicone and the weaving (without the stiff extra outer shell) make these cables very flexible, and they are nice to use.The cables I made are 10 to 20cm long. I have one hub lying on my desk, and I use these cables to plug in stuff like Logic Analyzers, ST-Link Clones and other programmers and stuff. The cables are long enough to get to my projects, but they are so short they never can get tangled.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.641167
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/dead-amstrad-becomes-something-new/
|
Dead Amstrad Becomes Something New
|
Tyler August
|
[
"classic hacks",
"Retrocomputing"
] |
[
"Amstrad",
"casemod",
"mini pc",
"pc case",
"retro computer",
"sleeper pc"
] |
When you run into old hardware you cannot restore, what do you do? Toss it? Sell it for parts? If you’re [TME Retro],
you hide a high-end mini PC inside an Amstrad-shaped sleeper build
.
The donor laptop is an Amstrad ALT-286 with glorious 80s styling that
[TME Retro] tried to save in a previous video
. Even with help from the community there was no saving this unit, so we can put away the pitchforks and torches. This restomod is perhaps the best afterlife the old Amstrad could have hoped for.
At first [TME Retro] was going to try and fit an iPad Pro screen, but it turned out those don’t have the driver-board ecosystem the smaller iPads do, so he went with a non-retina LCD panel from Amazon instead. Shoving an LCD where an LCD used to live and sticking an expensive mini-PC inside a bulky 80s case is not the most inspiring of hacks, but that’s not all [TME Retro] did.
Clever dongles keep the original ports intact while allowing modern connectivity.
First, they were able to save the original keyboard, thanks to the longevity of the PC/AT standard and a PS/2 dongle — after all, PS/2 is essentially AT with a different connector. Then they produced what has to be the world’s highest-bandwidth parallel-port dongle by routing the two gigabit network ports through the original 25-pin connector. USB is a serial bus, so breaking out two USB ports via the pins one of the old serial ports makes thematic sense. The second serial port is set up to take a PS/2 mouse instead of the serial mouse you might have used in the 80s. USB-C is still available via an adapter that went into the original expansion slot.
We’ve seen this sort of modding before, of course, on everything from 1980s vintage
Mac Classics
and
LCD-386 portable PC
s to 1990s
Jellybean iMac G3s,
to the
internet-famous Hotwheels PC
. It’s always sad to see old hardware fail, but arguably these casemods are a lot more usable to their owners than the original hardware could ever be in 2025.
| 7
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139804",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T00:05:21",
"content": "Gigabit network ports |= Gigabyte network ports",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139995",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T13:56:13",
"content": "Typo fixed, thanks.",
"parent_id": "8139804",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140020",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T14:55:26",
"content": "hahah i do not respect gutting a laptop and putting a modern ‘mini PC’ in it. butsomeonemust like to click on that, or they wouldn’t put it in so many clickbaits.but i am hopping mad about doing that to the ports. db-25 parallel port is supposed to be the world’s worse gpio. de-9 serial port is supposed to be the most frustrating serial interface (i think i still have a 1488/1489 pair sitting around), maybe you harvest power off of rts/cts. i believe in ports, man. this thing is against my beliefs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140086",
"author": "Josh",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T18:41:10",
"content": "Wait, do I understand you correctly that you oppose the port repurposing because the modern counterparts are not frustrating enough?I mean, not a stance I would take, but I respect the conviction.",
"parent_id": "8140020",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140187",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T01:33:59",
"content": "getting ethernet over some d-sub port iseven more frustratingand doesn’t have the function of the old connector. it’s entirely the wrong interface for the function, and the wrong function for the interface",
"parent_id": "8140086",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140506",
"author": "Daev",
"timestamp": "2025-06-20T00:41:07",
"content": "Yeah i’m inclined to agree, the older ports are easier to use as they were.When I did what “TME Retro” (what’s retro about a NUC?) did with my ALT-286, I kept it pretty much stock in terms of peripherals, but bumped it up to 2x 80C286@25MHz, with an FPGA northbridge that provides 32MB of SDRAM for application use, derived from the fpga286r2 project. So it’s more like a supped up 286 workstation running MINIX and DOS simultaneously.when the display dies out, i’m going to replace the Palette DAC IC that generates the VGA signal with one capable of LVDS output suitable for driving a modern LCD/OLED.",
"parent_id": "8140187",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140098",
"author": "TME Retro",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T19:57:08",
"content": "Good thing your respect doesn’t fund my channel :)",
"parent_id": "8140020",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,511.931228
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-gaming-typewriter/
|
Keebin’ With Kristina: The One With The Gaming Typewriter
|
Kristina Panos
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] |
[
"banzai",
"bonsai",
"columbia index typewriter",
"gaming typewriter",
"index typewriter",
"Parkinson's disease",
"spelling bee"
] |
Can you teach an old typewriter new tricks?
You can, at least if you’re [maniek-86]
. And a word to all you typewriter fanatics out there — this Optima SP 26 was beyond repair, lacking several internal parts.
Image by [maniek-86] via
reddit
But the fully available keyboard was a great start for a gaming typewriter. So [maniek-86] crammed in some parts that were just laying around unused, starting with a micro-ATX motherboard.
But let’s talk about the keyboard. It has a standard matrix, which [maniek-86] hooked up to an Arduino Lenoardo. Although the keyboard has a Polish layout, [maniek-86] remapped it to English-US layout.
As you’ll see in the
photos of the internals
, this whole operation required careful Tetris-ing of the components to avoid overheating and ensure the cover could go back on.
The graphics were a bit of a challenge, since the motherboard had no PCI-E x16 slot. To address this, [maniek-86] used a riser cable, probably connected to a PCI-E x1 slot with an adapter, in order to use an NVIDIA GT 635 GPU. It can’t run AAA games at 4k, but you can bet that it’ll play Minecraft, Fortnite, or Dota 2 just fine.
Parkinson’s Keyboard Design Starts With the Human Body
This is
OnCue
, designed by [Alessandra Galli]. For Andrea, design is a “vehicle for care, inclusion, and meaningful social impact,” and these values are evident in her creation.
Image by [Alessandra Galli] via
Design Wanted
What makes OnCue different? Lots of things. For one, there’s a pair of wearable cuffs which use haptic feedback and visual cues to help alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The keycaps are like little trays for your fingers, so it’s much harder to accidentally hit neighboring keys while typing.
The keys themselves have haptic feedback as well as the cuffs. AI-driven visual cues light up the most likely next letters, which is interesting. And everybody deserves a split layout.
Although wrist-based haptic feedback was the most well-received feature based on user feedback, it’s interesting to note that no single feature stood out as preferred by all. Users found the haptic feedback calming and relaxing, which is a huge win compared to the usual keyboard experience faced by users with Parkinson’s disease. Because the overall Parkinson’s experience is different for everyone, [Alessandra] took a modular approach to designing the customization software. Users can adjust the settings based on routines, preferences, and intensity of symptoms. And plus it looks to me like there’s a haptic feedback slider right there on the keyboard.
The Centerfold: Bonsai? Banzai!
Image by [mugichanman] via
reddit
Again, isn’t this just
nice
?
The overall look, of course. I wouldn’t be able to use that keyboard or probably that mouse, but maybe that keyboard hiding on the right would work.
Regarding the real bonsai on the right shelf, [mugichanman] keeps it outside for the most part. It only comes indoors for a little while — three days at the absolute most. If you’re interested in the care and feeding of these tiny trees,
check out this bonsai master class in a book
.
Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad?
Send me a picture
along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!
Historical Clackers: the Columbia Index Typewriter
Remember
the Caligraph
? Probably not, so I’ll wait. Well, apparently inventor Charles Spiro was hellbent on building a better Caligraph after he saw one being used. But he couldn’t raise enough capital to create such a large machine, so instead he went down to the basement and came up with
the Columbia Index Typewriter
.
Image via
The Antikey Chop
If you’ll recall, index typewriters are like label makers — you must choose each character using an index of some kind. Operating this machine was no different.
One simply turned the straight handle on the right side to choose the character, which was highlighted by a small hand. Then the user would just press down on the handle to print it, and this action locked the typewheel so it wouldn’t slip and print something different.
Interestingly, the Columbia was the first typewriter with proportional spacing. That means that the carriage advanced based on the width of individual characters.
Columbia typewriters were only made for three years, from 1884-87. Three models were produced — Nos. 1 and 2, followed by an improved No. 2. The Columbia shown here is a No. 1, which typed in uppercase only. The 2 came out in March 1885 and could do upper and lowercase. The improved No. 2 was more robust and better mechanically, as well as being easier on the eyes. By 1887, Spiro was working on
the Bar-Lock typewriter
.
Finally, One-Handed Keyboard Does It Flat Out
The journey toward
the keyboard you see here
began with an email to [HTX Studio]. It came from a father who wanted to see his daughter be digitally independent again after an accident took the use of her right hand.
Image by [HTX Studio] via
Yanko Design
He asked the company to build a one-handed keyboard with a built-in trackball mouse, and even included a drawing of what he envisioned.
After several iterations, each tested by the daughter, the result is a compact, 61-key affair in a fanned-out arrangement for ease of use. Everything is within close reach, with special consideration given to the location of Space and Delete.
One of the early iterations had the user moving the entire keyboard around to mouse. While that’s definitely an interesting solution, I’m glad that everyone settled on the nicely exposed trackball with left and right click buttons above Space and Delete.
Another thing I’m happy about is that [HTX Studio] not only built 50 more of these in both left- and right-handed models and gave them away to people who need them,
they went ahead and open-sourced it
(Chinese,
translated
). Be sure to check out their fantastic video below.
Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards?
Help me out by sending in a link or two
. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to
email me directly
.
| 3
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139878",
"author": "Ewald",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:18:03",
"content": "I love the story about the one handed keyboard and the fact that they choose to make it open source. It’s also a great video about the design proces, thanks for sharing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140195",
"author": "J.H.",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T02:02:59",
"content": "OnCue is a funky little keyboard. I love it. 🩷",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140284",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T08:23:42",
"content": "The parkinson keyboard might be great for people suffering from it, but from an ergonomic perspective it’s not great. Many moons ago, those gel pads became a fad and people put these gel filled pads in front of their keyboards and mice. It also correlated to the fat of keyboards with an angled piece in front of the keyboard that was usually directly attached to it so you couldn’t remove it. The problem is that if you lay your wrists down while typing or mousing, you can end up with problems with your nerves. The pressure from your wrists can cause nerve damage after a longer time because you keep squishing your nerves, causing repetitive strain injury. It was sold to prevent it, but it resulted in more people having problems. Your wrists need to be free, up in the air, in a straight line to your keyboard to cause the least amount of damage. I think, although I find the video hard to watch, that the one handed keyboard has a very similar problem. It’s better to get a simple keyboard with no wrist part and have it TKL or smaller, so you can put your mouse in the place where the numpad usually is if you are having problems. If you do need to enter a lot of numbers, get a separate numpad.Might be great for those that need it but if you don’t, it’s best to avoid it.Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, the design work is amazing, especially from the parkison keyboard and if it can help people it’s great. If you have parkinson and this allows you to type and connect to the world, then I’m all for it. I’m really curious about the keycaps as those dished keycaps are something I have never seen before and I’m very curious about actually typing on it.Regarding keyboards, what I would love to see is a nice (not brand specific) configurator for DIY mechanical keyboards. I know there is keebfinder but it’s far from usable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,511.802106
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/a-diy-version-of-the-franck-hertz-experiment/
|
A DIY Version Of The Franck-Hertz Experiment
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"hardware",
"Science"
] |
[
"Franck-Hertz Experiment",
"quantum physics"
] |
The Franck–Hertz experiment was a pioneering physics observation announced in 1914 which explained that energy came in “packets” which we call “quanta”, marking the beginning of quantum physics. Recently, [Markus Bindhammer] wrote in to let us know he had
redone the experiment for himself.
In the original experiment a mercury vacuum tube was used, but in his recreation of the experiment [Markus] uses a cheaper argon tube. He still gets the result he is looking for though, which is quite remarkable. If you watch the video you will see the current readings clump around specific voltage levels. These voltage levels indicate that energy is quantized, which was a revolutionary idea at the time. If you’re interested in how contemporary physics regards, particles, waves, and quanta, check out this excellent presentation:
But What Actually Is a Particle? How Quantum Fields Shape Reality
.
Before closing we have to say that the quality of [Markus]’s build was exceptional. He made a permanent enclosure for his power supplies, made custom PCBs, used ferrule crimps for all his wire interconnects, included multiple power switches and dials, professionally labeled and insulated everything, and even went to the trouble of painting the box! Truly a first class build. One thing that surprised us though was his use of rivets where we would almost certainly have used bolts or screws… talk about confidence in your workmanship!
If you’re interested in quantum physics it is certainly a topic we have covered here at Hackaday. Check out
Quantum Mechanics And Negative Time With Photon-Atom Interactions
or
Shedding Light On Quantum Measurement With Calcite
.
| 5
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139669",
"author": "Markus Bindhammer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T16:36:53",
"content": "The “Physics explained” channel ist one of my favorite theoretical physics channel. For most of the videos, high school math is enough to follow.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139712",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:59:03",
"content": "Is the physics behind the Franck–Hertz experiment also responsible for the the positive-column “striations” in a Crooke’s tube?The light and dark bands seem to imply discrete energy levels….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139725",
"author": "Markus Bindhammer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:33:04",
"content": "Since I have also worked with the Crookes tube, I can tell you, if I remember correctly, that the alternating light and dark bands (striations) are caused by the instability of the plasma.",
"parent_id": "8139712",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139881",
"author": "macw",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:30:38",
"content": "Are the rivets in the room with us?It looks to me like it’s all assembled with wood screws, small bolts, and nuts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139900",
"author": "Markus Bindhammer",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T07:30:59",
"content": "You’re right. No rivets:)",
"parent_id": "8139881",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,511.86681
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/a-gentle-introduction-to-ncurses-for-the-terminally-impatient/
|
A Gentle Introduction To Ncurses For The Terminally Impatient
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Slider",
"Software Development",
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"cli",
"command line",
"ncurses",
"terminal"
] |
Considered by many to be just a dull output for sequential text, the command-line terminal is a veritable canvas to the creative software developer. With the cursor as the brush, entire graphical user interfaces can be constructed, or even a basic text-based dashboard on which values can be updated without redrawing the entire screen over and over, or opting for a much heavier solution like a GUI.
Ncurses is one of the most well-known and rather portable Terminal User Interface (TUI) libraries using that such cursor control, and more, can be achieved in a fairly painless manner. That said, for anyone coming from a graphical user interface framework, the concepts and terminology with ncurses and similar can be confusingly different yet overlapping, so that getting started can be somewhat harrowing.
In this article we’ll take a look at ncurses’ history, how to set it up and how to use it with C and C++, and many more languages supported via bindings.
Tools And Curses
The acronym
TUI
is actually a so-called retronym, as TUIs were simply the way of life before the advent of bitmapped, videocard-accelerated graphics. In order to enable more than just basic, sequential character output, the terminal had to support commands that would move the cursor around the screen, along with commands that affect the way text is displayed. This basic sequence of moving the cursor and updating active attributes is what underlies TUIs, with the system’s supported character sets determining the scope of displayed characters.
Ncurses,
short for “new
curses
“, is an evolution of the
curses
library by Ken Arnold as originally released in 1978 for BSD UNIX, where it saw use with a number of games like
Rogue
. Originally it was a freely distributable clone of System V Release 4.0 (SVr4)
curses
by the time of its release in 1993,
based on
the existing
pcurses
package. Later, ncurses adopted a range of new features over the course of its subsequent development by multiple authors that distinguished it from
curses
, and would result in it becoming the new de-facto default across a wide range of platforms.
The current version is maintained by Thomas Dickey, and the ncurses library and development files are readily available from your local package manager, or downloadable from the
ncurses website
. Compiling and running ncurses-based application is straightforward on Linux, BSD, and MacOS courtesy of the
libncurses
and related files being readily available and often already installed. On Windows you can use the MinGW port, with
MSYS2
providing an appropriate terminal emulator, as well as the
pacman
package manager and access to the same ncurses functionality as on the other platforms.
Hello Curses
The core ncurses functionality can be accessed after including the
ncurses.h
header. There are two standard extensions in the
panel.h
and
menu.h
headers for panel stack management and menus, respectively. Panels are effectively wrappers around an ncurses window that automate a lot of the tedious juggling of multiple potentially overlapping windows. The menu extension is basically what it says on the tin, and makes creating and using menus easier.
For a ‘hello world’ ncurses application we’d write the following:
This application initializes ncurses before writing the
Hello World!
string to both the top left, at (2, 2) and the center of the terminal window, with the terminal window size being determined dynamically with
getmaxyx()
. The
mvprintw()
and
mvwprintw()
work like
printf()
, with both taking the coordinates to move the cursor to the indicated position in row (y), column (x) order. The extra ‘w’ after ‘mv’ in the function name indicates that it targets a specific window, which here is
stdscr
, but could be a custom window. Do note that ncurses works with y/x instead of the customary x/y order.
Next, we use attributes in this example to add some color. We initialize a pair, on index 1, using
predefined
colors and enable this attribute with
attron()
and the
COLOR_PAIR
macro before printing the text.
Attributes
can also be used to render text as bold, italic, blinking, dimmed, reversed and many more styles.
Finally, we turn the color attribute back off and wait for a keypress with
getch()
before cleaning up with
endwin()
. This code is also available along with a Makefile to build it in
this GitHub repository
as
hello_ncurses.cpp
. Note that on Windows (MSYS2) the include path for the ncurses header is different, and you have to compile with the
-DNCURSES_STATIC
define to be able to link.
Here the background, known as the standard screen (
stdscr
) is used to write to, but we can also segment this surface into windows, which are effectively overlays on top of this background.
Multi-Window Application
The Usagi Electric 1 (UE1) emulator with ncurses front-end.
There’s more to an ncurses application than just showing pretty text on the screen. There is also handling keyboard input and continuously updating on-screen values. These features are demonstrated in e.g. the
emulator which I wrote recently
for David Lovett’s Usagi Electric 1 (UE1) vacuum tube-based 1-bit computer. This was my first ever ncurses project, and rather educational as a result.
Using David’s QuickBasic-based version as the basis, I wrote a C++ port that differs from the QB version in that there’s no single large loop, but rather a separate CPU (
processor.cpp
) thread that processes the instructions, while the front-end (
ue1_emu.cpp
) contains the user input processing loop as well as the ncurses-specific functionality. This helps to keep the processor core’s code as generic as possible. Handling command line flags and arguments is taken care of by another project of mine:
Sarge
.
This UE1 front-end creates two
ncurses windows
with a specific size, draws a box using the default characters and refreshes the windows to make them appear. The default text is drawn with a slight offset into the window area, except for the ‘title’ on the border, which is simply text printed with leading and trailing spaces with a column offset but on row zero.
Handling user input with
getch()
wouldn’t work here, as that function is specific to
stdscr
and would foreground that ‘window’. Ergo we need to use the following:
int key = wgetch(desc)
. This keeps the ‘desc’ window in focus and obtains the key input from there.
During each CPU cycle the
update_display()
function is called, in which successive
mvwprintw()
calls are made to update on-screen values, making sure to blank out previous data to prevent ghosting, with
clrtoeol()
and kin as the nuclear option. The only use of attributes is with color and bold around the processor state, indicating a running state in bold green and halted with bold red.
Finally, an interesting and crucial part of ncurses is the
beep()
function, which does what it says on the tin. For UE1 it’s used to indicate success by ringing the bell of the system (inspired by the Bendix G-15), which here provides a more subtle beep but can be used to e.g. indicate a successful test run. There’s also the
flash()
function that unsurprisingly flashes the terminal to get the operator’s attention.
A Much Deeper Rabbit Hole
By the time that you find yourself writing an ncurses-based application on the level of, say, Vim, you will need a bit more help just keeping track of all the separate windows that you will be creating. This is where the
Panel library
comes into play, which are basically wrappers for windows that automate a lot of the tedious stuff such as refreshing windows and keeping track of the window stack.
Applications also love to have menus, which can either be painstakingly created and managed using core ncurses features, or simplified with the
Menu library
. For everyone’s favorite data-entry widget, there is the
Forms library
, which provides not only the widgets, but also provides field validation features. If none of this is enough for your purposes, then there’s the Curses Development Kit (
CDK
). For less intensive purposes, such as just popping up a dialog from a shell script, there is the
dialog
utility that comes standard on Linux and many other platforms and provides easy access to ncurses functionality with very little fuss.
All of which serves to state that the ground covered in this article merely scratches the surface, even if it should be enough to get one at least part-way down the ncurses rabbit hole and hopefully appreciative of the usefulness of TUIs even in today’s bitmapped GUI world.
Header image:
ncurses-tetris
by [Won Yong Jang].
| 23
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139634",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T15:09:05",
"content": "Cool. I like NCurses and it was on my “to learn” list for quite a while.But have you seen NotCurses???I want to learn that! The documentation though is mostly for C which I haven’t really done much with since college. One of these days someone is going to make a good NotCurses tutorial for Python or some other higher level language. Can’t wait!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140263",
"author": "llvm",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T07:03:49",
"content": "Its rly good",
"parent_id": "8139634",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139638",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T15:15:55",
"content": "I love the concept of TUIs but I’m not fan of the [n]curses API because it’s not structured in a hierarchical manner. I’m not saying it’s terrible, I’m just saying it could be a lot better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139650",
"author": "vickyfan",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T15:40:51",
"content": "based wony enjoyer 😂",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139692",
"author": "Gösta",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:25:08",
"content": "Great article :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139716",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:16:48",
"content": "Thanks! I use ncurses a bit in ‘C’ and Python. Try not to go ‘overboard’ on it though. Use in small projects. Nothing wrong with console based apps…. in my world.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139748",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T20:05:49",
"content": "Thanks! I did not know about getmaxyx(). I guess this needs to run again in response to SIGWINCH?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139775",
"author": "DayN",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T22:07:20",
"content": "Personally, I use the ncurses variables LINES (for y) and COLS (for x) for stdscrAnd to check if the terminal was resized, I check if getch() == KEY_RESIZE.",
"parent_id": "8139748",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140027",
"author": "Jack Dansen",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:48:55",
"content": "If you’re coding in Python and looking for a convenient way to do terminal UX, I highly recommend taking a look at Textual:https://textual.textualize.io/It’s become my goto over ncurses.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140035",
"author": "wtgretg",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T16:10:43",
"content": "I hate [n]curses. Because it is not memory safe or… dificult to debug because are memory leaks (meybe teoreticaly meybe not).Rust have 2 better library. But still yhis is not elegant.[please use valgrind for any hello world gtk, ncurses etc. every library have trouble ]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8140390",
"author": "Jii",
"timestamp": "2025-06-19T16:03:59",
"content": "I curse every day, but i don’t think it affects my memory.",
"parent_id": "8140035",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8140069",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T17:32:20",
"content": "During each CPU cycle the update_display() function is called🫠",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8141811",
"author": "Bastet",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:43:26",
"content": "Yay! Free burn-in test!",
"parent_id": "8140069",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8141809",
"author": "Bastet",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T10:41:19",
"content": "While i applaud (n/p/pd)curses, all i would need would be for conio.h to enter the C standard. Simple API, simple to use, no boilerplate, no nothing.Want my cursor to move?gotoxy(10,12);Want to clear the screen?clrscr();Want to know if someone pressed a button on the keyboard?if(kbhit())lastkey=getch();Can’t get much easier than that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,512.080743
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/06/17/how-discord-was-ported-to-windows-95-and-nt-3-1/
|
How Discord Was Ported To Windows 95 And NT 3.1
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"Discord",
"msn messenger",
"windows 95"
] |
On the desktop, most people use the official HTML and JavaScript-based client for Discord in either a browser or a still-smells-like-a-browser Electron package. Yet what if there was a way to use a third-party client and even run it on Windows XP, Windows 95, and NT 3.1? This is exactly what
[iDontProgramInCpp] did with their Discord Messenger project
.
Fortunately, as a web ‘app’ the Discord API is readily accessible and they don’t seem to be in a rush to ban third-party clients. But it did require a bit of work to add newer versions of TLS encryption to Windows XP and older. Fortunately OpenSSL still supports these older platforms, so this was not a major hurdle and Windows XP happily ran this new Discord client. That left porting to older Windows versions.
Most of the challenge lies in writing shims for API calls that do not exist on these older platforms when backporting software from Windows XP to older Windows versions, and GCC (MinGW) had to be used instead of MSVC, but this also was a relatively minor detail. Finally, Windows NT 3.1 was picked as the last challenge for Discord Messenger, which ran into MSVCRT runtime issues and required backporting features to the NT 3.1 version that was still part of the OS back then.
[MattKC] covers the project in a recent video
, as well as the
AeroChat
client which targets Windows Live Messenger fans. Hopefully the API that allows these projects to operate doesn’t get locked down, as third-party clients like these bring their own unique advantages to the Discord ecosystem.
| 27
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8139580",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T11:20:38",
"content": "Now do win32s.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139585",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T11:48:33",
"content": "That was my first thought, too.Win32s 1.30 is more advanced in terms of API level than NT 3.1, except for threading.It has certain Win95 compatibility, which NT 3.1 hasn’t yet.SSL might be the problem, though.",
"parent_id": "8139580",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139698",
"author": "iProgramInCpp",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:38:33",
"content": "Win32s does not have support for threads. Because I use some relatively bloated C++11 libraries (asio, websocketpp, httplib) instead of more light C alternatives (which I found harder to integrate at the time), and because both DMandOpenSSL (the SSL library) use threads, Win32s does not seem like a possibility at this time. However it is very possible to replace the entire HTTP+SSL and WebSocket backend with something that uses purely non-blocking network I/O to get it to work on Win32s.But then you have the problem of the limited resources. Win32s does not provide more than 16 MB of memory for each application, and you are limited by the global GDI and USER resource limits.",
"parent_id": "8139580",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139584",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T11:30:36",
"content": "Hardware/electronics hobbyists mostly design and make stuff for their own personal or niche community use caseSoftware hobbyists on the other hand either make mega useful software which is used by thousands of people across the world or port random pieces of software to Intel 4004 or whateverI find it hilarious",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139602",
"author": "Krzysztof",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T13:15:33",
"content": "Only because it’s easy to copy software, it costs more to copy hardware objects. If you could produce electronics with one click after download, electronics hobbyists would make usable products too.",
"parent_id": "8139584",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139718",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:18:21",
"content": "I was going to agree, but then I thought about the many famiclones and bootlegs, the xxx in 4 cartridges etc.These noname famicom games did include PROMs and mappers, after all.",
"parent_id": "8139602",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139729",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:46:57",
"content": "This software project is very practical, also.Discord is being used in vintage computing community, I mean.So it’s just natural if users can use Discord directly on, say, a Win98 rig.That makes the whole hobby more real, I think, if no modern PC is needed.Of course, using good old forums such as vcfed forums would be even better.Forums are open and an valuable resource of information to anyone.",
"parent_id": "8139584",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139590",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T11:54:21",
"content": "In some ways that client looks better and easier to read than the current one. Yea massively un-modern but if you can let yourself stray from the fashion of it and go straight to useability it looks nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139730",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:52:41",
"content": "Hi, I think it looks very tidy and logical.Like the old skins of Wikipedia (Vector 2010, Monobook).Because to those who’re looking for information, a structured design is useful, even if it’s not the most pretty.Also, I think that Vista’s Aero Glass was much better/modern/elegant/sophisticated than the bland design of Windows 10/11.But that being said, I’ve never been a fan of minimalism, either.",
"parent_id": "8139590",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139732",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:59:45",
"content": "I think such old GUIs feel “un-modern” because we’re used to compare everything with the smartphone.So it happens that a truely primitive, dumbed-down GUI (smartphone) feels superior to that of a fully functional operating system (desktop).",
"parent_id": "8139590",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139624",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T14:45:59",
"content": "Why did you add “Dont” to his username?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139626",
"author": "Maya Posch",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T14:49:01",
"content": "I didn’t add that, it’s his username on YouTube and elsewhere, and was how he was credited in the video. Somehow his GitHub username appears to lack the ‘Dont’, but I have no idea if that’s the same person or what the story is.",
"parent_id": "8139624",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139697",
"author": "iProgramInCpp",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:35:36",
"content": "I go by “iProgramInCpp” on most platforms I use, including YouTube. However, due to the success of videos I posted on my alt account, called “iDontProgramInCpp”, that ended up becoming my main account.",
"parent_id": "8139626",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139632",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T15:06:12",
"content": "Meh.I’ll stick with IRC until the new shiny is something totally open.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139670",
"author": "Jmaj",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T16:38:14",
"content": "I’ll stick with IRC period. I don’t want a “new shiny” regardless of openness. Discord is a blight.",
"parent_id": "8139632",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139746",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T20:04:29",
"content": "There’s matrix",
"parent_id": "8139632",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139676",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T16:47:06",
"content": "I had to look up what Discord actually was :) . Obviously I am not in that ‘loop’…. Nor why you would want to port it to Win 95, but then we all have to have a hobby :) . ha!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139684",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:09:02",
"content": "More proof that new OSes have been useless for 30+ years. The tech industry just loves wasting people’s time and money.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139701",
"author": "iProgramInCpp",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T17:40:21",
"content": "This is simply not true. Newer OSes are more stable than their predecessors, include more features, and get optimized better for the current hardware. (For example, Windows recently introduced support for heterogenous processor architectures such as ARM’s big.LITTLE or Intel/AMD’s P- and E-core system)",
"parent_id": "8139684",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139879",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T05:20:12",
"content": "But did we really need to do all that?",
"parent_id": "8139701",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8179111",
"author": "iProgramInCpp",
"timestamp": "2025-09-13T08:07:51",
"content": "Yes, we did.",
"parent_id": "8139879",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139720",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T18:23:47",
"content": "Well, the base Win32 API had been complete by late 90s, already.But that doesn’t make for a complete OS yet.It needs driver models for device drivers, multi core/multi processor support in the kernel, a scheduler, virtual memory managment.A network stack, network protocols and so on.Especially Windows NT runs Win32 as a separate subsystem, on top of the native API.",
"parent_id": "8139684",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139734",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T19:04:53",
"content": "It’s a complete OS if it lets you do stuff on the computer, honestly. User software should do most of the work.",
"parent_id": "8139720",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8139742",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T19:49:16",
"content": "Operating systems are always are product of their time, sort of.It’s more than just running applications, but also about interfacing with the outer world.Original Windows 95 didn’t support USB or FAT32, for example.Windows Vista added support for TCP/IP v6, among other things.Sure you can run ordinary Win32 applications on both of them, but it’s not much use if the OS can’t cope with the technology that surrounds it.For example, large HDDs. Windows XP was limited to 2TB for internal HDDs (MBR, NTFS).Windows 7 supported GPT and larger internal HDDs.Then there’s renoval of BIOS/CSM and VGA BIOS.Many modern PCs can’t even boot into Windows 98SE or XP anymore.",
"parent_id": "8139734",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8139735",
"author": "Reggie",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T19:21:40",
"content": "I stopped using discord because of the annoying frequent update releases. Maybe this port can give more hassle free time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8139759",
"author": "Gus A Mueller",
"timestamp": "2025-06-17T21:09:37",
"content": "a chat app on a Turing-complete computer should not be considered a breakthrough, but such is the bloated state of software ecosystems",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140025",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2025-06-18T15:21:09",
"content": "Oh my gosh, it’s beautiful. My friend’s toaster laptop can barely handle our DnD session: Discord, Roll20, and a fancy PDF at the same time. It’s like 3 browsers running at once.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,512.14608
|
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