url stringlengths 37 208 | title stringlengths 4 148 | author stringclasses 173
values | publish_date stringclasses 1
value | categories listlengths 0 12 | tags listlengths 0 27 | featured_image stringlengths 0 272 | content stringlengths 0 56.1k | comments_count int64 0 900 | scraped_comments_count int64 0 50 | comments listlengths 0 50 | scraped_at float64 1.76B 1.76B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/hackaday-links-august-15-2021/ | Hackaday Links: August 15, 2021 | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"Apollo-Soyuz",
"ar",
"chip shortage",
"hackaday links",
"HP-65",
"reverse passthrough",
"semiconductor",
"space hotel",
"space tourism",
"supply chain",
"virtual reality",
"vr",
"X Server",
"Xeyes"
] | Unless you’re in the market for a new car, household appliance, or game console, or if you’re involved in the manufacture of these things, chances are pretty good that the global semiconductor shortage hasn’t directly impacted you yet. But we hobbyists might be due for a comeuppance as
the chip shortage starts to impact our corner of the market
. We suppose it’s natural that supplies of the chips needed to build Arduinos and Raspberry Pis would start to dry up, as semiconductor manufacturers realign their resources to service their most lucrative markets. Still, it was all sort of abstract until now, but seeing dire quotes from the likes of Adafruit, Pololu, and Sparkfun about the long lead times they’re being quoted — some chips won’t be seen until 2023! — is disheartening. As are the reports of price gouging and even hoarding; when a $10 part can suddenly command $350, you know something has gone seriously wrong.
But have no fear — we’re certain the global chip shortage will have no impact on
the planned 2027 opening of the world’s first space hotel
. Voyager Station — once dubbed Von Braun Station but renamed for some reason — looks for all the world like Space Station V in “2001: A Space Odyssey”, or at least half of it. The thing is enormous — witness the Starship docked in the center hub, as well as the several dozen shuttle-like craft — escape pods, perhaps? — attached to the outer rim. The renders are imaginative, to say the least — the station looks very sleek, completely unfettered by such banalities as, say, solar panels. We get that a private outfit needs to attract deep-pocketed investors, and that one doesn’t do that by focusing on the technical details when they can sell a “premium experience”. But really, if you’re going to space, do you want basically the same look and feel as a premium hotel on Earth, just with a better view? Or would you rather feel like you’ve actually traveled to space?
Speaking of space, did you ever wonder what the first programmable calculator in space was? Neither did we, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t find this detailed story about
the HP-65 that was sent up on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975
pretty fascinating. The ASTP was the last hurrah of Apollo, and an often underappreciated engineering challenge. Linking up the two spacecraft safely was not trivial, and a fair number of burn calculations had to be made in orbit to achieve rendezvous and docking, as well as to maintain orbit. The HP-65, a programmable calculator that went for about $750 at the time (for the non-space-rated version, of course) had several programs loaded onto its removable magnetic cards, and the Apollo crew used it to verify the results calculated by the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC).
Facebook, a company that exists by providing people with a product they don’t need but now somehow can’t live without, is now dipping a toe into weird, weird waters:
reverse-passthrough virtual reality
. The idea, we take it, is that as users more widely adopt VR and integrate it into their daily lives, the VR headsets everyone will be wearing will make face-to-face contact more difficult. So what better way to solve that problem than by projecting a live image of the VR user’s eyes onto a screen outside the VR rig, for any and all to see? Pure genius, and not the least bit creepy. They’ve perhaps got a bit of work to go before achieving their goal of “seamless social connection between real and virtual worlds”.
And speaking of eyes, it’s good to know that developers are still hard at work keeping
the most vital applications running at peak efficiency on today’s hardware
. Yes, the venerable XEyes, a program for the X Window System on Unix-like operating systems that draws a pair of googly eyes on the screen to follow your mouse movements, has finally moved to version 1.2.0. It’s been 11 years since the 1.1.0 upgrade, so it was a long time coming. If you haven’t had the chance to play with XEyes, fear not — just about any Linux machine should be able to show you what you’ve been missing. Or, you know, you could even run it on a camera as the video below the break shows. | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372717",
"author": "Bret Tschacher",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T23:27:44",
"content": "As far as the price of chips goes, I doubt a $10 chip will sell for $350. There IS such a thing as pricing items right out of the market. When the price must be passed on to the end consumer and th... | 1,760,372,984.311805 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/solar-display-case-is-a-portable-triple-monitor-setup/ | Solar Display Case Is A Portable Triple Monitor Setup | Lewin Day | [
"green hacks",
"The Hackaday Prize"
] | [
"2021 Hackaday Prize",
"multimonitor",
"solar",
"solar panel",
"solar power"
] | They say once you start using twin monitors on the desktop, you’ll never want to go back. It’s even worse when you upgrade to three or more. However, it can be difficult to take such a set up on the road. Desiring better productivity on the go is what spurred [Brian Whitsett] to develop the Solar Display Case
to solve this problem
.
The Solar Display Case aims to pack three 17″ full-size monitors into a portable waterproof case. Brian has already built a prototype, which puts the monitors on folding arms so that they can be quickly stowed or deployed when needed.
The build also relies on solar power to charge batteries, in order to make the solution as portable as any laptop or other hardware you may be using with it. It’s no good having three mains-powered monitors sitting in the field with no AC power, after all. [Brian] aims to use a flexible solar panel to make the most of the surface area of the deployed assembly, for maximum power generation.
It’s a great project, and one we’d love to see fleshed out to the fullest. Imagining a briefcase that folds out into a triple-monitor workstation is exciting, and it looks like [Brian] is well on the way to making it a reality.
The
Hackaday
Prize2021
is Sponsored by: | 10 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372696",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T20:36:18",
"content": "Really neat idea, though I don’t think there is near enough surface area on those monitors to reliably get close to powering them, unless they are transflective tech monitors (which don’t seem to be mad... | 1,760,372,984.427955 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/a-cold-gas-thruster-on-an-rc-car/ | A Cold Gas Thruster On An RC Car | Lewin Day | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"cold gas thruster",
"R/C car",
"radio control"
] | Tesla have boldly claimed that one day they’ll ship a Roadster complete with a cold-gas thruster for truly ridiculous acceleration. Whether or not that ever comes to pass remains to be seen, but [Engineering After Hours] decided to try out the technology
on an RC car instead.
The thruster uses a pair of disposable CO2 canisters to deliver 1770 g of thrust via a converging-diverging nozzle. Actuated by servos and a simple valve, the system dumps the high-pressure CO2 to help accelerate the car up to speed. Paired with sticky tires and a powerful brushless motor, the plan was to try and beat Tesla’s claimed 1.1 second 0-60mph acceleration figure for the thruster-boosted roadster.
Unfortunately, the high center of gravity of the RC car led to stability issues, largely due to the mounting of the thruster itself. Additionally, the high weight of the car – around 4.3kg – meant that at best, the thruster would only add 0.5g to the vehicle’s acceleration.
While the car didn’t net a quick 0-60 time, it’s still neat to see a cold gas thruster on an RC car. It may not have been a Tesla-beater
like some earlier projects
, but it was cool all the same. Video after the break. | 12 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372661",
"author": "Alex99a",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T17:42:30",
"content": "I had a model car (Monogram or Revell) back in the sixties powered by CO2 capsules… nobody tried to be fancy calling it a “cold gas thruster”, tho.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,372,984.943014 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/solar-fueled-emergency-power-pack/ | Solar Fueled Emergency Power Pack | Chris Lott | [
"Lifehacks"
] | [
"emergency power",
"emergency preparedness",
"power pack",
"solar charger",
"solar panels"
] | Heavy rainfall in Northern Europe last month caused disastrous flooding in several countries. [Daniel Jedecke] was on assignment in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany during the floods and saw the damage firsthand. He was struck by the lack of emergency power, and set about the task of designing a
simple, portable power pack
.
[Daniel] wanted his system to be as simple and maintenance-free as possible, and well as inexpensive. He passed by the traditional solutions such as gasoline fueled generators or advanced chemistry battery packs. Instead, he settled on the ordinary car battery — they’re easy to obtain in a pinch, and he found a used 45 Ah one sitting in his basement. To keep the system portable, he decided on a single 80 W monocrystalline solar panel which comes with a smart battery charge controller. An inverter provides standard (for Germany) 240 VAC in addition to the +12 VDC output.
The whole thing, except the panel, is installed in an off-the-shelf toolbox with the pieces secured to a custom-made wood frame. We think [Daniel]’s goals were met: made from standard materials, long-lasting without excessive maintenance, portable, and providing both DC and AC outputs for everyday use. Way back in 2015 we wrote about an emergency battery pack using rechargeable drill batteries. Do you keep an emergency power pack handy in case of outages or disasters? | 23 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372620",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T14:13:57",
"content": "My emergency power pack is two ebike batteries, having a total of 600 Wh. But it would be a good idea to work out the wiring to run some LED lights off them ahead of time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth"... | 1,760,372,984.143212 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/3d-printed-fabric-stiffens-on-demand/ | 3D Printed Fabric Stiffens On Demand | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"3d printed fabric",
"fabric",
"jamming transistion",
"octahedron"
] | Researchers in Singapore and at CalTech have developed a 3D printed fabric with an interesting property: it is generally flexible but can
stiffen on demand
. You can see a video about the new fabric, below.
The material consists of nylon octahedrons interlocked. The cloth is enclosed in a plastic envelope and vacuum-packed. Once in a vacuum, the sheet becomes much stiffer and can hold many times its own weight.
Presumably, the idea would be to allow the material to flex in the plastic envelope until there was a need for the increased rigidity, and then remove the air. Of course, there are a lot of practical problems with that. If the envelope is no longer air tight, for example, the operation will fail. It is also hard to rapidly remove the air from the bag to make, say, something like Batman’s cape which was a comparison the researchers drew.
The fabric works using something called “jamming transition” that causes particles to switch from a fluid-like state to a rigid state. This is a well-known principle but isn’t practical with solid particles. The
3D printed hollow structures are much lighter. In addition to nylon, the team also experimented with aluminum fabric and it showed similar results, enhanced by the metal’s strength as you would expect.
It looks like the design would be simple enough to replicate, and perhaps there are clever ways to overcome the obstacles for practical use of this material. | 20 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372605",
"author": "vib",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T11:28:16",
"content": "Similar in use to what is used to transport wounded people: a bag filled with styrofoam balls, when the air is removed from the bag it hold shape and becomes stiff. This thing is a bit different since it´s a ... | 1,760,372,984.198175 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/15/touchscreen-makes-for-a-neat-wavetable-synth/ | Touchscreen Makes For A Neat Wavetable Synth | Lewin Day | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"midi",
"synth",
"synthesizer",
"wavetable",
"wavetable synthesis"
] | A popular tool in chiptune software like LSDJ allows the user to draw a waveform and use it as the basis for a wavetable synth. It’s fun and it can produce some great bleeps and bloops.
[Kevin] has created a similar tool using an Arduino and a touchscreen.
You can draw the waveform! That’s neat.
The build is based on the Arduino Uno, the humble mainstay of the Arduino line. It’s hooked up to an ILI9488 color touchscreen display, which acts as the primary user interface. Using a stylus, or presumably a finger, the user can draw directly on the screen to specify the desired waveform for the synth to produce. The Arduino reads the step-by-step amplitude values of the drawn waveform and uses them to synthesize audio according to MIDI messages received over its serial port. Audio output is via PWM, as is common in low-cost microcontroller projects.
It’s a fun build and we’re sure [Kevin] learned plenty about wavetable synthesis along the way.
We’ve seen his work on other Arduino synthesis projects before, too
! Video after the break. | 8 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372596",
"author": "Niklas Roy",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T09:34:20",
"content": "Like a mini Fairlight CMI?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlight_CMI",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6372694",
"author": "William Wesley",
... | 1,760,372,984.252912 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/yo-dawg-we-heard-you-like-retrocomputers/ | Yo Dawg, We Heard You Like Retrocomputers | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"8 bit",
"atari",
"basic",
"c64",
"commodore",
"compile",
"cross-platform",
"emulator",
"kernel",
"python",
"translation"
] | The idea of having software translation programs around to do things like emulate a Super Nintendo on your $3000 gaming computer or, more practically, run x86 software on a new M1 Mac, seems pretty modern since it is so prevalent in the computer world today. The idea of using software like this is in fact much older and easily traces back into the 80s during the era of Commodore and Atari personal computers. Their hardware was actually not too dissimilar, and with a little bit of patience and know-how it’s possible
to compile the Commodore 64 kernel on an Atari
, with some limitations.
This project comes to us from [unbibium] and was inspired by a recent video he saw where the original Apple computer was emulated on Commodore 64. He took it in a different direction for this build though. The first step was to reformat the C64 code so it would compile on the Atari, which was largely accomplished with a Python script and some manual tweaking. From there he started working on making sure the ROMs would actually run. The memory setups of these two machines are remarkably similar which made this slightly easier, but he needed a few workarounds for a few speed bumps. Finally the cursor and HMIs were configured, and once a few other things were straightened out he has a working system running C64 software on an 8-bit Atari.
Unsurprisingly, there are a few things that aren’t working. There’s no IO besides the keyboard and mouse, and saving and loading programs is not yet possible. However, [unbibium] has made all of his code available on his
GitHub page
if anyone wants to expand on his work and may also improve upon this project in future builds. If you’re looking for a much easier point-of-entry for emulating Commodore software in the modern era, though, there is a project available to run a C64 from a Raspberry Pi.
Thanks to [Cprossu] for the tip! | 20 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372573",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T05:23:06",
"content": "I was working on a Connection Machine in an FLGA years ago, and I’d love for someone to do a LISP machine…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372574",
... | 1,760,372,984.551426 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/making-ferroelectric-solar-cells-better/ | Making Ferroelectric Solar Cells Better | Al Williams | [
"Science",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"barium titantate",
"ferroelectric",
"solar cell"
] | Researchers claim that using
several very thin layers of ferroelectric crystals
can lead to significantly better ferroelectric solar cell efficiency. But don’t pull the panels off your roof yet. Conventional cells are still much more efficient than ferroelectric devices — at least, for now.
Unlike conventional silicon-based solar cells, ferroelectric cells don’t depend on a PN junction and — in theory — can be cheaper and easier to produce. However, they typically don’t absorb as much sunlight as other materials.
Barium titanate alone exhibits some electric current when exposed to sunlight, but it isn’t nearly as efficient as modern silicon solar cells. However, when the researchers produced a 200 nanometer-thick film “sandwich” made of barium titanate in between layers of strontium titanate and calcium titanate, the output current went up by a large factor. The resulting cells are still not up to par with commercial silicon cells, but they are a lot closer.
The work was done at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, a German institution. If you do a search, they seem to do a lot with ferroelectric materials like barium titanate.
If you want to
roll your own panels
, this material might be a bit hard to recreate. You might find some inspiration looking at
other thin-film cells
, though. | 17 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372569",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T04:59:38",
"content": "As far as I can tell from the linked article, the best efficiency less than 1% and that’s in the ultraviolet where not much of the sun’s energy gets to the ground. Efficiency in the visible region is ... | 1,760,372,984.896564 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/3d-printed-smart-glasses-put-linux-in-your-face/ | 3D Printed Smart Glasses Put Linux In Your Face | Tom Nardi | [
"The Hackaday Prize",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"2021 Hackaday Prize",
"augmented reality",
"hand tracking",
"head mounted display",
"Pi Zero W",
"wearable"
] | Unimpressed by DIY wearables powered by dinky microcontrollers,
[Teemu Laurila] has been working on a 3D printed head-mounted computer
that puts a full-fledged Linux desktop in your field of view. It might not be as slim and ergonomic as Google Glass, but it more than makes up for it in terms of raw potential.
Featuring an overclocked Raspberry Pi Zero W, a ST7789VW 240×240 IPS display running at 60 Hz, and a front-mounted camera, the wearable makes a great low-cost platform for augmented reality experiments. [Teemu] has already put together an impressive hand tracking demonstration that can pick out the position of all ten fingers in near real-time. The processing has to be done on his desktop computer as the Zero isn’t quite up to the task, but as you can see in the video below, the whole thing works pretty well.
Precision optics, courtesy of a hacksaw
Structurally, the head-mounted unit is made up of nine 3D printed parts that clip onto a standard pair of glasses. [Teemu] says the parts will probably need to be tweaked to fit your specific frames, but the design is modular enough that it shouldn’t take too much effort. He’s using 0.6 mm PETG plastic for the front reflector, and the main lens was
pulled from a cheap pair of VR goggles
and manually cut down into a rectangle.
The evolution of the build has been documented in several videos, and it’s interesting to see how far the hardware has progressed in a relatively short time. The original version made [Teemu] look like he was cosplaying as a Borg drone from
Star Trek
, but the latest build appears to be far more practical. We still wouldn’t try to wear it on an airplane, but it would hardly look out of place at a hacker con.
The
Hackaday
Prize2021
is Sponsored by: | 20 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372542",
"author": "Niko",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T00:24:20",
"content": "It’s so subtle is didn’t even notice he was wearing anything!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6372560",
"author": "Kilian",
"timestamp": "2021-0... | 1,760,372,984.38413 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/the-zeloof-z2-intergrated-circuit-has-100-transistors/ | The Zeloof Z2 Intergrated Circuit Has 100 Transistors | Jenny List | [
"hardware"
] | [
"chip fabrication",
"Chip Printer",
"integrated circuit",
"Sam Zeloof"
] | Back in 2018 we reported on the first silicon integrated circuit to be produced in a homemade chip fab. It was the work of [Sam Zeloof], and his Z1 chip was a modest six-transistor amplifier. Not one to rest on his laurels, he’s back with another chip, this time
the Z2 is a hundred-transistor array
. The Z2 occupies about a quarter of the area of the previous chip and uses a 10µm polysilicon gate process as opposed to the Z1’s metal gates. It won’t solve the global chip shortage, but this is a major step forward for anyone interested in building their own semiconductors.
The transistors themselves are FETs, and [Sam] is pleased with their consistency and characteristics. He’s not measured his yield on all samples, but of the twelve chips made he says he has one fully functional chip and a few others with at least 80% functionality. The surprise is that his process is less complex than one might expect, which he attributes to careful selection of a wafer pre-treated with the appropriate oxide layer.
You can see more about the Z2 in the video below the break. Meanwhile, should you wish to learn more about the Z1 you can see
[Sam’s] Hackaday Superconference talk on the subject
. We’re looking forward to the Z3 when it eventually arrives, with bated breath! | 31 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372512",
"author": "Leonard",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T20:22:40",
"content": "More than 16 times more transistors every three years. We’ll be buying CPU’s from him in 15 years (hoping on a more than linear expansion)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{... | 1,760,372,984.495885 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/surplus-syringes-make-satisfactory-tuner-for-amateur-radio-experimentation/ | Surplus Syringes Make Satisfactory Tuner For Amateur Radio Experimentation | Ryan Flowers | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"amateur radio",
"copper tape",
"ferrite",
"impedance matching",
"syringe",
"variable capacitor",
"variable inductor"
] | Amateur Radio as a hobby has a long history of encouraging experimentation using whatever one might have on hand. When [Tom Essenpreis] wanted to use his 14 MHz antenna outside of its designed frequency range, he knew he’d need an impedance matching circuit. The most common type is an L-Match circuit which uses a variable capacitor and a variable inductor to adjust the usable frequency range (resonance) of an antenna. While inefficient in some specific configurations, they excel at bridging the gap between the 50 ohm impedance of the radio and the unknown impedance of an antenna.
No doubt raiding his junk box for parts, [Tom] hacked together
a variable capacitor and inductor using ferrite rods from AM radios, hot glue, magnet wire, copper tape, and some surplus 60ml syringes
. You can see that he ground out the center of the plunger to make room for ferrite rods. Winding the outside of the syringe with magnet wire, the alignment of the ferrite can be adjusted via the plunger, changing the characteristics of the element to tune the circuit. [Tom] reports that he was able to make an on-air contact using his newly made tuner, and we’re sure he enjoyed putting his improvised equipment to use.
If Amateur Radio isn’t your thing, then maybe we can entice you with this
syringe based rocket
,
syringe actuated 3D printed drill press
, or
vacuum syringe powered dragster
. Have your own hack to share? By all means, submit it to the
Tip Line
! | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372514",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T20:51:01",
"content": "Imagine an electromechanical pneumatic automatic antenna tuner…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372809",
"author": "some guy",
"tim... | 1,760,372,984.740619 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/goals-and-goalposts/ | Goals And Goalposts | Elliot Williams | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants"
] | [
"feature creep",
"finishing",
"newsletter",
"projects"
] | In the winter, I hatched a vague plan to learn some of the modern unmanned aerial vehicle tech. Everybody needs an autonomous vehicle, and we’ve got some good flying fields within walking distance, so it seemed like it could work. Being me, that meant buying the cheapest gear that could possibly work, building up the plane by myself, and generally figuring out as much as possible along the way. I learn more by making my own mistakes anyway. Sounds like a good summer project.
Fast-forward to August, and the plane is built, controller installed, and I’ve spent most of the last month trying to make them work well together. (The firmware expects a plane with ailerons, and mine doesn’t have them, but apparently I’d rather tweak PID values than simply add a couple wing servos.) But it’s working well enough that it’s launching, flying autonomous waypoint missions, and coming home without any intervention. So, mission accomplished, right?
Destination: that furthest red roof
Nope. When I’m enjoying a project, I have a way of moving the goalposts on myself. I mean, I don’t really want to be
done
anyway. When a friend asked me a couple weeks ago what I was planning to do with the plane, I said “take nice aerial videos of that farm over there.” Now I see flight opportunities everywhere, and need to work on my skills. The plane needed an OLED display. It probably still needs Bluetooth for local configuration as well. Maybe a better long-range data link…
This is creeping featurism and moving-the-goalposts in the best of ways. And if this were a project with a deadline, or one that I weren’t simply enjoying, it would be a problem. Instead, having relatively low-key goals, meeting them, and letting them inspire me to set the next ones has been a blast. It makes me think of Donald Papp’s great article on
creating hacking “win” projects
. There he suggests creating simple goals to keep yourself inspired. I don’t think I could have planned out an “optimal” set of goals to begin with — I’ve learned too much along the way that the next goal isn’t obvious until I know what new capabilities I have. Creeping is the only way.
What about you? Do you plan your hobby projects completely in advance? Not at all? Or do you have some kind of hybrid, moving-the-goalposts sort of strategy?
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
! | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372478",
"author": "PWalsh",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T14:43:15",
"content": "Extrinsic motivations are goals, things you get in exchange for being done such as money or likes.Intrinsic motivations are what you get while doing something, and fall into 4 categories: learning somethin... | 1,760,372,985.041753 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/reverse-engineering-a-topfield-vfd-front-panel/ | Reverse Engineering A Topfield VFD Front Panel | Tom Nardi | [
"Parts"
] | [
"consumer electronics",
"front panel",
"Hynix",
"python",
"reverse engineering",
"salvage",
"Topfield",
"uart",
"vfd"
] | Hackers love the warm glow of a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), and there’s no shortage of dead consumer electronics from which they can be pulled to keep our collective parts bins nicely stocked. Unfortunately, figuring out how to actually drive these salvaged modules can be tricky. But thanks to the efforts of [Lauri Pirttiaho], we now have a wealth of information about a
VFD-equipped front panel used in several models of Topfield personal video recorders
.
The board in question is powered by a Hynix HMS99C52S microcontroller and includes five buttons, a small four character 14-segment display, a larger eight character field, and an array of media-playback related icons. There’s also a real-time clock module onboard, as well as an IR receiver. [Lauri] tells us this same board is used in at least a half-dozen Topfield models, which should make it relatively easy to track one down.
After determining what goes where in the 6-pin connector that links the module with the recorder, a bit of poking with a logic analyzer revealed that they communicate over UART. With the commands decoded, [Lauri] was able to write a simple Python tool that lets you drive the front panel with nothing more exotic than a USB-to-serial adapter. Though keep in mind, you’ll need to provide 17 VDC on the appropriate pin of the connector to fire up the VFD.
What’s that? You don’t need the whole front panel, and just want to pull the VFD itself off the board? Not a problem. Our man [Lauri] was kind enough to document how data is passed from the Hynix microcontroller to the display itself; critical information should you want to liberate the screen from its PVR trappings.
If you manage to get your hands on one of these modules,
it would be an ideal addition to a custom media streamer
. Though we suppose simply
turning it into a network-controlled clock
would be a suitable alternative if you’re looking for something a bit easier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1bDptDE3qU | 2 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372460",
"author": "CMH62",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T12:46:47",
"content": "Mike S. featured a story on Dave Jones reverse engineering work on VFD’s back 6 years ago:https://hackaday.com/2015/03/04/reverse-engineer-a-vfd-after-exploring-how-they-work/",
"parent_id": null,
"... | 1,760,372,985.086039 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/14/pomodachi-a-productivity-pet-you-feed-by-working/ | Pomodachi: A Productivity Pet You Feed By Working | Kristina Panos | [
"Lifehacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"HalloWing M4 Express",
"Kailh",
"Kailh box whites",
"NeoKey Featherwing",
"pomodoro",
"productivity",
"the pomodoro technique"
] | Being productive doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Even if you’re a lone wolf, who wouldn’t benefit from having a cute little productivity pet to cheer them on? That’s the idea behind [droxpopuli]’s
Pomodachi, which combines a hardware implementation of the Pomodoro technique with a virtual pet
. It adds some fun, but doesn’t overly gamify time tracking to the point of distraction. And this is way more fun than just sticking a pair of googly eyes on a tomato-shaped timer.
Inside the box is an Adafruit HalloWing M4 Express and a NeoKey FeatherWing with two Kailh box white switches for a satisfying clack. [droxpopuli] printed up a PyPortal-inspired case and added a glass lens for a spiffy tube TV look.
Pomo himself is a cute little jack-o-lantern looking creature with a teddy bear face and no arms or legs. He could eat with his face, but prefers to be fed. That’s where you come in. You feed him by completing a set of four 20-minute work intervals.
Don’t worry about keeping track of time, because he does that for you and spends the time foraging for food. When it’s break time, Pomo lets you know and suggests an activity. This is when you press the button and feed him. If your productivity begins to flag a bit, don’t freak out — there’s a multiplier for catching up, and you have seven chances before Pomo runs away forever.
The Pomodoro Technique is pretty great for productivity, and it’s versatile, too.
Here’s a hydration-based Pomodoro that will flood your desk if you don’t drink enough water
.
[via
Hackaday.io
] | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372627",
"author": "Electric Ed",
"timestamp": "2021-08-15T14:57:05",
"content": "Wikipedia tells me the name is from the Italian ‘pomodoro’, but ‘pomo’ is the Finnish word for ‘boss’. That’s just to creepy if it is a coincidence. At least for Finns.",
"parent_id": null,
"d... | 1,760,372,984.98706 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/usb-mouse-hack-for-pachyderm-protection/ | USB Mouse Hack For Pachyderm Protection | Ryan Flowers | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"earthquake detector",
"magnetic damper",
"plumbing supplies",
"PVC",
"seismic",
"seismometer",
"usb mouse"
] | When most of us think of seismometers, our minds conjure up images of broken buildings, buckled roads, and search and rescue teams digging through rubble. But when [Subir Bhaduri] his team were challenged with solving real world problems as frugally as possible as part of the 2020 Frugal Science course, he thought of farmers in rural India for whom losing crops due to raiding elephants is a reality. Such raids can and have caused loss of life for humans and elephants alike. How could he apply scientific means to prevent such conflicts, and do it on the cheap?
Whether inspiration came from using a computer mouse with the cursor speed turned up to “orbital velocity” is debatable, but [Subir] set forth to find out if such sensitivity could be leveraged for the seismic detection of the aforementioned elephants. His proof of concept is a
fantastically frugal low cost seismograph using an optical mouse and some cheap PVC pipe and fittings
.
We invite you to watch the video below the break to find out how it works. You’ll be impressed as we were by [Subir]’s practical application of engineering principles. And keep your eyes open for the beautiful magnetic damper hack. It’s a real treat!
If pontificating pesky pachyderms p-waves piques your interest, perhaps you’ll appreciate previous projects which
produce data with piezo pickups
and
plumbing parts
. | 25 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372450",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T10:57:17",
"content": "I like it, but why not put the mouse at the other end? i.e. place the mouse next to the ‘scratched plastic’, and even use the mouse’s LED illumination. As the central part vibrates, so the mouse sensor wil... | 1,760,372,985.335939 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/googles-periodic-table/ | Google’s Periodic Table | Al Williams | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"Chemistry",
"elements",
"google",
"periodic table",
"tom lehrer"
] | One of the nice things about the Internet is that you don’t need huge reference books anymore. You really don’t need big wall charts, either. A case in point: what science classroom didn’t have a periodic table of the elements? Now you can just look up an
interactive one
from Google. They say it is 3D and we suppose that’s the animations of the Bohr model for each atom. You can debate if it is a good idea to show people Bohr models or not, but it is what most of us learned, after all.
While the website is probably aimed more at students, it is a handy way to look up element properties and it is visually attractive, too. You probably remember, the columns are no accident in a periodic table, so the actual format doesn’t vary from one instance of it to another. However, we liked the col coding and the information panel that appears when you click on an element.
Not that we haven’t seen interactive online tables before. There’s
Ptable
, for example, or one from a
Royal Society
, no less. If you want to go commercial, there’s always Fisher — a well-known name around the lab. Their
table
is pretty simple from a technical point of view, but they have longer writeups about each element.
Granted, we don’t reach for a periodic table every day. But we do need some of that data sometimes. If you need a
refresher
on what to do with it, talk to [Will Sweatman]. If you prefer to make everything a game, try
periodic table Battleship
. Meanwhile, for extra credit, try figuring out what other elements are missing from [Tom Lehrer’s] song in the video below without looking at the tables. | 44 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372402",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T02:53:38",
"content": "The internet is an amazing library if you know how to search it. It seems my friends have issues witha) picking the right keywordsb) filtering garbage, finding the relevant informationLet me know if anyone ... | 1,760,372,985.218864 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/filtering-coffee-through-3d-printed-glass/ | Filtering Coffee Through 3D Printed Glass | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"coffee",
"glass-impregnated filament",
"impregnated filament"
] | Typically, when we think of 3D printing, we think of gooey melted plastics or perhaps UV-cured resins. However, there’s a great deal of research going on around printing special impregnated filaments with alternative materials inside. [Ahron Wayne] has been working on these very materials, and decided to make himself a brew with a prototype print.
Tasty, but [Ahron] notes you shouldn’t drink in the lab.
The subject of [Ahron]’s experimentation is a glass-impregnated filament under development by The Virtual Foundry. The filament is full of tiny glass particles, and the idea is that it can be printed like any regular plastic filament. From there, it’s heated in what’s known as a debinding process, which removes the plastic in the print. Then, it’s heated again in a sintering process to bond the remaining glass particles together.
It’s a complex process, and one that leads to some shrinkage in dimensions as well as porosity in the final part. However, where some might see failure, [Ahron] saw opportunity. The porous printed part was used to filter coffee, with the aid of a little vacuum from what sounds like a water venturi.
[Ahron] notes it’s not a particularly efficient way to make coffee but it did work. We’ve seen exciting work
with steel-impregnated filaments, too
. Video after the break. | 11 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372409",
"author": "Steven Gann",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T03:30:00",
"content": "Finally, a more overcomplicated and pretentious way to brew coffee than a Chemex. I suspect I’ll start seeing setups like this all over my office soon.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,372,985.140497 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/hacked-ikea-air-quality-sensor-gets-custom-pcb/ | Hacked IKEA Air Quality Sensor Gets Custom PCB | Tom Nardi | [
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"air quality",
"custom PCB",
"esp-12f",
"ESP8266",
"ikea",
"retrofit",
"sensor"
] | Last month we brought word of the IKEA VINDRIKTNING, a $12 USD air quality sensor that could easily be upgraded to log data over the network with the addition of an ESP8266. It only took a couple of wires soldered to the original PCB, and since there was so much free space inside the enclosure, you didn’t even have to worry about fitting the parasitic microcontroller; just tape it to the inside of the case and button it back up.
Now we’ve got nothing against the quick and dirty method around these parts, but if you’re looking for a slightly more tidy VINDRIKTNING modification,
then check out this custom PCB designed by [lond]
. This ESP-12F board features a AP2202 voltage regulator, Molex PicoBlade connectors, and a clever design that lets it slip right into a free area inside the sensor’s case. The project description says the finished product looks like it was installed from the factory, and we’re inclined to agree.
Nothing has changed on the software side, in fact, the ESP-12F gets flashed with the same firmware
[Sören Beye] wrote for the Wemos D1 Mini used in his original modification
. That said [lond] designed the circuit so the MCU can be easily reprogrammed with an FTDI cable, so just because you’re leaving the development board behind doesn’t mean you can’t continue to experiment with different firmware builds.
It’s always gratifying to see this kind of community development, whether or not it was intentionally organized. [lond] saw an interesting idea, found a way to improve its execution, and released the result out into the wild for others to benefit from. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that this is exactly the kind of thing Hackaday is here to promote and facilitate, so if you ever find yourself inspired to take on a project by something you saw on these pages,
be sure to drop us a line
. | 19 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372330",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T20:16:38",
"content": "Interesting. Stick one outside and see what climate change is doing to the environment.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372345",
"author"... | 1,760,372,985.27775 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/rotary-time-tracker-puts-a-new-spin-on-productivity/ | Rotary Time Tracker Puts A New Spin On Productivity | Kristina Panos | [
"The Hackaday Prize"
] | [
"2021 Hackaday Prize",
"gray code",
"led",
"magnets",
"photoresistor",
"rotary encoder"
] | Like many of us, [quincy] feels the distracting pull of non-work programs on what has become a mixed-use computer. So what’s the answer to the puzzle of work-life balance? We’re not sure, but time management and keeping track of tasks will probably get you most of the way there. The only problem is that keeping track of these things is boring and tedious and way too easy to forget, even for the fun tasks.
Similar commercial gadgets exist to serve this time-tracking purpose, but [quincy] wanted something much cooler that would work the same way: turn the indicator to the current task, and the status gets recorded on a computer. Rather than some smart polygon with informative stickers on each face à la the Timeflip2,
[quincy] built a rotary task manager that serves the same purpose
, but does it with magnets.
Our favorite part aside from the magnets has to be the clever binary encoding work. [quincy] is using three photoresistors and a single green LED to create a 3D-printed
gray encoder
that sidesteps the need to ever flip two bits at once. An Arduino takes care of reading the 3-bit code and converting it back into a decimal. There are more updates to come, including the main
.ino
file, but you can start printing the pieces while you wait.
If you have trouble staying on task, maybe you need a Pomodoro timer. We’ve seen a few over the years, ranging from
the minimal
to
the sculptural
.
The
Hackaday
Prize2021
is Sponsored by: | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372320",
"author": "Xasin",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T19:55:10",
"content": "Oh, that’s a wonderful way to do the dial.Magnets do have a satisfying snap action after all, which must be quite pleasant :DAnd great, now I want to build my own version of this as a sort of smart home con... | 1,760,372,985.377145 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/retrotechtacular-las-hilarious-subway-safety-film-from-1992/ | Retrotechtacular: LA’s Hilarious Subway Safety Film From 1992 | Lewin Day | [
"Retrotechtacular",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"retrotechtacular",
"subway"
] | Subways! They’ve been around for an awfully long time; almost as long as modern railways themselves, believe it or not. Building underground was undertaken in earnest by those in the 19th century, who set out to build networks of stations to allow residents to get around a city quickly and effectively.
That fact should stick in your mind as you sample this glorious retro video from 1992.
“L.A. Underground – Safety in the Extreme”
is a guide for Californians, aiming to educate residents about the new B Line subway that opened the following year. The video acts as if the subway is a new fangled, mysterious thing, with a couple of confusing off-the-wall moments as well. If you’re a transport enthusiast or get excited about weird public films, this one’s for you.
Straight away, we’re greeted by a lively, dynamic man in a red shirt, who is clearly here to give us the scoop on something new and hip. “Union station to Hollywood and Vine in EIGHTEEN minutes! Impossible you say? Well, not anymore!” he says. He challenges the viewer, noting that “No, Scotty isn’t gonna beam you up over there, and it’s not a helicopter.” What is it then? “It’s the subway!”
Cutting edge in 1992.
This upbeat, fun, and freewheeling tone is par for the course in this video, which sets out to deliver a great deal of information while also being engaging for the viewer. Production is unfussy, slick, and clean, with well-composed shots and straightforward messaging. It’s also refreshingly free of gaudy transitions and grating muzak, something rare in this genre. It’s a testament to the skills of the team that put the film together.
It’s a film that could strike many viewers as odd, given that it seems to treat its audience as if they’ve never heard of a subway before. Given the famous New York subway which is heavily featured in American culture and any number of other systems around the country and the world, it might be confusing as to why this is even needed at all.
As always, however, context is everything. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake would be fresh in the minds of many Angelenos in 1992. Up in San Francisco the quake had caused the horrifying collapse of the upper deck of the bay bridge, with thousands injured and 63 killed in the disaster. It’s thus easy to understand why the city’s population would be reluctant to travel deep underground for fear of being trapped in the event of another quake.
Indeed, a great deal of time in the film is spent allaying these concerns. It notes that despite the intensity of the Loma Prieta quake, minimal damage was done to the BART subway system —
whose construction was the focus of another installment of our Retrotechtacular series
. The lines were running again within hours of the incident, after appropriate safety inspections. As it turns out,
subway stations are actually relatively safe places to be in an earthquake
, and can often be safer than skyscrapers or other above-ground buildings.
“Stand behind the rippling.”
The host’s expression leaves no room to argue.
The focus on safety is, well… extreme, as you might have guessed from the title. The advanced nature of the system is explored too. There’s discussion of the high level of technology integration and a look at the now retro-futuristic Central Control Facility, or CCF, with rows of computers and wall displays making it look like a distant cousin of NASA’s Mission Control. CCF is portrayed as somewhat of a benevolent, loving god, watching over the subway and its passengers at all times.
The staff at CCF are even shown directing police to help an old lady find her glasses, a service we’re not sure is still offered in 2021. When the host takes a step over the line at the edge of the platform, he’s immediately admonished by a disembodied voice, instructing him to move away. The CCF runs a tight ship, it seems, and they won’t have any of that tomfoolery in their subway.
Notably, the subway relies on the honor system over ticket turnstiles. “We know that the honor system works,” says the host, “because 98% of the passengers on the Metro Blue Line pay their fares!” Again, that wide-eyed, friendly smile. The film spares no words as to the fate of the other 2%.
Enough said.
The host goes over emergency procedures in detail, noting step by step what will happen if something goes wrong. Highlights are made of the walkways built into the subway tunnels, so that riders don’t have to walk on the tracks in an incident. There’s also special note of the bright lighting and wide double doors that do much to allay concerns of claustrophobia underground. This sequence ends as the host exits an emergency hatch that opens up on to the sidewalk. It’s here that he delivers the greatest line of the entire film. “Good evening! I’d like to introduce myself,” he boldly announces in a credible Dracula impression. “My name is Count Safety, and this is my subway!” He then proceeds to lose himself in maniacal laughter.
All jokes aside, it really is a glorious piece of public messaging, one that I’ve watched over ten times since first finding it last year. I’m sure it did a great job of acclimatizing Los Angeles residents to their shiny new subway system.
This copy of the film comes to us from the Dorothy Peyton Grey Transportation Library and Archive. First established in 1895 as a part of the Los Angeles Consolidated Electric Railway, it has been maintained ever since and holds a catalogue of information on transport in and around Southern California.
The library’s catalog is available online for those eager to hunt for further gems like this one.
The video was the work of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission’s own in-house video production facility. Producer Erica Goebel was responsible for putting the project together, one of many great public films she produced over an esteemed career with the organisation. Sadly, that in-house department was shutdown in 1993 and future work was outsourced. Given the quality of this video, we think you’ll agree that decision was a great shame. In any case, it’s a beautiful relic of its time and the whole team should be proud of what they achieved. They certainly put a smile on this writer’s face, for sure! | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372281",
"author": "Iván Stepaniuk",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T17:11:34",
"content": "I recently learned LA has a “smog season”. Something must have gone terrybly wrong with this city’s public transport policy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,372,985.563543 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/hackaday-podcast-131-have-a-heart-transputer-pi-just-the-wing-and-a-flipped-cable-fries-radio/ | Hackaday Podcast 131: Have A Heart, Transputer Pi, Just The Wing, And A Flipped Cable Fries Radio | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts",
"Slider"
] | [
"Hackaday Podcast"
] | Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams recount the past week in hardware hacking. There’s a new Tamagochi hack that runs the original ROM on plain old microcontrollers like the STM32. Did you know you can blast the Bayer filter off a camera sensor using a powerful laser and the sensor will still work? We didn’t. There was a lot of debate this week about a commercial jet design alteration that would remove windows — but it’s for the good cause of making the plane more efficient. We marvel at what it takes to pump blood with an artificial heart, and go down the troubleshooting rabbit hole after the magic smoke was let out of a radio.
Take a look at the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
Direct download
(60 MB or so.)
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
Google Podcasts
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
Episode 131 Show Notes:
What’s that Sound?
Tell us your answer for this week’s spooky “What’s that sound?”
. Next week on the show we’ll randomly draw one name from the correct answers to win a rare Hackaday Podcast T-shirt.
New This Week:
Tesla’s Megapack Battery Burned For Days In Grid Storage Fire
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Tamagotchis Everywhere
Building The Infinite Matrix Of Tamagotchis
From Tube And Wing To Just Wing: The Future Of Airliners
Fail Of The Week: Flipped Cable Leads To Fried Radio
Using A Laser To Blast Away A Bayer Array
Pi-Based Spectrometer Puts The Complexity In The Software
Raspberry Pi Pico Used As A Transputer
Retrotechtacular: Transputer
ESP8266 Network Meters Show Off Unique Software
Quick Hacks:
Mike’s Picks
Improving OLED VU Meters With A Little Physics
Wristwatch PCB Swaps Must Be In The Air
Wooden Keyboard With Scrabble Tiles Goes The Extra Mile
Elliot’s Picks:
Workshop Organization With Panels
Giant CNC Machine Measures A Full Cubic Meter
Homebrew ROM Reader Saves Data From A Vintage Minicomputer
Can’t-Miss Articles:
A New Flying Car Illustrates The Same Old Problems
World’s First EVTOL Airport Will Land This November
Permanent Artificial Hearts: Long-Sought Replacements May Not Be Far Away | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372505",
"author": "Bret Tschacher",
"timestamp": "2021-08-14T19:26:10",
"content": "I found it interesting that as I was reading this morning, I found out one of the people responsible for the early 70’s TV program, The Banana Split Gang was the inventor of the artificial heart !"... | 1,760,372,985.601847 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/audio-cassette-tape-data-retrospective/ | Audio Cassette Tape Data Retrospective | Al Williams | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"Amstrad",
"audio cassette",
"audio tape",
"cassette",
"cassette drive",
"tape"
] | It has been a long time since we stored software and computer data on audiotape. But it used to be the
de facto
standard for hobby computers and [Noel] has
a great video about the Amstrad’s system
(embedded below) which was pretty typical and how the process could be sped up since today, you have perfect audio reproduction, especially compared to consumer-grade audiotape.
The cassette tapes suffered from several problems. The tape had an inherently low bandwidth, there was quite a bit of noise present from the analog circuitry and heads, and the transport speed wasn’t necessarily constant. However, you can easily digitally synthesize relatively noise-free sound at high fidelity and rock-solid frequency. So basically a microcontroller, like an Arduino, can look like an extremely high-quality tape drive.
The idea is similar to a modem except instead of a computer talking to another computer over a phone line, it records it and listens to it again, later. The normal tape system could only get about 2 kbps. How fast can you get if you are generating a nearly perfect digital signal? Watch the video, and find out.
We will say, that he’s not done speeding things up.
Emulating tape drives
isn’t exactly a new idea. We’ve even seen it done for
big iron tape drives
. | 12 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372268",
"author": "Wasilków",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T15:51:33",
"content": "is possible using cassete to internet? I download data trought cassete and put to the terminal/browserseeking cassete is my data sending to ‘cassete’ internet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,372,985.709906 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/this-week-in-security-john-deere-proxylogin-detailed-and-pneumatic-tubes/ | This Week In Security: John Deere, ProxyLogin Detailed, And Pneumatic Tubes | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"microsoft exchange",
"Series of Tubes",
"This Week in Security"
] | We’ve covered
the right-to-repair saga
, and one of the companies that have become rather notorious is John Deere. The other side to the poorly managed interconnected mess is security issues. There’s a certain irony to how this story started: Somebody noticed that John Deere equipment didn’t have any CVEs at all. A normal person might think that this must mean their products are super secure, but a security researcher knows that something more interesting is afoot. Our old friends [Sick Codes], [John Jackson], and a host of others saw this as a sure sign that there were plenty of vulnerabilities to be found, and
it seems they were correct
.
Remote Access and Code from 2014…
Vulnerabilities included a handful of cross-site scripting attacks, an authentication bypass via request smuggling, misconfigured security, SQL injections, RCEs and more. Put together, these vulnerabilities allowed for full control of the John Deere system, including the ability to manipulate all the equipment connected to the system.
During the Defcon presentation, linked below, [Sick Codes] recalled the moment when they realized they were working on an important problem. Rather than complain about not getting paid for the vulnerabilities found, a contributor simply noted that he valued having food to eat. A coordinated attack on JD equipment could cause big problems for a bunch of farms across a country.
They ended up contacting
CISA
, due to a lack of serious response from the vendors. CISA took the threat seriously, and the problems starting getting fixed. This isn’t a problem limited to one company. Case had similar issues that have also been fixed, and it was implied that other vendors have similar problems that are still in the process of being addressed.
Octal IPs Strike Again
While we’re talking about [Sick Codes] and his merry band of researchers, there are a few more instances of incorrect parsing of octal formatted IP addresses announced. That is
the Rust std::net
and
the Golang net
libraries, both of which just strip the leading zeros off IP addresses. In both cases, the fix is to just treat this as an invalid address. Why is it a problem? Because you can use sneaky IP addresses, like
0127.0.0.1
. An octal-aware library sees this as
87.0.0.1
, while a library with this vulnerability sees it as localhost. The real problem comes about when the various pieces of a web service use both approaches. If you can control or spoof one of these magic addresses, you could connect to the service and have privileges as if you were using an internal IP. For more information, see
the DEF CON talk about this issue
.
Exchange RCEs
Remember ProxyLogon? That’s the Microsoft Exchange attack we’ve been collectively battling since the beginning of this year. It’s finally time for
the rest of the story
. Continuing our conference coverage,
[Orange Tsai] detailed this vulnerability, and announced a pair of new Exchange vulnerabilities at Black Hat
, including another chain that leads to RCE over port 443. If that wasn’t enough,
there are already active attacks leveraging this new flaw
.
This new research stems from an architecture change in Exchange 2013, where the web service has been split into a front-end and back-end. There are all sorts of quirky ramifications of this, like the fact that the back-end is listening to all interfaces by default. Another? The front-end doesn’t verify the Host on incoming requests, so an attacker can stuff any arbitrary text in there. That includes a totally different hostname and port, as well as unexpected characters. Putting those together correctly results in an arbitrary SSRF — the attacker can specify any endpoint, either on the public internet, or the back-end itself. Once the normal front-end to back-end flow is compromised, it’s easy enough to abuse an internal endpoint to gain arbitrary write privilege, and RCE. That is the ProxyLogon attack in a nutshell.
The new RCE is known as
ProxyShell
. It abuses the pre-auth autodiscover endpoint, intended to enable automatic configuration for clients. Appending the desired endpoint to a valid autodiscover request serves as an SSRF tool. The attack is to use this SSRF to make a request to the /powershell endpoint. Combined with a webshell payload uploaded as a draft, this results in yet another pre-auth RCE. Thankfully these attacks have been patched already, but there are still too many systems not yet updated.
Pulse Secure Defeated By Tar
This story starts with CVE-2020-8260, an arbitrary file write vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure devices, where an uploaded configuration wasn’t checked for path transversal on extraction. A malicious tar file could put files anywhere via
./../
paths. This was fixed in 2020, but a couple of releases later, CVE-2021-22900 was disclosed and fixed. It was a strangely similar problem, and [Rich Warren] of the NCC Group
decided to investigate
. The original fix added a
validateTarFile
function, which seems to be a very well done bit of work. It checks for
../
patterns, symlinks, or hardlinks. On top of that, it has a whitelist of allowed files. It would be the perfect solution, if only it was used every time an archive was uploaded. Unfortunately, this robust solution was only used when a config file was uploaded. The second fix was to add the call to
validateTarFile
to all the other upload functions.
Armed with this understanding, the natural question to ask was whether every file upload circumstance was properly sanitized. Since we’re discussing it, you’ve likely guessed that something was missed. When a config file is uploaded, the parameters of the POST message define the upload type. A profiler database is handled differently, and that code path does not include the validation function, leading to CVE-2021-22937. It appears that this code path is inaccessible through normal use, but modifying the request parameters is trivial. This series of vulnerabilities is limited to an attacker with admin access to the device, greatly mitigating their seriousness. That said, access to the underlying filesystem opens a whole new world of persistent threats. Depending on how it’s implemented, such a rootkit could survive a factory reset.
API Testing 101
The good folks at
Detectify published a fun primer to testing web APIs
. The first half of the post is dedicated to using
Postman
for that research. It looks like a useful tool, but appears to be closed-source, unfortunately. The second half of the article covers some common issues in web APIs and thoughts on mitigation. There are some obvious flaws discussed, like private APIs accidentally exposed to the public. On the other hand, there are some good tips for looking for more obscure flaws, like XXE injection (XML External Entity). All told, it’s worth a quick read, particularly if you’re not opposed to running a closed-source tool as part of your toolkit.
Series of Pneumatic Tubes
You may be most familiar with a Pneumatic Tube System (PTS) from a bank or pharmacy drive-in (or from watching Futurama), but they are also widely used in hospitals, among other places. Researchers at
Armis just announced PwnedPiper
, a set of problems with Swisslog Healthcare’s PTS implementation. One of the worst problems? Their control panels are Linux systems, running a 2.6.35 kernel. That’s a 10 year old kernel. Remember that
scathing Google Security blog from last week
? This is the sort of nonsense that they had in mind.
The rest of the system is about as bad, with an open telnet service listening for connections, and a hardcoded password common to all devices. Multiple memory corruption bugs all allow for RCE, and the primary communication protocol is unencrypted and unauthenticated, not to mention based on UDP. And finally, the firmware upgrade process is based on this same protocol, with no firmware signing function at all. To put it simply, if you can access the Ethernet network running this PTS, you can trivially own the entire system.
How bad could this be, if actually exploited? Just consider that not only are biological samples sent over this system, as are medicines. One can only imagine how much trouble could be caused by scrambling the destinations. A more malicious attacker could feasibly use such an attack to steal or substitute medications. Sounds like a plot from a Mission Impossible episode, but
truth is sometimes
much
stranger than fiction
.
Last-Minute Headlines
The Foxit PDF
reader recently released 11.0.1
, fixing a whole host of problems, including 8 separate CVEs that could lead to RCE. If you’re one of the users of this popular alternative to Adobe, be sure you’ve updated!
As if we needed something else to interrupt the electronics supply chain,
Gigabyte has been hit by ransomware
, with the added threat of 112GB of data being leaked. To make that threat worse, much of the data is reportedly under NDA, potentially leading to further consequences for Gigabyte if made public. So far there’s no word on how much the ransom would be.
One more story we thought dead has risen again. There is
yet another Print Spooler 0-day
. This is another vulnerability related to point-and-print, but this time it’s against the machine that tries to use a malicious remote printer. The previous such vulnerability was inaccessible so long as point-and-print was disabled, which was the default setting. The
Microsoft advisory doesn’t list that as a workaround
for this one. It appears that this works on a standard config. To add insult to injury,
the reporting researcher disclosed this flaw way back in December of 2020
. | 14 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372279",
"author": "Stellan",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T17:03:02",
"content": "Fixing some of those vulnerabilities in the John Deere software will also cause problems for many farms. Several of those vulnerabilities are used to circumvent the “Authorized Repair” checks that preven... | 1,760,372,985.66013 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/doom-on-a-desk-phone-is-just-the-tip-of-the-iceburg/ | DOOM On A Desk Phone Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg | Tom Nardi | [
"Linux Hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"Binwalk",
"desk phone",
"does it run doom",
"doom",
"Embedded Linux",
"serial port",
"u-boot"
] | These days we expect even the cheapest of burner smartphones to feature a multi-core processor, at least a gigabyte of RAM, and a Linux-based operating system. But obviously those sort of specs are unnecessary for an old school POTS desktop phone. Well, that’s what we thought.
Then [Josh Max] wrote in to tell us about his adventures in hacking the CaptionCall
, and now we’re eager to see what the community can do with root access on a surprisingly powerful Linux phone.
As the names implies, the CaptionCall is a desk phone with an LCD above the keypad that shows real-time captions. Anyone in the United States with hearing loss can get one of these phones for free from the government, so naturally they sell for peanuts on the second hand market. Well, at least they did. Then [Josh] had to go ahead and crack the root password for the ARMv7 i.MX6 powered phone, started poking around inside of its 4 GB of onboard NAND, and got the thing running DOOM.
Tapping into the serial port.
If you’re interested in the technical details, [Josh] has done a great job taking us step by step through his process. It’s a story that will be at least somewhat familiar to anyone who’s played around with embedded Linux devices, and unsurprisingly, starts with locating a serial port header on the PCB.
Finding the environment variables to pretty tightly locked down, he took the slow-route and dumped the phone’s firmware 80 characters at a time with U-Boot’s “memory display” command. Passing the recovered firmware image through
binwalk
and a password cracker got him the root credentials in short order, and from there, that serial port got a whole lot more useful.
[Josh] kicked the phone’s original UI to the curb, set up an ARM Debian Jessie chroot, and started working his way towards a fully functional Linux environment. With audio, video, and even keypad support secured, he was ready to boot up everyone’s favorite 1993 shooter.
He’s been kind enough to share his work in a GitHub repository
, and while it might not be a turn-key experience, all the pieces are here to fully bend the hardware to your will.
Historically,
running DOOM on a new piece of hardware
has been the harbinger of bigger and better things to come. With unfettered access to its Linux operating system up for grabs, we predict the CaptionCall is going to become a popular hacking target going forward, and we can’t wait to see it. | 23 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372245",
"author": "DainBramage",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T13:46:51",
"content": "That phone plays DOOM faster than my 1993 PC did! (and it was a decent computer at the time)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372270",
... | 1,760,372,985.768966 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/13/no-hole-in-one-perseverance-strikes-out-on-first-mars-core-attempt/ | No Hole In One: Perseverance Strikes Out On First Mars Core Attempt | Dan Maloney | [
"News",
"Space"
] | [
"bore",
"drill",
"mars",
"nasa",
"Perseverance",
"robot",
"rover",
"sample"
] | There’s a military adage that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. While we haven’t gone to war with Mars, at least not yet, it does seem to be a place where the best-laid scientific plans are tested in the extreme. And
the apparent failure of Perseverance to retrieve its first Martian core sample
is yet another example of just how hard it is to perform geotechnical operations on another planet.
To be sure, a lot about the first sampling operation went right, an especially notable feat in that the entire process is autonomous. And
as we’ve previously detailed
, the process is not simple, involving three separate robotic elements that have to coordinate their operations perfectly. Telemetry indicates that the percussive drill on the end of the 2.1 m robotic arm was able to use its hollow coring bit to drill into the rock of Jezero crater, and that the sample tube inside the coring bit was successfully twisted to break off the core sample.
But what was supposed to happen next — jamming of the small core sample inside the sample tube — appears not to have happened. This was assessed by handing the sample tube off to the Sample Handling Arm in the belly of Perseverance, where a small probe is used to see how much material was recovered — none, in this case.
NASA/JPL engineers then began a search for the problem
. Engineering cameras didn’t reveal the core sample on the Martian surface, meaning the sample handling robots didn’t drop it. The core sample wasn’t in the borehole either, which would have meant the camming mechanism designed to retain the core didn’t work. The borehole, though, looked suspicious — it appears not to be deep enough, as if the core sample crumbled to dust and packed into the bottom of the hole.
If this proves to be the cause of the failure, it will be yet another example of
Martian regolith not behaving as expected
. For InSight, this discovery was a death knell to a large part of its science program. Thankfully, Perseverance can pick up and move to better rock, which is exactly what it will be doing in September. They still have 42 unused sample tubes to go, so here’s to better luck next time.
[Featured images: NASA/JPL-Caltech] | 19 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372209",
"author": "betsuin",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T11:10:55",
"content": "I can see a volcanic cone shape suggesting the core became some kind of flour and piled up round the sides.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372304... | 1,760,372,985.824694 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/virtual-racers-battle-it-out-on-portable-ws2812-track/ | Virtual Racers Battle It Out On Portable WS2812 Track | Tom Nardi | [
"Games",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"1D",
"racing game",
"RGB LED",
"ws2812"
] | Sure modern video games are impressive, but you certainly don’t need a 4K display or high speed Internet connection to have a good time. For a perfect example, take a look at
this unique one-dimensional racing game put together by [mircemk]
. This variation of [Gerardo Barbarov Rostan]’s Open LED Race project has been scaled down so it can be transported easily, though at least for now, you’ll still need to plug it into an external power supply.
The game is pretty straightforward. By rapidly pressing their respective buttons, players race their virtual vehicles on a linear “track” made of 60 WS2812 RGB LEDs. In the most basic of terms, the faster they press their button, the faster the red or green illuminated LED that represents their car moves.
But in practice, things are made a bit more interesting with the addition of simulated gravity for the “hills” the racers will encounter. The cars also have a bit of inertia, and will coast along even when you aren’t mashing the button. There are even optional engine sounds, though as with the visual representation of the cars, a certain degree of imagination is required for the desired effect.
The hardware requirements for this game are minimal, and can easily be adapted to what you have in the parts bin. Beyond the strip of WS2812 LEDs, all you really need is a microcontroller and two buttons. Here [mircemk] is using an Arduino Nano, but you could press pretty much any MCU into service. To make this version as portable as possible, the buttons are built right into the PVC sheet enclosure, but putting them in some wired remotes would make for a bit more comfortable gameplay.
We’ve covered several projects that have
aimed to turn the humble string of RGB LEDs into an interactive electronic game
over the years. As long as you’ve got an open mind, you can
find a whole world hidden inside some blinking lights
. | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372156",
"author": "SwAkE",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T06:38:38",
"content": "Dear Tom Nardi, my brain does not succeed in computing the sentence with: “that a look at this” I believe it would benefit from changing the first word to “take”.This game reminds me of an arcade game back ... | 1,760,372,985.955398 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/arduino-finds-treasure/ | Arduino Finds Treasure | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"coils",
"ferrous",
"metal detector",
"nano",
"nonferrous",
"range"
] | A beach is always a relaxing summer vacation destination, a great place to hang out with a drink and a book or take a swim in the ocean. For those who need a more active beach-going activity with an electronics twist, though, metal detecting is always a popular choice too. And, of course, with an Arduino and some know-how it’s possible to
build a metal detector that has every feature you could want from even a commercial offering
.
This build comes to us from [mircemk] who built this metal detector around an Arduino Nano and uses a method called induction balance detection to find metal. Similar to how radar works, one coil sends out a signal and the other listens for reflections back from metal objects underground. Building the coils and determining their resonant frequency is the most important part of this build, and once that is figured out the rest of the system can be refined and hidden treasure can easily be unearthed.
One of the more interesting features of this build is its ability to discriminate between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and it can detect large metal objects at distances of more than 50 cm. There are improvements to come as well, since [mircemk] plans to increase power to the transmission coil which would improve the range of the device. For some of [mircemk]’s other metal detectors, be sure to check out
this one which uses a smartphone
to help in the metal detection process. | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372205",
"author": "Paul Geraghty",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T10:48:35",
"content": "Great, add a radio and GPS, stick it on the bottom of your robot, and let it loose in the fields. Coins, gold, treasure, bullets, unexploded ordnance, yeah.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,... | 1,760,372,985.996296 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/how-to-make-resin-prints-crystal-clear/ | How To Make Resin Prints Crystal Clear | Kristina Panos | [
"how-to",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"crystals",
"jewelry",
"led",
"led jewelry",
"resin 3d printer",
"resin printer"
] | [Matou] has always been entranced by the beauty of natural crystal formations [and has long wished for a glowing crystal pendant]. Once he got a resin-based 3D printer, he was majorly disappointed to find out that although transparent resin prints look like delicious candy when they’re still wet, they turn cloudy and dull after being washed in an isopropyl bath and cured with UV light. There must be a way to either polish pieces back to clear, or keep them clear in the first place, [Matou] thought,
and set about experimenting with some test crystals
(video, embedded below).
As [Matou] found out, the dullness is caused by surface imperfections. Resin prints have layer lines, too, and although they may be super fine and invisible to the naked eye, they will still scatter light. The choices seem obvious — either polish the proud parts down with many grits of sandpaper, or fill the valleys with something to smooth everything out. As you’ll see in the video after the break, [Matou] tried it all, including a coat of the same resin that made the print. It’s an interesting look at the different ways to smooth out resin prints, though you may not be surprised to find that the one with the most work put into it looks the best.
We were hoping to see [Matou] try a green LED in the pendant, but it didn’t happen. If you’re dying to know what that looks like,
you can get one of these pendants for yourself by supporting [Matou] on Patreon
.
We think crystals are pretty cool, too — especially crystal radios.
Here’s the hack-iest one of
those
we’ve ever seen, free of charge
. | 19 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372095",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T23:36:47",
"content": "This left me wondering if a polished+uv resin coated part would have given a better finish.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6372114",
"autho... | 1,760,372,986.049574 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/incredibly-slow-films-now-playing-in-dazzling-color/ | Incredibly Slow Films, Now Playing In Dazzling Color | Tom Nardi | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Microcontrollers",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"digital photo frame",
"e-ink",
"e-paper",
"ffmpeg",
"stm32",
"video",
"waveshare"
] | Back in 2018 we covered a project that would break a video down into its individual frames and slowly cycle through them on an e-paper screen. With a new image pushed out every three minutes or so, it would take thousands of hours to “watch” a feature length film. Of course, that was never the point. The idea was to turn your favorite movie into an artistic conversation piece; a constantly evolving portrait you could hang on the wall.
[Manuel Tosone] was recently inspired to build his own version of this concept
, and now thanks to several years of e-paper development, he was even able to do it in color. Ever the perfectionist, he decided to drive the seven-color 5.65 inch Waveshare panel with a custom STM32 board that he estimates can wring nearly 300 days of runtime out of six standard AA batteries, and wrap everything up in a very professional looking 3D printed enclosure. The end result is a one-of-a-kind
Video Frame
that any hacker would be proud to display on their mantle.
The Hackaday.IO page for this project contains a meticulously curated collection of information, covering everything from the
ffmpeg
commands used to process the video file into a directory full of cropped and enhanced images, to flash memory lifetime estimates and energy consumption analyses. If you’ve ever considered setting up an e-paper display that needs to run for long stretches of time, regardless of what’s actually being shown on the screen, there’s an excellent chance that you’ll find some useful nuggets in the fantastic documentation [Manuel] has provided.
We always love to hear about people being
inspired by a project they saw on Hackaday
, especially when we get to bring things full circle and feature their own take on the idea. Who knows, perhaps the next version of the e-paper video frame to grace these pages will be your own. | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372108",
"author": "Robot",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T00:54:19",
"content": "Ohh. This is lovely. I’d totally purchase a kit. 300 days is pretty impressive and I’d be tempted to extend the battery life with indoor PV cells (not a joke! They’re a thing.)",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,372,986.096041 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/a-digital-white-cane-for-the-visually-impaired/ | A Digital White Cane For The Visually Impaired | Chris Wilkinson | [
"The Hackaday Prize",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"2021 Hackaday Prize",
"assistance",
"distance sensor",
"hackaday.io",
"visual impairment",
"wearable"
] | The white cane (and its many variants) is an everyday carry for many visually impaired people. This low-tech tool allows those afflicted by visual impairment to safely navigate the world around them, and has been ubiquitous in many parts of the world for decades. [Madaeon] has been hard at work going one step further in prototyping an
open-source assistive wearable
that could help in situations where a cane is not practical, or useful.
The T.O.F Wristband V2 alerts its wearer to nearby obstacles through vibrations, and is able to detect objects up to four meters away. As the wearer veers closer and closer to an obstacle, the vibration increases in frequency. A time-of-flight distance sensor is controlled by a Feather, and the whole system is powered by a small lithium-polymer battery. The prototype consists of just four components plus a 3D printed case and bracelet, which inevitably keeps down costs and complexity.
Version two of this project picks up where version one left off.
In that project
, [Madaeon] mentioned the possibility of squeezing this project down to the size of a ring. Perhaps with better battery technology, a ring-sized sensor might just be possible one day.
This isn’t the first wearable that has set out to assist the visually impaired. Back in 2019 we covered a
laser-augmented glove
that attempts something very similar.
By
some estimates
, nearly one billion people worldwide have some degree of visual impairment. Assistive devices like the T.O.F Wristband V2, and others like it, offer these people the potential for greater independence and an improved standard of living.
[youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_S53d9pIxo%5D
The
Hackaday
Prize2021
is Sponsored by: | 22 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372013",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T18:49:56",
"content": "This is not a substitute for a cane. Aside from the possible detection of objects at head height this lacks many of the features of a cane. A cane identifies the user as visually impaired by its distinctive... | 1,760,372,986.210533 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/teslas-megapack-battery-burned-for-days-in-grid-storage-fire/ | Tesla’s Megapack Battery Burned For Days In Grid Storage Fire | Lewin Day | [
"Current Events",
"Featured",
"News",
"Slider"
] | [
"battery",
"grid storage",
"neoen",
"tesla"
] | Lithium rechargeable batteries have been heralded for their high-density energy storage, enabling all manner of technologies to come to fruition. From drones to practical electric cars to large-scale grid storage, the applications are endless.
The fire as seen from a drone overhead. Source: Twitter/
@FireRescueVic
However, the lithium rechargeable battery has always had one major flaw–flammability. Pushed outside their operating range or otherwise tipped into thermal runaway, and they can burn ferociously as a result.
This came to pass in late July, at the Victorian Big Battery in Geelong, Australia, and it took significant effort to extinguish the blaze. Let’s take a look at the project and see how this came to occur.
Grid-Scale Storage
The Victorian Big Battery is a grid storage project similar in construction to the
Hornsdale Power Reserve
in neighboring South Australia. However, where the Hornsdale facility fields 194 MWh of capacity and 150MW peak power delivery, the new project aims to go much further. The Victorian project aims to install 450 MWh of capacity and deliver a peak power output of 300 MW.
Concerns were raised about the smoke from the blaze, though local authorities gave downwind areas the all-clear soon after. Credit:
CFA
Operated by Neoen, the facility is built using Tesla Megapacks, large battery installations designed for grid storage purposes. Each Megapack contains batteries, inverters, and thermal management systems inside for a turnkey, plug-and-play solution to grid storage.
Initial testing of the battery was undertaken on July 30, with fire breaking out at approximately 10:15am
according to official reports
. The site was quickly disconnected from the grid with no interruption to the local electricity supply.
The fire burned for days
, with firefighters announcing the blaze had been brought under control by 3PM on August 2.
Lithium batteries tend to burn quite fiercely
, and will often reignite after a time, so crews were left on site to monitor the battery for some time afterwards. Temperature readings were taken every two hours so that any heating or reignition could quickly be subdued.
Water Was Used, But Not Directly on the Fire
The fire was fought by the members of the Country Fire Authority as well as Fire Rescue Victoria. CFA incident controller Ian Beswicke spoke on the blaze, noting the difficulty of tackling such fires. “They are difficult to fight because you can’t put water on the Megapacks… all that does is extend the length of time that the fire burns for.” Acting on advice from Tesla, Beswicke noted that “…the recommend process is you cool everything around it so the fire can’t spread and you let it burn out.”
Visible are the individual Tesla Megapack units, each with its own thermal management system built-in. Credit:
CFA
The fire began less than 24 hours after the battery began operating on the grid,
according to sources quoted by the
Sydney Morning Herald.
Quick action by firefighting crews kept the entire facility from burning down, limiting the flames from spreading beyond a second battery pack.
Out of an abundance of concern for people in surrounding areas, a warning was given to those downwind of the incident. Two mobile units were deployed to the area by the Environment Protection Authority of Victoria. Despite early concerns and a warning for residents to shut windows and remain indoors,
official reports soon gave the local atmosphere the all clear.
Obviously, a large fire lasting multiple days in a grid storage facility is an outcome that nobody wants. However, the events that followed serve as an indicator that authorities were well prepared to deal with the situation. No injuries were reported throughout the incident, and the fire was contained to a limited area of the facility. Only two battery packs caught fire out of the many on site (210 are planned in total), and electrical risks were properly managed to avoid disaster.
Questions remain as to how the fire started in the first place. Whether it comes down to an installation error or faulty equipment or batteries will likely be revealed by investigators in due time. For now, it’s a black mark against Victoria’s new battery project. However, in time, it may serve as an example of how through proper emergency management, lithium battery fires can be managed safely. The future of the electrical grid, and indeed, personal transport, may depend on it. | 174 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371970",
"author": "Antron Argaiv",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T17:14:48",
"content": "You would think they’d space them out a bit more so one burning module couldn’t ignite its neighbours…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "637198... | 1,760,372,986.80235 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/who-needs-pin-headers/ | Who Needs Pin Headers? | Chris Lott | [
"hardware",
"Tech Hacks"
] | [
"pin headers",
"pogo clamp",
"pogo pins",
"solderless"
] | [Martin] sent this query, along with the lead photo, into the tip line, and he makes a good point. Most development and evaluation boards have multiple rows of pin headers, often arriving loose in the package — soldering is left to the user. In an abundance of caution, we usually design our prototype boards with many pin headers for debugging and testing. But as [Martin] reminds us, there are other alternatives to solder.
Yours truly once worked with a prolific designer of PIC microprocessor boards. Long before the advent of solutions like the Tag Connect family, [Ralph] would program his boards by just inserting a pin header into the PCB and applying gentle pressure with his thumb until the code finished flashing.
You may have seen the staggered offset PCB patterns that hold your pin header securely while you solder. You could tweak this a little bit to put more pressure on the pins, making a solder-less connection that is sufficient for temporary testing.
Taking the opposite approach, you can get solderless connectors with press-fit pins, a method we
tested a few years ago on a Raspberry Pi Zero
. Anyone who has worked on Eurocard-based systems like VME can appreciate the time-savings and improved reliability of 96-pin DIN-41612 press-fit connectors.
Or, as [Martin] proposes, you could use one of these inexpensive pogo-pin clamps. These are available for less than $10 from your favorite Asian electronics distributor. They are about the size of a large clothespin, and are available in several different pin configurations.
Tag-Connect Style of Connector
Uncle Pete’s Footprint Experiments, Sparkfun
Press-FIt 96-Pin DIN
Pogo-Pin Clamp Fixture
These techniques won’t help you if you need to plug your board into another card, such as a hat onto a Raspberry Pi. But when you just want to grab a few signals for a serial port or probing some digital I/O signals, having a few of these clips in your tool box can save you the time and headache of soldering down a header. Do you have any tips for making soldering pin headers easier, or even avoiding them altogether? Let us know in the comments below. | 31 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371953",
"author": "josephsleary",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T16:07:13",
"content": "Very Nice. I need this in my life",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6371954",
"author": "IIVQ/Tijmen Stam",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T16:12... | 1,760,372,986.31736 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/review-mini-amg8833-thermal-camera/ | Review: Mini AMG8833 Thermal Camera | Jenny List | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Reviews",
"Slider"
] | [
"AMG8833",
"infra red",
"thermal camera"
] | In our ceaseless quest to bring you the best from the cheaper end of the global electronics markets, there are sometimes gadgets that we keep an eye on for a while because when they appear they’re just a little bit too pricey to consider cheap.
Today’s subject is just such a device, it’s a minimalist infra-red camera using the 8 pixel by 8 pixel
Panasonic AMG8833
thermal sensor. This part has been around for a while, but even though any camera using it has orders of magnitude less performance than more accomplished models it has remained a little too expensive for a casual purchase. Indeed, these mini cameras were somewhere above £50 ($70) when they first came to our attention, but have now dropped to the point at which they can be found for somewhere over £30 ($42). Thirty quid is cheap enough for a punt on a thermal camera, so off went the order to China and the expected grey parcel duly arrived.
The interface on this camera is about as simple as it gets.
It’s a little unit, 40 mm x 35 mm x 18 mm, constructed of two laser-cut pieces of black plastic held together by brass stand-offs that hold a PCB between them, and on the front is a cut-out for the sensor while on the rear is one for the 35mm OLED display.At the side on the PCB is a micro USB socket which serves only as a power supply. It’s fair to say that this is a tiny unit.
Applying power from a USB battery bank, the screen comes up with a square colour thermal picture and a colour to temperature calibration stripe to its left. The colours adapt to the range of temperatures visible to the sensor, and there is a crosshair in the centre of the picture for which the temperature in Celsius is displayed below the picture. It’s a very straightforward and intuitive interface that requires no instruction, which is handy because the device has none.
There’s something about a thermal camera, that as soon as you have one it is pointed at everything. People appear as red blobs, an extended hand sprouts barely discernible fingers, and a small pool of burning alcohol appears as a bright spot. Pointing it at a powered-up circuit board shows red blobs where each of the chips are, and easily allows low-resolution identification of the hot spots. Enough play though, just how good an instrument is it? A Prusa Mini heated bed makes a handy temperature reference, so it was heated up to 86 degrees for PETG printing and subjected to the camera. It’s a very rough and ready calibration, but the camera read it as 71.2 degrees and an infra-red thermometer at 78.4 degrees. Sadly I don’t have a thermocouple to hand to measure the Prusa directly, but I would be inclined to take any number generated by this camera to be very much on the low side.
Fingers can just about be discerned in this picture of a hand.
Comparing the calibration with another thermometer and a Prusa build plate at 86 degrees.
The other use always shown for a thermal camera is to look at a building and see where it is losing heat. Taking the camera out in the night it could certainly see the windows of the house, but on a warm summer evening it probably had less to measure than on a freezing winter night with the heating on. It’s worth noting that the maximum distance it could discern a human at was consistently somewhere around 5 metres.
Having put the camera through its paces it was time to subject it to a teardown. Not an onerous task in this case, simply undo four screws and there’s the PCB. On it is little more than the sensor, the connectors, a microcontroller that defied our identification skills, and a few passives. It’s worth noting that the PCB is milled away between sensor and microcontroller, no doubt to stop thermal contamination. This is an astoundingly simple device.
There’s not much to this camera under the hood.
GigaDevices E230 ARM Microcontroller
The mini AMG8833 thermal camera then: It’s a functioning thermal camera at a very affordable price. So should you buy it? It’s fairly obvious that when compared to a more expensive thermal camera such as
the FLIR Lepton-sporting tCam-Mini we reviewed recently
, anything using an AMG8833 is a mere toy. So it’s senseless to berate it for not offering high resolution and other advanced features, because it cost a fraction of the price.
What it does give you is a usable way to evaluate the thermal signature of electronics and other devices, albeit with not entirely trustworthy calibration. It would have been nice to save images or had the USB connection offered some way to retrieve the sensor data, but even without that it delivers on expectations. Yes, it’s a toy, but it’s also a useful toy, and given that you’d probably spend more than the thirty quid it costs building your own version from modules I’d call it a diamond in the rough. I didn’t regret that particular AliExpress order, and I don’t think you will either. | 29 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371924",
"author": "rewolff",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T14:36:19",
"content": "My first guess for “CPU” would be that it is an GD32E230. The G4 would mean it’s a (counting the pins in the picture left as an exercise) with 16k flash.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"rep... | 1,760,372,986.507794 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/minimum-viable-quad-build-shows-what-starting-from-nothing-can-accomplish/ | Minimum Viable Quad Build Shows What Starting From Nothing Can Accomplish | Dan Maloney | [
"drone hacks"
] | [
"iterative design",
"lean",
"minimum viable product",
"MVP",
"quad",
"uav"
] | While it’s great to be experienced and have a ton of specialist knowledge needed to solve a problem, there’s something liberating about coming at things from a position of ignorance. Starting at ground zero can lead you down the path less traveled, and reveal solutions that might otherwise not have presented themselves. And, if
[Robin Debreuil]’s exploration of the “minimum viable quadcopter”
is any example, some pretty fun failure modes too.
The minimum viable product concept is nothing new of course, being a core concept in Lean methodologies and a common practice in many different industries. The idea of building an MVP is to get something working and in the hands of users, who will then give you feedback on everything wrong with it, plus, if you’re lucky, what you got right. That feedback informs the next design, which leads to more feedback and a whole iterative process that should design the perfect widget.
In [Robin]’s case, he wanted to build a quadcopter, but didn’t know where to start. So his first version was as simple as possible: a motor with a propellor and a small LiPo battery. No chassis, no control electronics — nothing. And it worked just about as well as expected. But fixing that problem led to different designs, the process of which was fascinating — we especially liked the quad with opposing motors controlled by mercury tilt switches to sense attitude changes.
In the end, [Robin] took a more conventional tack and used a microcontroller and BetaFlight to get his popsicle stick and hot glue UAV airborne. But the decision to start with a minimum viable design and iterate from there was a powerful learning experience in tune with [Robin]’s off-beat and low-key outlook, which we’ve seen before with
his use of bismuth for desoldering
and
his scratch-off PCBs
. | 11 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371881",
"author": "norro211",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T11:30:57",
"content": "It is worth noting that MVP is not actually about reinventing the wheel or ignoring established knowledge. It might be fun to do that and learn for yourself but it is a misuse of the terminology.",
"... | 1,760,372,986.594706 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/12/3d-prints-of-steel-um-pla-rather/ | 3D Prints Of Steel — Um — PLA, Rather | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"beam",
"beams",
"steel beams",
"structural beam",
"structural beams"
] | Need a steel beam? You can
3D print PLA beams
that are as strong as a steel beam of equivalent weight according to [RepRap]. The
Python code for FreeCAD
generates a repeating structure especially well suited for belt printers that can print a beam of any length. Keep in mind, of course, given two things that weigh the same, if one is made of steel and the other PLA, the steel one will be physically smaller.
The beams are repeating tetrahedrons which are quite strong with a lot of material on the outer faces to resist bending. Each beam end has a neat block with a wiring hole and a ring of small holes that allow you to mount the beams to things or each other with 30 degree increments of rotation.
Turns out, these holes are a mess for the FreeCAD geometry engine to deal with, so the script actually does what we can only call a hack. It randomly changes the size of the cut cylinders. The change is too small to be noticeable on the final print, but large enough to break the uniformity that upsets the software.
You don’t have to have a belt printer to make these beams, but if you don’t, you can only print one as long as your print bed. We wonder if we’ll start seeing 3D printers built using these beams as frame elements? It would seem to make sense.
If this gives you the urge to do a belt printer,
go ahead
. We’ve talked about
3D printing extrusions
before, but this seems like it might be more practical. | 24 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371851",
"author": "Coley Christopher Logan Jr",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T08:37:21",
"content": "This definitely seems like it could be useful. If for nothing else but mocking up a quick prototype.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,372,986.377672 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/thrashed-damaged-nes-controller-gets-brought-back-to-life/ | Thrashed, Damaged NES Controller Gets Brought Back To Life | Lewin Day | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"nes",
"nintendo"
] | Electronics might as well be a magical black box to some people. Where some would see a broken NES controller destined for the bin, [Taylor] saw the opportunity for a repair. Thus,
the damaged hardware was brought back into useful service.
The controller was bought as part of a job lot, and was heavily damaged when it entered [Taylor]’s ownership. Nintendo built its hardware tough in those days, but the controller had nevertheless been smashed apart, with the case cracked and split and the PCB itself snapped in two.
For someone with basic electronics skills, though, repair was simple. The broken PCB was glued back together with epoxy. The broken traces had solder mask scraped back so that jumper wires could bridge the damaged area and return the circuit to functionality.
From there, it was a simple matter of 3D printing a new case, and the controller was back in service. The case in question was
designed by [Alexander Myrman]
, and has a neat little inset Mario design that’s made visible by paint-filling the inlay.
While it was an easy fix, to the uninitiated in the electronic arts, it might as well be magic. It pays to remember that there are always new people joining the electronics hobby, and projects like these are a great way to learn. It’s also important to note that bringing back old retro hardware is often of great value, as in many cases, they’re not making any more!
We see some great restorations around these parts, too.
Video after the break. | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371869",
"author": "danjovic@gmail.com",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T10:01:16",
"content": "I prefer to use enamelled wire for such kind of pcb repairs (and to to build electronics prototypes too).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,372,986.54768 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/materials-for-self-learners/ | Materials For Self Learners | Chris Lott | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"learning",
"reference materials",
"self learning"
] | [João Nuno Carvalho] is a passionate learner. Software engineer by day, he studies all different branches of science and engineering in his spare time. He has organized an impressive list of study / reference materials on a wide variety of subjects that interest him, from aeronautical engineering to quantum mechanics and dozens more in between. In fact, his study lists themselves became so numerous that he collected them into a list of lists, which can be found
here on his GitHub repository
. These include categories on “How to learn…”
Modern Electronics
Modern Linux
Modern Embedded Systems
Mathematics from the ground up
Physics from the ground up
Modern Compressive Sensing
Modern [C, C++, Rust, Python]
Modern Machine Learning
Modern Aeronautics and Astronautics
Guitar on a budget
Another interesting thing we found in his repo was a
list of common electrical components
. If you can’t remember off the top of your head the part number of common 100 V PNP bipolar transistor, [João]’s list will point you towards a BD136.
It’s quite an impressive list of resources, and we can’t help but wonder how large [Joã0]’s personal library is if it contains even half of the materials from these lists. Check these out if you want to brush up on a topic — they include not only text books and reference volumes, but forums, blogs, YouTube links, etc. On the topic of learning, we wrote
a piece back in 2017
on how learning differs between hobbyists and students. Do you have a favorite list-of-lists that you turn to when you want to brush up or learn about a new subject? Let us know in the comments below. | 13 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371801",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-08-12T04:03:54",
"content": "” Check these out if you want to brush up on a topic — they include not only text books and reference volumes, but forums, blogs, YouTube links, etc.”I’m afraid some of that will not survive link rot.",
... | 1,760,372,986.904359 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/wireless-earbuds-charge-themselves/ | Wireless Earbuds Charge Themselves | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"dc-dc",
"deadbug",
"earbuds",
"headphones",
"solar",
"solar cell",
"step up converter",
"wireless"
] | As more and more ports are removed from our smart devices, it seems that we have one of two options available for using peripherals: either buy a dongle to continue to use wired devices, or switch to Bluetooth and deal with perpetually maintaining batteries. If neither of these options suits you, though, there’s a third option available as [befinitiv] shows us in this build where
he integrates a tiny solar panel to his earbud case
to allow them to automatically charge themselves.
To start, he begins by taking apart the earbud case. For those who still haven’t tried out a set of these, they typically charge only when placed inside of their carrying case, which in his case also contains a small battery itself. Soldering wires directly to the battery allow for the battery to charge without as much electrical loss as he would have had if he had connected to the USB pins on the circuit board. Even then, the cell only generates a single volt so he needs a 5V boost converter to properly charge the battery. That came with its own problem, though, as it wouldn’t fit into the case properly. To solve that issue, he desoldered all of the components and deadbugged them together in order to fit the converter into a much smaller space without having to modify the case in any other way.
With all of that done and the small solar cell attached to the case, [befinitiv] has a smart solution to keep his wireless earbuds topped up without having to carry cables or dongles around every day. We’ve seen plenty of interesting solutions to the problem of various electronics manufacturers removing the ubiquitous 3.5 mm headphone jack too, and not all of them have dealt with this problem
without certain other quirks arising
as a result. | 20 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371762",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T23:19:05",
"content": "Alternative solution attach a couple wires to each and send both signal and power through it. Never needs charging, much simpler electronics, and you can’t lose one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,372,986.855686 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/3d-printing-steel-parts-at-home-via-special-filaments/ | 3D Printing Steel Parts At Home Via Special Filaments | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printing metal",
"aerospike",
"metal 3d printer",
"rocket",
"rocket nozzle",
"rocketry",
"steel"
] | Rocket engines are great for producing thrust from fire and fury, but they’re also difficult to make. They require high-strength materials that can withstand the high temperatures involved. [Integza], however, has tried for a long time to 3D print himself a working rocket engine. His latest attempt involves
printing an aerospike design out of metal
.
Even steel couldn’t hold up to the fury of the rocket exhaust!
The project relies on special metal-impregnated 3D printer filaments. The part can be printed with a regular 3D printer and then fired to leave just the metal behind. The filament can be harsh, so [Integza] uses a ruby nozzle to handle the metal-impregnated material. Processing the material requires a medium-temperature “debinding” stage in a kiln which removes the plastic, before a high-temperature sintering process that bonds the remaining metal particles into a hopefully-contiguous whole. The process worked well for bronze, though was a little trickier for steel.
Armed with a steel aerospike rocket nozzle, [Integza] attempts using the parts with his
3D printed rocket fuel we’ve seen before.
The configuration does generate some thrust, and lasts longer than most of [Integza]’s previous efforts, though still succumbs to the intense heat of the rocket exhaust.
Overall, though, it’s a great example of what it takes to print steel parts at home. You’ll need a quality 3D printer, ruby nozzles and a controllable kiln, but it can be done. If you manage to print something awesome,
be sure to drop us a line
. Video after the break. | 31 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371707",
"author": "josephsleary",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T20:05:35",
"content": "1stNeat",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6371730",
"author": "Rallen",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T20:50:17",
"content": "Many tomatoes ... | 1,760,372,987.062391 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/a-stress-monitor-designed-specifically-to-help-you-work-from-home/ | A Stress Monitor Designed Specifically To Help You Work From Home | Orlando Hoilett | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"Blues wireless notecard",
"coronavirus",
"gsr",
"nRF52840",
"stress",
"Svelte",
"twilio",
"work from home"
] | There are quite a bit of mixed emotions regarding working from home. Some people love it and are thriving like they haven’t before, but others are having a bit of a hard time with it all. [Brandon] has been working from home for the last 12 years, but even after so many years of managing this type of work culture, he admits that it can still be a little stressful. He says he doesn’t take enough time in between tasks to simply relax and to breathe a little and the day-to-day minutia of his work can drive his stress level up if he doesn’t take some time to calm himself. He figured he could
make something to monitor his stress level and remind himself to take a break
and the results are pretty impressive.
He develops a system to monitor his heart rate and the ambient noise level in his room and uses these metrics as a measure of stress. If his heart rate or the ambient noise level goes above a certain threshold, then he sends himself a text message reminding himself to relax and take a break. You’ve probably seen
people use heart rate as a measure of stress already
, but you’re probably less familiar with using sound. [Brandon] basically thought the sound sensor would detect if he starts
ranting for prolonged periods of time or if he’s in a Zoom meeting that gets too heated
. We thought that was pretty neat.
[Brandon] used an off-the-shelf chest strap heart rate monitor to save himself a bit of time in trying to
build his own
. The device sends heart rate data to an nRF52840 over Bluetooth and then pushes the data to the cloud using a Blues Wireless Notecard. The Notecard also offers data encryption which gave [Brandon] some added peace of mind knowing his biometric data wasn’t floating around in the cloud without any sort of protection. This certainly isn’t medical-grade encryption, but it gave him a bit of comfort, nonetheless. All that data is processed in his custom-designed web app and when the appropriate thresholds are reached, he sends a text message to himself using Twilio reminding him to relax and unwind for a bit.
For his next iteration, [Brandon] might try
making his own heart rate monitor
. But until then, stay safe everybody, and remember to take a break whenever you need it. | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371694",
"author": "rpavlik",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T19:19:12",
"content": "Ooh, I like the creative sensing of “too loud in here, take a break to calm down”. I wonder what other useful indicators there could be that I could use in such a thing.",
"parent_id": null,
"dept... | 1,760,372,987.105609 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/figuring-out-earths-past-climate-through-paleoclimatology-and-its-lessons-for-today/ | Figuring Out Earth’s Past Climate Through Paleoclimatology And Its Lessons For Today | Maya Posch | [
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Science"
] | [
"climate change",
"paleoclimatology"
] | Roughly 4.6 billion years ago, Earth would gain its first atmosphere, yet this was an atmosphere that was completely unlike the atmosphere we know today. Today’s oxygen-rich atmosphere we’re familiar with didn’t form until the Proterozoic, between 2,500 and 541 million years ago, when oxygen-producing bacteria killed off much of the previously thriving life from the preceding Archean.
This, along with studies of massive insects such as the 75 cm wingspan
Meganeuropsis permiana
dragonflies from the Permian, and reconstructed temperature, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels via
paleoclimatology
show periods during which Earth’s atmosphere and accompanying climate would be unrecognizable to us humans.
Human history covers only a minuscule fraction of Earth’s history during arguably one of the latter’s coolest, least eventful periods, and yet anthropogenic (man-made) climate change now threatens to rapidly change this. But wait, how do we know what the climate was like over such vast time scales? Let’s take a look into how we managed to reconstruct the Earth’s ancient climate, and what these findings mean for our prospects as a species today.
Welcome to the Holocene
The current geological era is called the
Cenozoic
(also known as the Age of Mammals), which encompasses 66 million years, divided into three periods:
Paleogene: 66 – 23.03 million years ago (Mya)
Neogene: 23.03 – 2.58 Mya
Quaternary: 2.58 Mya – today
The Quaternary forms roughly the period in which recognizable humans existed and consists of two epochs:
Pleistocene (2.58 Mya – 11,700 ya)
Holocene (11,700 – today)
Some have proposed we recognize a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene (‘human epoch’), which would be defined as the epoch in which human activity first began to leave significant traces in the geological record. Although still the
subject of intense debate
, the search is on to find a so-called ‘golden spike’ in the geological record that may consist out of radionucleotides, heavy metals, fly ash and similar finds which would be indicative of the rise of human activity during the early 20
th
century.
If the Anthropocene becomes the new current epoch, its beginning would likely be placed around the 1950s. Yet the Holocene and to some extent the Pleistocene are probably our best indicators for what counts as the current ‘normal’, as far as Earth’s current climate and global temperatures goes, and what would be the result of so-called ‘forcings’. These are influences that force the global temperature to be higher or lower than it would otherwise have been, ranging from volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts, and solar activity, to human activities.
Reconstructions of volcanic forcing and total solar irradiance from proxies. (Source: IPCC fifth assessment report)
As explained by the National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly NCDC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the pattern of
forcings for the past 1,000 years
is quite clear. When comparing the influence of solar activity (through radioactive
14
C and
10
Be isotopes in ice cores and tree rings) as well as that from volcanic eruptions (via sulfate (SO
4
2-
) layers) there is a strong correlation within simulations, up until the 20
th
century.
This is even more clear when one looks at the followed comparison of
global temperatures
based on nearly a dozen published studies:
A comparison of 11 different published reconstructions of changes during the last 2000 years. (
Source with references
, CC BY SA 3.0)
Climate by Proxy
While the preceding graphs make it both rather obvious that the global temperature rise observed during the 20th and current 21st century are not being forced by increased solar activity or similar positive influence, it is pertinent to put this dramatic rise in context using Earth’s
geologic temperature record
for the past 500 million years:
Global average temperature estimates for the last 540 My (Author:
Glen Fergus
, CC BY SA 3.0)
Much like for the past thousand years, these temperatures were reconstructed through
climate proxies
: geological and other markers which have in some way recorded characteristics from which meteorological measurements (e.g. temperature) can be deduced. Each of these proxies have a limit to how far back in time they can take us, either through the gradual (radioactive) decay of the marker, or because of how much of the proxy exists (e.g. thickness and age of an ice sheet).
Of these proxies,
ice cores
are probably the most well-known. These can take us back to approximately 800,000 years and provide us with air samples from a specific period from trapped air bubbles. In addition, impurities such as sand and ash can provide clues to atmospheric events — our own Jenny List wrote an article about
how lead from human smelting activities in the 13th century was found in alpine glaciers
. This allows us to construct graphs such as the following using
Vostok Station
ice cores:
Graph of CO2 (green), reconstructed temperature (blue) and dust (red) from the Vostok ice core for the past 420,000 years. (Source: Petit et al., 1999)
This graph covers the past 420,000 years, with CO
2
levels staying well below 300 ppm (parts per million). Atmospheric CO
2
measurements today (as of June 2021) are
well over 410 ppm
. In the absence of other forcing events, this might conceivably explain the rapid global temperature rise.
CO
2
levels
along with similar gases such as methane (CH
4
) are an obvious cause through
radiative forcing
. This effect is commonly referred to as the ‘greenhouse effect’.
While the Earth’s atmosphere serves to retain warmth in this fashion to maintain the biosphere and the fragile life in it, by changing the magnitude of the radiative forcing, this can result in dramatic increases or drops in global temperatures. This saw for example the
Cambrian
(541 Mya – 485.4 Mya) with atmospheric CO
2
levels of about 4,500 ppm and a global temperature of 7 °C higher than the pre-industrial temperatures of the 19th century.
Another such maximum was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (
PETM
) which saw a significant global temperature increase of 5–8 °C around 55.5 Mya. This was linked to volcanism and significant changes in Earth’s carbon cycle. As a result of these changes there were mass-extinctions of many species.
Clearly, the Earth’s climate has been much warmer and featured much more atmospheric CO
2
than today, so exactly what is the matter with today’s changes, and the target of staying below a global temperature increase of 3°C? The answer here can be summarized succinctly by pointing at these mass-extinctions found in the geological record and the realization that humans have evolved only over the past 300,000 years, give or take a millennium.
Habitat Destruction
One of the hallmarks of evolution is that a species evolves to fit a certain environment. As the Earth’s climate changes between extremes, certain species will find that they are poorly equipped to handle these changes. This can involve a drop or rise in temperatures, changing oxygen levels (what likely drove
Meganeura
dragonflies to extinction) and the destruction of the habitat through events like
desertification
.
While one may scoff at rising temperatures, and consider the amazing technologies we have such as air conditioning, it bears to keep in mind that a
body temperature
of 40°C (104°F) is considered a medical emergency, and human thermoregulation may already fail when exposed to a
wet-bulb temperature
of 35°C (95°F) over 6 hours, resulting in a fatal case of hyperthermia.
Steven C. Sherwood et al. found that due to heat stress, many parts of Earth’s surface
may become uninhabitable
and even lethal to humans due to this heat stress. Along with humans, other animals would also be exposed to these temperatures, as well as all plant life. While we can put ourselves in air conditioned rooms and vehicles, we cannot do the same with livestock, crops and entire ecosystems. Eventually, after only a few hundred years, this could cause the worst extinction event since the PETM.
End of the Anthropocene
One might wonder what could be the golden spike that would indicate the end of the Anthropocene (that hotly debated ‘human epoch’ mentioned earlier) and the beginning of a new epoch. The pessimistic view there is that humanity may not be around to witness this change, and thus that it may not matter. For the optimistic view there is the notion that it could be the point where humanity found a way to avoid creating forcings that will ultimately end up destroying the habitat and climate on which it relies to survive.
Here the reduction of pollution and especially the release of gases such as CO
2
and CH
4
into the atmosphere is generally considered the most effective way to prevent a worst-case scenario as described by Steven C. Sherwood et al. Yet this approach is also proving to be exceedingly difficult, as evidenced by humanity’s continued use of fossil fuels, considered to be the primary source of these carbon-based gases:
Clearly the overwhelming majority of the energy that powers human societies today comes from fossil fuel sources, after these took over from traditional biomass (i.e. burning wood and similar). Each of these sources come with its own ‘carbon budget’, as we can see when we look at the lifetime carbon emissions for these sources when used in electricity production:
If we wish to rapidly reduce the amount of CO
2
and CH
4
in the atmosphere, we should be using more of the sources on the right-hand side, and none of the sources on the left. As much as we as a species are loathe to admit it, at this point in time, located on the very edge of the geologic climate record, humanity is the primary forcing factor in Earth’s climate.
While changing the climate is a pretty unique property not seen since Proterozoic bacteria wiped out much of Earth’s life through the production of toxic oxygen, it also comes with a certain amount of responsibility. Here we have an excellent opportunity to prove the notion that humans are in fact the pinnacle of intelligent life. | 28 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371705",
"author": "DSchultz",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T19:59:38",
"content": "The anthropocene probably begins far earlier. Around the beginning of agriculture when land clearance (CO2) and rice farming (CH4) became significant. See the work of Ruddiman.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,372,987.227576 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/xbox-flexure-joystick-puts-you-in-the-pilots-seat/ | Xbox Flexure Joystick Puts You In The Pilot’s Seat | Tom Nardi | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"compliant mechanism",
"flexture",
"flight stick",
"Joystick",
"microsoft flight simulator",
"xbox one"
] | With the recent release of
Microsoft Flight Simulator
on the Xbox Series X|S there’s never been a better time to get a flight stick for the console, and as you might imagine, there are a number of third party manufacturers who would love to sell you one. But where’s the fun in that?
If you’ve got a fairly well tuned 3D printer, you can
print out and assemble this joystick by [Akaki Kuumeri]
that snaps right onto the Xbox’s controller. Brilliantly designed to leverage the ability of 3D printers to produce compliant mechanisms, or flextures, you don’t even need any springs or fasteners to complete assembly.
The flexture gimbal works without traditional springs.
The free version of Thingiverse only lets you move the controller’s right analog stick, but
if you’re willing to drop $30 USD on the complete version
, the joystick includes additional levers that connect to the controller’s face and shoulder buttons for more immersive control. There’s even a throttle that snaps onto the left side of the controller, though it’s optional if you’d rather save the print time.
If you want to learn more about the idea behind the joystick, [Akaki] is all too happy to walk you through the finer parts of the design in the video below. But the short version is the use of a flextures in the base of the joystick opened up the space he needed to run the mechanical linkages for all the other buttons.
This isn’t the first time [Akaki] has used 3D printed parts to adapt a console controller for flight simulator use. A simplified version of this concept used
ball-and-socket joints to move the Xbox’s analog sticks
, and he even turned a
PlayStation DualShock into an impressive flight yoke you could clamp to your desk
. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371657",
"author": "sjm4306",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T17:09:25",
"content": "That’s really neat, print in place and flexure mechanisms in 3D printing are awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6371660",
"author": "Josh K... | 1,760,372,987.156352 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/should-you-be-able-to-repair-it-we-think-so/ | Should You Be Able To Repair It? We Think So. | Jenny List | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Repair Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"parts",
"repair",
"right to repair",
"servicing"
] | You own it, you should be able to fix it. So much equipment on sale today has either been designed to be impossible to maintain, unnecessarily too complex to maintain, maintainable only with specialist tooling only available to authorised service agents, or with no repair parts availability. It’s a hot-button issue in an age when sustainability is a global concern, so legislators and regulators worldwide now finally have it in their sights after years of inaction and it’s become a buzzword. But what exactly
is
the right to repair, and what do we want it to be?
Is It Designed For Repair?
For some reason, pod coffee makers are especially resistant to repair. Andy1982,
CC BY 3.0
The first question to consider is this: does it matter whether or not you have the right to repair something, if it’s designed specifically with lack of repairability in mind? Consider a typical domestic pod coffeemaker such as a Tassimo or similar: despite being physically quite a simple device, it is designed to be especially complex to dismantle and reassemble. You just can’t get into it when something goes wrong.
Should it be the preserve of regulators to require design for easy repair? We think so. There are other forces working on the designers of home appliances; design-for-manufacture considerations and exterior appearance concerns directly affect the firm’s bottom line, while the end users’ repair experience is often at the bottom of the list, even though the benefit at a national level is obvious. That’s what laws are for.
Are Other Laws Being Misused To Curtail Repair?
John Deere tractors are notorious for their dodgy DMCA. Bahnfrend (
CC BY-SA 4.0
).
In many cases there’s no such thing as a lack of a right to repair. Oxford Hackspace’s coffee machine may have been difficult to repair when it broke, but I had every legal right to do so.
Turn to the poster child/villain of many right-to-repair stories: John Deere. Because the machine itself is designed to be worked on, it seems obvious that a farmer should be able to wrench on their tractor.
Here, Deere turned to the DMCA, a piece of 1990s legislation born of music industry panic over piracy, that sought to prohibit the circumvention of copy protection mechanisms. Similar to the methods used to neuter refilled printer ink cartridges, Deere tied a software component that had to be linked to and authorised by a Deere computer. While the farmer could repair their tractor, it would no longer work after an unauthorised repair. Only Deere or their agents could perform the software portion of the repair, and circumventing it would fall foul of the DMCA. Should regulators have the power to prohibit the curtailment of repairability by tying the process into other legislation? We think so.
Is Needless Complexity Hindering Repairability?
It’s all very well having something designed for repair and unencumbered by legal impediments, but there are other ways that a manufacturer can hinder the repairability of their products. When an otherwise simple product is made unnecessarily complex it both increases the likelihood of a fault and increases the cost of a repair, in the interests of the manufacturer who wants to sell a new product but not in those of the consumer. Those Deere tractor parts yet again provide an example, in which an otherwise simple part carries a chip; where previously there was only a simple mechanical or hydraulic part there is now an unnecessary electronic accoutrement.
Anybody who has maintained motor vehicles made in the 1980s alongside those made a decade ago will understand this; where the former simply has a bulb and a switch for its lighting the latter now does exactly the same task with microcontrollers in both switch and lamp. Those prepared to defend this practice with a description of the virtues of a CAN bus should reflect on the current chip shortage and its causes in the unnecessary proliferation of automotive microcontrollers. Should regulators be asking questions about needless product complexity in order to hinder repairability? We think so.
Are Small parts Being Hidden In Modules?
Are these brushes available separately, or only as part of the motor? Dvortygirl,
CC BY-SA 3.0
Given a product that’s simple enough to repair and easy enough to get into, we turn to the question of parts availability. It’s a favourite trick of domestic appliance manufacturers, to render their older products obsolete by taking spare parts ranges off the market, and this practice has come under the spotlight with the EU’s approach to the issue.
They require the parts for example for a washing machine to be available for sale for a decade after it was made, but it’s worth considering for a moment: just what is a part? Common sense dictates that any part which has the capability to fail should be available, but that’s a definition which is open to interpretation.
Picture for a minute a motor in which the brushes have failed, you might expect to go to the parts store and buy a set of replacement brushes. But an unscrupulous manufacturer can designate the motor as the part rather than the brushes, meaning that a few-dollar part becomes a many-dollar part. Other examples of small consumable parts which are subsumed into much more expensive parts assemblies include bearings which can not be replaced on their own, or seals. Should regulators have the power to require that replaceable wear items be made available separately instead as only incorporated in larger assemblies? We think so.
Is There Enough Information To Repair It?
Finally, it’s understood that many devices today are by necessity computerised. We may have complained about unnecessary overuse of microcontrollers in motor vehicles for example, but it’s undeniable that there are many functions in a modern car that are only made possible by the use of a microcontroller. SInce their diagnostic functions form an essential part of their repair it is essential that they do not present an opportunity to restrict repairability by restricting access to information, software, protocols, and error codes. American farmers are having to resort to Easter European software piracy to gain access to the systems on their Deere tractors, and even though car owners the world over can plug in an OBD-2 dongle there is still much of the information it can access that remains proprietary. Should there be a requirement from regulators that documents, diagnostic protocols and software be made available to all? We think so.
This article has come close to a manifesto in its stating of the key points we think should be considered when evaluating a right-to-repair proposal, but we think that it’s important to spell them out. And fortunately, we’re not alone. Following the EU’s landmark right-to-repair guidelines, the
US Federal Trade Commission announced its intention to more actively pursue repair laws that are already on the books
.
It’s inevitable that there will continue to be powerful industry lobbies pushing for them to be watered down, against the will of the consumer, so the greater the number of people who have a chance to discuss them, the better. Did we think of everything in our exploration of the topic? Please let us know in the comments. | 179 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371589",
"author": "Ken",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T14:30:50",
"content": "First step, mandate replaceable batteries. I have multiple devices ( watches, phones) that are not designed to allow battery replacement. The life of the device is engineered to be gated by the life of the ... | 1,760,372,987.441646 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/practical-print-makes-ipad-a-magnificent-eye-piece/ | Practical Print Makes IPad A Magnificent Eye Piece | Ryan Flowers | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3D printable",
"3d printed",
"magnification",
"magnifier",
"magnify",
"soldering",
"tool build"
] | Be it the ever shrinking size of components, the miniscule size of the printing on such pieces, or the steady march of time that makes visits to the optometrist an annual ritual, many of us could use some assistance when things start getting fuzzy at the workbench. Arm-mounted LED magnifying lenses can be a handy helper. Zooming in on a macro photo on a smartphone is also a common option that we’ve used many times.
[Timo Birnschein] started down a similar path when he realized that his iPad Pro comes with an app called simply “Magnifier”. A 12” iPad isn’t exactly the most convenient device to hold while trying to solder small parts, so he spent some time designing and 3D printing a specialty iPad stand that he calls a “
Quick and Dirty High Performance EE Microscope.
” We call it a magnificent tool hack!
Rotating the iPad diagonally so that the camera is closest to the subject leaves plenty of room to work and makes great use of the available screen space. [Timo] reports that at 50% magnification the 12” screen makes even 0603 SMD parts easy to read. Now he rejoices to have more to do with his iPad than watching YouTube and reading Hackaday- although we don’t know why you couldn’t do both.
The
STL files have been released on Thingverse
for your experimentation. [Timo] notes that he’d like to add an LED ring to brighten things up, and a fume extractor to protect the delicate lens on the iPad. We have to wonder if some plastic wrap over the lens might produce the same effect at almost no cost. Whatever [Timo] decides to do, we’re sure it’ll be brilliant.
If you don’t have an iPad and a 3D printer, you might enjoy an earlier post that shows
how you can use your phone as a microscope
. If Lego and Raspberry Pi are your go-to parts, you can set your sights on this
Lego/Pi/Arduino microscope
.
Do you have your own preferred solution for seeing yourself through a hazy situation? Be sure to write it up, and then drop it in the
Tip Line
! | 9 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371577",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T13:38:38",
"content": "Good idea! I wonder if I can use the built in camera app on my ancient iPad mini, might breathe some new life into it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6... | 1,760,372,987.483696 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/11/a-whole-lot-of-stepper-motors-make-the-most-graceful-7-segment-displays/ | A Whole Lot Of Stepper Motors Make The Most Graceful 7-Segment Displays | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"7-segment display",
"charlie sheen",
"mechanical display",
"servo",
"servo motors"
] | Over the years we’ve seen many takes on the 7-segment display. Among the most interesting are the mechanical versions of what is most often an LED-based item. This week’s offering is from [John Burd], who published a very odd video showing off the clock he made. But look beyond YouTuber antics and you’ll see
the stepper motors he used to turn the segments are dripping with graceful beauty
. (Video, embedded below.)
Okay if you want to hear [Charlie Sheen] say “Raspberry P-eye”, this is the video for you. [John] used Cameo to get the (former?) star to talk about what was used to build the clock. Like we said, the video is weird. Let’s embrace that right away and then never talk about it again.
The thing is, the build is such a good idea. [John] went with some stepper motors you can source relatively cheaply from Ali Express and the like. Typically they’re around a buck or two each and have a couple of wings for screw mounting brackets. This builds on
the segment displays we’ve seen that use hobby servos
by allowing you finer control of how the segments move. Sure, the 90° rotation isn’t all that much to work with, but it will be much smoother and you can get fancy with the kinematics you choose. The only place we see room for improvement is the alignment of the segments when they are turned “off” as you can see the center segment in the video thumbnail below is not quite level. Maybe a linkage mechanism would allow for a hing mechanism that aligns more accurately while hiding the servos themselves behind the mounting plate? It’s in your hands now!
In the demo video you’ll also find some interesting test rigs built to proof out the project. One just endurance tests the mechanism, but the other two envision water-actuated segments. One pumps a hollow, transparent segment with colored liquid. The other tried to use water droplets sprayed in the air to illuminate laser segments. Both are cool and we’d like to see more of the oddball approaches which
remind us of the ferrofluid clock
. | 23 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371508",
"author": "mmmdee",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T08:14:11",
"content": "Absolutely mesmerizing motion, entertaining video. I have not heard of Cameo and found it to be an amusing addition to the presentation. I really had not expected the clock to be that large, but in the app... | 1,760,372,987.547643 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/homebrew-rom-reader-saves-data-from-a-vintage-minicomputer/ | Homebrew ROM Reader Saves Data From A Vintage Minicomputer | Dan Maloney | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"74LS161",
"arduino",
"backup",
"counter",
"minicomputer",
"nano",
"rom"
] | Have you ever heard of a Centurion minicomputer? If not, don’t feel bad — we hadn’t either, until [David Lovett] stumbled upon a semi-complete version of the 1980-ish mini in all its wood-trimmed, dust-encased glory. And what does a hacker do with such an acquisition but attempt to get it going again?
Of course, getting a machine from the Reagan administration running is not without its risks, including the chance of losing whatever is on the machine’s many ROM chips forever. When finding a commercial ROM reader supporting the various chips proved difficult,
[David] decided to build his own
. The work was eased considerably by the fact that he had managed to read one chip in a commercial reader, giving him a baseline to compare his circuit against. The hardware is straightforward — a 12-bit counter built from a trio of cascaded 74LS161s to step through addresses, plus an Arduino Nano to provide clock pulses and to read the data out to the serial port.
The circuit gave the same results as the known good read, meaning results would be valid for the rest of the chips. The breadboard setup made supporting multiple ROM pinouts easy, even for the chips that take -9 volts. What exactly the data on the ROMs mean, if anything, remains a mystery, but at least it’s backed up now.
Before anyone notes the obvious, yes, [David] could have used a 555 to clock the reader — perhaps even
this one
. We’d actually have loved that, but we get it — sometimes you just need to throw an Arduino at a job and be done with it. | 23 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371490",
"author": "Thijzer",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T06:31:28",
"content": "There will come an era in which men will say: “He could as well have used an Arduino.”That day will come.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6371529",... | 1,760,372,987.606716 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/freebsd-experiment-rethinks-the-os-install/ | FreeBSD Experiment Rethinks The OS Install | Tom Nardi | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"BSD",
"freebsd",
"headless",
"installer",
"remote",
"web browser",
"web interface"
] | While the medium may have evolved from floppy disks to DVDs and USB flash drives, the overall process of installing an operating system onto a desktop computer has been more or less the same since the 1980s. In a broad sense you could say most OS installers require more clicking than typing these days, but on the whole, not a lot has really changed. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.
Among the long list of projects detailed in FreeBSD’s April to June 2021 Status Report is a
brief update on an experimental installer developed by [Yang Zhong]
. In an effort to make the installation of FreeBSD a bit more user friendly, the new installer does away with the classic terminal interface and fully embraces the modern web-centric design paradigm. Once the user has booted into the live OS, they simply need to point the browser to the loopback address at any time to access the installer’s GUI.
Now that alone wouldn’t be particularly groundbreaking. After all, Google has implemented an entire operating system with web frameworks in Chrome OS, so is making the installer a web app really
that
much of a stretch? But what makes [Yang]’s installer so interesting is that the web interface isn’t limited to just the local machine, it can be accessed by any browser on the network.
That means you can put the install disc for FreeBSD into a headless machine on your network, and use the browser on your laptop or even smartphone to access the installer. The Graybeards will point out that savvy users have always been able to access the text installer from another computer over SSH, but even the most staunch Luddite has to admit that simply opening a browser on whatever device you have handy and pointing it to the target machine’s IP address is a big usability improvement.
While the software appears complete enough to get through a basic installation, we should remind readers these are still early days. There’s currently no authentication in place, so once you’re booted into the live environment, anyone on the network can format your drives and start the install process.
Some sections of the GUI aren’t fully functional either, with the occasional note from [Yang] popping up to explain what does and doesn’t work. For example, the manual network configuration panel currently only works with WiFi interfaces, as that’s all he personally has to test with. Quite a modern installer, indeed.
Some would argue that
part of what makes alternative operating systems like Linux and BSD appealing
is the fact that they can happily run on older hardware, so we imagine the idea of an installer using a memory-hungry web browser to present its interface won’t go over well with many users. In our testing, the experimental installer ISO won’t even boot unless it detected at least 4 GB of RAM onboard. But it’s certainly an interesting experiment, and something to keep an eye on as it matures.
[Thanks to Michael for the tip.] | 31 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371456",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2021-08-11T02:47:21",
"content": "Perhaps it is limited bfor people looking for niche hardware requirements, but for modern computers and users who want to try out something new/different, it sounds like a good step forward. It’s not the new... | 1,760,372,987.691195 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/esp8266-network-meters-show-off-unique-software/ | ESP8266 Network Meters Show Off Unique Software | Tom Nardi | [
"Network Hacks",
"Software Development"
] | [
"Arduino libraries",
"ESP32",
"ESP8266",
"network monitor"
] | Like the “Three Seashells” in
Demolition Man
, this
trio of bright yellow network monitors created by [David Chatting] might be difficult to wrap your head around at first glance
. They don’t have any obvious controls, and their constantly moving indicators are abstract to say the least. But once you understand how to read them, and learn about the unique software libraries he’s developed to make them work, we’re willing to bet you’ll want to add something similar to your own network.
First-time configuration of the monitors is accomplished through the Yo-Yo WiFi Manager library. It’s a captive portal system, not unlike the popular WiFiManager library, but in this case it has the ability to push the network configuration out to multiple devices at once.
This MIT-licensed library
, which [David] has been developing with [Mike Vanis] and [Andy Sheen], should be very helpful for anyone looking to bring multiple sensors online quickly.
The Device Wheel
We’re also very interested in
what [David] calls the Approximate library
. This allows an ESP8266 or ESP32 to use WiFi signal strength to determine when its been brought in close proximity to particular device, and from there, determine its IP and MAC address. In this project, it’s used to pair the “Device Wheel” monitor with its intended target.
Once locked on, the monitor’s black and white wheel will spin when it detects traffic from the paired device. We think this library could have some very interesting applications in the home automation space. For example, it would allow a handheld remote to control whatever device the user happens to be closest to at the time.
Whether you follow along with the instructions and duplicate the meters as-is, or simply use the open source libraries that power them in your own project, we think [David] has provided the community with quite a gift in these unique gadgets. | 15 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371441",
"author": "Fred",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T23:48:51",
"content": "I can see this being weaponized for remote delivery of a drone bomb to a particular cellphone. Just need the MAC address. It’ll sit there waiting for the device to be in range, then launch, get within a cert... | 1,760,372,987.852746 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/making-a-left-handed-nes-controller/ | Making A Left-Handed NES Controller | Lewin Day | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"nes",
"nintendo"
] | The controller for the original Nintendo Entertainment System is a classic, but perhaps not best known for its adherence to good ergonomic principles. Regardless, it can grow awkward to use for long stretches of time. To help alleviate this,
[Taylor] whipped up an easy way to convert a NES controller to left-handed operation.
The mod board in question, installed on a NES controller PCB.
The crux of the hack is simple, with the controller’s buttons swapped left-to-right to enable the controller to be flipped upside down. In this orientation, the D-pad is used by the right hand and the action buttons by the left–the opposite of the usual way. Thus, left and right on the D-pad must be switched, as well as A and B, so all the controls are otherwise in a logical layout.
This is achieved through the use of a little mod board of [Taylor]’s own design. The original HD14021BP chip is desoldered from the controller’s PCB, and installed in the mod board instead. The modboard can then be soldered back into the controller, rerouting the traces to swap the buttons. There’s also a version that [Taylor] designed that can flip between right-handed and left-handed operation thanks to some onboard DIP switches.
It’s a tidy hack that could save the thumbs of some dedicated Tetris players. Alternatively,
you can always make your own NES controller from scratch.
Video after the break. | 19 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371406",
"author": "jalnl",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T20:59:56",
"content": "The funny thing is, arcades switched from a right-handed joystick to a left-handed one to make the games harder. Now we’re so used to dpads/sticks on the left-hand side, that left-handed people want them on... | 1,760,372,987.7964 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/building-an-army-of-faux-cameras-in-the-name-of-art/ | Building An Army Of Faux Cameras In The Name Of Art | Tom Nardi | [
"Art",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"art installation",
"ESP-Now",
"ESP8266",
"privacy",
"surveillance",
"surveillance state"
] | After taking mental note of the number of surveillance cameras pointed at him while standing in line at the local Home Depot,
[Mac Pierce] was inspired to create
A Scanner Darkly
.
The art installation uses beams of light projected by mock security cameras to create a dot-matrix character display on the opposing wall, which slowly blinks out US surveillance laws and regulations.
[Mac] has put together
an extensive behind the scenes look at how he created
A Scanner Darkly
, which among other things covers the incredible time and effort that went into producing the fifteen identical cameras used to project the 3×5 grid. Early on he decided on 3D printing each one, as it would give him complete control over the final result. But given their considerable size, it ended up taking 230 hours and 12 kilograms of PLA filament to print out all the parts. It took a further 55 hours to sand and paint the camera housings, to make sure they didn’t actually
look
like they’d been 3D printed.
Internally, each camera has an off-the-shelf LED flashlight that’s had its power button rigged up to an ESP8266. Once they’ve been manually pointed to the appropriate spot on the wall, [Mac] can turn each camera’s spotlight on and off over WiFi. Rather than rely on the gallery’s infrastructure, all of the cameras connect to the ESP32 M5Stack that serves as the central controller via ESP-Now.
From there, it was just a matter of writing some code that would load a text document from the SD card, convert the current character into a 3×5 array, and then command the appropriate cameras to turn their lights on or off. [Mac] has not only provided the STL files for the 3D printed camera, but the client and server Arduino code to control the lights. Combined with his excellent documentation, this makes
A Scanner Darkly
something of a viral art piece; as anyone with the time and appropriate tools can either duplicate the installation or use it as a base for something new.
While some will no doubt argue that [Mac] could have completed this project far faster
had he just modified some commercial dummy cameras
, it’s important to remember that as an artist, he had a very specific look in mind for
A Scanner Darkly
. This project is a perfect example of how a creator’s passion can take an idea to new heights, and we think the end result proves it’s worth the time and sweat to put in the extra effort. | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371405",
"author": "Pardalis",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T20:56:23",
"content": "I don’t know about this. Reproducing presumably referenced equipment with 3D prints still seems wasteful to me, and the final install doesn’t have the punch it could. Now, if those were ultra-cheap proje... | 1,760,372,987.738458 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/animation-in-education-1950s-style/ | Animation In Education, 1950’s Style | Chris Lott | [
"Art",
"Science"
] | [
"animation",
"antenna theory",
"education",
"electromagnetism",
"National Film Board of Canada",
"Royal Canadian Air Force",
"training"
] | Back before the days of computers, animation was drawn by hand. We typically think of cartoons and animated feature films, but there were other genres as well. For example, animation was also used in educational and training films. [Javier Anderson] has tracked down a series of antenna and RF training videos from the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1950s and 60s and posted them
on his YouTube channel
.
He has found three of these gems, all on the topic of antenna fundamentals: propagation, directivity, and bandwidth (the film on propagation is linked below the break). Casually searching for the names listed in the film’s credits will lead you down an endless and fascinating rabbit hole about the history of Canadian animation and the formation of the Canadian National Film Board and its Studio A group of pioneering young artists (one can easily lose a couple of hours doing said searches, so be forewarned). For these films that [Javier] located, the animator is [Kaj Pindal]. [Kaj] (1927-2019) was a Dane who learned his craft as a teenager, drawing underground anti-Hitler comics in Copenhagen until fleeing for his life. He later emigrated to Canada, where he had a successful career as an artist and educator.
Animator [Kaj Pindal] at his desk, c.2012
Anyone who has tried to really grasp the physical connection between currents flowing in an antenna wire and the resultant radiated signal described by the second-order partial differential electromagnetic wave equation, all while using only a textbook, will certainly agree — unarguably this is a topic whose teaching can be significantly improved by animations such as [Kaj]’s. And if you’d like to sprinkle more phrases like “…
in time-phase and space-quadrature …
” into your conversations, then this film series is definitely for you.
Have you encountered any particularly helpful or well-made animated educational videos in your education and/or career? Are there any examples of similar but modern films made using computer generated images? Thanks to reader [Michael Murillo] for tipping us off to these old films. | 8 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371204",
"author": "Robert Smith",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T02:39:55",
"content": "These vids used some of the very first CGI:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8_xPU5epJddRABXqJ5h5G0dk-XGtA5cZ",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id... | 1,760,372,989.57282 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/relay-logic-nixie-tube-clock-checks-all-the-boxes/ | Relay Logic Nixie Tube Clock Checks All The Boxes | Ryan Flowers | [
"clock hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"clock",
"cmos logic",
"led",
"nixie",
"nixie tubes",
"relay",
"relay logic",
"relays"
] | There are a few words in the electrical engineering lexicon that will perk any hardware hacker’s ears. The first of course is “Nixie tubes” with their warm cold war era ambiance and nostalgia inducing aura. A close second is “relay logic”. Between their place in computing and telecom history and the way a symphony of click and clatter can make a geek’s heart go pitter patter, most of us just love a good relay hack. And then there’s the classic hacker project: A unique timepiece to adorn our lair and remind us when we’ve been working on our project just a little too long, if such a thing even exists.
With those things in mind, you can forgive us if we swooned ever so slightly when [Jon Stanley]’s
Relay Logic Nixie Tube Clock
came to us via the
Tip Line
.
Adorned with its plethora of clicking relays and set aglow by four Nixie tubes, the Relay Logic Nixie Tube Clock checks
all
our boxes.
[Jon] started the build with relay modules that mimic CD4000 series CMOS logic chips.
When the prototype stage was complete, the circuit was recreated on a new board that mounts all 55 Omron relays on the same PCB. The result? A glorious Nixie tube clock that will strike envy into even the purest hacker’s heart. Make sure to watch the video after the break!
[Jon] has graciously documented the entire build and even
makes various relay logic boards available for purchase
if you’d like to embark on your own relay logic exploits . His site
overflows with unique clock projects
as well, so you can be sure we’ll be checking those out.
If you feel inspired to build your own relay logic project, make sure you source
genuine Omron relays
, especially if your
Relay Computer Masterpiece takes six years to build
.
Thanks to [Daniel] for sending this our way. Got a cool project you’d like to share? Be sure to
send it in via the Tip Line
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7lwAbDjiIo | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371174",
"author": "mrehorst",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T23:22:33",
"content": "Better get some spare relays for the seconds counter!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6371180",
"author": "steve",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T... | 1,760,372,989.721244 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/improving-oled-vu-meters-with-a-little-physics/ | Improving OLED VU Meters With A Little Physics | Tom Nardi | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"oled",
"physics",
"VU meter"
] | Last month we featured a project that aimed to recreate the iconic mechanical VU meter with an Arduino and a common OLED display. It was cheap and easy to implement, and promised to bring a little retro style to your otherwise thoroughly modern project.
[sjm4306] liked the idea, but thought it was a tad too stiff.
So he’s been experimenting with adding some physics to the meter’s virtual needle
to better approximate the distinctive lag and overshoot that’s part and parcel of analog indicators. Obviously it’s something that can only be appreciated in motion, so check out the video below for an up-close look at his quasi-retro indicator.
Unfortunately there’s no code for you to play with right now, but [sjm4306] says he’ll release it on the project’s Hackaday.IO page once he’s cleaned things up a bit.
We know it will take more than a few wiggling pixels
to pry real analog indicators out of some hacker’s tool boxes, but anything that helps improve the
digital approximation of this sort of vintage hardware
is a win in our book. | 23 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371114",
"author": "Michael Black",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T20:16:17",
"content": "As I recall, a proper VU meter is well specified, including how fast it follows the signal.But most of the time, hobbyists were deally with cheap meters that showed relative levels.",
"parent_i... | 1,760,372,989.819528 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/using-a-laser-to-blast-away-a-bayer-array/ | Using A Laser To Blast Away A Bayer Array | Stephen Ogier | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"lasers",
"optics",
"Pi Cam",
"raspberry pi",
"Raspberry pi camera",
"spectrometer",
"spectroscope"
] | A Bayer array, or Bayer filter, is what lets a digital camera take color photos. It’s an array of tiny color filters that sit on top of a camera’s CCD. The filter makes it so that each sub-pixel in the image sensor only sees red, green, or blue light. The Bayer filter is an elegant tool that gives us color digital photos, but what would you do if you wanted to remove one?
[Les Wright]
has devised a way to remove the Bayer filter from the Raspberry Pi Camera
. Along with filtering red, green, and blue light for their respective sensors, Bayer filters also greatly reduce the amount of UV and IR light that make it to the CCD sensor. [Les] uses the Raspberry Pi camera in his
Pi-based Spectrometer
, and he wants to remove the Bayer filter to improve and expand its sensitivity.
Of course, [Les] isn’t the first one to want to do this. Some have succeeded in physically scratching the filter off of the CCD, but because the Pi Camera has vital circuitry around the outside of the sensor, scratching the filter off would likely destroy the circuitry. Others have stripped it off using chemical means, so [Les] gave this a go and destroyed no small number of cameras in his attempt to strip the filter off with solvents like DMSO, brake fluid, and industrial paint stripper.
A look at the CCD, halfway through the process.
Inspired by techniques used in industry, [Les] eventually tried to use a several-kW nitrogen laser to burn off the filter (which seems appropriate
given his experience with lasers
). He built a rig that raster scans the laser across the sensor using stepper motors to drive micrometer bases. A USB microscope was included to allow progress to be monitored, and you can see a change in the sensor’s appearance as the filter is removed.
After blasting off the Bayer filter, [Les] plugged his improved camera into his home-built spectrometer and pointed it outside. The new camera gives the spectrometer much more uniform sensitivity and allows [Les] to see further into the IR and UV bands. The spectrometer can even detect the Fraunhofer lines—subtle dips in the sun’s spectrum from absorption by molecules in the atmosphere.
This is incredible for a DIY setup and instrument, and we can’t wait to see what [Les] does next to improve his measurements. If your spectrometry needs are more mass than visual, take a look at this
home-built mass spectrometer
. Home spectrometers aren’t just for examining light spectra—they can also be used to
judge the ripeness of fruit! | 47 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371065",
"author": "Greg Garriss",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T18:47:44",
"content": "Using a laser to remove an optical filter ( intentionally ) is certainly an interesting approach to making a B&W camera.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"com... | 1,760,372,989.993449 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/a-new-flying-car-illustrates-the-same-old-problems/ | A New Flying Car Illustrates The Same Old Problems | Lewin Day | [
"car hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] | [
"car",
"flying car"
] | For almost as long as there have been cars and planes, people have speculated that one day we will all get around in flying cars. They’d allow us to “avoid the traffic” by flying through the air instead of sitting in snarling traffic jams on the ground.
The Klein Vision AirCar hopes to be just such a panacea to our modern traffic woes, serving as a transformable flying car that can both soar through the air and drive on the ground. Let’s take a look at the prototype vehicle’s achievements, and the inherent problems with the underlying flying car concept.
It Flies and Drives
The AirCar is a somewhat futuristic looking, yet simultaneously dated, vehicle. It’s a two-seater with a big bubble canopy for the driver and a single passenger. At the rear, there’s a propeller and twin-boom tail, while the folding wings tuck along either side of the vehicle in “car” mode. At the flick of a switch, the wings fold out and lock in place, while the tail extends further out to the rear. The conversion from driving mode to flight mode takes on the order of a few minutes. The powerplant at the heart of the vehicle is a 160-horsepower BMW engine which switches between driving the wheels and the propeller as needed.
Unlike some concepts we’ve explored in the past
, the AirCar has successfully demonstrated itself as a working flying car without incident. Additionally, it did so as a single vehicular package, without removable wings or other such contrivances.
On June 28th, 2021
, it successfully flew from an airport in Nitra, Slovakia, down to the neighbouring city of Bratislava in 35 minutes – roughly half the time it takes by car. Company founder Stefan Klein was behind the controls, casually driving the vehicle downtown after the successful landing.
The Aeromobil 3.0 concept as pictured in 2016, a forerunner to the AirCar.
The successful flight is the culmination of decades of work. Klein’s first attempt at a flying car was the Aeromobil I back in 1989, which was more of a light aircraft than anything approximating a road vehicle. This was followed by Aeromobil II which developed the transformation concept based around folding wings but remained a conceptual build rather than a fully functional vehicle. AeroMobil 3.0 was built in 2014, and took to the skies before crashing on May 8 2015 after entering a spin. A ballistic parachute enabled Klein to survive the incident. Later, Klein went on to leave the Aeromobil company to start Klein Vision and develop the AirCar.
The AirCar does a lot of the obvious things right. The car body itself is shaped to generate lift, and everything that can be made lightweight is. The convertible wings and tail are really fun to watch as they fold in for driving mode.
So What’s The Problem?
A car with folding wings that can drive around town as well as take to the skies might seem like it’s solved the problem of the flying car once and for all. Unfortunately, this doesn’t take into account all the practical issues around the entire concept. There’s a reason major automakers have never put serious efforts into such technology, after all.
The AVE Mizar was a 20th century attempt to turn a Ford Pinto into a flying car. It faced many of the same logistical issues as other concepts.
Building a car that can fly, fundamentally, is certainly doable, as the AirCar demonstrates. However, as the design shows, no new fancy technology was required to solve this problem. Thus, there must be some other reason we haven’t seen flying cars in great numbers already, and indeed there is.
While the AirCar may be called a “flying car”, more accurately, it is a plane that you can drive on the road. It still requires a pilot licence to fly, and it still requires the use of airports to take off and land. While air journeys may sometimes be faster on paper than the same journey by car, these analyses often completely ignore the significant administrative and logistical hurdles. Filing flight plans, running pre-flight checks, dealing with air traffic and securing a landing slot at a busy runway all take time which makes such journeys often slower than a car when everything is taken into account.
The simple matter remains that flying is hard. Keeping a car in between the dotted lines on the road is a task that many are able to handle, even if the road trauma statistics are higher than we might otherwise like. Controlling a plane, which can literally fall out of the sky if the pilot gets things wrong, is much harder, and carries much greater consequences. Multi-car crashes on the road are often survivable; air-to-air collisions are almost always fatal. Similarly, a poorly maintained car might leave its owner stranded and late for work. A poorly-maintained plane often leads to much more dire consequences.
In short, this isn’t the flying car for you, unless you’re already a light airplane pilot. This is much more a pilot’s car than it is a automobile driver’s airplane. But it’s also a snapshot of one man’s 30-year dream to make it a reality. And if you’re waiting to get your hands on one, they are taking orders, but if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it. | 98 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371031",
"author": "Tom Brusehaver",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T17:16:16",
"content": "The reasons listed above (flight plans… Harder to fly than drive) aren’t the reason these flying cars don’t work.They don’t work because a flying car doesn’t do flying or driving well.A car with he... | 1,760,372,990.125576 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/vintage-displays-hack-chat-with-fran-blanche/ | Vintage Displays Hack Chat With Fran Blanche | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns"
] | [
"Bina-View",
"electroluminescent",
"G-Force 1",
"Hack Chat",
"Nimo",
"nixie",
"retro",
"vacuum fluorescent display",
"vfd",
"vintage"
] | Join us on Wednesday, August 11 at noon Pacific for the
Vintage Displays Hack Chat
with
Fran Blanche
!
In terms of ease of integration and density of the information that can be shown, it’s hard to argue with the fact that modern displays like LCD panels are anything but superior to the character-based displays of yore. Throw one into a project, add a little code from a few off-the-shelf libraries to drive it, and you’re on to the next job.
Efficient, yes, but what does this approach do for the engineer’s soul? What design itch does it scratch; what aesthetic does it celebrate? Nostalgic questions, true, and not every project lends itself to exploring old display technologies. But some still do, thankfully, and when the occasion calls for it, we’re glad that there are those out there who are still actively involved in the retro display community, making sure that what was once state-of-the-art technology is still able to be added to modern projects.
There’s no doubt that Fran Blanche is one of those passing the torch of vintage displays down to the next generation. You’ll certainly know Fran from her popular
Fran Lab channel
on YouTube, where in addition to about a million other interests, she has explored some really cool vintage displays:
the Nimo
cathode-ray tube,
super-bright incandescent seven-segment displays
, the delightfully strange
“Bina-View”,
and many, many more. Fran will stop by the Hack Chat to talk about all these retro displays, what she’s learned from collecting them, and how they shaped the displays we take so much for granted these days. Oh, and perhaps we’ll also talk about
her upcoming ride on “G-Force 1”
as well.
Our Hack Chats are live community events in the
Hackaday.io Hack Chat group messaging
. This week we’ll be sitting down on Wednesday, August 11 at 12:00 PM Pacific time. If time zones have you tied up, we have a
handy time zone converter
. | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "6372221",
"author": "Denis V",
"timestamp": "2021-08-13T12:06:47",
"content": "Fran’s absolutely amazing. Her knowledge of hands-on electronics is excellent!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,372,989.757681 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/so-you-can-solder-small-smd-devices-the-question-is-just-how-small/ | So You Can Solder Small SMD Devices. The Question Is, Just How Small? | Jenny List | [
"Parts"
] | [
"008004",
"555",
"smd",
"soldering",
"soldering challenge"
] | A highlight of last year’s Hackaday Remoticon was a soldering competition that had teams from around the world came together online and did the well-known MakersBox SMD Challenge kit in which a series of LED circuits of decreasing size must be soldered. The Hackaday crew acquitted themselves well, and though an 01005 resistor and LED certainly pushes a writer’s soldering skills to the limit it’s very satisfying to see it working. Lest that kit become too easy, [Arthur Benemann] has come up with something even more fiendish;
his uSMD is a 555 LED flasher
that uses a BGA 555 and a selection of 008004 small components.
The trick with an 01005 is to heat not the tinned and fluxed solder joint, but the trace leading up to it. If components of that size can be mastered then perhaps an 008004 isn’t
that
much smaller so maybe the same technique might work for them too. In his tip email to us he wrote “
Soldering 008004 isn’t much worse than a 0201, you just need magnification
“, and while we think he might be trolling us slightly we can see there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be do-able. Sadly he doesn’t seem to have made it available for us to buy and try so if you want to prove yourself with a soldering iron you’ll have to source the PCBs and parts yourself. Still, we suspect that if you are the type of person who can solder an 008004 then that will hardly be an onerous task for you.
Meanwhile
this isn’t the first soldering challenge kit we’ve brought you
, and of course if you’d like to hone your skills
you can find the MakersBox one on Tindie
. | 15 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371001",
"author": "JanW",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T15:40:01",
"content": "There’s a BGA version of the 555?! Didn’t know that…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6371148",
"author": "aki009",
"timestamp": "2021-... | 1,760,372,990.242265 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/permanent-artificial-hearts-long-sought-replacements-may-not-be-far-away/ | Permanent Artificial Hearts: Long-Sought Replacements May Not Be Far Away | Dan Maloney | [
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Medical Hacks",
"News",
"Slider"
] | [
"artificial heart",
"BiVACOR",
"heart",
"human heart",
"Jarvik-7",
"TAH",
"total artificial heart"
] | The number of artificial prosthetic replacement parts available for the human body is really quite impressive. From prosthetic eyes to artificial hips and knees, there are very few parts of the human body that can’t be swapped out with something that works at least as well as the original, especially given that the OEM part was probably in pretty tough shape in the first place.
But the heart has always been a weak spot in humans, in part because of the fact that it never gets to rest, and in part because all things considered, we modern humans don’t take really good care of it. And when the heart breaks down past the point where medicine or surgery can help, we’re left with far fewer alternatives than someone with a bum knee would face. The fact is that the best we can currently hope for is a mechanical heart that lets a patient live long enough to find a donor heart. But even then, tragedy must necessarily attend, and someone young and healthy must die so that someone else may live.
A permanent implantable artificial heart has long been a goal of medicine, and if recent developments in materials science and electrical engineering have anything to say about it, such a device may soon become a reality. Heart replacements may someday be as simple as hip replacements, but getting to that point requires understanding the history of mechanical hearts, and why it’s not just as simple as building a pump.
The Heartbeat of America
While the understanding of the heart as a pump stretches all the way back to the 3rd century BCE, it took nearly 1,000 more years for medical science to advance much; the early view of the Greek physician Galen that the heart provided heat for the body and blood moved from the venous to arterial systems via pores in the septum of the heart was not to be questioned, at least in Western medical traditions.
There’s a reason that the Dodrill-GMR artificial heart looked like a car engine. Source:
National Museum of American History
, CC0 1.0
Once doctors were free to explore the human heart, its structure and function became clear. The heart is a four-chambered pump made from specialized muscle tissue. The upper chambers are referred to as the atria, feeding into larger ventricles below via one-way valves to prevent backflow. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body through a large vessel called the vena cava; it moves to the right ventricles and on toward the lungs, where through a complex process of gas exchange, it loses CO
2
and gains oxygen. The oxygenated blood returns to the heart’s left atrium, and then into the powerful left ventricle, which supplies the entire body with oxygenated blood via the aorta.
Looking at the heart mechanistically, it’s easy to see why attempts at building a mechanical substitute for it extend all the way back to the 1930s. Soviet scientist Vladimir Demikhov was the first to try a mechanical heart, a device of his own design which he put into a dog. The animal lived for two hours after surgery.
Other surgeons used Demikhov’s dog experiments as the basis for human artificial hearts, first using extracorporeal devices like the Dodrill-GMR, a device built by car manufacturer General Motors Research. The Dodrill-GMR was used in 1952 to bypass the left ventricle of a 41-year-old patient during an operation to repair his mitral valve; he survived 50 minutes on the machine and ended up living for 30 more years.
Early experience with the Dodrill-GMR and follow-on heart-lung machines gave doctors valuable feedback on what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to pumping blood. After all, blood is not a simple fluid; it’s a complicated liquid tissue that is composed of blood cells (erythrocytes and leukocytes) as well as plasma. The heart is optimized to pump this fluid, introducing as little turbulence and shear forces as possible to keep the cells intact. Any mechanical substitute for the heart must not introduce such disruptive forces, which are liable to result in injury to the patient.
A Bridge Too Far
Dr. William Devries and Barney Clark, after implantation of the Jarvik-7 heart. Source:
University of Utah
Early efforts at mechanical circulation focused on completely extracorporeal devices, acknowledging the fact that the engineering of the day was nowhere near ready to provide a totally implantable artificial heart. But the dream of a mechanical replacement heart lived on, mainly because the demand for healthy human hearts for transplant continued to outstrip supply. This became more and more the case as engineering for motor vehicles improved through the decades; the sad fact is that auto accidents provide the most reliable source of viable donor hearts, and as cars got safer, the donor pool got smaller.
The first so-called total artificial heart (TAH) to capture widespread attention was the Jarvik-7 heart, which was used for the first time clinically on Barney Clark, a retired dentist with severe congestive heart failure. Despite the fact that Clark had to be tethered to a large air compressor for the 112 days that he lived after surgery, the Jarvik-7 was the first artificial heart where the pumping mechanism was completely inside the chest cavity. It set the standard for what counts as a total artificial heart even today — the pumping mechanism is implantable, but due to engineering limitations, they have to be powered from outside the body.
A Jarvik-7 artificial heart, similar to the one used in Dr. Barney Clark in 1982. Note the large pneumatic hoses that power the device. Source:
National Museum of American History
.
Both of the total artificial hearts currently approved for use in patients today rely on external power. The SynCardia TAH, a direct descendant of the Jarvik-7 heart made with better, more durable materials and equipped with valves that are less likely to damage blood cells, is still powered by compressed air, although the drive unit has been miniaturized enough that patients can go home with one. The other TAH, made by French company Carmat, uses a hydraulically driven flexible diaphragm to pump blood. The hydraulic power pack is small enough to be carried around, and is powered by Lithium-ion batteries.
Despite their mechanical differences, both these devices have something in common: they are not intended to be used as permanent replacement hearts, but rather as a bridge to buy some time for a donor heart to become available. The main reason for this is simple material science: it’s very hard to find materials that can flex continuously 70 to 80 times a minute for years on end without tearing. The best Carmat has managed to do is about 1,400 days, and while that’s more than ten times better than Barney Clark’s experience, it’s nowhere near enough. The other problem is that routing pneumatic or hydraulic lines into the thoracic cavity is clinically problematic, primarily through the risk of infection.
No Pulse, No Problem
While it might sound like a permanent TAH is still a long way off, there’s a lot going on in this space that might shorten the journey. A startup called
BiVACOR
is working on a design that’s vastly different than the SynCardia or Carmat hearts, and it contains components that will look very familiar to any hardware hacker. Rather than rely on diaphragms to move blood, the BiVACOR TAH used a centrifugal pump, whose impeller blades are directly in contact with the blood and provide a continuous flow. Normally, this would be an unacceptable source of shearing forces that would tear blood cells apart, not to mention the need for bearings which would eventually wear out. The BiVACOR TAH avoids these issues by magnetically levitating the impeller, leaving a wide gap between it and the pump housing. The gap distance is monitored and adjusted continuously so there’s no mechanical wear and no shear forces on the blood. The double-sided impeller is the single moving part in the pump, and is driven by what looks very much like the stator coils of a brushless DC motor.
One of the big advantages of the BiVACOR TAH is that it’s far smaller than the current crop of TAHs. That’s important because the space available in the thoracic cavity is quite limited, even in large male patients. Female patients and children, who tend to have smaller hearts, are often difficult to fit with a TAH. The BiVACOR heart also ticks the box of less intrusive external power; electrical cables are much easier to route into the chest cavity and less likely to act as a conduit for infection. It’s also quite possible that advances in battery technology will make implantable power sources possible in the near future; coupled with transdermal inductive charging, the BiVACOR heart and those like it could be the first practical permanent total artificial hearts.
There’s clearly more to do here; some basic questions, like does the human body have a physiological reason for a pulse, remain to be answered. Luckily, the BiVACOR heart can be programmed to provide pulsatile flow, so they’re well-positioned no matter what the answer is. But the fact that we don’t even know the answer yet shows how far we have to go. Luckily, the engineering appears to be catching up to where it needs to be for a permanent artificial heart to finally become a reality. | 44 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370981",
"author": "TrantorianMagpie",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T14:17:24",
"content": "“there are very few parts of the human body that can’t be swapped out with something that works at least as well as the original”Huh? Is this serious?Prosthetic eyes? You mean glass eyes with whi... | 1,760,372,989.90567 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/this-old-mouse-building-a-usb-adapter-for-a-vintage-depraz-mouse/ | This Old Mouse: Building A USB Adapter For A Vintage Depraz Mouse | Ryan Flowers | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"arduino",
"classic hacks",
"Computing",
"de9",
"microcontroller",
"mouse",
"retro",
"usb"
] | When [John Floren] obtained a vintage Depraz mouse, he started out being content to just have such a great piece of history in his possession. But if you’re like him, you know it’s not enough to just
have
something. What would it be like to
use
it?
To find out,
[John] embarked on a mission to build a USB adapter for his not so new peripheral.
Originally used in very early terminals with a Unix GUI, the Depraz mouse utilizes an unusual male DE9 connector rather than the more familiar female DB9 used in RS232 serial mice. Further deviating from the norm, he found that the quadrature encoders were connected directly to the DE9 connector.
Armed with an Arduino Pro
Mini
Micro and some buggy sample code, he got to work. The aforementioned buggy code was scrapped and a
fresh sketch for the Arduino Pro
Mini
Micro
gave the Depraz mouse the USB interface it lacked. [John] also found that he wasn’t the first hardware hacker to have modified the mouse for their use. Be sure to read to the end the article to find out about the vintage surprise lurking in the mouse shell itself! A demonstration of the mouse in action can be seen in the video below the break.
Looking for a fun mouse hack? Perhaps you’d like to
use your more modern USB mouse on a retro computer
, or try your hand at
recreating an early Apple mouse for use in modern computers. | 14 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370942",
"author": "tym0tym",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T11:59:45",
"content": "“Further deviating from the norm, he found that the quadrature encoders were connected directly to the DE9 connector.”So it’s something like an Amiga mouse?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,372,990.291681 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/custom-camera-flash-is-built-for-stealth/ | Custom Camera Flash Is Built For Stealth | Zach Zeman | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"camera flash",
"camera hack",
"custom PCB",
"disposable camera",
"disposable camera flash",
"film photography",
"photography"
] | As [Joshua Bird] began his foray into the world of film photography, he was taken back by the old technology’s sheer hunger for light. Improvised lighting solutions yielded mixed results, and he soon realized he needed a true camera flash. However, all the options he found online were large and bulky; larger than the camera itself in some cases. To borrow his words, “[he] didn’t exactly want to show up to parties looking like the paparazzi”. So, he set about
creating his own compact flash
.
Impressed by the small size and simple operation of disposable camera flashes, [Joshua] lifted a module out of an old Fuji and based his design around it. An
existing schematic
allowed him to attach the firing circuitry to his Canon’s hot shoe without the risk of putting the capacitor’s 300 volts through the camera. With that done, he just had to model a 3D-printed case for the whole project and assemble it, using a few more parts from the donor disposable.
Of course, as it came from a camera that was supposed to be thrown in the trash, this flash was only designed for a specific shutter speed, aperture, and film. Bulkier off-the-shelf flashes have more settings available and are more capable in a variety of environments. But [Joshua] built exactly what he needed. He now has a sleek, low-profile external flash that works great in intimate settings. We’re excited to see the photographic results.
This is not the first photography hacker we’ve seen
breathe new life into disposable flashes
. Some people see far
more than a piece of camera equipment in old flashes
, though, with aesthetically stunning results.
[via
reddit
] | 28 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370911",
"author": "abjq",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T08:58:04",
"content": "When I was into film photography back in the ’80’s I found that the greatest improvement to my flash photography was to use a slave flash pointed usually at the ceiling, it gave far more natural illumination... | 1,760,372,990.193364 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/from-tube-and-wing-to-just-wing-the-future-of-airliners/ | From Tube And Wing To Just Wing: The Future Of Airliners | Danie Conradie | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"airliner",
"control systems",
"flying wing",
"real engineering"
] | Airliners have become an unremarkable part of modern life, but unless you happen to be an aircraft enthusiast, you’d be forgiven for thinking the latest Airbus model looks more or less the same as the Boeing 707 that ushered in the Jet Age. But that might soon change, with blended wing airliners looking like the next step in air travel efficiency. In the video after the break, [Real Engineering] takes us on a fascinating
tour of the past and possible future of jet airliners
.
Contemporary airliners all still follow the same old “tube and wing” design, but have become vastly more efficient. The latest jetliners burn almost 50% less fuel per passenger-km than they did 50 years ago. This is thanks to better engines, improved aerodynamics, reduced weight, and a vast array of other, often invisible changes. However, it’s looking like a more drastic change is needed to keep the progress going, and NASA, Boeing, and Airbus are all betting on blended wing designs to do this.
Blended wing aircraft are basically flying wings, where the cargo-carrying section of aircraft is shorter, wider, and produces lift. This layout can be used to increase the aircraft’s internal volume, and improve aerodynamic losses, by eliminating the tail. Research shows that blended wing design could reduce fuel consumption by as much as 27%. Since load and produced lift are spread more evenly along the entire width of the aircraft, it also reduces the amount of structural reinforcement required for the wings, especially at the root. The large internal volumes also allow other power sources, like
hydrogen fuel cells
to be used.
Blended wing aircraft are not without challenges. They are inherently unstable and require complex control systems to fly. These control systems depend on sensors, actuators, and software to work properly, and require multiple levels of redundancy. The omission of these redundancies ultimately led to the 2008 crash of a B-2 bomber, and the more recent
fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX airliners
. Also, unlike tubular fuselages, blended wing designs are not ideal pressure vessels. However, this is not a major problem thanks to the availability of carbon composite materials to create strong, lightweight structures.
With aircraft technology moving as fast as ever, we look forward to seeing what the future will bring. Whether it’s personal rotorcraft or
commercial space flight
, it sure won’t be boring. | 77 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370874",
"author": "Gregg Eshelman",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T05:24:30",
"content": "BWB airliners, like nuclear fusion and flying cars everywhere, are always “coming soon”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370899",
"... | 1,760,372,990.400878 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/accurate-digital-clock-keeps-ticking-with-fpga/ | Accurate Digital Clock Keeps Ticking With FPGA | Chris Lott | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"atmega328",
"digital clock",
"fpga",
"oven controlled crystal oscillator"
] | Even the most punctual among us are content to synchronize their clocks to external time sources like navigation satellite constellations, network time servers, frequency-controlled AC mains, or signals broadcast by radio stations such as WWV, CHU, and DFC77 — but not [zaphod]. After building a couple of more traditional clocks over the years, he set his sights on making a
completely isolated digital clock that doesn’t rely on external synchronization
(well, except to initialize the time at first power-up).
The accuracy goal he set for himself was that of a Casio F-91W wristwatch, which is specified to maintain +/- 30 seconds per month (about 12 ppm). At the heart of the design is an oven-controlled crystal oscillator whose stability is in the single-digits parts-per-billion.
The counter chain that accumulates the time is implemented in an FPGA — admittedly overkill, but [zaphod] wanted to learn FPGA programming for this project as well. An ATmega328 drives the display and does other bookkeeping tasks. The whole design is partitioned into three PCBs which fit inside a custom 3D-printed case.
[zaphod] does a thorough job documenting his build, including the bugs and failures along the way. We like the honest summary he wrote at the project’s conclusion, noting things that could be improved or should have been done differently. Be sure to check out
the GitHub repository
, where all the source code and PCB design files are posted. How accurate is your wristwatch, if you even wear one anymore? | 12 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370865",
"author": "diane",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T03:44:00",
"content": "I hope to see many more FPGA projects",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370867",
"author": "James L Horn",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T04:33:56",
... | 1,760,372,990.492484 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/hackaday-links-august-8-2021/ | Hackaday Links: August 8, 2021 | Kristina Panos | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"antiphonary",
"antique books",
"chip shortage",
"GitHub Copilot",
"zoom",
"zoombombing"
] | Do you have burning opinions about GitHub Copilot, the AI pair programmer that Microsoft introduced a few months ago? Are you worried about the future of free and open software? The
Free Software Foundation is funding a call for white papers
of 3,000 or fewer words that address either Copilot itself or the subjects of copyright, machine learning, or free software as a whole. If you need more background information first, check out
[Maya Posch]’s excellent article
on the subject of Copilot and our disappointing AI present. Submissions are due by 10AM EDT (14:00 UTC) on Monday, August 23rd.
There are big antique books, and then there are antiphonaries — these are huge tomes full of liturgical chants and things of that nature. When one of them needs a lot of restoration work, what do you do?
You build an all-in-one housing, display case, and cart that
carefully
holds it up and open
(YouTube). Otherwise, you have to have multiple gloved people being extra careful. Jump to
about the 14-minute mark
to see the device, which is mostly made from extruded aluminum.
In more modern news: you may be waiting out this chip shortage like everyone else, but does it require renting out a bunch of real estate in perpetuity? We didn’t think so. Here’s an aerial photo of
a stockpile of Ford Super Duty trucks that are waiting for chips
at a dead stop outside the Kentucky Speedway. Thousands of brand new trucks, exposed to the elements for who knows how long. What could go wrong?
While we’re asking questions, what’s in a name? Well, that depends. We’ve all had to think of names for everything from software variables to actual children. For something like a new exoplanet survey, you might as well make the demonym remarkable, like
COol COmpanions ON Ultrawide orbiTS, or COCONUTS
. Hey, it’s more memorable than calling them X-14 and -15, et cetera. And it’s not like the name isn’t meaningful and descriptive. So, readers: do you think this is the worst name ever, planetary system or otherwise? Does it shake your tree? We’re on the fence. | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370823",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T23:14:51",
"content": "I think the worst *idea* for a name was Georgium Sidus.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370835",
"author": "Redhatter (VK4MSL)",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,372,990.443112 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/reactos-is-going-places-with-more-stable-amd64-smp-and-multi-monitor-support/ | ReactOS Is Going Places, With More Stable AMD64, SMP, And Multi-Monitor Support | Jenny List | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"open source",
"reactos",
"windows"
] | In the crowd of GNU/Linux and BSD users that throng our community, it’s easy to forget that those two families are not the only games in the open-source operating system town. One we’ve casually kept an eye on for years is ReactOS, the long-running open-source Windows-compatible operating system that is doing its best to reach a stable Windows XP-like experience.
Their most recent update has a few significant advances
mentioned in it that hold the promise of it moving from curiosity to contender, so is definitely worth a second look.
ReactOS has had 64-bit builds for a long time now, but it appears they’ve made some strides in both making them a lot more stable, and moving away from the MSVC compiler to GCC. Sadly this doesn’t seem to mean that this now does the job of a 64-bit Windows API, but it should at least take advantage internally of the 64-bit processors. In addition they have updated their support for the Intel APIC that is paving the way for ongoing work on multiprocessor support where their previous APIC driver couldn’t escape the single processor constraint of an original Intel 8259.
Aside from these its new-found support for multiple monitors should delight more productive users, and its improved support for ISA plug-and-play cards will be of interest to retro enthusiasts.
We took a close look at the current ReactOS release when it came out last year
, and concluded that its niche lay in becoming a supported and secure replacement for the many legacy Windows XP machines that are still hanging on years after that OS faded away. We look forward to these and other enhancements in their next release, which can’t be far away. | 54 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370787",
"author": "doragasu",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T20:08:44",
"content": "Unfortunately this OS is very very far from being a useful replacement for Windows XP. Nowadays any Linux distro with Wine has a much higher chance to nicely run your Windows only programs than ReactOS.I... | 1,760,372,990.682464 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/charles-lindbergh-the-famous-inventor/ | Charles Lindbergh The Famous… Inventor? | Al Williams | [
"Featured",
"History",
"Medical Hacks",
"Original Art"
] | [
"carrel",
"lindbergh",
"perfusion pump"
] | Most people remember Charles Lindbergh for his non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic which made him an international celebrity. If you are a student of history, you might also know he was at the center of a very controversial trial surrounding the kidnapping of his child or even that he had a dance named after him. But did you know he was also the co-inventor of a very important medical device? Turns out, medicine can thank Lindbergh for the creation of the perfusion pump.
The What?
Photo by Sage Ross, CC-BY-SA-3.0
A perfusion pump is a device that allows organs to be sustained outside the body using oxygenated blood or a suitable analog. A researcher, Alexis Carrel, had the suitable analog fluid and was convinced that he could keep organs alive
in vitro
, but was unable to devise a pump mechanism. Lindbergh was up to the mechanical challenge and, with Carrel, invented the machine in 1935.
While they didn’t become medically important themselves, they were the precursor to things like a modern heart-lung machine that has saved countless lives. At the time, many thought Lindbergh might be more famous in the future for this invention than his transatlantic flight. But today not many people remember his medical invention.
Why Lindbergh?
If it turned out Lindbergh invented some device for pilots, that wouldn’t be very surprising. But why a perfusion pump? The story goes back to when his sister-in-law suffered heart damage from rheumatic fever. Doctors said the damage was irreversible because the heart couldn’t survive long enough without pumping to allow for the surgery necessary.
Of course, Lindbergh was well known for challenging what could and couldn’t be done and he wondered why a machine couldn’t keep the heart alive. No one seemed very interested in the idea until he mentioned it to an anesthesiologist, Palulel Flagg, who knew that Carrel was working on the very thing.
The Partners
Carrel was, by all accounts, an odd fellow. But if Charles Lindbergh wanted a meeting, you took it. The day after Lindy found out about Carrel, they met at his lab where there had been two unsuccessful attempts at constructing a pump already.
Lindbergh had some ideas and working with a glass blower, produced a prototype. Carrel was impressed and offered space in his lab. However, Lindbergh’s fame was a constant problem and despite efforts to keep his work low-key, people were all anxious to meet the famous flyer.
Carrel had already won the Nobel prize for essentially inventing vascular surgery. He also pioneered the use of chlorine to wash out wounds, a great advance before antibiotics were available. He was a bit eccentric, insisting his lab assistants, for example, always wear black and, apparently, held some occult beliefs. He died awaiting trial in France for being a Nazi sympathizer after World War II.
Trial and Error
There were two key problems: circulation and avoiding bacterial infection. Lindbergh produced one prototype that wasn’t perfect, but did keep a carotid artery alive for a month. In 1931, Lindbergh
published his results
unsigned.
By 1935, the device was near perfection. The device was glass and could be made sterile in an autoclave. Sterile cotton filtered the incoming air. There were three chambers: the top one contained the organ in question. The lowest chamber held the perfusion fluid. Gravity pulled the fluid down until the liquid was back where it started.
However, the fluid had no where else to go and, unlike a human body, there was no kidney to clean everything up. This required frequent changes of fluid which invited contamination and threatened the sterility and stability of the system.
In 1935 the pair kept a cat organ alive for over 18 days. The news was so impressed that they wound up on the
cover of Time magazine
. We don’t know if Time was impressed with the invention or with Lindbergh’s involvement, although you can assume it was a bit of both.
However, the press became sensational and soon stories were circulating that Carrel was growing embryos and that Lindbergh was growing himself a new heart. Carrel clearly had used Lindbergh for his publicity value, but this started to backfire.
Perfusion Today
Both men fell into scandal around World War II and work on the perfusion pump stopped. By 1950, interest in keeping organs alive during surgery renewed and better methods were found. But it was Lindbergh and Carrel who paved the way for things like open heart surgery and even organ transplants with their miraculous perfusion pump.
Organ transplants have come a long way, and your next organ
might come from a porker
. Or maybe it will come from
a 3D printer
. | 25 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371357",
"author": "Alexander Wikström",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T17:26:53",
"content": "I first read “perfusion pump” as “diffusion pump” and though that is an important bit of scientific equipment to just casually invent and not be known for. Though, writing this, I have no clue ... | 1,760,372,991.34156 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/new-contest-halloween-hackfest/ | New Contest: Halloween Hackfest | Mike Szczys | [
"contests",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Holiday Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"halloween",
"Halloween Hackfest"
] | It’s as if Halloween was made for hardware hackers. The world is begging us to build something cleaver as we decorate our houses and ourselves for the big day. And one thing’s for sure: the Hackaday crowd never disappoints. This year we’re fully embracing that with
the Halloween Hackfest, our newest contest beginning today
along with the help of our sponsors Digi-Key and Adafruit.
The animated video combined with the 3D-printed prop makes for an excellent effect.
Wait, isn’t it the beginning of August? Why are we talking about Halloween? The procrastinator’s dillema, that’s why! Start working on your build now and it will be epic by the time the day actually rolls around. Decorating for trick-or-treaters is a good place to start. For our money, projected heads are a really cool party trick, like these
singing Jack-o-laterns
, or these
disembodied heads inspired by Disney’s Haunted Mansion
. Or maybe you’re more of a
flamethrower-hidden-in-pumpkin
type of person?
It doesn’t take much tech to bring a good costume to life — a
few LED strips make a plain old princess dress light up the night
and builds some permanent memories for the lucky little one who’s wearing it. Speaking of memories, we doubt the little one will remember
this mechwarrior family costume
, which is why you’ve always got to make a video of these things.
Over the year’s we’ve seen
claw machines for candy delivery
, and even
a pumpkin piano
. Of course pumpkin carving is an entire category unto itself
where five-axis CNC machines
are fair game. Look around, get inspired, and build something!
Three top winners will receive $150 shopping sprees in Digi-Key’s parts warehouse. If your build happens to use an Adafruit board, your prize will be doubled. We’ll also be awarding some $50 Tindie gift cards to the most artistic projects.
Get started now by creating a project page on Hackaday.io. In the left sidebar of your project page, use the “Submit Project To” button to enter in the
Halloween Hackfest
. You have from now until October 11th to spill the
beans
pumpkin seeds on what you’ve made. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371343",
"author": "Aaron Eiche",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T16:43:11",
"content": "I’ll take this opportunity to encourage folks to take a look at XLights, and open source Light control system. It is an incredibly powerful tool and really is a fantastic show runner. It obviously doe... | 1,760,372,991.012766 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/workshop-organization-with-panels/ | Workshop Organization With Panels | Chris Lott | [
"Lifehacks"
] | [
"lab bench",
"project storage",
"storage",
"workbench",
"workspace"
] | Tired of all your completed (or half-completed) projects cluttering up your workspace? Or you toss them in a box and later forget which box? Well [Another Maker] aka [Develop With Dan] came up with a solution which he dubs Mission Control — panelize your projects and store them in one of many cubbyholes which are provided by a false wall.
Back view of an example project panel
Each project gets a panel and is neatly stored away when not in use. For some project, this could be simply for storage. For other projects, this might serve as a showcase. Occupying the center of Mission Control is a large monitor, presumably a permanent installation. It looks like there are two different sizes of panels, but we wonder whether more and smaller panels might be more useful. As he’s putting this together, we particularly like one piece of advice that [Dan] offers regarding his custom tool, the
Cornerator 3000
:
Never hesitate to make a jig when you want to repeat something.
[Dan] will be posting this workspace on
his GitHub repository
along with code and documentation for various projects he posts on YouTube. He’s also proud to have built this system out of 100% recycled material, or as he says, he went dumpster diving. Do you have a good system for storing / displaying projects in your lab? Let us know in the comments below. | 21 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371345",
"author": "macsimski",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T16:49:47",
"content": "Hmm. some of those panels should be table or car sized for my projects…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6371359",
"author": "reg",
"timesta... | 1,760,372,991.074053 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/china-maglev-train-aspirations-boosted-by-new-600-km-h-design/ | China MagLev Train Aspirations Boosted By New 600 Km/h Design | Lewin Day | [
"Current Events",
"Featured",
"Slider",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"maglev",
"Magnetic levitation",
"train"
] | Maglev trains have long been touted as the new dawn for train technology. Despite keen and eager interest in the mid-20th century, development has been slow, and only limited commercial operations have ever seen service. One of the most well-known examples is the Shanghai Maglev Train which connects the airport to the greater city area. The system was purchased as a turnkey installation from Germany, operates over a distance of just 30.5 km, and according to
Civil Engineering
magazine
cost $1.2 billion to build
in 2001. Ever since, it’s served as a shining example of maglev technology — and a reminder of difficult and expensive maglev can be.
However, China has fallen in love with high-speed rail transport in the last few decades and has invested heavily. With an aggressive regime of pursuing technology transfers from foreign firms while building out the world’s largest high-speed rail network, the country has made great progress. Now,
Chinese rail transit manufacturer, CRRC Corporation, have demonstrated their newest maglev train
, which hopes to be the fastest in the world.
It’s Gonna Be Quick
Improved L0 Series maglev train on its test rack in Japan. [Image by
Saruno Hirobano
CC-BY-SA 4.0]
The aim is to build a maglev train that is capable of speeds up to 600 km/h, which would slash long-distance travel times between major Chinese cities. Such a train would slot neatly in between existing high-speed rail services, which travel at around 350 km/h, and airliners, which travel at around 800-900 km/h. On the crucial Beijing-Shanghai route, travel time could fall from 5.5 hours by train to just 2.5 to 3.5 hours by maglev, depending on who you talk to. That’s only marginally slower than air travel, which takes about 2.5 hours, and that’s ignoring the more arduous security and boarding procedures that are typical when flying.
600km/h is devastatingly fast, and is roughly equal to the current speed record held by the Japanese L0 Series maglev prototype, which achieved 603 km/h on a test track in 2015. The L0 Series holds the current record, and is intended to operate at a speed of 500 km/h in service on the Tokyo-Nagoya line, due to open in 2027.
A maglev train at Longyang Station, Shanghai.
China’s new maglev design, known as the CRRC 600,
was first publicised back in 2019.
Expected to enter service in 5 to 10 years, it’s a further development of the technology used in the existing Shangai airport link. That train was a turnkey operation bought from German company Transrapid, which has been developing maglev train technology for decades.
Our own Mike Szczys travelled on that very system in 2019
, which reaches speeds of up to 430km/h in peak hour. CRRC has continued to develop the technology under licence from the owners of Transrapid, Thyssen-Krupp. There has also been discussion of the Chinese operation
reopening the original Transrapid test track in Emsland, Germany
, which was shut down five years after a fatal accident in 2006.
The Technology
A Transrapid prototype on the test track at its home in Germany.
[Source]
The Transrapid technology is about as different as possible from conventional railway technology. There are no wheels, and no pantographs to transmit electricity. The train relies on the electromagnetic suspension principle, where powerful electromagnets are used to levitate the vehicle. In the case of the Transrapid, the train has arms which wrap around the guide track with magnets mounted underneath, which are pulled upwards towards the underside of the track. The idea with magnetic levitation is to float the vehicle relative to the track with no direct contact, so a powerful control system is used to carefully maintain the gap between the train and the guide rails by varying the electric current through the train’s levitation coils. Propulsion is via the
active guideway linear motor concept
. This uses coils in the guideway which are energized in turn to create a travelling magnetic field to push the train along.
The Business Case
The Shanghai Maglev was China’s first step in maglev technology. [
Source
]
The benefits of maglev are decreased noise, higher speeds, and better efficiency by eliminating the friction of wheels running on steel rails. Other than the nascent state of the technology, the primary drawback is cost. It’s not easy to put a number on, though one
highly-critical US report
cited that maglev can be 1.5 times as costly as regular high-speed rail. The total budget for the Shangai Maglev project was about $1.2 billion for a 30.5 km run, or about $39.3 million per kilometer (including the cost of the two stations). The usual cost of fast rail in China is estimated
between $17 and $21 million per kilometer.
The problem is, merely looking at the face value build cost is a poor analysis technique when it comes to transportation systems. Something often forgotten is that a train that travels twice as fast can, theoretically, carry twice as many passengers in the same amount of time. Turnarounds and efficiencies never scale perfectly, but that value must be taken into account. Additionally, dealing with things like steep grades and property acquisition can wildly skew costs from one project, or even one section of track, to another. Other potential bonuses of maglev technology involve lower maintenance costs, due to the non-contact operation of the railway reducing wear. Indeed, in the case of South Korea’s low-speed Incheon maglev railway, the authorities involved claimed the system was
significantly cheaper overall than a traditional railway.
Next-Gen Ground Transport Trying to Break Through
Concerns of cost and profitability have kept high speed rail, let alone maglev, from gaining a foothold in places like the US and Australia, despite the potential gains from linking distant cities with something less fussy and more efficient than air travel. Maglev has also vanished from Europe despite
Britain and Germany being early pioneers of the technology
.
However, China, which is less bothered by such short-sighted concerns, is able to forge ahead with its nation-building project. Lines from Shanghai to Hangzhou and Guangzhou-Shenzhen are likely to be the next candidates to receive maglev lines. These could be amongst the first intercity maglev lines in the world along with the Japanese efforts, and will serve as an important bellwether as for the viability of the technology going forward. If early steps prove successful, expect maglev railways to stretch across China in record time, in much the same vein as high speed rail in the last two decades. | 65 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371293",
"author": "yetihehe",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T14:08:41",
"content": "There is less friction, but what about maintaining forces needed to levitate the train?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6371299",
"author"... | 1,760,372,990.966919 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/tamagotchis-everywhere/ | Tamagotchis Everywhere | Matthew Carlson | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"stm32",
"tamagotchi"
] | Tamagotchi’s relatively simple technical complexity pales in comparison to its huge cultural impact, with over 76 million sold. It has spawned comics, stories, numerous toys, and offshoots such as an anime and two films. [JC] was looking through some of his old stuff and came across a Tamagotchi P1 (the original Tamagotchi) and
decided to create a portable emulator for it
. The ROM for the P1 has long been dumped and can be run within a MAME emulator. After all, it’s just an E0C6S46 Epson MCU, 32×16 LCD with 8 additional icons, three buttons, and a piezo. The manual for the MCU is even available on
Epson’s website
. Here at Hackaday, we’ve seen Tamagotchis many times before, such as
the infinite matrix of the Tamagotchi Singularity
and a
ROM dump of the latest generation of Tamagotchi based on a 6502 core
.
So what’s different about what [JC] is trying to accomplish? For starters, the tooling. It is divided into two parts: TamaLIB and TamaTool. The first is a hardware-agnostic P1 emulation library that relies on a HAL layer to communicate with the hardware. The second is a frontend for the first, allowing debugging, RAM editing, and modifications to the ROM. In particular, it supports easy modification of images within the ROM and allows for custom eggs and Tamagotchis. The homage to the Jolly Wrencher is nice.
Given that the emulation is platform-agnostic and access to a low-resolution timer is not guaranteed, cycle counts become tricky. The rather clever solution [JC] stumbled upon was synchronizing against input polling, screen updates, and sound output. TamaLIb keeps track of how many CPU cycles have passed and regularly checks if the emulation is going too fast or too slow. Slowing down or speeding up the simulation allows it to seem to run in real-time.
The last goal [JC] had was to run it on embedded hardware. Using an STM32F072 board and a cheap OLED screen had a portable emulated Tamagotchi known as MCUGotchi. The
code is available on GitHub
and should work on most STM32 MCUs with a few small tweaks. Now that someone has gone through the effort to make it easy to run a Tamagotchi literally anywhere, it might not be long until we see a coffee maker or a smart light acting as a Tamagotchi. Perhaps the new joke will be, can it run Tamagotchi?
Video after the break.
Thank you [Jean-Christophe Rona] for sending this one in! | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371275",
"author": "Molux",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T11:42:39",
"content": "“After all, it’s just a 32MHZ E0C6S46”It’s 32,768 kHz, 32MHz is overkill…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6371339",
"author": "Padrote",
... | 1,760,372,991.12218 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/10/hiding-links-in-plain-sight-with-bookmark-knocking/ | Hiding Links In Plain Sight With Bookmark Knocking | Ryan Flowers | [
"Security Hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"base64",
"javascript",
"obfuscation",
"port knocking",
"security",
"security through obscurity"
] | Have you ever been looking for a screwdriver, USB stick, or your keys, only to find them right where you left them in plain sight? We have. As many prolific geocachers know, hiding things out in the open is a great way to make sure that people overlook them.
[Jacob Strieb] has been researching various ways to password protect and hide browser bookmarks in plain sight. He calls his latest technique
“Bookmark Knocking” and he’s made a demonstration available on his Github account
.
Why hide bookmarks to begin with?
A browser’s bookmark collection can give away the habits, interests, and needs of the person who put them there. Bookmarks to gifts, domestic abuse support websites, and other private destinations might be best kept away from prying eyes.
Inspired by port knocking — opening connections to specific network ports in sequence to gain access through a firewall — bookmark knocking requires clicking bookmarks in a specific order to open a link. When the bookmarks are accessed in the proper order, the third bookmark reveals a hidden site. It’s not only a novel approach to hiding things in plain sight, it’s very cool to use!
We especially appreciate [Jacob]’s motivation: Helping those who are vulnerable to protect themselves in any way possible. It’s a solid reminder that technology can be elevated to a higher stature when put to a noble use. Be sure to check out the demonstration so you can try it for yourself!
If camouflaging data flips your bits, you may want to look at a neat way to
embed data right into bash scripts
, or
conceal a WiFi enabled microcontroller in a USB cable
. Do you have your own favorite “hidden in plain sight” hack? Be sure to
let us know through the Tip Line
. | 21 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371266",
"author": "Daid",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T09:29:52",
"content": "It’s pretty obvious for a keen observer of the bookmarks that something fishy is happening, with the bookmarks containing 5k of javascript code instead of a simple URL.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,372,990.861054 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/09/taking-a-walk-down-computer-memory-lane/ | Taking A Walk Down [Computer] Memory Lane | Ryan Flowers | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"core memory",
"crt hacks",
"delay line memory",
"mercury delay line",
"paper tape",
"punch card",
"retrocomputing"
] | There’s nothing quite like going to a museum and being given a tour by a docent who really knows their way around the exhibits. When that docent has first hand experience in the subject matter, the experience is enhanced even further. So you can imagine our excitement when hacker, maker, and former DEC mainframe memory engineer [Ned Utzig] published a tour of what he calls “
Memories of Weird Memories of Computers Past.
” [Ned] expertly guides us through each technology, adding flavor and nuance to an already fascinating subject.
The tour begins with early storage media such as IBM punch cards, and then walks us through time to the paper tape, vacuum tubes, and even complex vats of mercury — all used for the sake of storing data either permanently or temporarily.
Next in the exhibit is an impressive CRT hack that isn’t unlike modern DRAM. The tour continues on to ferrite core memory such as that used on mainframes, minicomputers, and even the
Apollo Guidance Computer
. Each type is examined for its strengths and weaknesses and its place in computing history.
We really appreciated the imaginative question posed toward the end of the article. We won’t give it away here- it’s worth it to
go give The Mad Ned Memo a read
.
Is obsolete technology your cup of tea? Perhaps an
Arduino based experiment with core memory
will scratch the itch, or maybe
storing data in thin air
will bring back memories of computers gone by. | 15 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6371237",
"author": "J. Peterson",
"timestamp": "2021-08-10T05:45:02",
"content": "All sorts of weird stuff out there. The Friden EC-130 and it’s acoustic delay line, for example:http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/friden_ec-130.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,372,991.178693 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/wristwatch-pcb-swaps-must-be-in-the-air/ | Wristwatch PCB Swaps Must Be In The Air | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks",
"Microcontrollers",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"ATSAML22",
"Casio F-91W",
"segment LCD controller",
"SLCD",
"watch",
"wristwatch"
] | Are we seeing more wristwatch PCB swapping projects because more people are working on them, or because we saw one and they’re on our mind? The world may never know, but when it comes to design constraints, there’s a pretty fun challenge here both in fitting your electronic wizardry inside the confines of an injection molded case, and in the power budget to make your creation run on a sippy straw of battery power.
Just this morning we came across
[Joey Castillo’s] sensor-watch project
. He chose the Casio F-91W as the donor wristwatch. It’s got that classic Casio look of a segment LCD display capable of displaying hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as day and date. But the added bonus is that we know these have decent water resistance while still providing three buttons for user input. Sure, it’s less buttons than
the pink calculator watch we saw [Dave Darko] working on
earlier in the week, but which would you trust in the pool?
Replacement PCB sized to use the same battery contact and CR2016 for power [via
@josecastillo
]
We see that [Joey] also chose to use the ATSAML22 microcontroller and sheds some light on why: it includes a built-in segment LCD controller! If you’re a peripheral geek like us, you can
read about the SLCD controller on page 924 of the datasheet
(PDF), it’s a whole datasheet onto itself.
The sensor part of the sensor-watch is a flex PCB breakout that allows you to swap in whatever sensor fits your needs. The first to be reflowed at [Joey’s] bench is a BME280 humidity sensor, which is most obviously useful for the included temperature measurements, but maybe it could also alarm at moisture ingress? [Joey] says you can swap in other parts as long as they’re in the QFN or LGA size range. We think an IMU is in order since there’s a lot of fun interaction there like the watch reacting to being positioned in front of your face, or to take tap-based inputs.
We think beginning with a donor watch is brilliant since pulling off a case, especially one that keeps water out, is 97% of the battle. But when your UI is unique to the watch world, sometimes you need to
start from scratch like this wooden word clock wristwatch
. | 19 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370765",
"author": "Dale Kaup",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T17:28:59",
"content": "“fewer buttons” rather than less buttons.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370767",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2021-... | 1,760,372,991.27604 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/a-snes-music-player-you-can-control-with-a-browser/ | A SNES Music Player You Can Control With A Browser | Lewin Day | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"nintendo",
"snes",
"super nintendo",
"super nintendo entertainment system",
"WebUSB"
] | Listening to chiptunes on an emulator or software-based player is fine, but sometimes you just gotta have that real hardware charm. [Kazhuu] is one such enthusiast who feels this way, and set about building a hardware player for SNES chiptunes
that can be controlled from a browser.
The build relies on an Arduino Micro to control the SNES Audio Processing Unit (APU), featuring the Nintendo S-SMP as produced by Sony and designed by Ken Kutaragi. Yes, the father of the PlayStation designed the capable wavetable synthesis chip in the Super Nintendo, and it’s that same hardware that [Kazhuu]’s project interfaces with modern hardware.
With the Arduino’s IO lines hooked up to the APU, song data can be piped out to the Arduino over a serial connection to a PC. This can be handled by a Python script, or more intuitively via a browser-based front-end. This uses WebUSB in order to take input from the browser and then send data out over the USB-serial connection to the Arduino.
It’s a neat demonstration of both working with vintage Nintendo sound hardware and how to code modern browser applications to work with embedded systems. If you’re a SEGA kid, though,
you might prefer this build instead
. Video after the break. | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370844",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T01:27:52",
"content": "I’ve wanted a hardware spc player for some time. Nice job!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370921",
"author": "nath",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T... | 1,760,372,991.215199 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/building-a-solar-powered-game-boy-pocket/ | Building A Solar Powered Game Boy Pocket | Matthew Carlson | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"gameboy",
"IPS",
"lipo",
"solar",
"solar power",
"USB C"
] | Light has always been a key part of the classic Game Boy experience. Some of us have fond memories of riding along in the back seat of a car at night, pausing and unpausing the game as the street lights overhead briefly give enough light to see the unlit display. The availability of third party IPS displays for these classic handhelds has largely eradicated this problem today, but as you might expect, the increased power requirements of the more modern screen reduces the system’s runtime.
Installing the USB-C charge controller.
As part of their examination into energy production, the
[Houston Museum of Natural Science] set out to see if they could improve things by adding a solar panel to the back of a Game Boy Pocket
that had already been modified with an IPS display. The Pocket version of the Game Boy was selected as it has a nice flat back that made it easy to attach a solar panel, and in fact the panel sourced for this mod is so well dimensioned, it almost looks like the device came that way.
In the video below, you can see the modification starts by cutting away a large section of the Game Boy’s rear panel to fit the 1000 mAh LiPo battery. The solar panel is then affixed over the back with super glue. A diode is soldered onto the solar cell, and then wired into a charge controller that came with USB-C input. The placement of the charge controller ended up being trickier than expected, but with a little hot glue, it works just fine. Overall this is a simple mod but a brilliant idea.
This isn’t the
first solar-powered handheld game system we’ve seen,
but it’s nice to see the idea revisited and expanded on, particularly regarding ergonomics. In addition, we love the incredible detail of narration that’s given as this hack slowly takes shape. Video after the break.
Thanks [Johnny] for sending this one in! | 5 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370725",
"author": "x14km2d",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T12:53:00",
"content": "Interesting project. In addition, I find it really good when hacker explain their projects theoretically and not just produce a short “craft video”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies":... | 1,760,372,991.386962 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/08/giant-cnc-machine-measures-a-full-cubic-meter/ | Giant CNC Machine Measures A Full Cubic Meter | Lewin Day | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"cnc",
"large scale",
"marlin",
"NEMA 23",
"RAMPS"
] | There are plenty of designs for table-top 3D printers, engravers, and general CNC machines out there. However, if you wanna build big things and build them fast, sometimes you need a machine that can handle bigger jobs. This gigantic 1x1x1 m 5-axis CNC machine from [Brian Brocken]
absolutely fits the bill.
The build relies on 3D-printed components and aluminium tubing to make it accessible for anyone to put together. [Brian] notes that 25×25 mm tubing with a 2 mm wall thickness does an okay job, but those aiming to minimize deflection would do well to upgrade to 5 mm thickness instead. Stepper motors are NEMA 23 size, though the Y-axis uses a pair of NEMA 17s. This is necessary to deal with the immense size of the machine. Control is thanks to an Arduino Mega fitted with a RAMPS board, running the Marlin firmware.
The plan is to use the machine to test out a variety of CNC machining techniques. It could make for a great maxi-sized 3D printer, and should be able to handle some basic 5-axis milling of very soft materials like foams. This might seem silly on the face of it, but it can be of great use for mold making tasks.
We’ve seen giant CNC routers built before, too,
and they can readily be put to great use
. Video after the break. | 32 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370695",
"author": "Gregg Eshelman",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T08:15:10",
"content": "Carve foam. Glue pieces together. Lay up glass fiber and epoxy. Sand smooth. Spray on gel coat resin. Sand smooth. Apply mold release. There’s your new boat hull mold.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,372,991.630111 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/the-magnetosphere-has-a-ton-of-energy-can-a-guitar-amp-company-tap-into-it/ | The Magnetosphere Has A Ton Of Energy. Can A Guitar Amp Company Tap Into It? | Jenny List | [
"Solar Hacks",
"Space"
] | [
"free energy",
"magnetosphere",
"space"
] | Researching a piece on vacuum tubes, we stumbled on something unexpected from Electro-Harmonix, best known for guitar amplifiers and audio tube manufacture. In a break from their core business,
they plan to tap energy from the magnetosphere
. This came as
something of a surprise to their guitarist customers
who were no doubt expecting a fancy new effects pedal, but it seems they’re serious.
The magnetosphere is the region of space surrounding the earth in which the earth’s magnetic field has most influence, and unlike the tidy pattern of magnetic field surrounding a bar magnet that you might have seen with iron filings at school, it’s distorted by the constant buffeting of the solar wind. This means that a significant quantity of potential energy is stored in its compression, and it’s this energy that Electro-Harmonix have their eye on.
Like Fox Mulder: we want to believe. Unfortunately the trouble with such ideas is readily visible with a quick web search; they attract a significant number of what one might charitably call cranks, and there is no shortage of unsubstantiated claims surrounding conspiracy theories, silenced genus inventors, and their mystery devices. Weird and wonderful descriptions and cryptic circuit diagrams abound, so separating the wheat if there is any from the inevitable chaff becomes a challenge. We respect that the Electro-Harmonix team are professional engineers who we hope are unlikely to become caught up in the weirder part of the Internet, but we’ll reserve our judgement until they provide more technical details of what they propose.
Header: NASA,
Public domain
. | 55 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370669",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T05:29:37",
"content": "Space elevator could tap into it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370680",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T07:14:28"... | 1,760,372,992.03147 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/nintendo-zapper-reborn-as-home-automation-remote/ | Nintendo Zapper Reborn As Home Automation Remote | Brian McEvoy | [
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"nintendo",
"remote",
"switch",
"zapper"
] | Generally, using a gun to turn your lights off is dangerous and expensive, but for the [DuctTape Mechanic],
it’s just how he does things
. Video also after the break. To be fair, he uses a salvaged Nintendo Zapper, not a firearm, and replaces the guts with an RF transmitter. We are shocked that he chose a radio model instead of infrared seeing as how he is repurposing a light gun, but our scores in
Duck Hunt
suggest he made the right choice.
The transmitter comes from a keychain remote, so it all fits neatly inside the Zapper chassis. A couple of wires hijack the stock button and run to the stock trigger, so you keep that authentic feel. The receiver side is a bit trickier. When it senses a button press, it sends a pulse, as you would find in a garage door opener, but to keep a lamp on, there needs to be some latching and so there is an Arduino. The microcontroller keeps a tally and operates a 10 amp relay module, so it is mostly acting as the glue between hardware. All of the mains electrical components sit in a blue plastic box with a receptacle on the front.
We don’t see the Zappers used for their intended purposes much anymore because they
rely on old technology
, but
that doesn’t keep people
from
repurposing the iconic peripheral
. | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370652",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T02:44:29",
"content": "That’s a newer model anyway. At least it was put to some use. ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370693",
"author": "Gregg Eshelman",
... | 1,760,372,991.564242 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/ramps-rebuild-keeps-robox-3d-printer-out-of-junk-bin/ | RAMPS Rebuild Keeps Robox 3D Printer Out Of Junk Bin | Matthew Carlson | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"arduino",
"Arduino Mega 2560",
"marlin",
"RAMPS",
"rebuild",
"refub",
"robox"
] | A 3D printer is a wonderful invention, but it needs maintenance like every machine that runs for long hours. [Rob Ward] had a well-used Robox 3D printer that was in need of some repairs, but getting the necessary replacement parts shipped to Australia was cost-prohibitive. Rather than see a beloved printer be scrapped as e-waste,
he decided to rebuild it using components that he could more easily source
. Unfortunately the proprietary software and design of the Robox made this a bit difficult, so it was decided a brain transplant was the best path forward.
Step one was to deduce how the motors worked. A spare RAMPS 1.4 board and Arduino Mega2560 made short work of the limit switches and XYZ motors. This was largely accomplished by splicing into the PCBs themselves. The Bowden filament driver motor had a filament detector and an optical travel sensor that required a bit of extra tuning, but now the challenging task was next: extruding.
The printer’s new custom hotend.
With a cheap CR10 hot end from an online auction house, [Rob] began modifying the filament feed to feed in a different direction than the Robox was designed for (the filament comes in at a 90-degree angle on the stock Robox). A fan was needed to cool the filament feed line. Initial results were mixed with lots of blockages and clogs in the filament. A better hot end and a machined aluminum bracket for a smoother path made more reliable prints.
The original bed heater was an excellent heater but it was a 240 VAC heater. Reluctant to having high voltages running through his hacked system, he switched them out for 12 VDC adhesive pads. A MOSFET and MOSFET buffer allowed the bed to reach a temperature workable for PLA. [Rob] upgraded to a GT2560 running Marlin 2.x.x.
With a reliable machine, [Rob] stepped back to admire his work. However, the conversion to the feed being perpendicular to the bed surface had reduced his overall build height. With some modeling in OpenSCAD and some clever use of a standard silicone sock, he had a solution that fed the wire into the back of the hot end, allowing to reclaim some of the build height.
It was a long twelves months of work but the write-up is a joy to read. He’s included STL and SCAD files for the replacement parts on the printer. If you’re interested in seeing more machines rebuilt, why not take a look at
this knitting machine gifted with a new brain
. | 11 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370674",
"author": "Gareth Martin",
"timestamp": "2021-08-08T06:16:46",
"content": "Nicely done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370852",
"author": "Rob Ward",
"timestamp": "2021-08-09T02:03:54",
"con... | 1,760,372,991.857635 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/helicopter-seed-robot-can-also-drop-like-a-rock/ | Helicopter Seed Robot Can Also Drop Like A Rock | Danie Conradie | [
"drone hacks"
] | [
"autorotation",
"maple seed",
"RC glider"
] | Whether you know them as samara seeds, maple seeds, or helicopter seeds, most of us know the seeds that spin down to the ground on one or two blades. They have been served as the inspiration for several robotic autorotating gliders, and
researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) can now also make them dive rapidly on command
. Video after the break.
In the
previous versions
, researchers showed that they were able to steer the SAW (Samara Autorotating Wing) by actuating the trailing edge of the blade with a servo. It takes input from an onboard 3-axis magnetometer and GPS, and adjusts the control surface continuously depending on its orientation to make it fly in the chosen direction. The
latest paper
(PDF) focuses on the craft’s new ability to switch from autorotation to a rapid dive and back to autorotation. Named the dSAW (diving SAW), it can drop like a rock by changing the control surface angle to almost 90° the wing to stall it. It exits the dive by simply moving the control surface back to the normal autorotation position. The kinetic energy built up during the dive is converted to rotational energy very quickly, which slows its vertical velocity to almost zero for an instant before settling back into its normal glide.
We can certainly see this being useful where the dSAW needs to quickly lose altitude to avoid being pushed off-course by the wind. The video below demonstrates this by dropping three dSAWs from an RC airplane. On command, they spread out, each in its designated direction, and then repeatedly switch between dive and autorotation mode as they descend to the ground. The researchers envision this being used to scatter sensor units over a large area in a controlled fashion from a single aircraft. What would you do with this technology? Let us know below. | 30 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370606",
"author": "vib",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T21:00:08",
"content": "multidrop amazon delivery. right on your balcony.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370797",
"author": "Rumble_in_the_Jungle",
"timestam... | 1,760,372,992.093959 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/multics-gets-a-new-release-52-years-after-launch/ | MULTICS Gets A New Release… 52 Years After Launch | Jenny List | [
"computer hacks",
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"mainframe computer",
"MULTICS",
"operating system"
] | If you have ever read anything about the history of UNIX, you may remember that its early development was influenced by an older operating system. MULTICS was developed in the 1960s by MIT and General Electric as a commercial operating system, and had been the system which UNIX writers [Thompson] and [Ritchie] had used. It became a Honeywell product, and the source code for its final commercial version was eventually released to the public. Has it become a dusty relic of interest only to historians? Seemingly not,
because a new version has been released
. It’s intended for us on
the dps8m Honeywell mainframe simulator
rather than physical hardware, so perhaps while it’s not such a dusty relic it remains something only for the enthusiast.
We won’t pretend to be experts on the architectures of 1960s mainframe operating systems, but it’s interesting
to read for a moment
about what it was in MULTICS that caused UNIX to be written. For something described by [Ken Thompson] as “Close to unusable”, with a fresh release in its 52nd year it isn’t doing badly.
We’ve traced the UNIX story in the past
, without realising that MULTICS never entirely went away. Shame on us for the omission!
[Via
Hacker News
] | 27 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370563",
"author": "Phillip Mason Allison",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T17:27:53",
"content": "Site died. GJ.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370588",
"author": "Eric Swenson",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T19:23:22"... | 1,760,372,991.803884 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/hearing-the-unhearable/ | Hearing The Unhearable | Elliot Williams | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Radio Hacks",
"Rants"
] | [
"education",
"experimentation",
"newsletter"
] | My wife was watching a crime drama, and one of the plot twists involved a witness’ hearing aid malfunctioning so that he could hear electromagnetic waves around him. It’s not so implausible, if you think about it. Many hearing aids have a
t-coil
, which is essentially an inductor that’s designed to couple with the speaker in a telephone. If that went haywire, maybe you could hear all the changing magnetic fields around you, and if you could escape the constant hum of the mains power line, it might even be interesting.
So of course, she turns to me and says “we need to make one!” It shouldn’t be hard at all — a big inductor and an amplifier should do the trick. In fact, it’ll probably be easy enough that it’ll make a good introduction-to-electronics project for my son. But there are also enough unknowns here that it’ll be interesting. How big a coil? How close? How sensitive? What about that mains frequency bit? Ferrite core or not?
None of this is rocket science, for sure, but it will probably be full of kludges, discoveries, and straight-up exploration. In short, the perfect weekend project. And in the end, it’ll expose something that’s normally invisible, and that’s where the fun lies.
This must be the same urge that drove Faraday and Marconi, Volta and Maxwell. There’s something amazing about directly sensing, seeing, hearing, and understanding some of the stuff that’s outside of our limited hearing and eyesight, and yet is all around us. I can write down the equations that describe it — I learned them in school after all — but there’s no substitute for poking around in your own home. Who knows, maybe in a few more weekends we’ll build ourselves
an all-band receiver
.
What’s your favorite super power?
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
! | 51 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370532",
"author": "Michael Black",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T14:16:57",
"content": "I cut a piece of circuit board the shape of a hearing aid, stripped off the copper, and wound some fine waire around it. Seemed to work fine.Nowadays, some have a direct conection for an external m... | 1,760,372,992.650387 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/capstan-drive-is-pulling-the-strings-on-this-dynamic-quadruped/ | Capstan Drive Is Pulling The Strings On This Dynamic Quadruped | Sonya Vasquez | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"cable driven robot",
"capstan drive"
] | When it comes to legged robots, it’s easy to think that the complexity and machining costs would keep these creatures far away from becoming anyone’s garage hobby. But, through a series of clever design choices, [Damian Lickindorf] has found a way to beat the odds and give life to
Stanley, a low-cost, dynamic quadruped with some serious kick
!
As if building a working legged robot weren’t already a tricky task, [Damian] has made some classy design choices to keep the price low and reduce fabrication complexity without sacrificing performance. Keeping up with the latest trend in Quasi-Direct Drive legged robots that started with the
MIT Mini Cheetah
, [Damian] constructed a small transmission with a gear reduction under 1:9. This choice slightly reduces the amount of heat produced by operating the motor at low-speeds with high torque without sacrificing too much control bandwidth (think: “leg responsiveness”).
Unlike the Cheetah, though, which uses a planetary gearbox, [Damian] opts for a capstan drive, a cable-driven transmission that’s both backlash free and backdriveable: two must-haves for force-sensitive dynamic legged robots. For legs, he’s opting for 2d machined FR4 (think: circuit board material). And for motors, he’s chosen a set of brushless motors with a large gap radius and driven by
Moteus Drivers
. The result is high fidelity, dynamic build that’s a fraction of the cost of some of the creatures we’re seeing emerge from academic research labs.
If you’re looking to feast your eyes on some action shots, look no further than [Damian’s]
YouTube
and
Instagram
presence. And if you’re looking to follow the project,
have a look at the Hackaday.io project
. While we’re eager to see the project continue to unfold, we’re thrilled by how far it’s come. In the meantime, be sure to take a look at one of the project’s inspirations: the
Mjbots Quad A0
.
Finally, since we’ve not seen capstan drives much on Hackaday, if you’re curious about these mechanisms and can get past the paywall,
these
two
research
papers might be a good place to dig deeper. | 9 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370505",
"author": "alfcoder",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T11:52:57",
"content": "it looks like a dewalt electric screwdriver :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8177000",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-09-0... | 1,760,372,992.188087 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/07/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-radioactive-lenses/ | Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Radioactive Lenses | Al Williams | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"glass",
"lens",
"radioactive",
"radioactive glass",
"radioactive lens"
] | We think of radioactive material as something buried away in bunkers with bombs, power plants, and maybe some exotic medical equipment. But turns out, there are little bits of radiation in the water, our soil, bananas, granite countertops, smoke detectors, and even some camera lenses. Camera lenses? A few decades ago, camera companies added rare elements like thorium to their glass to change the optical properties in desirable ways. The downside? Well, it made the lenses somewhat radioactive.
A post by [lenslegend] explains it all
.
Exotic elements such as Thorium, Lanthanum and Zirconium are added to glass mixtures to create the high refractive indexes necessary in sophisticated lens designs. Selection of premium quantities of glass from the large glass pots, stringent spectrophotometric tests after stress and strain checks provide the valuable raw glass for ultimate use in lens elements.
—
Konica Hexanon Lens Guide, Konica Camera Company, 1972
According to [lenslegend] the practice started in 1945 with Kodak. However, by the 1980s, consumer distaste for radioactive things and concern for factory workers ended the production of hot camera lenses.
Thorium is the most abundant radioactive material on Earth, but it eventually turns into lead. The half life, however, is just over 14 billion years, so your lenses probably won’t turn to lead in the closet.
While thorium only releases alpha particles, in doing so, it becomes radium which will then, eventually, release a beta particle and becomes a different isotope of thorium which later decays to several other elements until it becomes lead. When beta radiation slows down it can produce X-rays or gamma rays.
The saving grace, according to [lenslegend], is the amount of material is small and so is the radiation. However, apparently inhaling or ingesting radioactive glass dust can be a problem. Alpha particles can’t go very far through your skin. But once inside your body, they can be hazardous. This is also why radioactive glass shouldn’t be used in eyepieces.
So if you are wanting to take apart vintage lenses, you might want to be aware of this. A Geiger counter will tell you if your lens is hot. However, if you don’t have one, you can look for yellowed glass. Radioactive decay could also cause hot spots on digital cameras.
In the consumer market, it doesn’t look like radioactive lenses are still a thing. However, there are some military lenses and it is conceivable that in military or industrial surplus you might find radioactive glass.
Glass may have been the world’s first engineered material, but it is still
very useful
. Even today, there are
new techniques
for creating with glass being developed. | 45 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370482",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T09:49:27",
"content": "I would have thought putting a radioactive lens next to film would be a bad idea. Particularly with fine grain black and white film.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,372,992.270582 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/game-boy-color-makes-itself-at-home-in-a-dmg-01/ | Game Boy Color Makes Itself At Home In A DMG-01 | Tom Nardi | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"DMG-01",
"game boy",
"game boy color",
"IPS display",
"retro gaming"
] | When we last checked in with [Bucket Mouse], he had just finished cramming a Game Boy Advance (GBA) SP motherboard into the body of the iconic Game Boy DMG-01, complete with an aftermarket IPS display. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of using the system, he ran into a few issues that sent him back to the drawing board.
This time,
he’s revamped Nintendo’s classic handheld with the internals from its successor
, the Game Boy Color (GBC). Obviously that means this new build can’t play any GBA titles, but that was never actually the goal in the first place. It might seem obvious in hindsight, but owing to their general similarity, it ended up being far easier to fit the GBC hardware into the Game Boy’s shell. Though we still wouldn’t call this an “easy” swap by any stretch of the imagination…
Whether you want to follow his footsteps towards portable gaming bliss or just want to live vicariously through his soldering iron, [Bucket Mouse] has done an absolutely phenomenal job of documenting this build. While he cautions the write-up isn’t designed to be a step by step instructional piece, there’s an incredible wealth of information here for others looking to perform similar modifications.
The build involved removing much of the original Game Boy’s connectors and controls, such as the volume wheel, Link Port, and even headphone jack, and grafting them onto a GBC motherboard that’s been physically trimmed down.
At a high level it’s not unlike the trimmed Wii portables we’ve seen
, but made much easier due to the fact the GBC only used a two-layer PCB. It also helps that [Bucket Mouse] has once again used an aftermarket IPS display, as that meant he could literally cut off the LCD driver section of the GBC motherboard. Of course there have also been several hardware additions, such as a new audio amplifier, power regulation system, LiPo charger, and 2000 mAh battery.
There’s a lot of fantastic details on this one, so if you’re remotely interested in what made the Game Boy and its successors tick, we’d highly recommend taking the time to read through this handheld hacking tour de force.
His previous build is also more than worthy of some close study
, even if it ended up being a bit ungainly in practice. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370590",
"author": "Steven Gann",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T19:25:39",
"content": "Always love seeing hacks with older gaming hardware.Very nicely done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370631",
"author": "Brick Boy",
"t... | 1,760,372,992.1405 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/retro-computers-from-paper/ | Retro Computers From Paper | Chris Lott | [
"Art",
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"dollhouse",
"paper craft",
"papercraft",
"retro computer",
"retrocomputing"
] | Want to start your own collection of retro computers, for free? Well graphic designer [Rocky Bergen]’s
collection of paper craft models
might be the answer. [Rocky] has designed over a dozen models of old computers, including classics such as the IMSAI 8080, Commodore Pet, and the BBC Microcomputer to name just a few.
IMSAI 8080
Commodore PET
BBC Micro
The completed size of these models isn’t mentioned, but inspecting the PDF file of a randomly selected Commodore C64 model shows it was intended to be printed on A3 paper ( 297 x 420 mm, or roughly the size of an 11 x 17 ANSI C page if you think better in inches ). That still doesn’t give us the finished size of a model, but one collector posted on [Rocky]’s site that when he scaled it to A4 paper, the resulting computer was a perfect match for use with common 1/6 scale dolls and dollhouses (also known as playscale). Of course, the pattern existing as a computer PDF file, you can scale it to any size you want.
We’ve covered a few paper craft projects in the past, including
these cool automata
, a
claw from a crane game
, and even
a gyroscope that really spins
. Check out the video below the break to see [Rocky] assembling the Apple II paper craft model. Thanks to [CollegeCop] for sending this into our tip line. | 22 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370449",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T03:25:10",
"content": "Tippling? That could explain a few articles I’ve seen here. :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370452",
"author": "Chris Lott",
"t... | 1,760,372,992.332996 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/pen-plotter-is-about-as-simple-as-it-can-get/ | Pen Plotter Is About As Simple As It Can Get | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"core xy",
"CoreXY",
"plotter"
] | Sure, we see quite a few plotters and other motion machines, but
the one
from [DAZ Projects] has the virtual of looking dead simple. The Arduino and CNC shield are old hat, of course. But some 3D printed pulleys and a very simple-looking core XY arrangement looks like this could be a pretty quick build.
You might ask; if you have a 3D printer, why you wouldn’t just mount a pen on it and call it a day? Well, you could do that, of course, but what fun is that? Besides, that will tie up your printer, too. You can see a video of the project, below.
The build looks inexpensive using just a few bearings and motors. Most of it looks like things you probably have hanging around such as strings and rubber bands with some scrap lumber. We enjoyed how the play in the motion mechanism allowed an RC servo to easily lift the whole pen off the sheet. Of course, the pen or the servo horn slides across the paper, so we don’t think you could easily hang a laser module to make an engraver, although we don’t doubt you could figure something out.
We can tell [DAZ] likes to make
motion-based projects
. We also thought this reminded us of
a whiteboard plotter
we saw recently. | 14 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370437",
"author": "ellisgl",
"timestamp": "2021-08-07T00:44:45",
"content": "Guess it wouldnt be hard to add a cutter to it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370447",
"author": "grounded",
"timestamp": "2021-... | 1,760,372,992.383439 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/cool-binary-clock-uses-old-school-leds-and-a-fancy-graphic-pcb/ | Cool Binary Clock Uses Old-School LEDs And A Fancy Graphic PCB | Lewin Day | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"binary clock",
"clock",
"cmos"
] | Ah, the 5mm LED. Once a popular choice, they’ve been supplanted in modernity by smaller SMD components and/or more capable RGB parts in recent years. However, they’re still able to do the job and are a great way to give your project that proper homebrew look. [Ian Dunn] chose those very parts to produce his
4017 Decade Binary Clock
.
The clock uses only digital logic ICs to tell the time – there are no microcontrollers here! After four or five iterations over almost a whole year, [Ian] was finally able to coax the circuit into reliable operation. As you’d expect, it relies on a 32.768 kHz crystal to provide a stable clock. Fed into a 4060 binary ripple counter, that clock is divided down 14 times to deliver a 2Hz square wave. This then goes through a 4027 flip flop to get the desired 1Hz signal. From there, a bunch of extra logic handles counting the seconds, minutes, and hours, and resetting the counters as appropriate.
The PCB that houses the project is printed on directly by a flatbed inkjet printer, which [Ian] purchased when inspired by our previous article on
how to get your PCBs made at the mall.
He didn’t actually use it to make the PCB in this case, but the flatbed printer does a great job of putting graphics on the board.
The result is quite an attractive look that might surprise a few electronics enthusiasts who haven’t seen a graphic printed board before. It’s a technique we think could be used to great effect on conference badges, too. If you’ve experimented with similar techniques,
be sure to drop us a line! | 21 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370402",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T20:31:08",
"content": "How is it a binary clock? To me, it appears that it has 10’s and 1’s places for the hours minutes and seconds that, and in this picture, reads exactly as printed: 6:36 and 57 seconds. Wouldn’t a binary c... | 1,760,372,992.566563 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/a-trio-of-photodiodes-make-a-radiation-detector/ | A Trio Of Photodiodes Make A Radiation Detector | Jenny List | [
"Science",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"photodiode",
"radiation detector",
"transimpedance amplifier"
] | The instinctive reaction when measuring nuclear radiation is to think of a Geiger counter, as the low-pressure gas tube detectors have entered our popular culture through the Cold War. A G-M tube is not the only game in town though, and even the humble photodiode can be pressed into service. [Robert] gives us a good example, with
a self-contained radiation detector head
that uses a trio of BPW34s to do the job.
At its heart is a transimpedance amplifier, a not-often-seen op-amp configuration that serves as a very high gain current-to-voltage converter. This produces a spike for every radiation event detected by the diodes, which is fed to a comparator to produce a logic pulse. The diodes require a significant bias voltage, for which he’s used 48 V from a stack of 12 V photographic dry cells rather than a boost converter or other potentially noisy power supply. Such a sensitive high-gain device needs to be appropriately shielded, so the whole circuit is contained in a diecast box with a foil window to allow radiation to reach the diodes.
This isn’t the first BPW34-based radiation detector we’ve seen
, so perhaps before looking for a Cold War era relic for our radiation experiments we should be looking in a semiconductor catalogue instead. | 44 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370388",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T19:19:21",
"content": "Could a bank of optoisolators be used for something similar? It would be a nice way to get dark packaging on something light sensitive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,372,992.728685 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/hands-on-whiskey-pirates-dc29-hardware-badge-blings-with-risc-v/ | Hands-On: Whiskey Pirates DC29 Hardware Badge Blings With RISC-V | Mike Szczys | [
"cons",
"Reviews"
] | [
"badgelife",
"CH552",
"defcon 29",
"electronic badge",
"GD32FV103",
"hardware badge",
"Padauk",
"pdk13",
"RISC-V",
"whiskey pirates"
] | The Whiskey Pirates have once again dropped an excellent electronic badge for DEF CON 29. This is, of course, unofficial, but certainly makes the list of the hottest custom bling seen so far this year.
I’m not able to make it to the con in person, but the Pirates sent over one of these badges anyway for an early look. It’s gorgeous, and peering into the circuit board it would be easy to think that the chip shortage ain’t got nothin’ on this badge. But this was possible only because of some very creative parts sourcing, and a huge dose of inspired design work.
The Aesthetic
I usually begin with an overview of the hardware, but come on, this thing looks spectacular! Let’s talk about the aesthetic. This is one of the more polished looks for a hardware badge, akin to
the Queercon 15 badge
which used PCB faceplate and back, separated by edge-lit acrylic. [TrueControl] sandwiched the PCB between two sheets of acrylic, one that serves as a faceplate with both etched and translucent areas, and a clear backplate that carries the side-firing RGB LEDs to where they can be seen.
At the end of each of the cross-bones there is a black rectangle. At first I thought these were some kind of IR reflectance sensor, but they’re actually button caps. It looks like they’ve been cut out of acrylic of a thickness sized perfectly to be flat with the faceplate. They been superglued to the momentary push switches on the board.
The look of these caps is awesome. The function is a bit rough though, as the throw of the switch is very shallow. I did accidentally pop one of these off, probably by pressing too much on one end. A dab of glue has fixed it right back up.
An OLED display shines through the forehead of the faceplate. The badge acts as a nametag which can be customized from the menu. One of the nice touches is that [TrueControl] once again used his fancy firmware trick that tilts the letters of your name to match the angle of the badge. Pretty slick!
Tearing Down the Hardware
You have to be ambitious to get a good look at the populated board since it’s normally covered by an acrylic plate and the AAA battery holder. After desoldering that and removing the Torx head screws we are left with a really beautifully assembled board.
We find some creative part sourcing at work here. The main chip is a GigaDevices
GD32VF103 (
PDF datasheet
) which is a RISC-V core (not to be confused with the GD32F103 which is an ARM Cortex-M3). [TrueControl] speculates this may be the first unofficial badge project to feature a hardware RISC-V core —
the 2019 Hackaday Supercon badge
had a RISC-V software core running on an FPGA. Also on board are a PDK13 (one of the Padauk chips — take a look at
[Jay Carlson’s] guide we featured
a while back) and there’s an 8051-based USB chip (CH552T
PDF datasheet
) near the bottom of the board for debugging.
There’s a hard power switch to one side. I also find two top-down USB ports next to the battery holder. I tried each of them; one enumerates and powers the badge, the other doesn’t enumerate but it does power the badge. When probing on the serial ports I saw characters echoing back but haven’t explored much beyond that.
The two RGB leds that make up the eyes appear to be flickering and I suspect there’s some data transfer happening there. If you look closely at the circuit board near the button on the bottom right bone, there is a two-pad footprint and a cutout in the faceplate clears the way for it. It’s possible this is some type of light sensor, although It may simply be an IR LED as I would expect a receiver to have three legs.
There’s another trick at play here, which is how to inexpensively source the OLED screens. Looking closely at this one you can see the hack that allows the tails of the pin header to be bridged to some pads on the PCB. These modules are cheap and abundant, but have you ever tried sourcing bare screens and placing your own components to drive them?
Yet Another Superb Offering from the Whiskey Pirates
The most important aspect of making a hardware badge is easily found in this one: passion. Pandemics and chip shortages be damned, [TrueControl] executed on great ideas and got this one over the finish line. The electronic design is quite interesting, and the look achieved reaches a level that everyone will geek out about.
The package arrived with several versions of the face plate. I’m honored that he took the time to etch my name into not one, but three of those plates. And take a look at that part of it — it didn’t end with the etching, those letters are filled with white paint to make them stand out.
If you’re at DEF CON 29 this year, keep an eye out for people wearing these. That’s the Whiskey Pirate crew, and
they’re a blast to hang out with
. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to do so again at DC30! | 6 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370376",
"author": "tomás zerolo",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T18:00:00",
"content": "Mike, your GD32VF103 datasheet is somewhere on your local harddisk. No way to access it without running afoul of some laws :-)Here’s one on the intertubes:http://www.gd32mcu.com/data/documents/shujus... | 1,760,372,992.780916 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/hackaday-podcast-130-upside-down-3d-printer-biplane-quadcopter-gutting-a-calculator-watch-and-github-copilot/ | Hackaday Podcast 130: Upside Down 3D-Printer, Biplane Quadcopter, Gutting A Calculator Watch, And GitHub CoPilot | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] | [
"Hackaday Podcast"
] | Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Mike Szczys get charged up on the best hacks the week had to offer. The 3D printer design gods were good to us, delivering an upside-down FDM printer and a hack that can automatically swap out heated beds for continuous printing. We look at a drone design that builds vertical wings into the frame of a quadcopter — now when it tips on its side it’s a fixed-wing aircraft! We chew the artificially-intelligent fat about GitHub CoPilot’s ability (or inability?) to generate working code, and talk about the firm future awaiting solid state batteries.
Take a look at the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
Direct download
(60 MB or so.)
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
Google Podcasts
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
Episode 130 Show Notes:
What’s that Sound?
That sound was
the Voder from Bell Labs
[Michal Kolosowski] was randomly drawn from more than 26 correct responses and wins the shirt!
New This Week:
Home Depot Is Selling Power Tools That Require Activation In-Store
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Raspberry Pi Crammed Into Old Film Camera
Wifibroadcast Makes WiFi FPV Video More Like Analog
Living The Dream: New PCB For A Dirt-Cheap Calculator Watch
A Watch Only A Ham Can Use
Shmoocon: Advanced Low Power Techniques And A Watch
Strangest Upside-Down 3D Printer Fits In A Filament Box
Synchromesh Drive Systems
Inside-H: Modified H-Bot Belt Drive – YouTube
VTOL Tailsitter Flies With Quadcopter Control Software
DRehmFlight: Customizable Flight Stabilisation For Your Weird Flying Contraptions
3D Printer Automated Bed Swapping System Loads From A Magazine
Hacking A PIC To Redefine A Microphone’s Transmit Frequency
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks
Tool Generates Interactive PCB Diagrams From KiCAD
Dedicated LED Animation Framework For ESP32
3D-Printed Tooling Enables DIY Electrochemical Machining
Mike’s Picks:
This Is A 3D Ink Jet Printer
Charger Caddy Shows What 3D Printers Were Meant For
Ostrich Robot Machine-Learns Itself To 5K
Blind Bipedal Stair Traversalvia Sim-to-Real Reinforcement Learning
(PDF)
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Murata To Deliver Solid State Batteries To Market In The Fall
BMW Pushing Hard For Solid-State Battery Tech; Plans Demo By 2025
High-Toughness Inorganic Solid Electrolytes via the Use of Reduced Graphene Oxide
GitHub Copilot And The Unfulfilled Promises Of An Artificial Intelligence Future | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,372,992.948215 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/cyclocopter-flies-with-eight-spinning-horizontal-wings/ | Cyclocopter Flies With Eight Spinning Horizontal Wings | Danie Conradie | [
"drone hacks"
] | [
"cyclocopter",
"dRehmFlight",
"nicholas rehm"
] | For conventional vertical takeoff and landing rotors on vertical shafts are the most common solution, as seen in helicopters and multirotors. A much less popular solution is the cyclocopter, which consists of a pair of rotors spinning around a horizontal shaft with horizontal blades. [Nicholas Rehm] built a
remote-controlled cyclocopter
as part of a research project and gave us an excellent overview of this unique craft in the video after the break.
Also known as the cyclogyro, the idea is not new, with the first one constructed in 1909. The first flight was a long time later in the 1930s, but it was quickly discovered that they were too unstable to be flown manually by a human, so the idea was shelved. Thanks to modern microcontrollers, researchers have recently been able to build small-scale versions, like the tiny example from the University of Texas.
Lift is produced using four or more airfoils on each of the two cycloidal rotors. At the top and bottom of rotation they have a positive angle of attack, with a neutral angle on the sides. The blades’ angle of attack can be adjusted to produce forward or reverse thrust. An additional motor with a conventional propeller is mounted on the nose to counteract the torque created by the main rotors, similar to a helicopter’s tail rotor.
Unlike multirotors, cyclocopters don’t need to pitch forward to move horizontally. The blades also don’t need to be tapered and twisted like a conventional rotorcraft, since the relative airflow velocity remains constant along the length of the blade. However, they have some significant downsides that will likely prevent them from moving beyond the experimental stage for the foreseeable future. The rotors are quite complex mechanically and need to be very lightweight since the design doesn’t lend itself to great structural strength. This was demonstrated by [Nicholas] when a minor crash snapped one of the rotor arms. However, it is an excellent demonstration of the adaptability of [Nicholas]’ open-source
dRehmFlight flight controller
, which he has also used to fly a
VTOL F-35
and
belly-flopping starship
.
Would you be surprised that this
isn’t our first cyclocopter hack
? | 20 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370360",
"author": "Wallace Owen",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T16:39:32",
"content": "Absolutely awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370363",
"author": "Earle Rich",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T16:53:42",
"content":... | 1,760,372,992.846144 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/this-week-in-security-insecure-chargers-request-forgeries-and-kernel-security/ | This Week In Security: Insecure Chargers, Request Forgeries, And Kernel Security | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"Hallucinate",
"linux kernel",
"Request Forgery",
"This Week in Security"
] | The folks at Pen Test Partners decided to
take a look at electric vehicle chargers
. Many of these chargers are WiFi-connected, and let you check your vehicle’s charge state via the cloud. How well are they secured? Predictably, not as well as they could be.
The worst of the devices tested, Project EV, didn’t actually have any user authentication on the server side API. Knowing the serial number was enough to access the account and control the device. The serial numbers are predictable, so taking over every Project EV charger connected to the internet would have been trivial. On top of that, arbitrary firmware could be loaded remotely onto the hardware was possible, representing a real potential problem.
The EVBox platform had a different problem, where an authenticated user could simply specify a security role. The tenantadmin role was of particular interest here, working as a superadmin that could see and manage multiple accounts. This flaw was patched within an impressive 24 hours. The
EVBox charger
, as well as several other devices they checked had fundamental security weaknesses due to their use of Raspberry Pi hardware in the product. Edit: The EVBox was *not* one of the devices using the Pi in the end product.
Wait, What About the Raspberry Pi?
Apparently the opinion that a Raspberry Pi didn’t belong in IoT hardware caught Pen Test Partners some flack, because a few days later
they published a follow-up post explaining their rationale
. To put it simply, the Pi can’t do secure boot, and it can’t do encrypted storage. Several of the flaws they found in the chargers mentioned above were discovered because the device filesystems were wide open for inspection. A processor that can handle device encryption, ideally better than the TPM and Windows Bitlocker combination we covered last week, gives some real security against such an attack.
Now Linux on the Pi can certainly do an encrypted filesystem, but the real problem is the storage of the encryption key. Without a secure enclave in the SoC, it’s very tricky to have an encryption key that isn’t trivially read by an attacker with physical access. On a laptop it’s not a problem, since the user can provide a password that’s used as part of the encryption key, but who wants to type a password into every IoT device every time they power them on?
Snapcraft Sideloading
[Amy Burnett] found something on an Ubuntu system that didn’t make sense — A Docker command throwing a segfault. What was even weirder, it only happened when running the command in a particular folder, where a
libc.so.6
file was also stored. Her security-sense tingled. For some reason, that library file was probably getting loaded when the docker command was run. A quick
strace
confirmed the theory, but why was that happening? The answer is a security vulnerability in Ubuntu’s new Snapcraft package manager. Ubuntu has started providing certain programs as snaps rather than traditional packages.
The culprit is the Snapcraft logic used to build the
LD_LIBRARY_PATH
local variable. If one of the variables used to build that variable is blank, you end up with a double colon as part of the string. Linux interprets that as the current directory, and hence running a package installed via Snapcraft will potentially load dynamic libs unintentionally. A suggested attack is to distribute a video file in an archive, and including a malicious library. Any user that just extracts the files and plays the video in a Snapcraft installed player will automatically load the malicious library. The problem was tracked as CVE-2020-27348 and
fixed late 2020
.
Request Forgeries
A trio of stories about request forgeries surfaced this week, the first being
a cross site request forgery (CSRF) on OkCupid
. To start, a CSRF attack is when visiting one website can trigger an action on a different website. Cross-Origin Resource Sharing is supposed to be the solution to this problem, but there are caveats that you should know about. The important one here is that an HTML form can send a POST off to another domain, even if the CORS header isn’t set. The common way to protect against this attack is a CSRF token than confirms that the request really is coming from an approved site. OkCupid didn’t use these tokens, and as such it was possible to build a web page that triggers an action on behalf of the user.
One of the other common request forgery patterns is the Server-Side Request Forgery, (SSRF). This one is a bit different: Here we fool a server into generating an unintended request. This is usually in the context of a front-end server sending traffic to non-public back-end services. Here it’s
the ability to include an internal URL as a parameter for calling the Facebook API
. It seems that the API endpoint naively accepts any URL as a valid image, even if that location isn’t one that shouldn’t be publicly accessible. In this case, this action leaked the contents of the internal endpoint, allowing the researcher to snag a canary token, and score a pair of $30,000 bounties.
The final story broke late in the week, and it’s all about HTTP/2. This relatively new protocol is a potential replacement for HTTP, and is all about making the web quicker and more flexible. Guess what comes with a new protocol. Yeah, new creative ways to break it. [James Kettle] of PortSwigger
covers quite a few potential vulnerabilities
related to request smuggling, mostly involving HTTP/2 translation to HTTP 1.1 by a front-end server. These attacks are things like including colons or newlines in HTTPS/2 fields, where those symbols are interpreted differently once translated to HTTP 1.1.
The most important vulnerability announced is probably CVE-2021-33193, a flaw in Apache’s
mod_proxy
. It’s a problem where whitespace in an incoming header is understood differently by the front-end HTTP/2 server than it is on the back-end. This allows an attacker to ask for a privileged endpoint, say
/wp-admin
, but disguise that request as something uninteresting. This maneuver can bypass the access rules and allow access to these locations. The flaw is fixed in Apache master, and will be part of 2.4.49 release, but here we are talking about the vulnerability, and 2.4.49 isn’t yet out. If you run a vulnerable server, it might be time to go disable HTTP/2.
Hallucinating TLS Decryption
SySS just released
Hallucinate
as an open source project. This project is all about decrypting SSL traffic, not on the wire, but by hooking into the OS or application that is doing the encryption. The potential use cases are quite wide. Trying to figure out what data a closed-source binary is sending up to the cloud? Troubleshooting a hard-to-pin-down bug in encrypted data? Hallucinate might just help. It can spit out a decrypted PCAP file, or even run Python scripts to manipulate encrypted data in real time. Definitely a useful trick to add to your library.
Google’s Take on Kernel Security
[Kees Cook] of Google’s Open Source Security Team
published a post this week, talking about the state of security
in and around the Linux kernel. He makes the point that while the kernel runs very well when things are working properly, when it breaks, it can break in insecure ways. Put another way, he would like to see more work done to make the kernel resilient to compromise even in the case of flaws. While the changes needed to do this aren’t spelled out in the post, I can only think of efforts like adding Rust to the kernel and doing additional address randomization.
The majority of the post isn’t aimed at the upstream kernel, but at downstream integrators. The advice here is simple. Track the latest release or stable kernel. Don’t use a 10 year old kernel. Is that a challenge because you have so much out-of-tree kernel code? Upstream your changes. It makes everyone more secure. Rather than spending so much engineering effort backporting fixes to your ancient kernel, spend that effort making the upstream kernel more secure. It’s interesting that he ends the article with the opinion that the Linux kernel and toolchain needs about 100 more skilled engineers to be effectively maintained. | 13 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370340",
"author": "Marc S.",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T14:33:37",
"content": "Complaining about the Pis lack of secureboot and encryption seems a bit inane to me. It was never meant for most of us adults. Wasn’t it a device for young learners? We invaded their ecosystem, we are all... | 1,760,372,992.907375 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/overhauling-a-battle-bot/ | Overhauling A Battle Bot | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"battle bot",
"battlebots",
"overhaul",
"repair"
] | Where do old battle bots go to die? Well the great parts-bin in the
sky
corner of the workshop, where they await disassembly and use in other projects. But once in a while, if a battle bot is really lucky, they get pulled out again and put back into working order. So is the story [Charles] is telling about Overhaul 1, a hulk of a robot who was last see in fighting shape
during the 2015 season
of the show.
Having been succeeded by newer designs (Overhaul 2 and Overhaul 3), it’s a surprise to see some work being poured into these old bones. It didn’t escape the parts bin unscathed, having lost it’s wheels to another design called sadbot. What’s in place now are “shuffle drive pods”, a cam-based system that kind of crawls the robot along. They’re fun to watch in action in the video after the break, just make sure to turn your volume way down first. It’s no wonder [Charles] plans to replace them with newly-designed wheel modules.
In the heat of a match these things take a lot of damage, and the frame of Overhaul 1 was still twisted and mangled. A hydraulic tire jack is the tool of choice as the damage was caused externally and needed to be pushed out from the inside. As a testament to how these things are built, any old jack just won’t do and a 20-ton unit was acquired for the purpose. A set of prongs on the front (called pontoons) was also bent inward and required a chain and a come-along to pull them out.
The nice thing about revisiting projects years later is that technology tends to move forward. We can imagine that the design work [Charles] has in progress for a new set of wheel modules is much easier, and the parts (motors, drivers, batteries, etc) of a much higher quality than when first built over half a decade ago. This is the first installment in the overhaul of Overhaul series, which we’ll be keeping an eye on.
Need to sate your appetite for how to build indestructible robots? Check out
how the indestructible wheels for the “Copperhead” bot are fabricated
! | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,372,993.16217 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/06/sbitx-hackable-hf-sdr-for-the-raspberry-pi/ | SBITX: Hackable HF SDR For The Raspberry Pi | Danie Conradie | [
"Radio Hacks",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"ham radio",
"HF",
"raspberry pi",
"sdr"
] | Cheap, easy to use SDR dongles are an immensely powerful tool for learning about radio technology. However, building your own SDR is not something too many hackers are confident to tackle. [Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE] hopes to change this with the
sBITX
, a hackable HF SDR transceiver designed around the Raspberry Pi.
[Ashhar] introduced the project in talk at the virtual “Four Days In May” annual conference of the QRP Amateur Radio Club International. Watch the full talk in the video after the break. He first goes over the available open source SDR radios, and then delves into his design decisions for the sBITX. One of the primary goals of the project was to lower the barrier of entry. To do this, he chose the Raspberry Pi as base, and wrote C code that that anyone who has done a bit of Arduino programming should be able to understand and modify. The hardware is designed to be as simple as possible. On the receive side, a simple superheterodyne architecture is used to feed a 25 kHz wide slice of RF spectrum to an audio codec, which send the digitized audio to the Raspberry Pi. The signal is then demodulated in software using FFT. For transmit, the signal is generated in software, and then upconverted to the desired RF frequency. [Ashhar] also created a GUI for the 7″ Raspberry Pi screen.
At the moment the sBITX is still in the development stage, information is spread between the video after the break, it’s accompanying
PDF
, the
GitHub repo
, and a
thread on the BITX20 group
.
[Ashar Farhan] is well known in the ham radio community for low cost radio designs like the
BITX
, and it’s successor, the
μBITX
. He also created the
Antuino
, an Arduino based antenna tester. | 32 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370319",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T11:47:53",
"content": "It’s certainly an interesting project. Perhaps a bit mishmash at the time being.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370334",
"author": "br0k3nilluzion"... | 1,760,372,993.115711 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/vintage-test-equipment-addiction-justified/ | Vintage Test Equipment Addiction Justified | Chris Lott | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"automated test",
"test equipment",
"vintage HP gear"
] | Recore 3D printer board developer [Elias Bakken] has
posted about the automatic test procedure
he developed using a stack-up of four (at least) pieces of vintage HP test equipment. In addition, his test jig and test philosophy is quite interesting.
Besides making a bed-of-nails test jig, he also designed a relay multiplexing board to that selects one of the 23 different voltages for measurement. We like his selection of mechanically latching relays in this application — not only does it save power, but it doesn’t subject the test board to any magnetic fields (except when switching state).
In [Elias]’s setup, the unit under test (UUT) actually orchestrates the testing process itself. This isn’t as crazy as it might sound. The processor is highly integrated in one package plus external DRAM. If the CPUs boot up at all, and pass simple self-test routines, there’s no reason not to utilize the on-board processor as the main test control computer. This might be a questionable decision if your processor was really small with constrained resources and connectivity. But in the case of Recore, the processor is a four-core ARM A53 SoC running Debian Linux — an arrangement that itself could well serve as an automated test computer in other projects.
In the video down below, [Elias] walks us through the basic tests, and then focuses on the heart of the Recore board tests: calibrating the input signal conditioning circuits. Instead of using very expensive precision resistors, [Elias] selected more economical 1% resistors to use in the preamp circuitry. The tradeoff here is the need to calibrate each channel, perhaps at multiple temperature points. This is a situation where using a test jig, automated test scripts, and and stack of programmable test equipment really shines.
[Elias] is still pondering some issues he found trying to calibrate thermocouples, so his adventure is not quite over yet. If you are wondering what Recore is, check out
this article from back in June
. Have you ever used the microprocessor on a circuit board to test itself, either standalone or in conjunction with an external jig? Let us know in the comments below. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370321",
"author": "f1vefour",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T11:57:50",
"content": "If only all 3d printer boards were tested like this. His testing methodology is excellent and it has caused me to take a longer look at the recore.Thanks for sharing",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,372,993.208395 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/raspberry-pi-pico-used-as-a-transputer/ | Raspberry Pi Pico Used As A Transputer | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"Microcontrollers",
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"emulator",
"Raspberry Pi Pico",
"rp2040",
"transputer"
] | You can’t fake that feeling when a $4 microcontroller dev board can stand in as cutting-edge 1980s technology. Such is the case with
the working transputer that [Amen] has built using a Raspberry Pi Pico
.
For a thorough overview of the transputer you should
check out [Jenny List’s] longer article on the topic
but boiled down we’re talking about a chip architecture mostly forgotten in time. Targetting parallel computing, each transputer chip has four serial communication links for connecting to other transputers. [Amen] has wanted to play with the architecture since its inception. It was expensive back then and today, finding multiple transputers is both difficult and costly. However, the RP2040 chip found on the Raspberry Pi Pico struck him as the perfect way to emulate the transputer design.
The RP2040 chip on the Pico board has two programmable input/output blocks (PIOs), each with four state machines in them. That matches up perfectly with the four transputer links (each is bi-directional so you need eight state machines). Furthermore, the link speed is spec’d at 10 MHz which is well within the Pico’s capabilities, and since the RP2040 runs at 133 MHz, it’s conceivable that an emulated core can get close to the 20 MHz top speed of the original transputers.
Bringing up the hardware has been a success. To see what’s actually going on, [Amen] sourced some link adapter chips (IMSC011), interfacing them through an Arduino Mega to a computer to use the keyboard and display. The transputer architecture allows code to be loaded via a ROM, or through the links. The latter is what’s running now. Future plans are to figure out a better system to compile code, as right now the only way is by running the original INMOS compiler on DOS in a VM.
Listen to [Amen] explain the project in the first of a (so far) six video series. You can find the links to the rest of those videos
on his YouTube channel
. | 43 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370273",
"author": "JWhitten",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T03:12:41",
"content": "Wow, THAT is really cool !!! I wanted to play with the transputers back in the day, but never got a chance to do it. I was especially intrigued with Atari’s ABAQ system, which was transputer based. I wil... | 1,760,372,993.347463 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/kinesis-teensy-qmk-advantage-over-your-keyboard/ | Kinesis + Teensy = QMK Advantage Over Your Keyboard | Kristina Panos | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"keyboard",
"Kinesis",
"Kinesis Advantage",
"mechanical keyboard",
"Stapelberg controller",
"Teensy"
] | Back in 2013, [Michael Stapelberg] created what is lovingly referred to as the Stapelberg controller: a replacement keyboard controller for the original Kinesis Advantage, the decades-old darling of the ergonomic clacking world. Whether you’re building a new keeb, you’ve got a broken Kinesis, or you simply want to run QMK on the thing and don’t mind getting your hands dirty,
there’s a new Stapelberg controller on the block
. It’s called the kinT, for Kinesis + Teensy.
[Michael] built kinT in response to the Advantage 2, which came along in 2017 and changed the way the thumb clusters connect to the main board from a soldered cable to an FPC connector. Whereas the original Stapelberg controller was built in Eagle, this one was done in KiCad
and is open-source, along with the firmware
. You can use a Teensy 4 with this board but if you don’t have one, don’t worry — kinT is backwards-compatible with pretty much every Teensy, and it will even work on the original Advantage.
Are you on the fence about going full ergo? Check out
my in-depth review of the original Kinesis Advantage
I got that’s almost 20 years old and still clacking along like new. But
don’t wait for a repetitive stress injury to go full ergo
. Trust me. | 11 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370264",
"author": "Andrew Wells",
"timestamp": "2021-08-06T01:15:50",
"content": "There are a handful really cool bluetooth mods for the advantage similar to this one as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6370269",
"aut... | 1,760,372,993.262227 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/custom-caliper-tracks-for-when-youre-going-the-distance/ | Custom Caliper Tracks For When You’re Going The Distance | Sonya Vasquez | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"capacitance sensor",
"digital caliper"
] | The working principle of digital calipers is mysterious enough that we’d never think to dismantle, much less improve them, right? Well, think again, as [Limi DIY] retrofits the processing element onto a custom track,
extending the calipers measurement distance to a whopping 650 mm
. Combined with a prior project to extract the measurement data, the result makes for a working multi-axis digital readout, a handy device for machine tools like a manual lathe or milling machine.
Digital calipers operate on the principle of measuring an array of variable capacitors. If we scratch our heads and look back at our
physics notes
, we’ll recall that the capacitance between two parallel conductive plates is linearly proportional to the surface area. By fixing one dimension of both plates and by sliding one plate over the other, we effectively change the area, giving ourselves a simple linear displacement sensor! (There are some classy error-correcting techniques too, and this [
PDF
] is a great place to look for more details.)
The theory takeaway is that this array of parallel plates can be embedded directly into a printed circuit board. We just need to know the dimensions. After some close measurement work, [Limi DIY] extracted the crucial measurements and fabbed a PCB with the pattern duplicated over 650 mm. After retrofitting the original processing element onto this new track, they had a working measurement device that’s far longer than the original!
If you’ve ever been tempted to disassemble your calipers but too nervous to bite off the investment, now’s your chance to follow along as [Lima DIY] demonstrates the gratuitous disassembly process for you in video format. And the fruits of their labor is also captured on a
project post
that includes the key dimensions if you’re looking to do the same thing.
If you’re looking for other ways to improve your calipers, why not start by giving them
a major battery life boost
.
Thanks to [absd] via [Jubilee Discord] for the tip! | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370234",
"author": "infrared",
"timestamp": "2021-08-05T20:20:02",
"content": "This should give many desktop mills a cheap DRO.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370298",
"author": "mac012345",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,372,993.39831 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/magnus-effect-rc-aircraft-is-a-lot-harder-than-it-looks/ | Magnus-Effect RC Aircraft Is A Lot Harder Than It Looks | Danie Conradie | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"aerodynamics",
"Magnus effect",
"RC airplane"
] | Conventional airfoil wings have come out on top for getting flying machines airborne over the last century, but there were a few other interesting designs that have come and gone. One of these is the Magnus effect plane, which makes use of the lift produced by a spinning cylinder. [James Whomsley] from [Project Air]
decided to build one as a side project
, but it ended up being a lot more challenging than what he initially suspected. (Video, embedded below.)
The Magnus effect achieved a bit of viral fame a few years when
[How Ridiculous] dropped a basketball down a dam wall
with some backspin. [James] T-shaped Magnus effect plane has a pair of spinning cylinders at the top to create lift, driven by a brushless motor using a belt. A second brushless motor with a propeller is on the center carbon fiber tube provides forward thrust, and a rudder provides yaw control. The battery is attached to the bottom of the tub for stability.
The very first flight looked very promising, but [James] quickly ran into a series of problems related to center of gravity, power, pitch control, and drag. After iterations of the build-crash-rebuild cycle, he ended up with larger motors and rudder, shorter “wings”, and a higher thrust motor position. This resulted in a craft still only marginally controllable, but stayed in the air for quite a while. Since the intention was never to turn it into a long-term project, James] called it a success to avoid more
yak shaving
, and continue work on his airboat and
rocketplane
.
If you are interested in building one of your own, he put all the findings of his experimentation in a short report. For more inspiration, check out the other Magnus effect plane we covered that used
KFC buckets
for the wings. | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370227",
"author": "x3n0x",
"timestamp": "2021-08-05T19:34:11",
"content": "Peter Sripol did this awhile ago:https://youtu.be/K6geOms33DkInteresting idea, if not terribly practical…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370230",
... | 1,760,372,993.443375 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/08/05/hands-on-def-con-29-badge-embraces-the-new-normal/ | Hands On: DEF CON 29 Badge Embraces The New Normal | Tom Nardi | [
"cons",
"Current Events",
"Featured",
"hardware",
"Reviews",
"Slider"
] | [
"badgelife",
"DEF CON",
"def con badge",
"defcon 29",
"hardware badge",
"macro pad",
"mechanical keyboard",
"usb hid"
] | To say that 2020 was a transformative year would be something of an understatement. The COVID-19 pandemic completely changed the way we worked, learned, and lived. Despite all those jokes about how much time people spend on their devices rather than interacting face-to-face with other humans, it turns out that when you can’t get more than a few people together in the same room, it throws our entire society into disarray.
Our community had to rethink how we congregated, and major events like HOPE, DEF CON, and even our own Hackaday Supercon, had to be quickly converted into virtual events that tried with varying degrees of success to capture the experience of hundreds or thousands of hackers meeting up in real life. While few would argue that a virtual hacker convention can ever truly replace a physical one, we learned there are undeniable benefits to embracing the advantages offered by cyberspace. If nothing else, the virtual hacker meetups of 2020 saw a far larger and more diverse array of attendees and presenters than ever before.
As we begin seeing the first rays of light at the end of the long, dark, tunnel we’ve been stuck in, it’s clear that some of the changes that COVID-19 forced on our community are here to stay. As eager as we all are to get back to the epic hackfests of old, nobody wants to close the door on all those who would be unable to attend physically now that they’ve gotten to peek behind the curtain.
With this in mind,
this year’s DEF CON is being presented in both physical and virtual forms simultaneously
. If you made to Las Vegas, great. If not, you can follow along through chat rooms and video streams from the comfort of your own home. Following the theme, the DC29 badge is not only a practical tool for virtual attendees, but an electronic puzzle for those who are able to bring a few of them together physically. Let’s take a closer look at this socially distanced badge and the tech that went into it.
Streaming Sidekick
On its own, the DC29 badge is a four-key RGB mechanical macro pad that connects to your computer over USB-C. Out of the box the keys are configured to work with Discord, allowing you to do things like mute your microphone and fire off some appreciative emotes. Along the right side of the device are three touch pads which are configured to work as a volume slider, nicely completing the array of available media controls.
The badge enumerates as a serial device, and if you connect to it with a terminal emulator, you’ll be presented with a simple user interface for re-configuring not only the function of each of the four keys, but their individual RGB color values. The touch pads on the side can’t currently be configured through this UI, but as you’re notified when first connecting, this is only a minimal firmware implementation; a more complete version is scheduled to be released during DC29.
Speaking of which, firmware updates are installed using a method that will be familiar to anyone who’s worked with MicroPython. Holding the bottom right key while plugging in the badge will cause it to show up as a USB Mass Storage device that contains the firmware in UF2 format, providing a user-friendly and cross-platform way of getting new code running on the badge. The virtual drive also contains an HTML file, but at least for now, it simply points you to the DEF CON site.
Mechanical keyboard aficionados will be pleased to learn that the badge’s four Gateron Blues are installed in hot-swappable sockets, should you want to customize the board’s tactility with a new set of switches. Each key is topped with a custom DEF CON relegendable keycap, allowing you to insert your own printed artwork. The caps appear to have been resin 3D printed, and given the fairly obvious variability in color, clarity, and quality that can be seen even with a sample size of only four, it seems their production was likely the result of a breakneck collaborative effort.
Between the configurable software, hot-swappable switches, and customizable keycaps, the DC29 badge is a surprisingly robust little macro pad. It seems safe to say that, long after this year’s con is wrapped, many people will still be using this badge on a daily basis.
Under The Hood
The two layers of the badge are held together with four plastic pegs, and pulling them apart uncovers a surprisingly barren interior. In fact the only component really worth mentioning is the Atmel ATSAMD21G16B, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller. This 48 MHz chip includes 64 KB of flash, 8 KB of SRAM, a capacitive Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC), and an integrated USB controller.
Outside of the MCU, there’s just a buzzer, what’s presumably a voltage regulator, and some passives. There are no obvious sensors or radios, but the array of physical connectors on every side of the badge does hint that there are still a few tricks to be revealed.
Fun With Friends
The DC29 badge is eminently useful on its own, in fact, it arguably ranks up there with the most practical event badges ever conceived. But it’s also designed to work in conjunction with other badges, as the edge connectors and silkscreen messages hint. Multiple badges can either snap together or be interlinked via USB cables, and thanks to the onboard CR2032 battery, they don’t need to be tethered to the computer for power.
As for what they do when they’re connected…well, we’re going to have to wait a bit before we find out. For one thing, it’s not immediately clear that the current firmware even supports linking the badges together. While hardly an exhaustive investigation, searching the firmware for ASCII strings doesn’t uncover any messages that would pertain to any functionality beyond acting as a macro pad.
Those attending DEF CON physically may find they need to perform a firmware update before their badges will actually do anything interesting when connected to each other, but by all means, give it a shot and let us know.
A Badge For a New Era
The rise of Badgelife has always been fueled by the
hacker’s desire to show off their collection of glittering artisanal electronics
. But what happens when there’s no packed convention hall for you to wander around in? That neck full of PCB bling doesn’t have quite the same appeal when you’re attending a con from your bedroom. How do you make a badge compelling for an individual who might never get within a hundred kilometers of another holder?
Creating a device that combined the traditional form and function of DEF CON badges with the socially distanced nature of a virtual convention was no easy task, but the DC29 badge certainly managed to pull it off. As a single unit it’s a useful and customizable gadget, and in large quantities, it doubles as a piece in an interactive puzzle. As hacker conventions continue to blur the line between physical and virtual attendance over the coming years, this design will inevitably be the yardstick by which future badges are measured.
Whether or not the majority of DC29 badges ever get the chance to connect with another of its kind, one thing is for sure: each one will be a prized possession by any hacker that was able to get their hands on one. | 13 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6370219",
"author": "smerrett79",
"timestamp": "2021-08-05T18:45:52",
"content": "Photo shows SAMD21G16B which appears to have 64k flash and 8k SRAM.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6370226",
"author": "Tom Nardi",
... | 1,760,372,993.643104 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.